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  There seems never to have been a civilization(文明) without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do.

  In the ancient world, as is today, most boys play with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are strictly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks of their mothers. This is true because boys and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world.

  What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same. It is the universality of toys about their development in all parts of the world and their continuing to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, the Americas, China, Japan and among the Arctic peoples, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.

  Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to (服从于) technological progress that characterizes inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of advancement. The progress from a rattle(拨浪鼓) used by a baby in 3000 BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of materials then ready for use.

1.The reason why the toys most boys play with are different from those that girls play with is that _____.

[  ]

A.their social roles are strictly determined

B.most boys would like to follow their father's jobs

C.boys like to play with their fathers while girls with their mothers

D.they like challenging activities

2.“The universality of toys”lies in the fact that _____.

[  ]

A.technological advances have greatly improved the making of toys

B.the improvement of techniques in making toys depends on the efforts of universities

C.the exploration of the universe has led to the creation of new kinds of toys

D.the basic characteristics of toys are the same world over

3.Regarded as a kind of art form,toys _____.

[  ]

A.follow a direct line of development

B.also greatly interest adults

C.are not characterized by progress in technology

D.show the pace of social progress

4.The author used the example of a rattle to show that _____.

[  ]

A.in toy-making there is a continuity in the use of materials

B.even the simplest toys can show the progress of technology

C.it often takes a long time to introduce new technology into toy-making

D.even a simple toy can mirror the artistic tastes of the time

A couple had two little boys aged 8 and 10 who were very naughty.They were always getting into trouble and their parents knew that if any trouble occurred in their town their sons were probably involved.
The boys' mother heard that a clergyman(牧师) in the town had been successful in educating children so she asked if he would speak with her boys.The clergyman agreed but asked to see them individually.So the mother sent her 8-year-old first in the morning with the elder boy to see the clergyman in the afternoon.
The clergyman, a huge man with a booming (嗡嗡) voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him strictly, "Where is God?"
The boy's mouth dropped open but he made no answer, sitting there with his mouth hanging open, wide-eyed.So the clergyman repeated the question in an even stricter tone "Where is God?" Again the boy made no attempt to answer.So the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and shouted" Where is God?"
The boy screamed and escaped from the room, ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him.When his elder brother found him in the closet, he asked "What happened?"
The younger brother replied out of breath, "We are in big trouble this time.God is missing--and they think we did it."
【小题1】What were the two boys like?

A.They always made trouble.B.They were brave.
C.They were easygoing.D.They were honest.
【小题2】What did their parents plan to do?
A.They gave up their children.
B.They liked their children very much.
C.They wanted the clergyman to persuade their children.
D.They helped their children to make trouble.
【小题3】What do you suppose the boy felt when he was asked by the clergyman?
A.Happy.B.Sad.C.Afraid.D.Surprised.
【小题4】What do you think the underlined word "slamming" in Paragraph 5 means?
A.Open.B.Shut.C.Knock.D.Pull.

Recently a group of children in America poured some gasoline on a sleeping man and set him on fire. When caught, the children said they had done what they’d seen on TV.

The incidents make people angry who believe that American children are harmed by watching too much TV. They claim children can’t tell between the fiction of TV and reality, and TV distracts them from learning and makes them violent.

To estimate the impact of TV on young people, “Life” magazine hires a company to interview hundreds of school children in Nora Springs, Iowa and in Dallas, Texas. Although the two cities are very different, the company finds children in each city watch the same TV shows.

Many Iowa children, who watch an average of three hours of TV a day, recognizing that life on TV is rosier than what they experience. Their favourite shows are situation comedies about American families in trouble. Many boys like violent shows about police detectives or heroes, girls particularly soap operas-stories about families and friends.

On the whole, children find real violence on news programs hard to take. “If you see a bus crash on the news, it’s frightening,” one fifth grader says. By and large, the Iowa children agree that the best thing about TV is it makes you laugh.

Children in Dallas are savvier about programs of drug use on TV. “They don’t really show them doing it right. On TV they are not real.” A fifth grader says.

“Life” agrees with a 1988 study by the U. S Department of education that finds children are none the worse for watching TV. The study finds TV doesn’t have lasting effect on children. On the contrary, kids show good judgment about what they watch. “There are very few good shows on TV anymore,” a 10-year-old boy says.

While the debate about TV is so heated, the “Life” survey gives hope that American kids aren’t wasting three or four hours a day (what is worse, by the time young people enter college today, they will have devoted more time to watching television than they will spend in college). However, a child watching TV isn’t reading a good book or joining in healthful sports.

1.The main idea of the passage is       .

A.children who watch more TV are smarter than those who watch only one hour a day

B.children learn about drugs from watching TV

C.watching too much TV can cause children to go out and kill people

D.children learn from TV and can tell reality from what they see on it

2.Children who see real violence on TV news programs        .

A.change the channel to watch other programs

B.live in Iowa or Texas

C.are sometimes upset and scared

D.think TV gives a very positive image of friendship

3.Children who enter college today        .

A.usually cause the satisfaction of the society

B.think life on TV is happier than their life at home

C.have spent more time watching TV than they will spend in college

D.watch most the same TV shows as children in Dallas

4.The “Life” survey of children’s TV habits        .

A.concludes that watching up to seven hours a day of TV is good for children

B.agrees with the U.S. Department of Education study that finds few negative effects from watching TV

C.concludes that there aren’t any good shows on TV any more

D.concludes that children shouldn’t pour gasoline on sleeping man

 

There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do .

In the ancient world , as is today ,most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another .In societies where social roles are rigidly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls are being prepared, even in play , to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world .

What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same . The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship ,mechanics, and technology . It is the universality of toys with regard to their development in all parts of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing .In Egypt ,America ,China ,Japan and among the Arctic (北极的)people, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Variations depended on local customs and way of life because toys imitate their surrounding. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.

Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize inventions for adult use .The progress from the wheel to the cart to the automobile is a direct line of ways up. The progress from a rattle (拔浪鼓) used by a baby in 3000BCto one used by an infant today , however , is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of available materials.

1.The reason why the toys most boys play with are different from those that girls play with is that       .

    A. their social roles are rigidly determined

B. they like challenging activities

C. most boys would like to follow their fathers’ professions

D. boys like to play with their fathers while girls with their mothers.

2.One aspect of “the universality of toys ”lies in the fact that          .

A. the basic characteristics of toys are the same all over the world

B. technological advances have greatly improved the durability of toys

C. the exploration of the universe has led to the creation of new kinds of toys

D. the improvement of craftsmanship in making toys depends on the efforts of universities

3.Which of the following is the author’s view on the historical development of toys?

A. Toys are playing an increasingly important role in shaping a child’s character.

B. The toy industry has witnessed great leaps in technology in recent years.

C. The craftsmanship in toy-making has remained essentially unchanged.

D. Toys have remained basically the same all through the centuries.

4.Regarded as a kind of art form, toys           .

A. reflect the pace of social progress

B. are not characterized by technological progress

C. follow a direct line of ascent

D. also appeal greatly to adults

 

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