Women Can’t Keep a Secret
The average woman cannot keep a secret for longer than 47 hours, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that women are overcome by a burning desire to share gossip as soon as they hear it. They will typically spill the beans to at least one other person in 47 hours and 15 minutes.
Depending on who the gossip is about, their boyfriend, husband, best friend or mother are most likely to be the initial recipients (接收者) of the information.
The study of 3,000 women aged between 18 and 65 also found that four out of ten admitted they were unable to keep a secret—no matter how personal or confidential the news was.
The study found the nation’s ladies hear three pieces of gossip a week, but end up passing it on to at least one other person.
Three in 10 admitted having the urge to reveal someone’s secret. However, two thirds end up feeling guilty after passing on secrets.
Three quarters say they are capable of keeping quiet about a secret, and 83 per cent consider themselves 100 per cent trustworthy within each group of friends. Yet, four in ten admit to gossiping to a close friend from another friendship group.
More than four in ten think it is acceptable to share a friend’s secret with someone who does not know them, with over 40 per cent saying their husband is their final one they share secrets with.
Fortunately for some though, over a quarter (27 per cent) said they forgot what they were told the following day.
1.How long can women keep a secret?
A. At least two days B. Longer than two days. C. Two days. D. 47 hours and 15 minutes
2.Women will share gossip with all the following except________.
A. their boyfriend or husband B. their best friend
C. their brother or sister D. their mother
3.According to the study, ________ women were unable to keep a secret.
A. 1,200 B.1,800 C. 2, 400 D. 3,000
4.Which of the following is true?
A. Most women are not trustworthy
B. More than forty per cent tell secrets to their husband.
C. Few women feel guilty after passing on secrets.
D. Over a quarter think it is acceptable to share gossip.
科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
I don’t ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again. There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what it’s like to work in a field dominated by men. I was never very good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting. What I do find interesting is the origin of the universe, the shape of space-time and the nature of black holes.
At 19, when I began studying astrophysics, it did not bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom. But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me. My every achievement—jobs, research papers, awards—was viewed through the lens of gender (性别) politics. So were my failures. Sometimes, when I was pushed into an argument on left brain versus (相对于) right brain, or nature versus nurture (培育), I would instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind.
Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would eventually become my reply to any and all provocations: I don’t talk about that anymore. It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 and to realize that I didn’t want to deal with gender issues. Why should curing sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I don’t study sociology or political theory.
Today I research and teach at Barnard, a women’s college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how may of the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45. I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children. And I don’t dismiss those concerns. Still, I don’t tell them “war” stories. Instead, I have given them this: the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments. And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science. And that’s a sight worth talking about.
Why doesn’t the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?
A. She feels unhappy working in male-dominated fields.
B. She is fed up with the issue of gender discrimination.
C. She is not good at telling stories of the kind.
D. She finds space research more important.
From Paragraph 2, we can infer that people would attribute the author’s failures to ________.
A. the very fact that she is a woman
B. her involvement in gender politics
C. her over-confidence as a female astrophysicist
D. the burden she bears in a male-dominated society
What did the author constantly fight against while doing her Ph.D. and post-doctoral research?
A. Lack of confidence in succeeding in space science.
B. Unfair accusations from both inside and outside her circle.
C. People’s stereotyped attitude toward female scientists.
D. Widespread misconceptions about nature and nurtured.
Why does the author feel great satisfaction when talking about her class?
A. Female students no longer have to bother about gender issues.
B. Her students’ performance has brought back her confidence.
C. Her female students can do just as well as male students.
D. More female students are pursuing science than before.
What does the image the author presents to her students suggest?
