Fashion Or Not

張慶 選編

Have you ever seen any students whose trousers hang so low that you can see their underwear？ What do you think of that？ Fashionable？ Some of today's teenagers are big fans of such a look. But recently this trend has been at the centre of an argument in Italian middle schools.

The headmaster of a school in central Italy has asked students to stop wearing low-rise jeans that expose underwear and parts of the body. His request came after a class trip， when he saw one boy's baggy trousers slide （滑） to his feet. He pointed out that this way of dressing is not suitable for school.

But in Italy， a nation that takes fashion very seriously， the suggestion caused a debate（辯論） among parents， teachers and students. The issue is whether the headteacher's request will limit students' freedom or whether dress in Italian schools is too casual （隨意的）.

A parents' group praised the move in favour of good taste， while others advised schools to stop worrying about fashion.

“We do not want to kick fashion out，” the headmaster explained， “but extremes（極端） of fashion like this are not right in school.” Many other schools have now requested that their students also stop wearing such trousers.

Most students have simply ignored （忽略） the request. ?Ludovica Gaudio， 14， wore extremely low trousers exposing orange underwear in class. It was cold， so she wore a matching orange scarf.

Another 14-year-old girl said she should probably respect the request， simply for practical reasons. “I don't really feel comfortable in those sort of jeans，” said Sarah Lattanzi. “In winter， when dressed like that， it's quite cold and I am afraid my stomach will ache.”

1. What led to the argument in Italian middle

schools？

A. Students' craze for fashion.

B. Clothes that are too exposing.

C. Students ignore dress codes.

D. Students' underwear.

2. Which of the following supports the head-

master's request？

A. Fashion should be taken seriously.

B. Fashion should not be followed in school.

C. Students should have their freedom in

choosing what they wear.

D. Students should be encouraged to have

good taste in clothes.

3. The argument against the headmaster's

request is that ______.

A. schools should pay attention to things

more important than students' clothes

B. fashion should not be followed in school

C. dress in Italian schools is too casual

D. low-rise jeans can do harm to youngster's

health

4. The purpose of this story is to ______.

A. show Chinese students that ?wearing

very fashionable clothes in school ?is

under attack in other countries， too

B. show that dress code is necessary even

in a country like Italy

C. tell us that a debate started in Italian middle schools over the way students dress in school

D. let us see that Italian students react

differently to schools' requests