Question

Being a good parent is harder now than it has ever been before. In pressurized modern lives, demands to be a fulfilled individual, a good partner and a good worker, take no account of being a good parent. We haven’t left space for the nurturing parents who are expected to provide what children need. As a result, many families in the western world just don’t work.

       Something will have to change. With luck, people in the future will only have children if they really want them. That should mean parenthood is seen as a much more positive promise than it is now, that parents are socially supported, and are admired for doing a good job.

       The problem is that in the last generation or so we’ve come to assume that women should want and be able to everything that by tradition men have done at the same time as pretty well everything that by tradition women have done. And it’s just not possible. Since adopting a male life style is demonstrably only another form of submission（顺从）, quite a number of highly educated and economically privileged（优越的）women are now choosing to take career breaks so as to be at home with their children for longer than that poor 18 weeks.

       The most welcoming trend in parenting is that men are participating more and more, even that is not free of conflict, however. Intellectually（理智上）, women want men to be equal parents and do their share. But there’s often a contradictory（矛盾的）emotion because children are the last fort of the female power in the family. “I want him to help me but this is my region and being better at it is one of the new things I’ve got as a female.” In truth, although they haven’t had generations of practice, there’s no reason why men can’t raise children as well as women. Men left to cope after bereavement or divorce, as well as some who take on the role of principal career within a partnership, are already doing it.

16.Why is it more difficult today to be good parents?

       A. Because parents don’t want to face the pressure of rearing children.

       B. Because children are in dependent and don’t need to be taken care of.

       C. Because husbands and wives have little time to talk to each other.

       D. Because people want to fulfill their own dreams, leaving no time to look after children.

17. We can learn from the passage that _______.

       A. people in future will not be as interested in children as people at present

       B. parenthood will be considered as a positive commitment as it is now

       C. women do better in rearing children than men

       D. parents will receive admiration for taking good care of children

18. Nowadays, a lot of highly educated and economically privileged women ________.

       A. tend to stay at home for more than 18 weeks

       B. tend to adopt a male life style

       C. tend to quit their jobs and stay at home

       D. tend to be submissive wives

19. It seems that in parenting , women ________.

       A. are contradictory in their thoughts.                B.demand equality between sexes

       C. tend to leave children to their husbands.         D. often quarrel with their husbands

20. The underlined word “bereavement” in the para 4 probably means _________.

       A. departure of his wife.                                          B. death of his wife

       C. return of his wife                                         D. annoyance of his wife

Answer 1

16---20    DDAAB  

解析:

本文为说明文讲述了为人父母问题，当今社会为人父母越来越不容易，现在社会人们对做父母有何种倾向呢？

16.D．细节理解题。根据文章第一段，作者提到了“压力重重的现代社会”、“做个实现自己抱负的人”和“我们没有为父母留下教育孩子的空间”，这些都解释了为什么现在做个好父母比以往任何时候都要艰难。

17.D．细节理解题。根据第二段最后一句“…that parents are socially supported, and are admired for doing a good job.”，可知答案为D。第二段第二句“With luck, people in the future will only have children if they really want them.”，但不能由此推出A；B与本段第三句“That should mean parenthood is seen as a much more positive promise…”不符；有最后一段倒数第二句“In truth, although they haven’t had generations of practice,…”可看出C错。

18.A．细节理解题。第三段第三句“事实上，由于选择男性的生存方式可以说是另一形式的男尊女卑，许多受过高等教育以及经济地位优越的妇女都情愿有一段职业间隙，这样和孩子一起呆的时间就能长一点，而不仅是那可怜的18周产假。”B和原文“由于选择男性的生存方式可以说是另…”相反；C错在quit上，注意文中breaks（间歇）的意思。职业女性正是不愿意男尊女卑才情愿在家呆段时间，所以D也错。

19.A．推断题。根据第四段” Intellectually（理智上）, women want men to be equal parents and do their share. But there’s often a contradictory（矛盾的）emotion…”可看出答案。B只是原文的部分内容（But there’s often a contradictory（矛盾的）emotion…）；CD文中未提及。

20.B．词义猜测题。最后一段最后一句提到两种需要男人独立承担照顾孩子的情况，一是离婚，那么根据常识另一种应该是丧偶。