A. Women students needn’t have the concerns of her generation.
B. Women have more barriers on their way to academic success.
C. Women can balance a career in science and having a family.
D. Women now have fewer problems pursuing a science career.
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:阅读理解
In our culture, the sources of what we call a sense of “mastery”- feeling important and worthwhile—and the sources of what we call a sense of “pleasure”—finding life enjoyable—are not always the same. Women often are told “You can’t have it all.” Sometimes what the speaker really is saying is: “You choose a career, so you can’t expect to have closer relationships or a happy family life.” or “You have a wonderful husband and children—what’s all this about wanting a career?” But women need to understand and develop both aspects of well-being, if they are to feel good about themselves.
Our study shows that, for women, well-being has two aspects. One is mastery, which includes self-respect, a sense of control over your life, and low levels of anxiety and depression. Mastery is closely related to the “doing” side of life, to work and activity. Pleasure is the other aspect, and it is made up of happiness, satisfaction and optimism. It is tied more closely to the “feeling” side of life. The two are independent of each other. A woman could be high in mastery and low in pleasure, and vice versa(反之亦然). For example, a woman who has a good job, but whose mother has just died, might be feeling very good about herself and in control of her work life, but the pleasure side could be damaged for a time.
The concepts(概念)of mastery and pleasure can help us identify(找到)the sources of well-being for women, and correct past mistakes. In the past, women were encouraged to look only at the feeling side of life as the source of all well-being. But we know that both mastery and pleasure are important. And mastery seems to be achieved largely through work. In our study, all the groups of employed women were valued significantly higher in mastery than women who were not employed.
A woman’s well-being is developed when she takes on multiple(多项的)roles. At least by middle adulthood, the women who were involved in a combination of roles—marriages, motherhood, and employment—were the highest in well-being, in spite of warnings about stress and strain.
It can be inferred from the first paragraph that ________.
A. for women, a sense of “mastery” is more important than a sense of “pleasure”
B. for women, a sense of “pleasure” is more important than a sense of “mastery”
C. women can’t have a sense of “mastery” and a sense of “pleasure” at the same time
D. a sense of “mastery” and a sense of “pleasure” are both necessary to women
The author’s attitude towards women having a career is________.
A. negative B. positive C. neutral(中立的) D. realistic
One can conclude from the passage that if a woman takes on several social roles,_____.
A. it will be easier for her to overcome stress and strain
B. she will be more successful in her career
C. her chances of getting promoted will be greater
D. her life will be richer and more meaningful
Which of the following can be considered as a source of “pleasure” for women?
A. Family life B. Multiple roles in society
C. Regular employment D. Freedom from anxiety
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科目:高中英语 来源: 题型:
In my opinion, women can be _____ they want to be just like men, whether it is a pilot, an astronaut, or a general manager.
A. wherever B. whatever C. however D. whoever
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科目:高中英语 来源:2010届广东省广州市高三上学期期末调研 题型:阅读理解
There is a scene that is repeated up and down the land during the month of June. Outside a church in some Scottish town or village a small crowd has interrupted its daily affairs to gather on the pavement. Near the west door a dozen or so overdressed people are glancing impatiently at their watches. The men seem a little self-conscious in their hired kilts; the women hold their wind-blown dresses and loudly admire each other’s hats. They are all lively and talkative, yet at the same time strangely reserved. The crowd ignores them, barely noticing when they disappear into the church. Even the arrival of the groom rouses little excitement. These participants are not the main attraction. We are waiting for the bride.
Whatever her age or appearance, everyone will smile and express approval. By convention, all brides are beautiful. Nobody says so, but the spectators feel cheated unless she steps out of a car, dressed in white from head to toe. The nearer she matches their image, the greater their satisfaction. This event is not merely a wedding; it is a tradition, and such occasions are potentially dangerous. Participants must pay strict attention to detail. An untraditional bride destroys the magic.
When the crowd has left, some bystanders will remain to watch the bride walk out of church on the arm of her groom. The guests troop out behind the happy couple and all gather on the pavement with an obvious air of relief. A piper strikes up Mairi’s Wedding and the guests start shouting and jumping everywhere, putting the photographer off his work. Before bride and groom lead their party to the reception, someone is sure to disobey the priest and scatter forbidden confetti (五彩碎纸).
