2012.12.四级真题阅读

　　Passage One 　　Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage. 　　Boys' schools are the perfect place to teach young men to express their emotions and involve them in activities such as art, dance and music. 　　Far from the traditional image of a culture of aggressive masculinity (阳刚), the absence of girls gives boys the chance to develop without pressure to conform to a stereotype. a US study says. 　　Boys at single-sex schools were said to be more likely to get involved in cultural and artistic activities that helped develop their emotional expressiveness, rather than feeling they had to conform to the "boy code" of hiding their emotions to be a "real man". 　　The findings of the study so against received wisdom that boys do better when taught alongside girls. 　　Tony Little, headmaster of Eton, warned that boys were being faded by the British education system because it had become too focused on girls. He criticized teachers for failing to recognize that boys are actually more emotional than girls. 　　The research argued that boys often perform badly in mixed schools because they become discouraged when their female peers do better earlier in speaking and reading skills. 　　But in single-sex schools teachers can tailor lessons to boys' learning style, letting them move around the classroom and getting them to compete in teams to prevent boredom, wrote the study's author, Abigail James, of the University of Virginia. 　　Teachers could encourage boys to enjoy reading and writing with "boy-focused" approaches such as themes and characters that appeal to them. Because boys generally have more acute vision learn best through touch, and are physically more active, they need to be given "hands-on" lessons where they are allowed to walk around. "Boys in mixed schools view classical music as feminine (女性的) and prefer the modem genre (类型) in which violence and sexism are major themes, "James wrote. 　　Single-sex education also made it less likely that boys would feel they had to conform to a stereotype that men should be "masterful and in charge" in relationships. "In mixed schools boys feel compelled to act like men before they understand themselves well enough to know what that means, " the study reported. 　　57. The author believes that a single-sex school would ____ . 　　 A) force boys to hide their emotions to be "real men" B) help to cultivate masculine aggressiveness in boys 　　 C) encourage boys to express their emotions more freely 　　 D) naturally reinforce in boys the traditional image of a man 　 58. It is commonly believed that in a mixed school boys _____ . 　　 A) Perform relatively better C) behave more responsibly 　　 B) grow up more healthily D) receive a better education 　 　　59. What does Tony Little say about the British education system? 　　 A) It fails more boys than girls academically. 　　 B) It focuses more on mixed school education. 　　 C) It fails to give boys the attention they need. 　　 D) It places more pressure on boys than on girls. 　 　　60. According to Abigail James, one of the advantages of single-sex schools is ______. 　　 A) teaching can be tailored to suit the characteristics of boys 　　 B) boys can focus on their lessons without being distracted 　　 C) boys can choose to learn whatever they are interested in 　　 D) teaching can be designed to promote boys' team spirit 　 　　61. Which of the following is characteristic of boys according to Abigail James' report? 　　 A) They enjoy being in charge. C) They have sharper vision. 　　 B) They conform to stereotypes. D) They are violent and sexist. Passage Two 　　Questions 62 to 66 are bated on the following passage. 　　It's an annual argument. Do we or do we not go on holiday? My partner says no because the boiler could go, or the roof fall off and we have no savings to save us. I say you only live once and we work hard and what's the point if you can't go on holiday. The joy of a recession means no argument next year - we just won't go. 　　Since money is known to be one of the things most likely to bring a relationship to its knees, we should be grateful. For many families the recession means more than not booking a holiday A YouGov poll of 2, 000 people found 22% said they were arguing more with their partners because of concerns about money. What's less clear is whether divorce and separation rates rise in a recession - financial pressures mean couples argue more but make splitting up less affordable. A recent research shows arguments about money were especially damaging to couples. Disputes were characterized by intense verbal ( 言语上的) aggression, tended to be repeated and not resolved and made men, more than women, ex