But the apparent obsession with beauty has faced some opposition. On one occasion, a feminist group protest interrupted the Miss Venezuela broadcast and President Hugo Chavez has spoken out against the culture of plastic surgery in Venezuela, calling breast enlargements a "monstrous thing".
The BBC reporter Sarah Grainger says that acceptance of the contests is partly a result of the country's 'machista' (meaning macho) view of rigid traditional gender roles, ''where men are supposed to be strong and brave and women to be gentle and delicate''.
Miss Universe 1996, Alicia Machado, knows the price to be paid when you're no longer seen as attractive. After winning the beauty contest, she said all she wanted to do was "eat, eat and eat". Her subsequent weight gain and threat by the organizers of the pageant to replace her as queen with the runner-up was the subject of intense media scrutiny, particularly in Latin America.
Quiz 測驗 How old are the youngest students at Venezuela's beauty schools?
The girls can be as young as four years old.
What's the advice given by a teacher in Caracas to her students?
Teacher Andrea Reyes advises that students' hair must be clean, their make-up should look natural and they should always wear high-heels.
Is the following statement true, false or not given? Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has spoken out against beauty contests.
Not given. The article only tells us that he has criticised the culture of plastic surgery in the country.
Look at the article. What word is used to refer to the contestant who comes in second place?
Runner-up.
What expressions are used in the article to refer to people who are well known in their country?
Celebrities and public figures.
Glossary 词汇表 beauty is in the eye of the beholder情人眼裏出西施 beauty queen選美冠軍 to leave (something) to chance聽天由命 to strut down the catwalk走時裝秀 make-up化妝 high-heels高跟鞋 beauty pageant選美比賽 groomed受培訓 public figure公眾人物 to raise public consciousness提高公眾意識 to speak out大聲講 plastic surgery整形手術 breast enlargement隆胸手術 macho有男子氣概的 gender roles男女角色 attractive有魅力的 weight gain體重增加 runner-up亞軍
