TATTOOING: AN ANCIENT TRADITION

Tattooing is an old art. In ancient Greece, people who had tattoos were regarded as members of the upper classes. On the other hand, tattooing was (37) __________ in Europe by the early Christians, who thought that it was a sinful thing to do. It was not until the late 18th century, when Captain Cook saw South Sea Islander decorating their bodies with tattoos that attitudes began to change. Sailors came back from these islands with

pictures of Christ on their backs and from then on, tattooing (38)__________ in popularity. A survey by the French army in 1881 showed that among the 387 men (39) __________there were 1,333 designs.

Nowadays, not everybody finds tattoos acceptable. Some people thing that getting one is silly because tattoos are more or less permanent. There is also some (40) __________ about catching a blood disease from unsterilized needles. Even for those who do want a tattoo, the process of getting one is not painless, but the final result, in their eyes, is (41) __________ the pain.