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 (控制) 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 PhD 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.
Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would eventually become my reply to any and all annoyance. I don’t talk about that any more. 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. After all, I don’t study sociology or political theory.
Today I research and teach at Bamard, a women’s college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how many 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. 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.
【小题1】Why doesn’t the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?

A．She is 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 at all.

D．She finds space research more important than that.

【小题2】We learn from Paragraph 2 that people would contribute the author’s failures to _______.

A．the very fact that she is just a woman

B．her involvement in gender politics

C．the very fact that she is just a scientist

D．her over-confidence as a female scientist

【小题3】Why does the author feel satisfied when talking about her class?

A．Female students no longer have to bother about gender issues.

B．Her students’ achievement has brought back her confidence.

C．Her female students can do just better than male students.

D．More female students now love science than before.

【小题4】What does the image that the author presents to her students suggest?

A．Women students needn’t have the concerns of her generation.

B．Women have more troubles on their way to academic success.

C．Women can balance a career in science and having a family.

D．Women now have no problems pursuing a science career.

Several recent studies have found that being randomly (随机地) assigned to a roommate of another race can lead to increased tolerance but also to a greater likelihood (可能性)of conflict.
Recent reports found that lodging with a student of a different race may decrease prejudice and cause students to engage in more ethnically diverse friendships.
An Ohio State University study also found that black students living with a white roommate saw higher academic success throughout their college careers. Researchers believe this may be caused by social pressure.
In a New York Times article, Sam Boakye – the only black student on his freshman year floor -said that "if you're surrounded by whites, you have something to prove."
Researchers also observed problems resulting from pairing interracial students in residences.
According to two recent studies, randomly assigned roommates of different races are more likely to experience conflicts so strained that one roommate will move out.
An Indiana University study found that interracial roommates were three times as likely as two white roommates to no longer live together by the end of the semester.
Grace Kao, a professor at Penn said she was not surprised by the findings. "This may be the first time that some of these students have interacted, and lived, with someone of a different race," she said.
At Penn, students are not asked to indicate race when applying for housing.
"One of the great things about freshman housing is that, with some exceptions, the process throws you together randomly," said Undergraduate Assembly chairman Alec Webley. "This is the definition of integration."
"I've experienced roommate conflicts between interracial students that have both broken down stereotypes（老一套，模式） and reinforced stereotypes," said one Penn resident advisor (RA). The RA of two years added that while some conflicts "provided more multicultural acceptance and melding (融合)," there were also "jarring（不和谐的）cultural confrontations（对抗）."
The RA said that these conflicts have also occurred among roommates of the same race.
Kao said she cautions against forming any generalizations based on any one of the studies, noting that more background characteristics of the students need to be studied and explained.
【小题1】What can we learn from some recent studies?

A．Conflicts between students of different races are unavoidable.

B．Students of different races are prejudiced against each other.

C．Interracial lodging does more harm than good.

D．Interracial lodging may have diverse outcomes.

【小题2】What does Sam Boakye's remark mean?

A．White students tend to look down upon their black peers.

B．Black students can compete with their white peers academically.

C．Black students feel somewhat embarrassed among white peers during the freshman year.

D．Being surrounded by white peers motivates a black student to work harder to succeed.

【小题3】What does the Indiana University study show?

A．Interracial roommates are more likely to fall out.

B．Few white students like sharing a room with a black peer.

C．Roommates of different races just don't get along.

D．Assigning students' lodging randomly is not a good policy.

【小题4】What does Alec Webley consider to be the "definition of integration"?

A．Students of different races are required to share a room.

B．Interracial lodging is arranged by the school for freshmen.

C．Lodging is assigned to students of different races without exception.

D．The school randomly assigns roommates without regard to race.

【小题5】What does Grace Kao say about interracial lodging?

A．It is unscientific to make generalizations about it without further study.

B．Schools should be cautious when making decisions about student lodging.

C．Students' racial background should be considered before lodging is assigned.

D．Experienced resident advisors should be assigned to handle the problems.

