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 .
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A．baby boys are much more active |
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B．baby girls like bright colors more |
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C．their parents treat them differently |
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D．there is a natural difference between them |
2.Both baby boys and baby girls like to play with according to the study.
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A．a ball |
B．a teddy |
C．a car |
D．a doll |
3.What can we infer from Paragraph 3 ?
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A．Nine-month-old baby boys don’t play with dolls at all. |
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B．Two-year-old baby girls sometimes play with cars and balls. |
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C．The older the babies are, the more obvious their preference is. |
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D．Parents should teach their babies to share each other’s toys. |
4.What conclusion did Dr. Brenda Todd draw from the results of the study?
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A．Adults purposely influence their babies preference. |
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B．Babies’ preference isn’t affected by social surroundings. |
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C．Baby boys preferring to moving toys will be good at hunting. |
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D．Baby girls preferring warmer colors will be warm-hearted. |
5.We may read this article in a section of a newspaper.
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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.There are _____ expressions related to cold that are mentioned in the passage．
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A．3 |
B．4 |
C．6 |
D．7 |
2.When you refuse to speak to a man and treat him in a distant way, you may express by "_____"．
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A．I give him the cold shoulder |
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B．I think he is a cold-blooded man |
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C．I think he is a cold fish |
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D．I'm likely to get cold feet |
3.If Sue shows absolutely no reaction to those awful pictures of starving children in Africa, you will say ______．
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A．she is a cold-blooded killer |
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B．she gets cold feet |
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C．she is a cold fish |
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D．she is out in the cold |
4.We can use the expression "_____" to describe a man who abandons or hurts his lover without mercy．
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A．cold-blooded |
B．cold shoulder |
C．cold feet |
D．cold-hearted |
5.The topic of this passage is about _____．
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A．the relationship between cold and our body |
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B．some expressions about friendship |
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C．some expressions connected with cold |
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D．how cold weather comes into being |
Dash of Hope
"Dash" is a symbol which represents every day we've spent alive on earth. Therefore, how you spend your "dash" is important.
Recently I 36 about a little girl named Hope. After learning more about her life, I couldn't help but feel it was not by 37 , nor happenstance（意外事件）, that she had been named "Hope". The strong feeling of sympathy and generosity 38 in her young heart made a lasting impression on me and countless others. 39 I never had the opportunity to meet her, I wish I had. It seems as though she was wise beyond her tender years and very, very special.
Hope was a twelve-year-old girl who was 40 a "wish" in early December 2010 by the "Make-A-Wish" Foundation after being 41 that she had a rare type of bone cancer. However, when she found out that more than 150 42 in her area were waiting for their wishes to be achieved , she unselfishly used her wish to 43 that those children have their wishes granted. She also asked that it be done 44 January 16, 2011. Unfortunately, however, the organization informed her that her 45 request could not be granted as the funds were simply 46 . They calculated that they would need to raise more than one 47 dollars in thirty days in order to grant her wish. 48 , but not discouraged, she turned her disappointment into an enthusiasm that inspired caring 49 to take up helping grant the wishes of the other children, and eventually 50 as well. Newspaper columnists and reporters for radio and TV stations 51 the story of this caring young girl who had 52 the hearts of so many and as word spread, the community was challenged. Committees were fanned and schools, corporations and various organizations assisted in 53 money to help make Hope's dream come true.
Her efforts were not in vain as they continue to help others, not only 54 , but spiritually and emotionally as well. At the gathering to celebrate her life, "A Celebration of Hope" on January 16, 2011 , the 55 was made that they had indeed received donations totaling more than one million dollars. Her wish had been granted!
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—Let's have a game of tennis; the loser has to treat the other to a hot dog．
— .
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A．I'm afraid so |
B．It's a deal |
C．You've got a point |
D．My treat |
His uncle went abroad in 2010, and _______since．
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A．has not been heard of |
B．had not been heard of |
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C．had not heard of |
D．has not heard of |
Only by seizing every possible_____ to practice can you possibly hope to improve your spoken English.
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A．solution |
B．opportunity |
C．experience |
D．touch |
