英语听力精选进阶版 6321

It is 50 years since the first breast enlargement using silicone implants². Today it rates as the second-most popular form of cosmetic³ surgery worldwide, undergone by 1.5 million women in 2010. It is just behind liposuction in popularity.

It was spring 1962 when Timmie Jean Lindsey lay down on the operating table at a hospital in Texas and went from a B to a C cup, in an operation that boosted her self-confidence.

"I don't think I got the full results of them until I went out in public and men on the street would whistle at me," says Lindsey, now aged⁴ 80.

The idea of inserting material in the breasts to make them look more bountiful wasn't new. Paraffin, tried in the 1890s, was quickly dropped because it leaked to other parts of the body, according to Teresa Riordan, author of Inventing Beauty: A History of the Innovations that Have Made Us Beautiful.

In the 1920s and 1930s doctors tried moving fat from other parts of the body to the breasts. And in the 1950s sponges, wood and even glass balls were tried.

The first guinea pig for the silicone implant¹ was a dog that had them removed after chewing its stitches.

But the implants would prove popular in the decade in which Playboy magazine and Barbie were launched. Film stars played a big role too. "The busty look of Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell really emphasised this curvy silhouette," says Riordan.

But the history of implants didn't run smoothly⁵. In the 1990s, the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) banned silicone implants as it investigated possible links to an immune response disease. The industry made big payouts, but studies found no basis for the fears, and they returned.

Timmie Jean Lindsey she remains⁶ delighted with the results, but puzzled by the unforgiving effects of gravity on her bosom⁷. "You would think they would stay real perky, but no - they are just like a regular breasts, they begin to sag⁸ over the years."

Quiz 测验

What is the most popular type of cosmetic surgery in the world?

Liposuction.

When did doctors try using sponges to increase the size of women's breasts?

In the 1950s.

True, false or not given: The guinea pig used for silicone implant experiments chewed its stitches.

False. The animal the article refers to is a dog and not a guinea pig.

Who banned silicone implants?

The US Federal Drug Administration (FDA).

Look at the article. Can you find two expressions which refer to ‘women with large breasts’?

Curvy and busty.

Glossary 词汇表

breast enlargement 丰胸

silicone implant 硅胶植入

cosmetic surgery 美容/体手术

liposuction 吸脂

operating table 手术台

C cupC 号/大号胸罩

self-confidence 自信心

bountiful 丰满的，宽大的

guinea pig 豚鼠

a stitch 一针线

busty 胸部丰满的

curvy silhouette 轮廓曲线

to ban 禁止

payout 赔偿

gravity 地心引力

bosom 胸部

perky 挺拔

to sag 下垂

1 implant   

vt.注入，植入，灌输

参考例句：

• A good teacher should implant high ideals in children.好教师应该把高尚理想灌输给孩子们。
• The operation to implant the artificial heart took two hours.人工心脏植入手术花费了两小时。

2 implants   

n.（植入身体中的）移植物( implant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters. 激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Perhaps the most far-reaching project is an initiative called Living Implants From Engineering (LIFE). 也许最具深远意义的项目，是刚刚启动的建造活体移植工程 (LIFE)。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 医学的第四次革命

3 cosmetic   

n.化妆品；adj.化妆用的；装门面的；装饰性的

参考例句：

• These changes are purely cosmetic.这些改变纯粹是装饰门面。
• Laughter is the best cosmetic,so grin and wear it!微笑是最好的化妆品，所以请尽情微笑吧！

4 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

5 smoothly   

adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 bosom   

n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的

参考例句：

• She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。
• A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。

8 sag   

v.下垂，下跌，消沉；n.下垂，下跌，凹陷，[航海]随风漂流

参考例句：

• The shelf was beginning to sag beneath the weight of the books upon it.书架在书的重压下渐渐下弯。
• We need to do something about the sag.我们须把下沉的地方修整一下。