High heels areusually associated withfemininebeauty and luxury, but this was not always the case. In fact, the history of this fashionable form of footwear is filled with surprises.
For starters, did you know that high heels were originally designed for men? The firstones appeared in 10th-century Persia, where army horsemenwore them to fasten their feet into stirrups. Although functional, they also looked sharp, so the trend soon spread. 12th- century temple artwork in India depicts female dancers wearing raised shoes. In Medieval Europe, both men and women wore elevated shoes made of wood. Women of noble birth at that time also wore platform shoes called chopines. __1__ The higher the chopines, the higher the status of the wearer.
The modern version of high heels, thin bars lifting only the back of the feet, was brought from Persia to Europe in the early 17th century. High-heeled shoes became a symbol of authority and status for men. __2__ A fashion trend was born and quickly spread across Europe, first among men and then women. The height of the heels was even standardizedand indicative of one’s class: 0.5 inches for commoners, 1-2 inches for nobles and knights, and 2.5 inches only for royalty. Men’s and women’s high heels started to differ as well, with women wearing smaller shoes with thinner heels and men preferring tall and leather boots. In the 18th century, men started to regard high-heeled shoes with thin heels as impractical. __3__ The popularity of high heels dramatically dropped during the French Revolution(1789-1799) as no one wanted to be seen as royalty.
__4__ In modern times, high heels are associated withprofessionalism, elegance, and confidence among women, while the style has tapered offamong men. But who knows? Maybe men’s high heels will catch onagain some time.
(A) Eventually, men abandonedhigh heels, and the shoes fell into the women’s domain.
(B) These shoes not only helped women avoid mud on the street but also symbolizedtheir status.
(C) Interest in high heels revivedin the 19th century, and the style has been worn by women since then.
(D) For instance, French King Louis XIV was fond ofwearing red high heels, which representedhis power.
答案: 1.B 2.D 3.A 4.C
單字片語整理
Words in Use
●
luxury
[ˋlʌkʃərɪ]
n. 奢侈（不可數）；奢侈品（可數）
=
extravagance
All his life, the rich man led a life of luxury.
這名富豪終其一生都過著奢華的生活。
A television was a luxury for me when I was young.
我年輕的時候，電視對我來說是奢侈品。
多益綠色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
functional
[ˋfʌŋkʃən!]
a. 功用的；實用的
The two machines look alike but have many functional differences.
這兩臺機器看起來很像，但是有許多功用上的不同點。
The design of the chair is beautiful, but it is not very functional.
這張椅子的設計很漂亮，但是卻不很實用。
高中 Level 4
●
depict
[dɪˋpɪkt]
vt. 描述，描繪
This novel depicts the extravagant life of the upper class.
這本小說描繪了上流社會奢侈浪費的生活。
Some Hollywood movies depict dark-skinned people as dangerous and violent, but this is not the case at all.
一些好萊塢電影把深色皮膚的人描繪成危險暴力分子，不過 實際上根本就不是這麼一回事。
高中 Level 5
●
elevated
[ˋɛlə͵vetɪd]
提高的，抬高的
Tom tripped over the elevated sidewalk and fell.
湯姆絆到高起的人行道而跌倒了。
●
authority
[əˋθɔrətɪ]
n. 權威（不可數）；權威人士（可數）；有關當局（恆用複數）
Our parents have authority over us when we are young.
小時候，父母可完全支配我們。
My cousin is an authority on photography.
我表哥在攝影方面是個權威。
The authoritiesconcerned should take immediate action to deal with the problem. 有關當局應立刻採取行動處理此問題。
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
standardize
[ˋstændɚd͵aɪz]
vt. 使標準化
The school board is trying to standardize all tests.
教育委員會正努力使所有測驗標準化。
●
indicative
[ɪnˋdɪkətɪv]
a. 顯示的
Scott's presence today was indicative of his interest in our project.
史考特今天出席表示他對我們的計畫有興趣。
●
royalty
[ˋrɔɪəltɪ]
n. . 皇室（集合名詞，不可數）；版稅（常用複數）
Annie discovered that her grandmother was a memberof the royalty.
安妮發現她外婆是皇室成員。
The author received 5% royalties on each copy sold.
這名作家每賣出一本書，就可抽 5% 的版稅。
英檢中高
高中 Level 6
●
differ
[ˋdɪfɚ]
vi. 變化，不同
=
vary
People differ from one another in their hobbies.
嗜好因人而異。
Hobbies vary from person to person.
嗜好因人而異。
●
impractical
[ɪmˋpræktɪk!]
a. 不切實際的
英檢中級
高中 Level 3
●
revolution
[͵rɛvəˋluʃən]
n. 革命；（星球）運行，公轉
=
rotation
There is a revolution taking place in that country.
