D
There is a change of attitude toward the pink and blue divide in toys. Target, the second-largest discount retailer (折扣零售店) in the US, announced in 2015 that it would get rid of signs labeling toys for boys or for girls. A UK campaign called Let Toys Be Toys seeks to get retailers to stop dividing toys and books for one gender (性别) only.
Researchers have worried about the effect of having toys that were so segregated (分开的) by gender for some time, says Lisa Dinella, associate professor at Monmouth University. Clearly divided pink and blue toys — with dolls and tea sets on one side and trucks and building blocks on the other — are actually a pretty recent development. As recently as the 1970s, toys sold in the US were not always marketed with clear gender distinctions. By the 1980s and 1990s, however, toys started to become more gender segregated, though it was still not so sharply divided as today, says Elizabeth Sweet, a lecturer in sociology at the University of California, Davis.
While it may seem like a small issue, toys help children to develop new skills, says Dinella. Dolls and pretend kitchens are good at teaching kids early language skills. Building blocks like Lego and puzzles teach skills related to space, which help set the groundwork for learning math. “Both genders lose out if we put kids on one track and they can't explore,” says Dinella. Some parents try to introduce other types of toys and get away from the strictly pink and blue divide. But it's difficult for parents to ignore the marketing and get their kids toys or costumes meant for the other gender, says Dinella. While some parents try to broaden the toys their children are exposed to, there is often a social cost to the child for crossing gender boundaries. “So it is hard for parents to throw out the rules,” she says.
Researchers hope that one day, toys will stop being broken up by gender and will instead be categorized (分类) by type, like puzzle toys, dolls or children's bikes. Toy choices, Sweet says, should be based on kids' personal interests, and not on their gender. 12. What trend is described in the first paragraph?
A. Offering different toys to boys and girls. B. Giving kids more time to play with toys. C. Making more colorful toys for kids. D. Ending the gender divide in toys. 13. How will the pink-and-blue toy divide affect kids according to Dinella? A. Helping them develop in a quite normal way.
B. Making them better communicate with others. C. Urging them to master more knowledge and skills. D. Causing them to miss many opportunities to learn. 14. What is hard for the parents mentioned by Dinella?
A. Buying kids toys at relatively low prices. B. Buying kids toys aimed at the other gender. C. Buying kids new types of toys. D. Buying kids high-quality toys. 15. What might be Sweet's attitude to Target's decision?
A. Supportive. B. Doubtful. C. Uncaring. D. Curious.
第二节(共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分)
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Some people say volunteering abroad is unaffordable for ordinary people． 16 Volunteering isn’t so expensive that it’s only an option for the well-off．Last year I spent 10 weeks volunteering in Arizona，helping to preserve America’s natural beauty．Altogether，it cost me around￡1，000 —a sum which I covered mostly by working in my student bar．
I spent my time maintaining trails，building fences and caring out re-vegetation projects in some of the national parks and national monuments of America. Summer temperatures in Arizona stay well above 35℃，not ideal if you’re carrying 50kg of concrete for 10 hours at a time． 17 One afternoon I was taking a nap when suddenly I realized that a snake was resting only 3 meters from me．The experience，needless to say，improved my strength of character，and reduced my fear of the English household spider．
18 But in reality，you benefit just as much as the local communities and eco-systems you’re helping．Spending 10 months in America’s most beautiful national parks and forests was an unforgettable experience．I gained a far deeper understanding of the local environment than the average tourist，meeting ex-national park keepers who had a unique knowledge of the area’s history and ecosystem．
19 Being placed in an unfamiliar environment forces you to use your initiative(主动性)and develop self-confidence—surviving 10 days of camping in the wild is something that three years of university could never provide．When I look back on the work I completed，it makes writing a
paper and academic deadlines seem a lot more manageable．
But best of all，my 10 weeks were spent volunteering with young people from a mix of cultures and backgrounds from Belgians to South Koreans．20 A．And then there’s the wildlife to deal with． B．I suffered a great deal from this experience．
C．From my experience，this couldn’t be further from the truth．
D．Many people will give time and energy if they see a benefit for themselves． E．The most challenging aspects of working abroad are also the most beneficial． F．Most people volunteer because they want to give something back to the world．
G．When I left Arizona，I returned home having made friends with students from across the world．
第三部分：英语知识运用（共两节，满分45分）
第一节：完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
“Dad, look!” I yelled, pointing to the middle of the crossroads. There, with 21 running just inches away, sat the summer's 13th box turtle.
My dad, a biologist, quickly 22 our truck on the side of the road and got out. He held out his hands to 23 traffic. Then he walked into the street and 24 the turtle. “Another turtle safe and sound,” I sighed with 25 . I grew up in a section of Florida where tearing down houses and shopping malls drove thousands of reptiles out of their 26 . Many of them 27 on the grass and busy highways. People would want to 28 them, and not knowing where else to go, they would 29 them to my dad. So far that summer, people had brought us 12 box turtles. We called them “BT's.” Among all the BT's, I thought BT 13 was the 30 one. “It's a miracle (奇迹) that it didn't get run over,” said my dad.
When we got home, I carried Number 13 to a chicken-wire pen (围栏) in the backyard where we 31 kept animals we found. Box turtles eat almost 32 , and we fed Number 13 cooked hamburger, vegetables, and even earthworms.
We didn't want to keep Number 13 as a 33 . Like all the animals people 34 to us, Number 13 belonged in the 35 . When my dad thought the turtle was 36 , we took it to a place close to where we'd found it — one that was safe from 37 . After a 38 look at the beautiful creature in my hands, I set it down. “ 39 , Number 13,” I said. The turtle stared at me for a while. Then it walked straight into the forest. I was sorry to see it 40 . But I felt sure that Number 13's luck would last. 21. A. chicken 22. A. hid 23. A. stop
B. kids B. drove B. move
C. cars C. loaded C. start
D. animals D. parked D. direct D. picked up D. disappointment D. vehicles D. ended up D. raise D. return D. luckiest
24. A. looked for 25. A. surprise 26. A. boxes 27. A. gave up 28. A. hunt
B. put down B. relief B. forest B. set up B. rescue B. take B. weakest
C. threw away C. regret C. homes
C. cheered up C. watch C. lend C. cleanest
29. A. report 30. A. biggest 31. A. illegally 32. A. nothing 33. A. pet 34. A. sold
B. impatiently
C. secretly 第Ⅱ卷
D. temporarily
D. alone D. friend D. showed D. desert D. calm D. weather D. curious D. Goodbye D. change
B. everything B. turtle B. told
C. away C. life
C. brought C. zoo
35. A. house 36. A. free
B. wild B. ready B. nature B. first B. Come B. die
C. safe C. traffic
37. A. people 38. A. last
C. confused C. Help C. cry
39. A. Hello 40. A. go
第三部分：英语知识运用（共两节，满分45分）
第二节（共10小题；每小题1.5分，满分15分）
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。