Throughout the world, boys and girls prefer to play with different types of toys. Boys typically like to play with cars and trucks, while girls typically choose to play with dolls. Why is this? A traditional sociological explanation is that boys and girls are socialized and encouraged to play with different types of toys by their parents, peers, and the “society”. Growing scientific evidence suggests, however, that boys’ and girls’ toy preferences may have a biological origin.

In 2002, Gerianne M. Alexander of Texas A&M University and Melissa Hines of City University in London surprised the scientific world by showing that monkeys showed the same sextypical toy preferences as humans. In the study, Alexander and Hines gave two masculine toys (a ball and a police car), two feminine toys (a soft doll and a cooking pot), and two neutral toys (a picture book and a stuffed dog) to 44 male and 44 female monkeys. They then assessed the monkeys’ preference for each toy by measuring how much time they spent with each. Their data showed that male monkeys showed significantly greater interest in the masculine toys, and the female monkeys showed significantly greater interest in the feminine toys. The two sexes did not differ in their preference for the neutral toys.

If children’ s toy preferences were largely formed by gender socialization, as traditional sociologists’ claim, in which their parents give “gender appropriate” toys to boys and girls, how can these male and female monkeys have the same preferences as boys and girls?They were never socialized by humans, and they had never seen these toys before in their lives.

61.Traditional sociologists believe boys’ and girls’ toy preferences ________.

A. are passed down from their parents               B. are largely formed in later life

C. have nothing to do with gender socialization        D. have a biological origin

62.The study by Alexander and Hines shows that monkeys________.

A. also have a sex typical toy preference       B. also play toys as humans do 

C. have no toy preferences                  D. like to play different toys at different time

63.Alexander and Hines carried out the study to ________.

A. find more evidence for traditional sociology

B. test the intelligence of monkeys

C. test whether monkeys like to play toys

D. find out why boys and girls prefer different toys

64.According to the study, if given a stuffed dog, ________.

A. only the male monkeys showed interest

B. the female monkeys showed more interest

C. the male and female monkeys showed the same interest

D. neither the male nor the female monkeys showed any interest

65.Masculine toys are mainly intended for________.

A. boys                       B. adult           C. monkeys            D. girls

.
New York (Reuters) --- Television can act like a painkiller when it comes to children and is more effective than a mother’s comforting, according to a small Italian study.
The University of Siena study, published in Archives of Disease in Childhood, was based on 69 children aged 7 to 12 who were divided into three groups to have blood taken.
One group was given no distraction while the blood was being taken. Meantime mothers of children in the second group attempted to distract the youngsters by talking to them, soothing(安慰), and/or caressing them.
In the third group, the children were allowed to watch television cartoons while the procedure was being carried out.
After the samples were taken, the children and their mothers rated their pain scores.
The children recording the highest pain scores were in the group getting no distraction. These scores were about three times as high as those recorded by children allowed to watch the cartoons.
Children comforted by their mothers recorded middling scores.
On average, the mothers rated pain scores higher than the children but they also recorded the lowest pain scores for children who had been allowed to watch television.
“The higher pain level reported by children during mothers’ efforts at distraction shows the difficulty mothers have in interacting positively at a difficult moment in their children’s life,” the researchers said in their report.
They added that watching television also seemed to increase children’s pain tolerance(容忍力).
64. If children are concentrated while having their blood taken, they will _______.
A. feel no pain                   B. record the lowest pain scores
C. record the highest pain scores     D. feel less pain
65. According to the Italian study, children who are suffering from pain had better _______.
A. get comfort from their mothers    B. watch cartoons on TV
C. read picture books              D. get no distraction
66. The underlined word “distract” in the third paragraph probably means “_______.”
A. reduce one’s pain              B. get one’s attention away
C. help one get concentrated        D. give comfort to
67. From the passage, we can infer that _______.
A. mothers can soothe their children greatly at hard moments
B. mothers’ love and comfort is the best medicine for children
C. children can have their pain tolerance increased by mother’s efforts
D. mothers’ comfort does not reduce much of their children’s pain

Public schools in Washington, D.C. provide students with musical instruments for free. When something goes wrong with an instrument, Charles West and Larry Jernigan do the repairs. Both men approach their work with a passion(激情). For them, it’s important that students have a joyful experience with music.

The two have worked together for almost 20 years. This year alone, they’ve fixed about 450 instruments. Both men are musicians and music lovers, so learning to do repairs came naturally.

“I have been a musician all my life.” says West. “I played in an orchestra here in the city. I majored in music in college. I played in an army band.”

