V. Reading Comprehension
         Pantone has an international effect on color standards and announces its colors of the year for 2016: Rose Quartz and Serenity. The former is a silent shade of pink and the latter is a quiet shade of blue.
        As for its 2016 choice, Pantone seems to suggest dealing with relating colors to gender. For many years, pink has been related to girls and blue to boys. In the Pantone Fashion Color Report Spring 2016, could its choice focus on the color-gender relationship?
      There is nothing female about the color pink and there is not anything male about the color blue, either. Instead, popular culture or advertising dollars have affected how we look at the color-gender relationship.The color-gender relationship wasn’t noticed until the 1940s, when boys and girls required different clothes and toys. Popular products like Barbie would play a role in our color stereotypes. (In fact, Barbie has her own Pantone color: Barbie Pink!)
     In the 1960s, fashion changed from gender-specific clothing as girls to more masculine styles and in the 1970s, there was no pink clothing in major catalogues. Many argued that little girls should be dressed more like boys to be more confident.
    In the 1980s, a change went to gender-specific color purchases, especially for children. Families could plan to spend a lot on products for the expected baby girl or boy. Even disposable diapers were sold in pink and blue.
   Today, in the 21st century, customers are concerned about the traditional color-gender relationship when they are about to buy something. They recognize that their role as a customer is not just about the product.
   As we see, the color-gender relationship has changed as time goes by. With this year’s selection, Pantone is wielding a hammer and paving the way for future generations for “gender quality or fluidity.”
       (adapted from “What Pantone’s Colors of 2016 Mean for the Future of Design,” 11 Jan. 2016, at http://www.huffingtonpost.com )
【題組】41. Which statement best describes Pantone?
(A) It plays an influential role in the world of color-related industries.
(B) It supports gender quality at the expense of advertising dollars.
(C) It is described as the major producer of Barbie dolls.
(D)It is mentioned as the important structure of high-fashion.