Section B

Passage 1

Barbie dolls have a particular look to them. They’re thin, tall, long-legged and virtually unlike any real human being. Although over the years Barbie has had more than 180 different careers-including football coach, sign language teacher, ambassador, president and astronaut–her body shape hasn’t changed much.

Last year Mattel, the company that makes Barbie dolls, added some Barbies to its line that have different skin tones and hair textures. There are now Barbies with one of seven skin tones, 22 eye colours and 24 hair styles to choose from. Last year Mattel also gave Barbie a flat foot, rather than forcing her to be “in heels” all the time like the original Barbie is.

Now they are introducing new Barbies with three slightly different body shapes while the original, tall and thin Barbies will continue to be sold.

In a statement on its website, the company says it wants Barbies to look more like real people, and to give girls everywhere infinitely more ways to spark their imagination and play out their stories.

Although many people say the new Barbies are a step in the right direction, some people say they don’t go far enough. They say that the new body shapes could be even more different from the original, tall, thin Barbies.

Sales of Barbie dolls have been falling “every year since 2012,” according to CBC News.

The toys aren’t in stores yet but they will be sold online at the Barbie website, starting this week, for $9.99.

Q9. What do we know about the original Barbie dolls?

Q10. Why do some people feel unsatisfied with the new Barbie dolls?

Q11. Where will the new Barbie dolls be sold first?