文章
Statements, like "beauty is in the eye of the beholder (观看者),” are rarely questioned(51). They've become so embedded in our consciousness that people think it's absurd to think otherwise. It might be useful, however, to at least push back on this assumption because people evaluate environments, situations, and people aesthetically. We may find that we still believe it is correct, but we may also find that there is a lot more to the situation than we suppose.
A recent study exploring aesthetic taste was published in Cognition. The results from this study show that people agree very much in their aesthetic evaluation of natural objects, but they disagree more about artifacts, or human-made objects.（52）
The study found that shared taste was most common for faces and natural landscapes, but least common among works of architecture and art. The hypothesis is that commonly pleasing features, like proportion or symmetry, are at work.
Preferences for natural scenes might be learned through life experiences. Factors like habitability, safety, and openness might be preferred as people develop. Some of the details of landscapes change, but the basics are more common, e.g., water, open spaces, and signs of care.
Art and architecture, unlike natural spaces, do not have the same level of exposure. So, people do not have the same level of shared taste.（53） 【level of exposure 意思：曝光度的程度】
It's possible that the lower amount of agreement in the shared taste of artifacts has to do more with elements of style, rather than "behavioral consequences.”
All of the consequences seem reasonable (or at least possible), but I think there might be an interesting philosophical conclusion that they did not draw. It seems that there is an objective ground to our aesthetic preferences or evaluations. I am not saying this would mean beauty is completely objective, just that there could possibly be general objective principles at work, i.e., beauty is not simply in the eye of the beholder.
Nature exhibits some of the universal aesthetic features, such as radiance, in a common way throughout the world. It's not exactly the same everywhere, but it is common. For example, a sunset is similar enough in different places to warrant almost universal appeal.（54）
Possible universal principles of beauty, such as proportion, fittingness, radiance, and others, are general categories, which allow for a wide array of embodiments. When people get involved in making artifacts in architecture or art, they apply these very general concepts in unique ways. But the way they applied the principle may not have universal appeal.（55）
This is why it's important to experience diverse cultures and their artifacts because it opens us up to different ways of approaching or constructing beauty. And it is always good to question our assumptions..
题目
51. What does the passage say about the statement "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"?
A) It has hardly ever been disputed.
B) It can be interpreted aesthetically.
C) Many people have found it absurd.
D) People have long been misled by it.
52. What does a recent study exploring aesthetic taste show?
A) Aesthetic tastes tend to differ from person to person.
B) Natural beauty is rarely surpassed by artificial beauty.
C) There is less consensus on objects shaped by human craft.
D) There is general agreement on what is pleasing to the eye.
53. Why do people differ in their aesthetic appraisal of artifacts?
A) They come out in a great variety of designs.
B) They lead to varying behavioral consequences.
C) They take up much less natural space than landscapes.
D) They come into people's view less often than natural spaces.
54. What does the example of a sunset tell about nature?
A) It creates a powerful appeal through its brilliant radiance.
B) It displays aesthetic traits in a similar way the world over.
C) It embodies beauty with a wide array of aesthetic features.
D) It establishes the principles of beauty in a number of ways.
55. Why do artifacts not always hold universal appeal?
A) The appreciation of their beauty is not subject to objective standards.
B) The universal principle of beauty prevents a wide array of embodiments.
C) The way their creators apply the principle of beauty may not be pleasing to everybody.
D) Their creators interpret the universal principle of beauty each in their preferred way.
词汇
question
【名词 / 动词】
👉 关键词：问题、询问、质疑
✅ 【名词】释义：
-
问题、疑问：用于获取信息或了解某事。
-
讨论的话题、议题：某个被讨论、争议或关注的事。
-
怀疑、质疑：对某事真实性或合理性的怀疑（常用于“without question”或“open to question”等短语中）。
✅ 例句（名词）：
-
She asked a simple question.
（她问了一个简单的问题。） -
The question of cost must be considered.
（必须考虑成本这个问题。） -
His honesty is not in question.
