阅读理解。
Clothes play a critical part in the conclusions we reach by pro- viding clues to who people are, who they
are not, and who they would like to be. They tell us a good deal about the wearer's back- ground, personality,
status, mood, and social outlook.
Since clothes are such an important source of social informa- tion,we can use them to influence people's
impression of us. Our appearance assumes particular significance in the initial phases of interaction that is
likely to occur. An elderly middle-class man or woman may be alienated (疏远) by a young adult who is
dressed in an unconventional manner, regardless of the person's education, background, or interests.
People tend to agree on what certain types of clothes mean. Adolescent girls can easily agree on the
lifestyles of girls who wear certain outfits (套装), including the number of boyfriends they like- ly have had
and whether they smoke or drink. Newscasters, or the announcers who read the news on TV, are considered
to be more convincing, honest, and competent when they are dressed conserva- tively. And college students
who view themselves as taking an active role in their inter-personal relationships say they are concerned about
the costumes they must wear to play these roles successfully. Moreover, many of us can relate instances in
which the clothing we wore changed the way we felt about ourselves and how we acted. Perhaps you have
used clothing to gain confidence when you waited for a stressful situation, such as a job interview, or a court
appearance.
In the workplace, men have long had clear precedents (先例) and role models for achieving success. It has
been otherwise for women. A good many women in the business world are uncertain aboutthe suitable mixture
of" masculine" and"feminine" charac- teristics they should express by their professional clothing. The vari- ety
of clothing choices to women has also been greater than that available for men. Male administrators tend to
judge women more favorably for managerial positions when the women display less "feminine" grooming (打扮)-shorter hair, moderate use of make- up, and plain tailored clothing.
1. According to the passage, the way we dress _____.
A. provides clues for people who are critical of us
B. indicates our likes and dislikes in choosing a career
C. has a direct influence on the way people regard us
D. is of particular importance when we get on in age
2. From Paragraph 3 we can see young adults believe certain types of clothing can _____.
A. change people's conservative attitudes toward their lifestyle
B. help young people make friends with the opposite sex
C. make them competitive in the job market
D. help them achieve success in their interpersonal relationships
3. Many career women find themselves in difficult situations because _____.
A. the variety of professional clothing is too wide for them to choose
B. women are generally thought to be only good at being fashion models
C. men are more favorably judged for managerial positions
D. they wonder the extent for them to display the feminine qual- ities through clothing
4. What is the passage mainly about?
A. Dressing for effect.
B. How to dress appropriately.
C. Managerial positions and clothing.
D. Dressing for the occasion.
