There seems never to have been a civilization(文明) 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 is today, most boys play with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are strictly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls after the tasks of their mothers. This is true because 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 so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same. It is the universality of toys about their development in all parts of the world and their continuing to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, the Americas, China, Japan and among the Arctic peoples, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.
Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to (服从于) technological progress that characterizes inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the oxcart to the automobile is a direct line of advancement. The progress from a rattle (拨浪鼓) used by a baby in 3,000 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 materials then ready for use. (words: 285 ; time : 5ms)
1. The reason why the toys most boys play with are different from those that girls play with is that ________ .
A. their social roles are strictly determined
B. most boys would like to follow their fathers' jobs
C. boys like to play with their fathers while girls with their mothers
D. they like challenging activities.
2. "The universality of toys" lies in the fact that ________ .
A. technological advances have greatly improved the making of toys
B. the improvement of techniques in making toys depends on the efforts of universities
C. the exploration of the universe has led to the creation of new kinds of toys
D. the basic characteristics of toys are the same all over the world
3. Regarded as a kind of art form, toys ________.
A. follow a direct line of development
B. also greatly interest adults
C. are not characterized by progress in technology
D. show the pace of social progress