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Walking tall Through the Ages 就爱高人一等：从「跟」说起

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These days, when a woman wants to make herself look taller, the stylish and easy option is to put on a pair of high heel shoes. ___1___

这年头，想要使自己看起来高挑迷人的女人，既时髦又轻松的作法就是穿上一双高跟鞋。不过，听了你也许会觉得不可思议，最早的高跟鞋其实是发明给男性与女性穿的鞋，且后来还是一名国王让这款鞋流行起来呢。

The history of the heel stretches back thousands of years. Six-thousand-year-old Egyptian murals show butchers wearing heels, presumably to raise themselves above the mess at their feet. ___2___ In France, 14-year-old Catherine de Medici wore two-inch heels on her wedding day in order to appear taller to her husband-to-be, the French king.

高跟鞋的历史可回溯至好几千年前。六千年前的古埃及壁画，描绘了当时的屠夫穿着有跟的鞋子，大概是为了避开脚下秽物的缘故。史上第一桩纯因虚荣心作祟而穿上高跟鞋的案例，发生于1533年的法国。当时，14岁的凯瑟琳．德．美第奇为了让自己在准新郎（后来成为法国国王）的面前显得高挑，于是在婚礼上足蹬两吋高跟的礼鞋。

___3___ Louis regularly wore five-inch heels to improve his stature. ___4___ Louis later banned anyone other than the nobility from wearing high heels.

不过，直到17世纪路易十四统治期间，高跟鞋才真正开始成为一种时尚。法王路易十四经常穿着高达五吋的鞋子，藉鞋跟的高度来衬托出君主的气势。于是高跟风便在宫廷间流行了起来，宫里的朝臣也纷纷穿起了华丽的高跟鞋，一方面炫耀自己的财富，另一方面以示自己高人一等。后来路易十四便下令除了贵族以外，其他人等一律不准穿高跟鞋。

___5___ While some women may complain of the pain they cause, many have at least one pair of high heels for when they need that extra lift.

随着时代的更迭，高跟的高度也跟着时尚的走向起起落落。如今，高跟鞋几乎算是女性的专属鞋类。即使有些女性会抱怨穿高跟鞋所带来的不适，大部份的女性还是拥有至少一双高跟鞋以备不时的「蹬高」之需。

−by Andrew Crosthwaite

(A)   The fashion quickly caught on, and those at court began to wear elaborately designed high heels to show off their wealth and feel superior to those around them.

(B)   The year 1533 saw the first recorded case of someone wearing heels purely for vanity.

(C)   Over the years, heel heights have risen and fallen, and the style is now almost exclusively the preserve of women.

(D)  However, you might be surprised to learn that heels were originally invented for both sexes, and that it was actually a king who made them popular.

(E)   Besides, a questionnaire reveals that health-conscious woman would choose to wear more comfortable shoes.

(F)    The trend of wearing high heels really took off during the 17th-century reign of France’s Louis XIV.

Vocabulary

单词发音

vanity [ˋvænətɪ] n. 自负；虚荣（心）

exclusively [ɪkˋsklusɪvlɪ] adv. 专门地；专有地

trend [trɛnd] n. 趋势；时尚

take off【口】(指观念、产品等)突然大受欢迎; (指产品的销售量)急升

reign [ren] n. 在位期间，统治时期

More Information

单词发音

option [ˋɑpʃən] n. 可选择的东西

stretch back  回溯到

Egyptian [ɪˋdʒɪpʃən] adj. 埃及的

mural [ˋmjʊrəl] n. 壁画

butcher [ˋbʊtʃɚ] n. 肉贩; 屠夫

presumably [prɪˋzuməblɪ] adv. 大概，可能；想必

stature [ˋstætʃɚ] n. 身高，身材

catch on 流行 to become popular

elaborately [ɪˋlæbərɪtlɪ] adv. 精心地；精巧地

show off 卖弄, 炫耀 to do things in a way that is meant to attract attention

preserve [prɪˋzɝv] n.〔某羣体〕独有[专有]的活动

questionnaire [͵kwɛstʃənˋɛr] n.（调查情况用的）问卷；（意见）调查表

High heeled shoes

Answer