Baby girls make their way directly for dolls as soon as they can crawl, while boys will head for the toy cars, a study has shown. The findings, the first to show differences in very young babies, suggest there is a biological basis to their preferences.
Psychologists Dr Brenda Todd from City University London carried out an experiment involving 90 infants aged nine months to 36 months. The babies were allowed to choose from seven toys. Some were stereotypically boys' toys - a car, a digger, a ball and a blue teddy. The rest were girls’ toys: a pink teddy, a doll and a cooking set. They were placed a meter away from the toys, and could pick whichever toy they liked. Their choice and the amount of time they spent playing with each toy were recorded.
Of the youngest children (nine to 14 months), girls spent significantly longer playing with the doll than boys, and boys spent much more time with the car and ball than the girls did. Among the two-and three-year-olds, girls spent 50 percent of the time playing with the doll while only two boys briefly touched it. The boys spent almost 90 percent of their time playing with cars, which the girls barely touched. There was no link between the parents’ view on which toys were more appropriate for boys or girls, and the children’s choice.
Dr Brenda Todd said: “Children of this age are already exposed to much socialization. Boys may be given ‘toys that go’ while girls get toys they can care for, which may help shape their preference. But these findings agree with the former idea that children show natural interests in particular kinds of toys. There could be a biological basis for their choices. Males through evolution have been adapted to prefer moving objects, probably through hunting instincts（本能）, while girls prefer warmer colors such as pink, the color of a newborn baby.”
1.Baby boys and girls have different toy preferences probably because .
A．baby boys are much more active
B．baby girls like bright colors more
C．their parents treat them differently
D．there is a natural difference between them
2.What can we infer from Paragraph 3 ?
A．Nine-month-old baby boys don’t play with dolls at all.
B．Two-year-old baby girls sometimes play with cars and balls.
C．The older the babies are, the more obvious their preference is.
D．Parents should teach their babies to share each other’s toys.
3.What conclusion did Dr. Brenda Todd draw from the results of the study?
A．Adults purposely influence their babies preference.
B．Babies’ preference isn’t affected by social surroundings.
C．Baby boys preferring to moving toys will be good at hunting.
D．Baby girls preferring warmer colors will be warm-hearted.
4.We may read this article in a section of a newspaper.
A．science B．health C. education D．entertainment
For centuries, the body's blood has been linked closely with the emotions．People who show no human emotions or feelings, are said to be cold-blooded killer．For example, the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer．He seems to kill for no reason, and no emotion, as if taking someone's life as nothing．
Cold can affect other parts of the body．The expression "get cold feet" has nothing to do with cold or your feet．The expression means being afraid to do something you have decided to do．For example, you agree to be president of an organization．But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned, and all the work of the organizations will be your responsibility．You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation.
The expression "give someone the cold shoulder" probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face to face．You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you．Or, to someone who has lied about you to others.
A cold fish is not a fish．It is a person．But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth．A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone．Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted．Now a cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy．Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feelings, broke the hearts of their lovers.
"Out in the cold" means not getting something that everybody else got．A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise——he was left out in the cold．And it is not a pleasant place to be.
1.When you refuse to speak to a man and treat him in a distant way, you may express by "_____"．
A．I give him the cold shoulder B．I think he is a cold-blooded man
C．I think he is a cold fish D．I'm likely to get cold feet
2.If Sue shows absolutely no reaction to those awful pictures of starving children in Africa, you will say ______．
A．she is a cold-blooded killer B．she gets cold feet
C．she is a cold fish D．she is out in the cold
3.We can use the expression "_____" to describe a man who abandons or hurts his lover without mercy．
A．cold-blooded B．cold shoulder C．cold feet D．cold-hearted
4.The topic of this passage is about _____．
A．the relationship between cold and our body B．some expressions about friendship
C．some expressions connected with cold D．how cold weather comes into being
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑
Filled with sorrow, I didn’t notice the hardness of the chair I was sitting on. I was at the funeral of my 1 . The hurt was so intense, and I found it hard to 2 at times.
Suddenly, I heard a 3 open and slam shut at the back of the church. Quick 4 hurried along the floor. A young man looked around in a 5 and then sat next to me. His eyes were full of tears.
“I’m 6 ,” he explained, though no explanation was 7 . After several eulogies (悼文), he leaned over and commented, “Why do they keep 8 Mary by the name of ‘Margaret’?” “Because that was her name, Margaret. Never Mary,” I 9 . “No, that isn’t correct,” he insisted. “Her name is Mary, Mary Peters.” “That isn’t 10 this is,” I replied. “Isn’t this the Lutheran church?” “No, the Lutheran church is across the street. I believe you’re at the 11 funeral, sir.”
The solemnness (庄严) of the occasion 12 with the realization of the man’s mistake bubbled (充溢) up inside me and came out as 13 . I peeked at the misguided man seated beside me. He was laughing, 14 . I imagined Mother laughing. At the 15 “Aman”, we darted(猛冲) out a door and into the parking lot.
“I do believe we’ll be the 16 of the town,” he smiled. He said his name was Rick and that 17 he had missed his aunt’s funeral, he asked me out for a cup of coffee. That afternoon began a lifelong 18 for me with this man who attended the wrong funeral. A year after our meeting, we were 19 at a country church. This time we both arrived at the same church, right on time.
Whenever anyone asks us how we 20 , Rick tells them, “Her mother and my aunt Mary introduced us.”
1.A. neighbor B. sister C. mother D. aunt
2.A. stand B. imagine C. breathe D. explain
3.A. box B. door C. bottle D. chair
4.A. claps B. songs C. steps D. noises
5.A. mood B. row C. rush D. mess
6.A. full B. angry C. anxious D. late
7.A. necessary B. impossible C. natural D. uncertain
8.A. questioning B. naming C. calling D. asking
9.A. whispered B. shouted C. reported D. cried
10.A. who B. when C. where D. why
11.A. right B. same C. different D. wrong
12.A. worked B. matched C. tied D. mixed
13.A. tear B. fighting C. singing D. laughter
14.A. though B. yet C. too D. still
15.A. middle B. second C. final D. first
16.A. talk B. word C. eye D. idea
17.A. although B. if C. since D. before
18.A. journey B. waiting C. dream D. thought
19.A. protected B. married C. improved D. placed
20.A. lived B. met C. grew D. stayed
Reading articles like that, if , will do harm to you.
A. continued B. continues C. continuing D. to continue
As my dad are getting old, his eye-sight is starting to _______.
A. lose B. fall C. go D. disappear
His father got him a job in a bank but soon it became clear he was not fit for that kind of work．
A. why B. what C. whether D. that
