Page 6 - Compass Publishing
P. 6

Track 1

     In the Name of Beauty

   Cosmetics have been used throughout history. The ancient Greeks, the Egyptians,
               and the Romans all used various kinds of makeup. Some of these cosmetics were
               used to improve one?셲 appearance. Others were used to protect one?셲 skin. However,
       in some cases, things used for makeup were dangerous or even deadly!
   5 Skin care treatments including perfumes, lotions, and cosmetic masks were used
       in ancient Egypt by rich and poor alike. Egyptians also developed some of the earliest
       sunscreens. They used oils and creams for protection against the sun and dry winds.
       Egyptians, as well as other ancient cultures, used various powders on their skin for
       beauty as well. Egyptians used black kohl around their eyes. Romans put white chalk
   10 on their faces. And Indians painted red henna on their bodies.

               Most of the ancient cosmetics were harmless. However, in the name of beauty, some
       people applied dangerous chemicals and poisons to their skin. During the Italian
       Renaissance, women wore white powder made of lead on their faces. Of course, doctors
       today know lead is like a poison for our bodies. Also around the time of the Renaissance,
   15 women in Italy put drops of belladonna in their eyes. These belladonna drops were made
       from a plant whose poison affects the nerves in the body. By putting belladonna drops in
       her eyes, a woman?셲 pupils would become very large. People thought this
       made women more beautiful. Actually, this is where the plant?셲 name
       comes from. In Italian, belladonna means ?쐀eautiful woman.??   20 When Elizabeth I was queen in the late 1500s, some rather
       dangerous cosmetics were also being used by women in England.
       In particular, women were using special hair dye made with
       lead and sulphur. The dye was designed to give people red hair,
       the same color as the queen?셲 hair, but over time, the dye
   25 made people?셲 hair fall out. Finally, women using this dye

       ended up bald, like the queen, and had to wear wigs.

          Reading Time _______ minutes _______ seconds 326 words

    2 cosmetics: makeup                                13 lead: a soft metal (Pb)
    9 kohl: a powder made of antimony sulfide (Sb2S3)  15 belladonna: a poisonous plant with black berries
                                                       16 nerve: the part of the body that passes
       used around the eyes
    9 chalk: a soft white limestone composed mostly        information to the brain
                                                       17 pupil: the hole in the middle of the eye that
       of the shells of small marine organisms
   10 henna: a red or orange dye made from the             can become smaller or larger
                                                       22 dye: a liquid for coloring
       henna plant                                     26 wig: an artificial covering for the head that
   13 Renaissance: the 1300s through 1500s in
                                                           looks like hair
       Europe, when great artistic and scientific
       achievements were made

6
   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10