Young children whose mothers talk with them more frequently and in more detail about people’s thoughts and feelings tend to be better at taking another person’s perspective（观点）than other children of the same age.
That’s what researchers from the University of Western Australia found in a new study published in the journal Child Development.
“Parents who frequently put themselves in someone else’s shoes in conversations with their children make it more likely their children will be able to do the same,” said lead author Brad Farrant.
Researchers of the UWA’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research looked at the influence of how parents interact with their children to learn more about how people develop the ability to take another’s perspective.
The two-year study involved more than 120 Australian children aged between four and six, including children with typically developing language and others delayed in language acquisition（习得）.
The children completed tasks which were designed to assess their language skills, ability to infer others’ beliefs and use these to predict others’ behavior, and their ability to shift flexibly between different perspectives.
Among children with typically developing language, the researchers found that mothers who talked more often and in greater detail about people’s thoughts and feelings — commenting on how another person might react to a particular situation as well as their own feelings about the topic — had children with better language skills and better perspective-taking skills.
Children with delayed language acquisition were also delayed in their development of perspective-taking skills. This displays the role played by language as children develop the ability to take another’s perspective.
“Solving the many challenges that the world faces today requires us all to get better at taking the perspective of other people,” said Brad Farrant.
【小题1】According to the text, to help children gain better perspective-taking skills, parents should __________.

A．give their children more chances to express themselves

B．talk more with their children about people’s feelings

C．encourage their children to guess other people’s thoughts

D．spend more time playing with their children

【小题2】Which of the following is TRUE about the study?

A．Over one hundred American children took part in it.

B．All the children had delayed in language acquisition.

C．The children in the study were around five years old.

D．Mothers helped their children to complete the tasks.

【小题3】Which have an effect on the development of children’s perspective-taking skills?

A．The surrounding environments.	B．Mother’s perspectives.
C．Personal characters.	D．Language skills.

【小题4】In the last paragraph, Brad Farrant __________.

A．stressed the importance of perspective-taking skills

B．expressed his concern about the world’s challenges

C．showed how to take the perspective of other people

D．explained why other people’s opinions are important

【小题5】According to the text, we can learn __________.

A．parents should talk to their children frequently no matter how old their children are

B．it was Brad Farrant who wrote the study in Child Development herself

C．the only way to improve language skill is talking to children more often

D．parents who are always thinking about others will help their children do the same way

People in the United States honor their parents with two special days：Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible(有责任感的) citizens. They give love and care. These two days make us think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery(墓地).On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought  in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.
【小题1】Which of the following is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?

A．Parents bring up children.

B．Parents give love and care to children.

C．Parents educate children to be good persons.

D．Parents pass away before children grow up.

【小题2】What do you think “florists” do?

A．They sell flowers.

B．They make and sell bread.

C．They offer enough room for having family parties.

D．They sell special gifts for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

【小题3】Which do you think is right about “carnation”?

A．It has only two kinds of colors.

B．It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

C．It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes.

D．People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May.

【小题4】What do you know from the passage?

A．Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May.

B．Fewer women worked outside the home in the past.

C．Not all the children respect their parents

D．Fathers are not as important as mothers at home.

【小题5】On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day,     .

A．people usually have family parties

B．everyone goes to visit the cemetery

C．children always go to parents’ home

D．hand-made cards are the most valuable gifts

Having a husband means an extra seven hours of housework each week for women, according to a new study. For men, getting married saves an hour of housework a week. “It’s a well-known pattern,” said lead researcher Frank Stafford at University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. “Men usually work more outside the home, while women take on more of the housework.”
　　He points out that differences among households(家庭)exist. But in general, marriage means more housework for women and less for men. “And the situation gets worse for women when they have children,” Stafford said.
　　Overall, times are changing in the American home. In 1976, women busied themselves with 26 weekly hours of sweeping-and-dusting work, compared with 17 hours in 2005. Men are taking on more housework, more than doubling their housework hours from six in 1976 to 13 in 2005.
　　Single women in their 20s and 30s did the least housework, about 12 weekly hours, while married women in their 60s and 70s did the most-about 21 hours a week.
　　Men showed a somewhat different pattern, with older men picking up the broom more often than younger men. Single men worked the hardest around the house, more than that of all other age groups of married men.
　　Having children increases housework even further. With more than three children, for example, wives took on more of the extra work, clocking about 28 hours a week compared with husbands’10 hours.
【小题1】 According to the “well-known pattern” in Paragraph 1, a married man___________.

A．takes on heavier work	B．does more housework
C．is the main breadwinner	D．is the master of the house

【小题2】 How many hours of housework did men do every week in the 1970s?

A．About 23.

B．About 26.

C．About 13.

D．About 6.

【小题3】 What kind of man is doing most housework according to the text?

A．An unmarried man.	B．An older married man.
C．A younger married man.	D．A married man with children.

【小题4】 What can we conclude from Stafford’s research?

A．Marriage gives men more freedom.

B．Marriage has effects on job choices.