Jernigan’s musical interests are varied. “I was formerly trained in the piano and guitar. The alto sax, and the flute, I picked up while working here.”

In addition to fixing instruments, the two also go to schools to instruct teachers and students on how to make minor repairs on their own.

West believes if children start early and stay involved with music, it enriches other areas of their lives. “I see that in other kids. I see it in myself. I have seen it hundreds of times and it works,” he says. “They learn teamwork. They learn patience and respect.

But West has concerns about the future of music in the electronic age.

“This instant age has taken away from the sit-down, the patience. And to learn to play an instrument, it takes patience, it takes diligence, it takes time.”

Being able to enjoy music on the job is one of the benefits of the job. Both men agree their best rewards are the students’ performances.

1. What’s the job of West and Jernigan at school?

A. Teaching music.

B. Writing music.

C. Making musical instruments.

D. Repairing musical instruments.

2.They love the job because they can     .

A. earn more money                  B. learn repair skills 

C. enjoy music                      D. watch performances

3. Which of the following is true of the two men?

A. They have fixed 450 instruments in the past 20 years.

B. They can play and repair musical instruments.

C. Jernigan used to play in an army band.

D. West was trained to play the piano.

4. According to West, what can people learn from music?

A. Teamwork and patience.               B. The value of time.      

C. The truth of society.                    D. Diligence and confidence.

5. What is mainly talked about in the text?

A. How to repair musical instruments.

B. Learning experiences of two repairmen.

C. How to prepare a musical performance.

D. The enjoyable job of two music lovers.

 

Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse, according to the doctors. I feel there are a number of reasons for this.

Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded (包围) by shops selling unhealthy, fatty foods, such as fried chicken and ice cream, at low prices. This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves. If there were fewer of these restaurants, then probably children would buy less take-away food.

There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight. I agree with this, because good eating habits begin early in life, long before children start to visit fast food shops. If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food, or are always allowed to choose what they eat, they will go for sweet and salty foods every time, and this will carry on throughout their lives.

There is a third reason for this situation. Children these days take very little exercise. They do not walk to school. When they get home, they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games. Not only is this an unhealthy pastime(消遣), it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food.What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.

The above are the main reasons for this problem, and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active, as well as steering them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.

1.According to the text, what kind of children may eat more unhealthy food?

A.Those who often take exercise.

B.Those who often watch television.

C.Those who often have meals at home.

D.Those who often walk to school.

2.The author thinks that children are becoming overweight because

A.their parents often cook meals for them

B.they are too busy to go out and play

C.they can' t choose what to eat

D.there are too many fast food shops around

3.The word "steering" underlined in the last sentence most probably means _______.

A.forcing

B.guiding

C.driving

D.moving

4.The main purpose of the text is to _________.

A.tell a story

B.provide facts

C.give advice

D.compare opinions

 

 

Many facts suggest that children are overweight and the situation is getting worse,according to the doctors.I feel there are a number of reasons for this.

Some people blame the fact that we are surrounded(包围)by shops selling unhealthy,fatty foods,such as fried chicken and ice cream,at low prices.This has turned out a whole generation of grown-ups who seldom cook a meal for themselves.If there were fewer of these restaurants,then probably children would buy less take-away food.

There is another argument that blames parents for allowing their children to become overweight.I agree with this,because good eating habits begin early in life,long before children start to visit fast food shops.If children are given fried chicken and chocolate rather than healthy food,or are always allowed to choose what they eat,they will go for sweet and salty foods every time,and this will carry on throughout their lives.

There is a third reason for this situation.Children these days take very little exercise.They do not walk to school.When they get home,they sit in front of the television or their computers and play computer games.Not only is this an unhealthy pastime(消遣),it also gives them time to eat more unhealthy food.What they need is to go outside and play active games or sports.

The above are the main reasons for this problem,and therefore we have to encourage young people to be more active,as well as steering them away from fast food shops and bad eating habits.

1.According to the text,what kind of children may eat more unhealthy food?

A.Those who often take exercise.

B.Those who often watch television.

C.Those who often have meals at home.

D.Those who often walk to school.

2.The author thinks that children are becoming overweight because ________.

A.their parents often cook meals for them

B.they are too busy to go out and play

C.they can’t choose what to eat

D.there are too many fast food shops around

3.The word“steering”underlined in the last sentence most probably means ________.

A.forcing                                   B.guiding

C.driving                                   D.moving

4.The main purpose of the text is to ________.

A.tell a story                              B.provide facts

C.give advice                               D.compare opinions

 

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