Baby girls make their way to dolls as son as they can crawl(爬), and boys will head for the toy cars, a study has shown. The findings-the first t o show consistent differences in very young babies-suggest there is a biological basis for their preferences.
Psychologists Dr Brenda Todd carried out an experiment involving 90 babies aged 9 months to 36 months. They were allowed to choose from 7 toys. Some were 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 amount of time they spent playing with each toy were recorded.
Of the youngest children (9 to 14 months), girls spent much longer time playing with the doll than boys, and boys spent much more time with the car and the 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? views on which toys were more appropriate for boys or girls, and the children?s choices.
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 preferences. But these findings are consistent with the former idea that children show intrinsic(内在的) interest in particular kinds of toys. There could be a biological basis for their choices. Males through evolution have been adapted to moving objects, probably through hunting instincts (本能), while girls prefer warmer colors such as pink, the color of a newborn baby.”
12. Baby boys and girls have different toy preferences probably because . A. baby boys are much more active
B. baby girls like bright colors better C. their parents treat them differently
D. there is a biological difference between them 13. 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 baby boys and girls to share each other?s toys. 14. What conclusion did Dr Brenda Todd draw from the results of the study? A. Adults purposely influence the preference of babies.
B. Babies? preference isn?t affected by social surroundings.(环境) C. Baby boys preferring moving toys will be good at hunting. D. Baby girls preferring warmer colors will be warmhearted.
45. Which column of a newspaper does the passage probably appear in?
A. Science. B. Health. C. Education. D. Entertainment. 四、任务型阅读
You have probably heard it before, most likely from your English teacher. If you want to become a good writer, read good writing. Unfortunately, you may not have understood what did good to you and even what you were supposed to get from that experience.
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As you start reading a book, poem, or story, do so with no thought at all and the experience will improve your writing. Just read for pleasure to begin with, or to learn. As you progress through the work, think about whether or not it is \the subject and flow of the writing that you completely forget the person who wrote it, or does the composition sometimes call too much attention to itself through words and phrases that seem out of place or unexpected? These latter situations are a chance to learn from the writer's mistakes. In fact, the reader should not have to worry about how an author does \to just enjoy and learn. Every time a word strikes you as poorly chosen, stop to consider why it has this effect. Also, do not spend a lot of time analyzing the passage but put more efforts in enjoying it from the whole.
Another thing I do, particularly with nonfiction（非小说）books, is to select a part to read as if it is a completely separate work. Once again, read as a common consumer rather than a critic (批评家). For learning how words and phrases work together on the most basic level, however, nothing is more suitable than your devotion to reading poems. A poet is often trying to put a book's worth of meaning and feelings into lines, and every side of the work shows a very close attention to craft（工艺）.
As you can see, there is no one simple way of reading to improve your writing. The key is not to make it boring. Select authors you admire or like most, and enjoy their works as anyone else would. As long as you are reading, you are improving yourself as a writer. Title: Improve Your Writing by Reading Facts ▲ Reading good writing helps you become a good writer. ▲ You don?t understand the (1)___________of reading and what to get from reading. ▲ Read not to learn but for (2)___________. 1) Develop a great (3)___________in the subject and flow of the writing. 2) Learn from the writer?s (4)___________if possible. 3) (5)___________shouldn?t be spent in analyzing the passage but in enjoying the passage from the whole. ▲ Read as a common consumer rather than a critic. ▲ Be (6)___________ to reading poems and enjoy the lines. ▲ Don?t make yourself (8)___________with reading. ▲ Select your (9)___________authors and enjoy their works. ▲ You are sure to make (10)___________during reading. 五、单词拼写 1. I think we can safely (不予考虑) this kind of strange idea for it is of little help.
2. They are thinking of (应用，运用) this new technology to production, which they
are sure will bring about a great change to their factory.
3. Now more and more people care about air q________ with the frequent use of the word PM2.5
on TV and the Internet.
4. ----- How terrible! He didn?t recognize me when I visited him in the hospital last week.
---- Don?t worry. He is just suffering a l______ of memory and I am sure he will recover soon.
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Ways (7)_________
5. Nelson Mandela?s d________ to freedom and equality has made him truly an important figure
in South Africa.
6. Is there any scientific evidence that a person?s character is r________ in their
handwriting?
7. T_______ in Thailand has been developing very fast and millions of people visit it every year.
8. ----- Mum, what if my mind goes b_________ and forgets all the lines before the audience?
----- Practice more and I am sure you will think of them.
9. ----- The travel agency has offered us three routes to choose from.
----- I am sure w_________ route you choose, you will not be satisfied.
10. This undersea adventure gave us a surprise, which made us realize that much of the world
remains to be e ____. 六、完成句子
1．The school doesn?t_____ ________ students _________ long hair and short skirts. （不同意-----留）
2. ___ ____ ____（回顾）my childhood, I still think of it as the happiest time in my life. 3. Now that he admitted that he was wrong, you _______ _________ _________ (本应该原谅)him.
4. It was several days before the floodwater sank and life_________ _________ _________ (恢复正常).
5. _________ _________ (配备有) good furniture, this kind of house sells well.
6. When she was lying in hospital, she _______ _________ _________her mother?s advice. (她后悔没有听从母亲的建议)。
7. The boss ordered me to _____ ____ _____ _____the company?s operation. 老板命令我随时告知他公司的营运情况
8. We hurriedly ended our meeting, ________ some problems_______ _______ ________. (留下……有待解决). 七、 书面表达
读者王彬写信给某杂志“开心”栏目记者Mary，询问怎么才会感到幸福，请根据提示给他写一封回信，主题为How to Be Happy。
提示：1. 幸福是人生最宝贵的东西；
2. 凭良心做事，善待他人； 3. 注重健康；
4. 遇到挫折时要保持乐观。 注意：1. 词数：150左右；
2. 根据提示适当发挥，开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Wang Bin,
I?m glad to receive your letter, in which you asked me about how to be happy.
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参考答案
一、选择题
1-5 CBDAD 6-10 BCABC 11-15 CAABB 16-20 ABDCD 二、完形填空
1-5 ACDCB 6-10 BCABC 11-15 DBADB 三、阅读理解
1-3 ACA 4-7 DCBC 8-11 DADB 12-15 DCBA 四．任务型阅读
1. advantages 2. pleasure 3. interest 4. mistakes 5. Time 6. devoted 7. Conclusions 8.bored/tired 9. favorite 10. progress 五．填单词
1. dismiss 2. applying 3. quality 4. loss 5. devotion
6. reflected 7. Tourism 8. blank 9.whichever 10. explored/experienced 六．完成句子
1. approve of, wearing 2. Looking back on 3. should have forgiven 4. returned to normal 5. Equipped with 6. regretted not following/taking 7. keep himself informed of 8. leaving ; to be settled/solved
七、 书面表达 Dear Wang Bin, I?m glad to receive your letter, in which you asked me about how to be happy. I?m writing to tell you what I think about it.
In my opinion, happiness is the most precious thing in life. Without it, a man will feel discouraged and life will be dark and terrible. How to be happy then? Firstly, do everything out of conscience, and try to do it best, which will make yourself feel happy and satisfied. Secondly, treat others as you would have others do to you, that is to say, treat others sincerely. In addition, pay attention to your health, which is the root of success and happiness. Remember it?s no use being worried and sad. When you meet with some hard situation, you must try to overcome it without any hesitation. Last but not least, live every day in an optimistic way. If you share the ideas above with me, you?ll find your life is full of happiness all the time.
Best wishes.
Mary
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