C．Housework sharing changes over time.

D．Having children means doubled housework.

While income worry is a rather common problem of the aged, loneliness is another problem that aged parents may face. Of all the reasons that explain their loneliness, a large geographical distance between parents and their children is the major one. This phenomenon(现象)is commonly known as “Empty Nest Syndrome”(空巢综合症).
　　In order to seek better chances outside their countries, many young people have gone abroad, leaving their parents behind with no clear idea of when they will return home. Their parents spend countless lonely days and nights, taking care of themselves, in the hope that someday their children will come back to stay with them. The fact that most of these young people have gone to Europeanized or Americanized societies makes it unlikely that they will hold as tightly to the value of duty as they would have if they had not left their countries. Whatever the case, it has been noted that the values they hold do not necessarily match what they actually do. This geographical and cultural distance also prevents the grown-up children from providing response(回应)in time for their aged parents living by themselves.
　　The situation in which grown-up children live far away from their aged parents has been described as “distant parent phenomenon”, which is common both in developed countries and in developing countries. Our society has not yet been well prepared for “Empty Nest Syndrome”.
【小题1】 According to the passage, the loneliness of aged parents is mainly caused by _________.

A．their earlier experience of feeling lonely

B．the unfavorable living conditions in their native countries

C．the common worry about their income

D．the geographical distance between parents and children

【小题2】 Many young people have gone abroad, leaving their aged parents behind, to _________.

A．live in the countries with more money

B．seek a better place for their aged parents

C．continue their studies abroad

D．realize their dreams in foreign countries

【小题3】 If young people go abroad, _________.

A．they do not hold to the value of duty at all

B．they can give some help to their parents back home

C．they cannot do what they should for their parents

D．they believe what they actually do is right

【小题4】 From the last paragraph, we can infer that ________.

A．the situations in the developed and developing countries are different

B．“Empty Nest Syndrome” has arrived unexpectedly in our society

C．children will become independent as soon as they go abroad

D．the aged parents are not fully prepared for “Empty Nest Syndrome”

Some nations think they must have more and more babies, more and more people, if they are to remain strong and free.
Actually, this is not so. Very often in history, small nations have conquered large ones. It’s not so much the size of the army as its organization and the technical level of its weapons. Thus, Greece took over Persia in the 300s B.C., Great Britain took over India in the 1700s, even though Persia and India had far bigger population than Greece and Great Britain.
If a nation wishes to avoid being dominated by its neighbors, its best chance is to raise its standard of living and its level of technology.This can be done best by not allowing its population to grow to such a point that it is sunk in misery and poverty. In fact, the worst way in which a nation can try to avoid being dominated by its neighbor is to increase its population to the point of misery and poverty.
If every nation tries to compete with its neighbors by raising its population, then the whole world will be sunk in misery and poverty. The nations will become weak in a disaster that will leave nothing behind that is worth dominating. No one will have gained anything. Everyone will have lost everything.
Once all this is understood, and people generally agree that population growth must not be allowed to continue, they must also come to understand how that growth can be stopped. Population grows because more people are being born than are dying. There are two ways, then, in which the growth can be stopped. You can increase the number of people who die until it matches the number of people who are being born. Or else you can decrease the number of people who are born until it matches the number of people who are dying.
The first method—increasing the death rate—is the usual way in which population is controlled in all species of living things other than ourselves, but we don’t want that, for disaster lies that way. The intelligent way is to reduce the birth rate. But how can the birth rate be reduced?
【小题1】 In paragraph 3, the word “This” refers to ______.

A．avoidance of poverty	B．improvement of life and technology
C．growth of population	D．enhancement of living standard and competition

【小题2】 It can be inferred from the passage that if a country had fewer people, ______.

A．it could still remain strong	B．it would be defeated by a strong neighbour
C．its standard of living could be high	D．its people would live misery

【小题3】 What might the author be further discussing after the passage?

A．Needs to balance population.	B．Problems involved in birth control.
C．Methods of decreasing population.	D．Opposition from some nations.

【小题4】 The passage mainly focuses on ______.

A．why we must control population	B．where we can find a solution
C．how to stop population growth	D．how to become a strong nation

Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict,” he jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes—khaki pants and sports shirt—to the office. He hardly ever wears a necktie. “I’m working harder than ever,” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work. In the United States, the change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday, but only on Friday. This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday”. “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing.” said business consultant Maisly Jones.
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale（士气）. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative effect on productivity. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”
【小题1】David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict,” because __________.

