The round windows are indeed pleasant to the eye, but they actually were designed for reasons 16 aesthetics.
答案：(D) other than
other than 是「除…之外的其他、不同於」，本句指圓窗其實是基於美觀以外的理由而設計；except for 用於「整體中扣除例外」，contrary to（與…相反）語氣過強，more of（更像是）句構不合。
答對率 21%，鑑別度 13。
reasons other than + N。看到「除了…以外」你先想到 except for，就挑了它。本題只要看方向：other than 是「不是這個，是別的」——設計理由不是美觀，是別的。填 other than，句子就成了 reasons other than aesthetics（美觀以外的理由），後面整段講的正是那個「別的」：飛安。
文內線索很清楚：前半 The round windows are indeed pleasant to the eye（圓窗確實賞心悅目）先讓一步，接著 but…actually 一轉，就是要說真正的原因不是美觀；下一句 In the early days of aviation, plane windows were square in shape（航空發展早期，飛機窗戶是方形的）開始講飛安，方向完全吻合。一句記完：Some students follow the news for reasons other than schoolwork.（有些學子關注新聞是出於課業以外的理由。）〔情境取材自 108 指考作文題：青年對各類新聞的關注度〕
except for 用在「例外是整體的一部分」的時候——You can type all the letter except for your signature.（除了簽名，整封信都可以打字，簽名是這封信的一部分。）本句的美觀跟其他理由不是這種關係，套不上去。contrary to 是「與…相反」，語氣太強——設計理由不是「與美觀相反」，只是「不只是美觀」；more of 是「更像是」，後面要接名詞當補語，句構接不上。
other than（除…之外的其他）、none other than（正是）、except for（除了…之外）、apart from（除…之外）、contrary to popular belief（與一般認知相反）。其中 apart from 這一組考過 5 個年度，86 年第 27 題 →、87 年第 22 題 →、101 年第 19 題 →、103 年第 24 題 →都出現過；except for 考過 4 個年度，87 年第 22 題 →、94 年第 30 題 →、101 年第 19 題 →都出現過。
Airline passengers may have noticed that all plane windows have rounded edges, instead of the hard corners commonly found in our house. The round windows are indeed pleasant to the eye, but they actually were designed for reasons 16 aesthetics.
In the early days of aviation, plane windows 17 square in shape. Then as commercial air travel became popular in the 1950s and airplanes began flying higher and faster, three planes mysteriously broke apart in midair. The cause? Square windows. Scientists found that sharp corners are natural weak spots where stress concentrates. The problem is 18 when airplanes fly at higher altitudes, where the difference between the inside and outside pressure increases, causing added stress. When subjected to repeated pressurization high in the sky, the four corners on a square window may 19 .
Curved windows, on the other hand, distribute stress around more evenly, reducing the likelihood of cracks or breaks. Circular shapes are also stronger and resist deformation, and therefore can 20 extreme differences in pressure inside and outside of an aircraft. Thus, round windows are a major safety innovation that keeps planes from disintegrating mid-flight. They are also used on ships and spacecraft for their greater structural integrity.