The particulars of this scene are modern; yet three elements are present that have existed since marriage in Scotland began—ancient Roman law redefined in a Christian context, Celtic tradition, and pre-Christian tradition.
51. Why is the scene mentioned in this article often seen all over Scotland in June?
A. It’s hot in June so men can wear kilts and women can put on beautiful dresses.
B. A lot of Scottish people like getting married at that time of the year.
C. In June people can get away from their daily affairs and go to church.
D. June is considered the luckiest month of the year.
52. The underlined word “them” (in Paragraph 1) refers to ________.
A. the overdressed people B. the bride and groom
C. the people on the street D. the people’s hats
53. Please put the following in correct order.
a. The bride arrives.
b. The couple walks out of the church.
c. A piper plays some music.
d. The groom arrives.
e. The bride and groom lead people to the reception.
f. People wait outside the church.
A. f, d, a, c, b, e B. f, d, a, b, c, e
C. d, f, a, b, e, c D. d, a, f, b, e, c
54. The underlined part “putting the photographer off his work” (in Paragraph 3) most probably means _____.
A. making the photographer feel relieved
B. giving the photographer a chance to rest
C. disturbing the photographer when he is taking pictures
D. having the photographer taken away from his duty
55. What can we infer from the passage?
A. Women going to a wedding ceremony pay most attention to each other.
B. Spectators of a wedding ceremony are particularly interested in the groom.
C. Confetti is forbidden at the wedding ceremony because it is not all white.
D. If the bride is dressed all in white traditionally, she is considered beautiful.
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科目:高中英语 来源:2008年高考试题(陕西卷)解析版 题型:阅读理解
Did you know that women’s brains are smaller than men’s? The average women’s brain weighs 10% less than men’s. Since research has shown that the bigger the brain, the cleverer the animal, men must be more intelligent(聪明的) than women. Right? Wrong. Men and women always score similarly on intelligence tests, despite the difference in brain size. Why? After years of study, researchers have concluded that it’s what’s inside that matters, not just the size of the brain. The brain consists of “grey matter” and
It has been suggested that smaller brain appears to work faster, perhaps because the two sides of the brain are better connected in women. This means that little girls tend to learn to speak earlier, and that women can understand sorts of information from different sources at the same time. When it comes to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it’s women who come out on top every time.
There are other important differences between two sexes. As white matter is the key to spatial(空间的) tasks, men know better where things are in relation to other things. “A great footballer always knows where he is in relation to the other players, and he knows where to go,” says one researcher. That may explain one of life’s great mysteries: why men refuse to ask for directions … and women often need to!
The differences begin when fetuses(胎儿) are about mine weeks old, which can be seen in the action of children ad young as one. A boy would try to climb a barrier (障碍物) before him or push it down while a girl would attract help from others. These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills. It may all go back to our ancestors(祖先) ,among whom women needed speech skills to take care of their babies and men needed spatial skills to hunt, according to one research.
If all this disappoints you, it shouldn’t. “The brain changes throughout our lives according to what we do with it.” says a biologist.
1.Which of the following is true according to the first paragraph?
A. Women’s brain is 10% less than men’s
B. Grey matter plays the same role as white matter.
C. Grey matter controls thinking in the brain.
D. Both sexes have the same amount of white matter.
2.What can we infer from the second and third paragraphs?
A. Women prefer doing many things at a time.
B. Men do better dealing with one job at a time.
C. Women do not need to tell directions.
D. Men have weaker spatial abilities.
3.Which of the following do you agree with according to the fourth paragraph?
A. Young boys may be stronger than young girls.
B. More women take up jobs requiring speech skills
C. Women may have stronger feelings than men.
D. Our ancestors needed more spatial skills.
4.What is the writer’s attitude in writing this passage?
A. Defensive. B. Persuasive.
C. Supportive. D. Objective.
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