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. The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship, mechanics, and technology. It is the universality of toys with regard to their development in all part of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, the Americas, China, Japanand 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 generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject 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.
36.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 while girls with their mothers
D) they like challenging activities
37.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 kinds of toys
