18．Across Britain，burnt toast will be served to mothers in bed this morning as older sons and daughters rush to delivertheir supermarket bunches of flowersBut，according to a new study，we should be placing a higher value on motherhood all year．
Mothers have long known that their home workload was just as heavy as paid work．Now，the new study has shown that if they were paid for their parental labours，they would earn as much as£172，000a year．
The study looked at the range of jobs mothers do，as well as the hours they are working，to determine the figure．This would make their yearly income£30，000more than the Prime Minister earns．
By analyzing the numbers，it found the average mother works 119hours a week，40of which would usually be paid at a standard rate 79hours as overtime．After questioning 1，000mothers with children under 18，it found that，on most days，mums started their routine work at 7am and finished at around 11pm．
To calculate just how much mothers would earn from that labour，it suggested some of the roles that mums could take on，including housekeeper，part-time lawyer，personal trainer and entertainer．Being a part-time lawyer，at£48，98an hour，would prove to be te most profitable of the"mum jobs"，with psychologist（心理学家） a close second．
It also asked mothers about the challenges they face，with 80per cent making emotional（情感的） demand as the hardest thing about motherhood．
Over a third of mums felt they needed more training and around half said they missed going out with friends．
The study shows mothers matter all year long and not just on Mother's Day．The emotional，physical and mental energy mothers devote to their children can be never-ending，but children are also sources of great joy and happiness．Investing（投入） in time for parenting and raising relationships is money well spent．
25．How much would a mother earn a year if working as the Prime Minister？C
A．£30，000．
B．£172，000．
C．£142，000．
D．£202，000．
26．The biggest challenge for most mothers is fromB．
A．low pay for work
B．emotional demand
C．heavy workload
D．lack of training
27．What is stressed in the last paragraph？B
A．mothers'importance shows in family all year long．
B．The sacrifices（牺牲） mothers make are huge but worthwhile．
C．Mothers'devotion to children can hardly be calculated（计算）．
D．Investing time in parenting would bring a financial return．
28．What can we conclude from the study？C
A．Mothers'working hours should be largely reduced．
B．Mothers should balance their time for work and rest．
C．Mothers'labour is of a higher value than it is realized．
D．Mothers should be freed from housework for social life．
分析 这是一篇写在母亲节的文章，在母亲节这一天，每个人都会对母亲做出一些事，比如一束花等等，但是作者认为，母亲这一职业值得全年的关注，因为母亲工作的重要性远比人们所能意识到的要高得多．
解答 25．C 推理判断题．根据第二段的they would earn as much as＄172，000 a year如果她们的劳动被支付报酬可以每年获得172，000．以及第三段的This would make their yearlyincome￡3000 more than the Prime Ministerearns这要比当首相的多30，000．由此可知首相的年薪是172，000-30，000=142，000．故选C．
26．B 细节理解题．根据文章倒数第三段的It also asked mothers about thechallenges they face，with 80percent making emotional（情感的） demand asthe hardest thing about motherhood．可知80%的母亲认为她们面对的最大的挑战是情感需要方面的，故选B．
27．B 细节理解题．根据最后一段的The emotional，physical and mental energy mothers devote to their children can benever-ending，but children are also sources ofgreat joy and happiness．可知，母亲对孩子在情感体力精神等方面的付出可能是永无休止的，但是她们这方面的投入也是很值的．所以母亲付出的牺牲是巨大的，但是又是值得的．故选B．
28．C 推理判断题．全文用了很多的数字来论述做母亲的重要性．比如如果将母亲所做的量化成工薪，她一年所赚的甚至超过首相的年薪．所以母亲工作的重要性远比人们所能意识到的要高得多．故选C．
点评 本文是科教类阅读，主要考查细节理解题和推理判断题．在做细节理解题时，首先根据题目要求迅速在文章里找出相应的段落、句子或短语．认真比较选项和文中细节的区别，在做推理判断题时不要以个人的主观想象代替文章的事实，要根据文章事实进行合乎逻辑的推理判断．
