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.”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 |
Both baby boys and baby girls like to play with according to the study.
| A．a ball | B．a teddy | C．a car | D．a doll |
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. |
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. |
We may read this article in a section of a newspaper.
| A．science | B．health | C．education | D．entertainment |
A few years ago I asked my children’s governess, Julia Vassilyevna, to come into my study.
“ Sit down, Julia Vassilyevna,” I said.“Let’s settle our accounts. Although you most likely need some money, you stand on ceremony and won’t ask for it yourself. Now then, we agree on thirty rubles a month…”
“ Forty.”
“ No, thirty. I made a note of it. I always pay the governess thirty. Now then, you’ve been here two months, so…”
“ Two months and five days.”
“ Exactly two months. I made a specific note of it. That means you have sixty rubles coming to you. Subtract nine Sundays… you know you didn’t work with Kolya on Sundays, you only took walks. And three holidays…”
Julia Vassilyevna flushed a deep red and picked at the flounce of her dress, but--- not a word.
“ Three holidays, therefore take off twelve rubles. Four days Kolya was sick and there were no lessons, as you were occupied only with Vanya. Three days you had a toothache and my wife gave you permission not to work after lunch. Twelve and seven---nineteen. Subtract…that leaves…hmm…forty-one rubles. Correct?”
Julia Vassilyena’s left eye reddened and filled with moisture. Her chin trembled; she coughed nervously and blew her nose, but---not a word.
“ Around New Year’s you broke a teacup and saucer: take off two rubles. The cup cost more, it was an heirloom, but---let it go. When didn’t I take a loss? Then, due to your neglect, Kolya climbed a tree and tore his jacket: take off ten. Also due to your heedlessness the maid stole Vanya’s shoes. You ought to watch everything! You get paid for it. So, that means five more rubles off. The tenth of January I gave you ten rubles…”
“ You didn’t ” whispered Julia Vassilyevna.
“ But I made a note of it.”
“ Well…all right.”
“ Take twenty-seven from forty-one ---that leaves fourteen.”
Both eyes filled with tears. Perspiration appeared on the thin, pretty little nose. Poor girl!
“ Only once was I given any money,” she said in a trembling voice, “ and that was by your wife. Three rubles, nothing more.”
“ Really? You see now, and I didn’t make a note of it! Take three from fourteen… leaves eleven. Here’s your money, my dear. Three , three, three, one and one. Here it is!”
I handed her eleven rubles. She took them and with trembling fingers stuffed them into her pocket.
“ Merci,” she whispered.
I jumped up and started pacing the room. I was overcome with anger.
“ For what, this ---‘merci’?” I asked.
“ For the money.”
“ But you know I’ve cheated you, God’s sake---robbed you! I have actually stolen from you! Why this ‘merci’?”
“ In my other places they didn’t give me anything at all.”
“ They didn’t give you anything? No wonder! I played a little joke on you, a cruel lesson, just to teach you … I’m going to give you the entire eighty rubles! Here they are in an envelope all ready for you… Is it really possible to be so spineless? Why don’t you protest? Why be silent? Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws--- to be such a nincompoop?”
She smiled crookedly and I read in her expression: “ It is possible.”
I asked her pardon for the cruel lesson and , to her great surprise, gave her the eighty rubles. She murmured her litter “merci” several times and went out. I looked after her and thought: “How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!”When the employer called Julia Vassilyevna in to talk with him, what he really wanted to do was _______
| A．to settle their accounts |
| B．to criticize her for neglecting her duties as a governess. |
| C．to play a joke on her so as to amuse himself. |
| D．to teach her not to be so spineless. |
The employer made all those criticisms about Julia Vassiliyevna’s work because __________
| A．she had neglected her duties. |
| B．he wanted to pay her as little money as possible. |
| C．he wanted to make her realize that she was being cheated and protest against it. |
| D．he wanted to make her feel miserable. |
Julia Vassilyevna accepted everything her employer said because ________
| A．she had in fact neglected her duties. |
| B．she was a very dumb girl. |
| C．she thought it was of no use to protest to her employer. |
| D．she loved the children she taught. |
The employer became very angry when Julia Vassilyevna said “ Merci” because ________
| A．she didn’t say “Merci” loudly. |
| B．she didn’t protest to him. |
| C．he thought that by simply saying “ Merci” she wasn’t polite enough. |
| D．he didn’t like the way in which she stuffed the money into per pocket and expressed her thanks. |
The text is about _______
| A．how a governess was cheated by her employer. |
| B．how an employer tried to teach the governess a cruel lesson. |
| C．how a governess was fired by her employer for being a nincompoop. |
| D．how an employer punished the governess for not having done a good job. |
Being sociable looks like a good way to add years to your life. Relationships with family, friends, neighbours, even pets, will all do the trick, but the biggest longevity (长寿) boost seems to come from marriage or an equivalent relationship. The effect was first noted in 1858 by William Farr, who wrote that widows (寡妇)and widowers were at a much higher risk of dying than their married peers. Studies since then suggest that marriage could add as much as seven years to a man’s life and two to a woman’s. The effect holds for all causes of death, whether illness, accident or self-harm.
