Question

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（生物学的） basis to their preferences（偏爱）.

Psychologists Dr. Brenda Todd from City University London carried out an experiment involving 90 infants(婴儿) 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(社会化). 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 colours such as pink, the colour 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 colours more

C．there is a natural difference between them

D．their parents treat them differently

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．Parents should teach their babies to share each other’s toys.

D．The older the babies are, the more obvious their preference is.

3.What conclusion did Dr. Brenda Todd draw from the results of the study?

A．Babies’ preference isn’t affected by social surroundings.

B．Adults purposely（故意地） influence their babies preference.

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．health            B．science           C．education         D．entertainment

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.A

4.B

【解析】

试题分析：本文讲述的是在男孩和女孩之间存在着天然的差异，这种差异是不以环境年龄的变化而变化的。

1.C 细节题。根据文章第一段2,3行The findings, the first to show differences in very young babies, suggest there is a biological（生物学的） basis to their preferences（偏爱）.可知在男孩和女孩之间存在着自然的差异。故C正确。

2.D 推断题。根据文章第三段前4行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.可知孩子的年龄越大，表现出的偏向就越明显。故D正确。

3.A 推理题。根据文章最后2段There was no link between the parents’ view on which toys were more appropriate for boys or girls, and the children’s choice.和There could be a biological basis for their choices. 可知孩子的偏爱是天生的，是不受别人影响的。故A正确。

4.B 推理题。本文讲述的是男孩和女孩在所喜欢的物体之间存在的差异，这属于科普类的话题，故B正确。

考点：考察科普类短文阅读