导读

Toys oddly remain the same

　　Toys oddly remain the same

　　HERE'S a passage from the CET-4 test of June 1999. Read it over and try to find the correct answers to the questions.

　　There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do.

　　In the ancient world, as in today's world, most boys played with some form of toy and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are rigidly determined, boys imitate their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks of their mothers. Boys and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world.

　　What is remarkable about the history of toys, is not how they changed over the centuries, but how they remained the same. Changes have come mostly in terms of craftsmanship, mechanics, and technology.

　　It is the universality of toys in their development in all parts of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, the Americas, China, Japan and among the Arctic (北极的) peoples, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Variations depended on local customs and ways of life because toys imitate their surroundings. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.

　　Because toys can be regarded as an art form, they have not been subjected to technological leaps that characterize inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of ascent (进步). The progress from a rattle (拨浪鼓) used by a baby in 3000 BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of available materials.

　　l. The reason why the toys most boys play with are different from those that girls play with is that ______.

　　A) their social roles are rigidly determined.

　　B) most boys would like to follow their fathers' professions.

　　C) boys like to play with their fathers and girls with their mothers.

　　D) they like challenging activities.

　　2. One aspect of "the universality of toys" lies in the fact that ______

　　A) technological advances have greatly improved the durability of toys.

　　B) the improvement of craftsmanship in making toys depends on the efforts of universities.

　　C) the exploration of the universe has led to the creation of new toys.

　　D) the basic characteristics of toys are the same the world over.

　　3. Which of the following is the author's view on the historical development of toys? ______

　　A) The craftsmanship in toy making has remained essentially unchanged.

　　B) Toys have remained basically the same all through the centuries.

　　C) The toy industry has witnessed great leaps in technology in recent years.

　　D) Toys are playing an increasingly important role in shaping a child's character.

　　4. Regarded as a kind of art form, toys______.

　　A) follow a direct line of ascent.