Even if the odds are stacked against you, marriage can more than compensate. Linda Waite of the University of Chicago has found that a married older man with heart disease can expect to live nearly four years longer than an unmarried man with a healthy heart. Likewise, a married man who smokes more than a pack a day is likely to live as long as a divorced man who doesn’t smoke. There’s a flip side, however, as partners are more likely to become ill or die in the couple of years following their spouse’s death, and caring for a spouse with mental disorder can leave you with some of the same severe problems. Even so, the odds favour marriage. In a 30-year study of more than 10,000 people, Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School describes how all kinds of social networks have similar effects.
So how does it work? The effects are complex, affected by socio-economic factors, health-service provision, emotional support and other more physiological (生理的) mechanisms. For example, social contact can boost development of the brain and immune system, leading to better health and less chance of depression later in life. People in supportive relationships may handle stress better. Then there are the psychological benefits of a supportive partner.
A life partner, children and good friends are all recommended if you aim to live to 100. The ultimate social network is still being mapped out, but Christakis says: “People are interconnected, so their health is interconnected.”William Farr’s study and other studies show that _________.
| A．social life provides an effective cure for illness |
| B．being sociable helps improve one’s quality of life |
| C．women benefit more than men from marriage |
| D．marriage contributes a great deal to longevity |
Linda Waite’s studies support the idea that _________.
| A．older men should quit smoking to stay healthy |
| B．marriage can help make up for ill health |
| C．the married are happier than the unmarried |
| D．unmarried people are likely to suffer in later life |
It can be inferred from the context that the “flip side” (Line 4, Para. 2) refers to _________.
| A．the disadvantages of being married |
| B．the emotional problems arising from marriage |
| C．the responsibility of taking care of one’s family |
| D．the consequence of a broken marriage |
What does the author say about social networks?
| A．They have effects similar to those of a marriage. |
| B．They help develop people’s community spirit. |
| C．They provide timely support for those in need. |
| D．They help relieve people of their life’s burdens. |
What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
| A．It’s important that we develop a social network when young. |
| B．To stay healthy, one should have a proper social network. |
| C．Getting a divorce means risking a reduced life span. |
| D．We should share our social networks with each other. |
It is pretty much a one-way street. While it may be common for university researchers to try their luck in the commercial world, there is very little traffic in the opposite direction. Pay has always been the biggest deterrent, as people with families often feel they cannot afford the drop in salary when moving to a university job. For some industrial scientists, however, the attractions of academia (学术界) outweigh any financial considerations.
Helen Lee took a 70% cut in salary when she moved from a senior post in Abbott Laboratories to a medical department at the University of Cambridge. Her main reason for returning to academia mid-career was to take advantage of the greater freedom to choose research questions. Some areas of inquiry have few prospects of a commercial return, and Lee’s is one of them.
The impact of a salary cut is probably less severe for a scientist in the early stages of a career. Guy Grant, now a research associate at the Unilever Centre for Molecular Informatics at the University of Cambridge, spent two years working for a pharmaceutical (制药的) company before returning to university as a post-doctoral researcher. He took a 30% salary cut but felt it worthwhile for the greater intellectual（知识的） opportunities.
Higher up the ladder, where a pay cut is usually more significant, the demand for scientists with a wealth of experience in industry is forcing universities to make the transition (转换) to academia more attractive, according to Lee. Industrial scientists tend to receive training that academics do not, such as how to build a multidisciplinary team, manage budgets and negotiate contracts. They are also well placed to bring something extra to the teaching side of an academic role that will help students get a job when they graduate, says Lee, perhaps experience in manufacturing practice or product development. “Only a small number of undergraduates will continue in an academic career. So someone leaving university who already has the skills needed to work in an industrial lab has far more potential in the job market than someone who has spent all their time on a narrow research project.”By “a one-way street” (Line 1, Para. 1), the author means ________.
| A．university researchers know little about the commercial world |
| B．there is little exchange between industry and academia |
| C．few industrial scientists would quit to work in a university |
| D．few university professors are willing to do industrial research |
The word “deterrent” (Line 2, Para. 1) most probably refers to something that ________.
| A．keeps someone from taking action |
| B．helps to move the traffic |
| C．attracts people’s attention |
| D．brings someone a financial burden |
What was Helen Lee’s major consideration when she changed her job in the middle of her career?
| A．Flexible work hours. |
| B．Her research interests. |
| C．Her preference for the lifestyle on campus. |
| D．Prospects of academic accomplishments. |
Guy Grant chose to work as a researcher at Cambridge in order to ________.
| A．do financially more rewarding work |
| B．raise his status in the academic world |
| C．enrich his experience in medical research |
| D．exploit better intellectual opportunities |
What contribution can industrial scientists make when they come to teach in a university?
| A．Increase its graduates’ competitiveness in the job market. |
| B．Develop its students’ potential in research. |
| C．Help it to obtain financial support from industry. |
| D．Gear its research towards practical applications. |
Cosmo Books Ltd., 14, Woodman Road,
Hertford Estate, Two Bridges,
Rickmansworth, West Sussex.