A．he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt

B．he couldn’t stand a clean appearance

C．he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time

D．he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes

【小题2】David Smith wears casual clothes now, because __________.

A．they make him feel at ease when working

B．he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes

C．he looks handsome in casual clothes

D．he no longer works for any company

【小题3】According to this passage, which of the following statements is FALSE?

A．Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code.

B．Comfortable clothes make employees more productive.

C．A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees.

D．All the employers in the U.S. are for casual office wear.

【小题4】According to this passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Company workers started to dress down about twenty years ago.

B．Dress-down has become an everyday phenomenon since the early 1990s.

C．“Dress-down Friday” was first given as a favor from employers.

D．Many workers want to wear casual clothes to impress people.

【小题5】In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned except ______.

A．saving employees’ money

B．making employees more attractive

C．improving employees’ motivation

D．making employees happier

A new study of 8,000 young people in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that although love can make adults live healthily and happily, it is a bad thing for young people. Puppy love(早恋) may bring stress for young people and can lead to depression(忧郁症). The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys, and younger girls are the worst of all.
The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is “loss of self”. According to the study, even though boys would say “lose themselves in a romantic relationship”, this “loss of self” is much more likely to lead to depression when it happens to girls. Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions. They won’t tell that to their parents.
Dr. Marianm Kaufman, an expert on young people problems, says 15% to 20% young people will have depression during their growing. Trying romance often causes the depression.
She advises kids not to jump into romance too early. During growing up, it is important for young people to build strong friendships and a strong sense of self. She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends, attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family.
Parents should watch for signs of depression---eating or mood changes---and if they see signs from their daughter or son, they need to give help. The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age. Love will always make us feel young, but only maturity(成熟) gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects.
【小题1】What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Puppy love may bring young people depression.

B．Parents should forbid their children’s love lives.

C．Romance is a two-edged sword for adults.

D．Romance is good for young people.

【小题2】Which of the following is more likely to have depression?

A．Young people who have a strong sense of self.

B．Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior.

C．Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions.

D．Careless parents whose children are deep in love.

【小题3】What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Lacking love can lead young people to grow up more quickly.

B．Early love makes young people keep close to their friends and parents.

C．Parents should help their children to be aware of the signs of depression.

D．The older a woman is, the less likely she seems to lose herself in romance.

【小题4】What’s the author’s attitude towards puppy love?

A．Confused.

B．Disapproving.

C．Disinterested.

D．Scared.

Divorces in Japan have more than doubled, according to health ministry statistics. One in three Japanese marriages now ends in divorce.
Atsuko Okano was in one of those failed marriages. Three years ago, she found herself alone in her 30s, with children to raise and a future full of question marks and social shame. But she also saw an opening, and became an advisor helping people like herself.
“My husband was cheating on me,” she recalled. ‘I did everything to bring him back to me but it didn’t work, so I dumped him.” Such frankness is a major characteristic of Japan’s recently divorced.
Divorced people – particularly woman – have long been looked down upon in Japan, where self-sacrifice and family stability are regarded as ideals. In the past, bored housewives remained bored. The security of the family unit was the most important thing. Now, young Japanese are increasingly choosing satisfaction in life over the demands of tradition, and more woman are financially independent. As a result, Japanese divorce rates are flying. Experts attribute this to the erosion of a long-standing double standard that granted divorced men respectability, but branded(gave somebody a bad name) divorced women as damaged goods.
Over the past decade, growing numbers of highly educated and successful professional women have challenged that assumption(something taken for granted) by turning their backs on unhappy marriages and paying no attention to the taboo（禁忌）of divorce. The majority of divorce behavior now is started by women.
【小题1】This passage mainly talks about the fact that nowadays Japanese women _________.

A．are granted respectability after they get divorced

B．are becoming brave enough to challenge the taboo of divorce

C．still consider the security of the family unit to be very important

D．are becoming more financially independent

【小题2】It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that Atsuko Okano __________.

A．had some children to raise

B．was very confident with her future

C．was not greatly respected by Japanese society

D．might have found a job to help divorced people

【小题3】The underlined word “dumped” in paragraph 3 probably means _________.

A．looked down upon

B．had a quarrel with

C．hated

D．divorced

【小题4】Which of the following is NOT mentioned as the reason for rising rate of Japanese divorces?

A．Self-sacrifice and family stability are not much appreciated in Japan as before.

B．More women can support themselves financially.

C．Divorced men and women can quickly find their new partners

D．Young Japanese care more about satisfaction in life than their elders did.