Level 3 Reading 2B

Ch.4 Reading 2B

第4章 阅读2B

SKIN: THE BODY'S CANVAS If you could take off your skin and lay it flat, it would cover an area of about 1.9 square meters. Skin is, by far, the body's largest organ. Covering almost the entire body, skin protects us from a variety of external forces. For example, it protects us from extremes of temperature, damaging sunlight, harmful chemicals, and dangerous infections. Skin is also packed with nerves, which keeps the brain in touch with the outside world. The health of our skin and its ability to perform its protective functions are crucial to our well-being. However, the appearance of our skin is equally—if not more—important to many people on this planet. Take skin color, for example. Your genes determine your skin's color, but for centuries, humans have tried to lighten or darken their skin in an attempt to be more attractive. In the 1800s, white skin was desirable for many Europeans. Skin this color meant that its owner was a member of the upper class and did not have to work in the sun. Among darker-skinned people in some parts of the world, products used to lighten skin are still popular today. During the 20th century, attitudes toward light skin shifted in the opposite direction in other cultures, as cities grew and work moved indoors. Tanned skin began to indicate leisure time and health. In many places today, tanning on the beach or in a salon remains popular, even though people are more aware of the dangers of UV rays. Identity and Status Just as people have altered their skin's color to denote wealth and beauty, so too have cultures around the globe marked their skin to indicate cultural identity or community status. Tattooing, for example, has been carried out for thousands of years. Leaders in places including ancient Egypt, Britain, and Peru wore tattoos to mark their status, or their bravery. Today, among the Maori people of New Zealand as well as in cultures in Samoa, Tahiti, and Borneo, full facial tattoos are still used to identify the wearer as a member of a certain family. These tattoos can also symbolize the person's achievements in life. In Japan, tattooing has been practiced for thousands of years, but was outlawed in the 19th century. Although there are no laws against it today, tattoos are still strongly associated with criminals— particularly the yakuza, or the Japanese mafia, who are known for their full-body tattoos. The complex design of a yakuza member's tattoo usually includes symbols of character traits that the wearer wants to have. The process of getting a full-body tattoo is both slow and painful and can take two years or more to complete. In some cultures, scarring—a marking caused by cutting or burning the skin—is practiced, usually among people who have darker skin on which a tattoo would be difficult to see. For many men in West Africa, for instance, scarring is a rite of passage— an act that symbolizes that a male has matured from a child into an adult. In Australia, among some native peoples, cuts are made on the skin of both men and women when they reach age 16 or 17. Without these, they were traditionally not permitted to trade, sing ceremonial songs, or participate in other activities. Not all skin markings are permanent, though. In countries such as Morocco and India, women decorate their skin with colorful henna designs for celebrations such as weddings and important religious holidays. The henna coloring, which comes from a plant, fades and disappears over time. In recent years in many industrialized nations, tattooing, henna body art, and, to a lesser degree, scarring have been gaining in popularity. What makes these practices appealing to those living in modern cities? According to photographer Chris Rainier, whose book Ancient Marks examines body markings around the globe, people are looking for a connection with the traditional world. "There is a whole sector of modern society—people in search of identity, people in search of meaning ...," says Rainier. "Hence, [there has been] a huge explosion of tattooing and body marking." Rainier reasons that it's "mankind wanting identity, wanting a sense of place ... and a sense of culture within their community."

皮肤：身体的画布 如果你能脱下你的皮肤，把它平放， 它将占地约1.9平方米。 到目前为止，皮肤是人体最大的器官。 皮肤几乎覆盖了整个身体，保护我们免受各种外力的伤害。 例如，它保护我们免受极端温度、有害阳光、有害化学物质和危险感染的影响。 皮肤也充满了神经，使大脑与外界保持联系。 我们皮肤的健康及其发挥保护功能的能力对我们的健康至关重要。 然而，我们的皮肤外观对这个星球上的许多人来说同样重要，如果不是更重要的话。 以肤色为例。 你的基因决定了你的皮肤颜色，但几个世纪以来， 人类试图使皮肤变亮或变暗，以增加吸引力。 在19世纪，白色皮肤是许多欧洲人所向往的。 这种颜色的皮肤意味着它的主人是上层阶级的一员 而且不必在阳光下工作。 在世界一些地区的深色皮肤人群中，用于提亮皮肤的产品今天仍然很受欢迎。 在20世纪，其他文化对浅色皮肤的态度发生了相反的变化， 随着城市的发展和工作转移到室内。 晒黑的皮肤开始表明休闲时间和健康。 在今天的许多地方，在海滩或沙龙晒黑仍然很受欢迎， 尽管人们更加意识到紫外线的危险。 身份和地位 正如人们改变了皮肤的颜色来表示财富和美丽一样， 全球各地的文化也在皮肤上标记，以表明文化身份或社区地位。 例如，纹身已经进行了数千年。 包括古埃及、英国和秘鲁在内的地方的领导人都穿着纹身来纪念他们的地位或勇气。 今天，在新西兰的毛利人以及萨摩亚、塔希提岛和婆罗洲的文化中， 全脸纹身仍然被用来识别佩戴者是某个家庭的成员。 这些纹身也可以象征一个人在生活中的成就。 在日本，纹身已有数千年的历史，但在19世纪被禁止。 尽管今天没有法律禁止纹身，但纹身仍然与罪犯有着密切的联系-- 尤其是以全身纹身而闻名的黑帮或日本黑手党。 黑帮成员纹身的复杂设计通常包括佩戴者想要拥有的性格特征的象征。 全身纹身的过程既缓慢又痛苦 可能需要两年或更长时间才能完成。 在某些文化中，疤痕——由切割或烧伤皮肤引起的标记——是常见的， 通常是皮肤较黑的人，很难看到纹身。 例如，对于西非的许多男性来说，留下疤痕是一种成年礼-- 象征男性从儿童成长为成年人的行为。 在澳大利亚，在一些原住民中，男性和女性的皮肤都会被割伤 当他们年满16或17岁时。 没有这些，他们传统上不允许进行贸易、唱礼仪歌曲或参加其他活动。 然而，并非所有的皮肤斑纹都是永久性的。 在摩洛哥和印度等国家，女性用五颜六色的指甲花图案装饰自己的皮肤 用于婚礼和重要宗教节日等庆祝活动。 指甲花色素来自一种植物，随着时间的推移会褪色和消失。 近年来，在许多工业化国家，纹身、指甲花人体艺术、， 而且，在较小程度上，疤痕越来越受欢迎。 是什么让这些做法对生活在现代城市的人有吸引力？ 摄影师克里斯·雷尼尔（Chris Rainier）的《古代标记》一书研究了全球各地的身体标记， 人们正在寻找与传统世界的联系。 雷尼尔说：“现代社会有一个整体——人们在寻找身份，人们在寻找意义……”。 “因此，纹身和身体标记的数量激增。” 雷尼尔认为，这是“人类想要身份，想要一种地方感……以及社区内的文化感。”

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