（他的诚实无可置疑。）
✅ 常见搭配（名词）：
-
ask a question（提问）
-
answer a question（回答问题）
-
a key question（关键问题）
-
bring into question（提出质疑）
-
out of the question（不可能的）
✅ 【动词】释义：
-
提问、询问：向某人提问题。
-
质疑、怀疑：对某事提出反对意见或怀疑其正确性。
✅ 例句（动词）：
-
The police questioned the suspect.
（警察审问了嫌疑人。） -
I question the accuracy of that statement.
（我质疑那句话的准确性。）
✅ 常见搭配（动词）：
-
question someone（审问某人）
-
question the truth / value（质疑真相 / 价值）
-
be questioned about（被问及……）
dispute
【名词 / 动词】
👉 关键词：争论、争执、质疑
✅ 【名词】释义：
指意见不合、争执、纠纷，可以是口头上的，也可以是法律、合同、边界等方面的争议。
✅ 例句（名词）：
-
The two countries are in a border dispute.
（这两个国家存在边界争议。） -
The dispute between workers and management lasted for weeks.
（工人与管理层之间的争执持续了数周。）
✅ 常见搭配（名词）：
-
a legal dispute（法律纠纷）
-
a dispute over something（关于某事的争议）
-
settle a dispute（解决争端）
-
be in dispute（处于争议中）
✅ 【动词】释义：
-
争论、对抗：与某人就某事有不同意见。
-
质疑、否认：对某个事实或决定表示不同意。
✅ 例句（动词）：
-
He disputed the results of the election.
（他对选举结果提出了质疑。） -
They disputed who should pay for the damage.
（他们为谁应该赔偿损失而争论。）
✅ 常见搭配（动词）：
-
dispute a claim / fact / decision（对某项主张 / 事实 / 决定提出异议）
-
be hotly disputed（被激烈争论）
-
dispute with someone（与某人争论）
absurd
【形容词】
👉 关键词：荒谬的、不合理的、可笑的
✅ 释义：
“absurd” 指极其不合理、违背常理或逻辑的事情，常带有嘲讽或惊讶的语气，意思是“荒唐的”、“荒谬可笑的”。
✅ 例句：
-
That idea is completely absurd.
（那个想法完全荒谬。） -
It’s absurd to expect people to work 18 hours a day.
（指望人们每天工作18小时是荒谬的。） -
He looked absurd in that costume.
（他穿那套服装看起来很可笑。）
✅ 常见搭配：
-
an absurd idea / suggestion（荒谬的想法 / 建议）
-
sound absurd（听起来荒唐）
-
completely / utterly absurd（完全荒谬）
embed
【动词】
👉 关键词：嵌入、植入、深深扎根
✅ 释义：
-
嵌入、插入（物理上）：把某物牢牢地放进另一物体中。
-
植入（观念、态度等）：使思想、态度、价值观等深入人心。
-
嵌入（计算机、媒体中）：在网页、系统或程序中插入音频、视频、代码等内容。
✅ 例句：
-
The bullet was embedded in the wall.
（子弹嵌进了墙里。） -
These values are deeply embedded in our culture.
（这些价值观深深地根植于我们的文化中。） -
You can embed the video in your website.
（你可以把这个视频嵌入你的网站。）
✅ 常见搭配：
-
embed in / into（嵌入……中）
-
deeply embedded（深深扎根的）
-
embed a file / image / video（嵌入文件 / 图片 / 视频）
-
embed a reporter（派驻记者，常用于新闻领域）
surpass
【动词】
👉 关键词：超越、超过、胜过
✅ 释义：
“surpass” 意味着超出、超过某物或某人，尤其是在能力、质量、数量等方面。常用来表示超过了某个标准、期望、或其他人的表现。
✅ 例句：
-
She surpassed all expectations in the competition.
（她在比赛中超出了所有人的期望。） -
His performance surpassed that of his colleagues.
（他的表现超过了他的同事。） -
The team's success surpassed even their own hopes.
（这个团队的成功甚至超过了他们自己的期望。）
✅ 常见搭配：
-
surpass expectations（超出预期）
-
surpass a record（打破纪录）
-
surpass someone in ability / skill（在能力上超过某人）
