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 controlled 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(透镜) of gender(性别) politics． So were my failures． Sometimes, when I was pushed into an argument on left brain versus 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(挑衅): 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 gender discrimination 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 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 refuse to consider those concerns． Still, I don’t tell them “war” stories． Instead, I have given them this: their physics professor is doing physics experiments, heavily pregnant． 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．

1．Why doesn’t the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?

       A．She feels unhappy working in male-controlled 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．

2．From Paragraph 2, we can infer that people would contribute 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-controlled society

3．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 attitude toward female scientists．

       D．Widespread misconceptions about nature and nurture．

4．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 seeking a science career．

It is often confusing to parent children with learning disabilities, ADHD and related disorders. One of the biggest confusions and challenges parents face is the large gap between what the children can do and what they cannot do. Often they are very smart, know a great deal, and reason well, yet cannot read or write. School teachers and family may be telling them to try harder, and they are usually trying their hearts out. They tend to work 10 times harder than everyone else does, but still they may be called lazy.

Another aspect of the confusion for parents lies in how hard it can be to distinguish between a child who can’t do something and a child who won’t do something. For parents, it can be frustrating not to be able to control a 5 or 6 – year – old or to know whether to push an adolescent or reduce expectations. In this confusion, parents tend to ask, “What is wrong with me?” rather than “What challenges is my child having to face?” Shifting this focus can be useful for parents and children. Children may seem to be having behavior problems when, in fact, they are facing difficulties in accomplishing a task.

Children tend to withdraw or act out when a task is too demanding. It can help parents to know that when children say they hate something, that usually serves as a wonderful diagnostic tool, indicating what is difficult or impossible for them. For example, when a child loves dance, art, and music but hates drama, it could be that the child has a speech / language problem. When a child hates math or reading, these are likely areas of difficulty. Conversely, what children like and want to do usually serve as indicators of their strengths.

While a diagnosis will help to some extent, the job of sorting out these issues on a day – to – day basis is no small task. On a planning level, confusion occurs because teachers, doctors, psychologists, and social workers may disagree not only on diagnosis but on the best treatments or programs for a child. This can be frustrating and anxiety – provoking for parents who have to pull all the information together and decide what to do, right or wrong. Additionally, at home and elsewhere, parents must anticipate (预料到) problems and sense when their children are tired, or frustrated, or about to explode. Parents must trust their guts (直觉) as to how long the child can last at a party, or sit in a restaurant, or be pleasant with visitors. While parents have to do this with all children, it is much more challenging with this population.

1．From the first paragraph we learn that some children can’t read or write probably because    .

       A．they are lazy and refuse to try

       B．they suffer from ADHD, and related disorders

       C．they don’t like their teachers

       D．they are as confused as their parents

2．If parents find it difficult to control a 5 or 6–year–old child, they should      .

       A．find out whether a certain task is too challenging or even impossible for their children

       B．find out what’s wrong with themselves

       C．either push them on or reduce expectations

       D．take them to hospital

3．If something is too difficult for a child, he or she is likely to          .

       A．pretend to be interested                        B．say he / she hate it

       C．turn to others for help                          D．move away and cry

4．Which can be the best title for this passage?

       A．Symptoms of ADHD                            B．Understanding children’s behavior

       C．Parents’ confusion                               D．Don’t be too strict with your children