Middx.
25th February
Dear sir,
Just over six months ago, I saw an advertisement in the Morning Mail for a set of the complete works of William Shakespeare. Your company, Cosmo books Ltd., offered this set ( eight books of plays and two books of poetry) at what was claimed to be a ‘remarkable’ price: fifteen pounds and fifty pence, including postage and packing. I had wanted a set of Shakespeare’s plays and poems for some time, and these books, in red imitation leather, looked particularly attractive; so I sent for them.
Two weeks later, the books arrived, together with a set of the complete works of Charles Dickens which I had not ordered. So I returned the Dickens books to you, with a cheque for fifteen pounds and fifty pence for the works of Shakespeare. Two more weeks passed. Then there arrived on my door step a second set of the works of Shakespeare, the same set of novels by Dickens and a six book set of the plays of Moliere, in French. Since I do not read French, these were of no use to me at all. However, I could not afford to post all these books back to you, so I wrote to you at the end of August of last year, instructing you to come and collect all the books that I did not want, and asking you not to send any other books until further notice.
You did not reply to that letter. Instead you sent me a bill for forty two pounds , and a set of the plays of Schiller, in German. Since then, a new set of books has arrived every two weeks, the works of Goethe, the poems of Milton, the plays of Strindberg; I hardly know what I have. The books are still all in their boxes, in the garage, and my car has to stand in the rain outside.
I have no room for any more books, and even if I read from now until the Last Judgement, I should not finish reading all the books that you have sent me.
Please send no more books, send no more bills, send no more angry letters demanding payment. Just send one large lorry and take all the books away, leaving me only with the one set of the complete works of Shakespeare for which I have paid.
Yours faithfully,
SIMON WALKERSimon Walker wrote the letter to ________
| A．complain about sending him books he had not ordered. |
| B．urge Cosmo Books Ltd. to take away the books he had not ordered. |
| C．laugh at Cosmo Books Ltd.. |
| D．advise readers not to order books from Cosmo Books Ltd.. |
The advertisement that Mr. Walker saw in the Morning Mail was for ____
| A．unlimited number of Cosmo Books. |
| B．a set of 10 books of the works of Shakespeare. |
| C．a book containing all the plays and poems of Shakespeare. |
| D．fifteen pounds and fifty pence. |
Mr. walker answered the advertisement because ________
| A．he wanted a set of Shakespeare’s works, and this set was cheap, and looked attractive. |
| B．he claimed that the books were being offered at a remarkable price. |
| C．he had ordered the set and had been waiting for them to come for some time. |
| D．the set he already had was not particularly attractive. |
Cosmo Books have _______
| A．sent bills for books that they have not sent. |
| B．continued to send books that Mr. Walker did not order. |
| C．still not sent Mr. Walker the books that he ordered. |
| D．made a gift to Mr. Walker of several sets of books. |
The tone of the letter is that of _______
| A．bitterness | B．respect | C．annoyance | D．humor |
When Elizabeth Kenny was a little girl, she fell off a horse and hurt her arm. Mrs. Kenny took her to a doctor in Toowoomba, Queensland. In the doctor’s, Elizabeth saw many bottles of medicine standing in a row. Since then, she wanted to be a nurse. As soon as she was old enough, Elizabeth was trained in a hospital. After working for some time, she made a surprising discovery. Among her patients were some children who had lost the use of their legs because of polio ( 小儿麻痹症) . Kenny tried putting hot cloth on their legs and washing them in a special way. The results were great. The children were able to use their legs again.
Most doctors would not believe that children could get well in such a simple way. Gradually, however, she became famous. From 1993 on people from many parts of the world brought their children to Australia to receive treatment by this wonderful nurse. She was invited to America where her methods were used in many hospitals. Money was collected to build Kenny foundations which were for polio patients. Kenny died in 1952, but she will long be remembered for her fight against polio.Toowoomba is the name of _____.
| A．a famous doctor | B．a kind of disease |
| C．an Australian city | D．an Australian school |
The children who suffered from polio ____.
| A．couldn’t walk | B．couldn‘t work | C．couldn’t speak | D．lost their legs |
What was Kenny‘s surprising discovery?
| A．there were so many polio patients around her. |
| B．Polio children could recover in a simple way. |
| C．Children suffering from polio had refused to use arms |
| D．Among the children some of them suffered from polio. |
The best title (标题) of the text is most likely to be ____.
| A．Methods of Treating Polio | B．Kenny Foundations for Children |
| C．Elizabeth Kenny, the Wonderful Nurse | D．Hospitals for Polio Patients |