Ⅱ. 阅读理解
(A)
(2013·衡阳模拟)
Baby girls make their way directly for dolls as soon as they can crawl, while boys will head for 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.
Psychologist Dr Brenda Todd from City University London carried out an experiment involving 90 babies aged 9 months to 36 months. The babies were allowed to choose from seven toys. Some were typically 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 choices and the amount of time they spent playing with each toy were recorded.
Of the youngest children(9 months to 14 months), girls spent significantly longer 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 the car, 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 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 agree with the former idea that children show natural interest 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. ”(356W)
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. their parents treat them differently
D. there is a natural difference between them
2. 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
3. What can we infer from Paragraph 3?
A. Nine-month-old baby boys don’t play with the doll at all.
B. Two-year-old baby girls sometimes play with the car and the ball.
C. The older the babies are, the more obvious their preference is.
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?
A. Adults purposely influence their babies’ preferences.
B. Babies’ preference isn’t affected by social surroundings.
C. Baby boys preferring moving toys will be good at hunting.
D. Baby girls preferring warmer colours will be warm-hearted.
5. We may read this article in a section of a newspaper.
A. science B. health
C. education D. entertainment
(B)
(2013·福州模拟)
Money, jewels and important documents are not the only valuables placed in banks these days. Some mothers store their breast milk in banks.
There’re ten breast banks set up across the United States, where mothers can donate their extra milk for other women’s babies. Experts say breast milk is the best food for babies. The World Health Organization says it is the only food babies should get during the first six months of life, in most cases. Breast milk is especially important for babies born too early. Sometimes these premature babies must stay in the hospital for many weeks.
James Cameron is a doctor who treats newborns at Lutheran Children’s Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He says breast milk is almost like medicine. Doctor James Cameron said, “The fact is that there are so many different proteins and specialized sugars in the breast milk that the mom’s able to make that help provide immunity(免疫). It’s very important for the health of the newborn. ”
There are several reasons some mothers may not be able to breastfeed. Some are not able to produce enough milk. Others might be taking medicines or have medical problems that prevent the process.
Lucy Baur lives near Fort Wayne. She fed her milk to both her children and always had more milk than they needed. She wanted to donate to the Indiana Mothers Milk Bank in Indianapolis. But freezing and shipping milk can be costly. Then, a donor station opened near her home.
Milk donations in the United States work like this: Donors must be willing to provide almost three liters of breast milk. They freeze the milk and take it to the station. There, employees warm the milk and mix it with other mothers’ milk. Then, the milk is heated to kill bacteria. After that, the technicians test samples of all the milk to make sure it is safe and healthful. The milk is refrozen and sent to the main milk bank. The milk bank transports the milk to hospitals to feed premature or sick babies. Donors are tested for diseases before any milk is accepted. They are not permitted to smoke tobacco, use illegal drugs or drink too much alcohol. (370W)
6. The purpose of setting up breast milk banks is to .
A. store extra fresh milk for school children
B. provide milk for children who go hungry
C. help mothers donate milk to other babies
D. offer free breast milk to premature babies
7. The breast milk is important for newborns because .
A. it protects them from any possible disease
B. it contains rich nutrients that they need
C. it is the only food that babies can eat
D. it benefits them as the best medicine
8. The underlined word “they” in the last paragraph refers to .
A. milk bank employees
B. milk bank doctors
C. milk bank nurses
D. breast milk donors