那個國家正發生一場革命。
One revolution of the Earth around the sun takes a year.
地球繞太陽運轉一圈要花一年的時間。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
abandoned
[əˋbændənd]
a. 廢棄的；被遺棄的
I saw an abandoned cat on the street, and it followed me home.
我在街上看到一隻被遺棄的貓咪，牠跟著我回家。
高中 Level 4
●
domain
[doˋmen]
n. 屬地，領土;領域，範圍
=
field
=
realm
=
sphere
=
territory
This forest is the king’s domain. Trespassers are subject to severe penalties.
這片樹林是國王的領地。闖入者將遭嚴懲。
I'm afraid I won't be of much help. Your research subject is outside of my domain.
很抱歉，我可能幫不上忙。你的研究主題在我的領域之外。
This information is not in the public domain. Only a handful of people know about it.
這消息還未對外公開。僅有少數幾個人知情。
高中 Level 5
●
symbolize
[ˋsɪmb!͵aɪz]
vt. . 象徵，代表
=
represent
In the Bible, lambs symbolize people, and a
shepherd symbolizes Jesus.
在《聖經》裡，小羊代表人民，牧羊人則代表耶穌。
英檢中級
高中 Level 6
●
status
[ˋstetəs]
n. 地位，身分；狀態，情況
The status of a teacher is not high in many countries.
在許多國家中老師的地位並不高。
What is the present status of the negotiations?
這次協商目前的情況如何？
Most people want to maintain their status quo and are reluctant to make any changes.
大部分的人都想要維持現狀，很不願做任何改變。
多益金色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
revive
[rɪˋvaɪv]
vi. & vt. （使）復甦，（使）有精神
=
restore
You look dead tired. A hot bath might help you revive
a bit.
妳看起來累極了。洗個熱水澡可能有助妳提振一下精神。
The government should spare no effort to revive our
economy.
政府應不遺餘力振興我們的經濟。
多益金色
英檢中高
高中 Level 6
●
represent
[͵rɛprɪˋzɛnt]
vt. 代表；象徵
=
symbolize
George represented his company at the press conference.
喬治代表公司出席記者會。
This ring, though inexpensive, represents my love for you.
這只戒指雖然不貴，卻代表著我對你的愛。
This ring, though inexpensive, stands for my love for you.
這只戒指雖然不貴，卻代表著我對你的愛。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 3
●
feminine
[ˋfɛmənɪn]
n. . 女性化的
=
female
That red dress made Daisy look very feminine.
那件紅洋裝讓黛西看起來很有女人味。
Many nouns in French are categorized as feminine,
which means they use “la,” rather than “le,” in front
of them.
法文中的許多名詞被歸類為陰性，這意味著在這些名詞前面
使用『la』，而不是『le』。
高中 Level 6
●
sharp
[ʃɑrp]
adv. （時間）整
adj. 銳利的；敏銳的；（疼痛）劇烈的；（衣著）時髦的
Be careful with that knife because it’s very sharp.
小心那把刀，因為它很利。
Jenny is very sharp and can answer all the questions right away.
珍妮很機靈，可以馬上回答所有問題。
When the policeman was shot, he felt a sharp pain in his arm.
那名員警中彈時，手臂傳來一陣劇烈的痛。
Meet me at the corner at three o’clock sharp.
3 點整在轉角處等我。
Meet me at the corner at three o’clock exactly.
3 點整在轉角處等我。
高中 Level 1
●
footwear
[ˋfʊt͵wɛr]
n. 鞋類
●
horseman
[ˋhɔrsmən]
n. 騎手（複數形為 horsemen）
●
stirrup
[ˋstɝəp]
n. 馬鐙
●
commoner
[ˋkɑmənɚ]
n. 平民
英檢初級
高中 Level 1
●
professionalism
[prəˋfɛʃən!͵ɪzəm]
n. 專業能力
●
elegance
[ˋɛləgəns]
n. （舉止、服飾、風格等的）優雅
●
associate
[əˋsoʃɪɪt]
vi. 交往
vt. 使有關聯
=
partner
Lung cancer is mostly associated with smoking.
肺癌大多與吸菸有關。
If I were you, I wouldn’t associate with that guy. He’s a gangster.
如果我是你的話，我不會和那名男子有所往來。他是幫派分子。
多益金色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
Practical Phrases
●
become / be associated with....
與……有關
Lung cancer is mostly associated with smoking.
肺癌大多與吸菸有關。
●
for starters
首先
Mix eggs and sugar for starters, and then add milk. 首先，將蛋和糖混合在一起，然後加入牛奶。
●
taper off
逐漸變小，逐步減弱
The little boy's interest in toy bears tapered off as he found toy cars more interesting.
那個小男孩對玩具熊逐漸失去興趣，因為他發現玩具車更有趣。
