It is a blow for the Ugly Bettys and Plain Janes ——research shows that good looks lead to better pay. A study of 4,000 young men and women found that beauty boosted pay checks more than intelligence.

It is unclear what is behind the phenomenon but it may be that beauty creates confidence. The self-confident may appear to be doing better than they are and will not hesitate about asking for a pay rise.

Researcher Jason Fletcher, of Yale University in the U.S., rated the attractiveness of the 4,000 men and women. Just over half were judged average, while 7 percent were felt to be very attractive and 8 percent were judged unattractive or very unattractive. The volunteers also sat an IQ test and reported their salary. It became clear that pay scales were far from fair. For instance, a 14- point increase on the IQ score was associated with a 3 to 6 percent increase in wage. But being of above-average looks increased pay by 5 to 10 percent .

For a plain person to be paid the same as a very attractive one , they would have to be 40 percent brighter, the journal Economics Letters reports.

Dr Fletcher said:“The results do show that people ’s looks have an impact on their wages and it can be very important.”

6.What is the “plainness penalty ”？

A.To be paid less for being ordinarily-looking

B.To be laughed at for being ordinarily-looking

C.To be fired for being ordinarily-looking

D.To be questioned for being ordinarily-looking

How many people were rated as very attractive in Jason Fletcher ’s study？A.About 280

B.About 4,000

C.About 2,000

D.About 320

What ’s the average annual salary of a good-looking person？A.￡2,500

B.￡25,000

C.￡22,500

D.￡27,500

Which of the following best summarizes the main idea of the passage ？A.IQ is less important than appearance

B.Confidence makes people prettier

C.Good looks earn an extra penny

D.How Plain Janes get a higher salary

Good-looking people are usually paid more probably because________ .A.they look smarter

B.they have higher degrees

C.they are better at pleasing others

D.they are more confident