单选题
{{B}}Passage One{{/B}}

The government of UK is launching a program aiming at helping more families balance their work and home lives. The right to ask employers for flexible working hours was previously limited to parents of children up to the age of six or disabled children aged up to 18. But following a recommendation made by an independent review last year, the government decided to extend the age limit. 4.5 million parents of children aged 16 and under will be able to ask employers for flexible work arrangements in future. A total of 10 million parents will be entitled to request flexible working.
Harriet Harman, minister for Women and Equality, said mothers often "tear their hair out" while bringing up children and trying to earn a living. A survey of 1 000 parents by the government's Equalities Office suggested half believed their relationship with their child would improve if their work hours were more flexible. Two thirds said it would be helpful to work flexibly as their children became older, and half of parents whose children were aged between 11 and 16 said they would help with homework if they could find the time. Ms Harman said. "Children don't stop needing their parents' time when they reach their sixth birthday. We have already built a strong foundation of support for families through the right for parents with children under six to request flexible work. But, as any parent knows, older children going through the teenage years need just as much support and guidance."
Sarah Jackson, chief executive of campaign group Working Families, said. "The conflict that often seems to exist between family and work is so unnecessary and counterproductive. I would particularly encourage men to consider working flexibly as that has the potential to create stronger families and go some way to addressing the inequalities that still exist in the home."
The move is backed by the Confederation of British Industry, but the CBI also has warned that firms may find it difficult to grant requests for flexible working during the recession. Trades Union Congress is another organization that favors the arrangement. Brendan Barber, the general secretary, said the extension would be "good news" for employers. He added, "Companies whose workers enjoy the benefits of flexible working are likely to feel less stressed and less anxious about balancing their lives at home and work, which means they are more committed and productive while at work."

单选题 What kind of parents can have the right to ask for flexible working hours after the program is launched?

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[定位] 由题干中的flexible working hours after the program is launched定位到首段第四句4.5 million parents... in future. [精析] 事实细节题【考频：35】。注意区分本段中提到到各个年龄段。题干的要求是将来有多少父母可以享受这一优惠政策，而政府是打算把年龄放宽到16岁。 [避错] A)是目前还没有放宽年龄之前的年龄；因为没有放宽年龄之前是允许有未年满18岁的残疾子女的父母申请弹性工作时间的，所以B)和C)都不完整，故排除。

单选题 What can you learn from the survey done by the government's Equalities office?

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[定位] 由题干中的survey, the government's Equalities office定位到原文第二段第二、三句A survey of 1 000 parents... would help with homework if they could find the time. [精析] 推理判断题【考频：64】。通过对原文所陈述的调查结果的数字进行分析，可以知道几乎每个问题中，支持弹性工作时间的父母数量都没有低于一半，有时还更多，所以，大多数家长是赞成政府的决定，希望能有权利申请到弹性工作时间。 [避错] 一半的家长说如果有更多的时间，与子女的关系可以改善，但并不能因此就判定A)“家长与孩子的关系不好”；B)“孩子大了，就不需要花那么时间了”意思与原文表达的意思没有任何共同之处，故排除；表示愿意帮孩子做功课的家长是那些子女在11-16岁之间的父母，不能认定C)“大多数家长愿意帮助孩子做功课”。

单选题 What suggestion does Sarah Jackson make concerning the flexible working hours?

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[定位] 由题干中的Sarah Jackson, the flexible working hours定位到原文第三段第二句I would particularly encourage men... still exist in the home [精析] 语义理解题【考频：69】。原文说“尤其想鼓励父亲们考虑一下申请弹性工作时间”，这与A)“父亲们也应该申请一下弹性工作时间”意思一致。 [避错] 原文中Sarah说工作和家庭之间一直有矛盾，但她没有明确说弹性工作时间就可以解决这种矛盾，故排除B)；而C)和D)的主语都是弹性工作时间，但原文中，Sarah是说如果父亲能在家多呆一点，这些问题都会有所改善或减轻，所以这两个选项也不正确。

单选题 According to Brendan Barber, what's the influence of flexible working hours on companies?

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[定位] 由题干中的Brendan Barber, companies定位到原文第四段最后一句Companies whose workers enjoy the benefits of flexible working are likely to feel less stressed and less anxious about balancing their lives at home and work, which means they are more committed and productive while at work. [精析] 语义理解题【考频：69】。原文中说雇员心情好了，就会更好地工作。于是，看上去是公司给了雇员优待，但长远看来，公司也不会吃亏。C)“雇员会更有效地工作”与这个意思相符。 [避错] 文章中只是说也许在经济不景气的时候，公司不太容易批准雇员对弹性工作时间的申请，并没有说是弹性工作时间使情形变得更糟，当然也不会因此而解决公司的问题，故排除A)和B)；文章只提到了享受弹性工作时间的人会更加轻松，并不能因此说每个人都会感觉很舒服，故排除D)。

单选题 What can you infer from the passage?

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[定位] 本题是针对整篇文章进行提问，所以，不可能定位到某一个特定的句子，需要考生正确理解整篇文章的内容，才能进行判断。 [精析] 推理判断题【考频：64】。整篇文章都是在讲述政府打算给予父母更优惠的政策。而且在此之前，有一部分父母已经有权享受这种待遇。可见，政府是在努力地帮助父母们更好地处理工作和家庭的关系。 [避错] 由文章只能知道弹性工作时间的优待已经存在了，但没办法判断是否已经存在了很长时间，故排除A)；本文仅仅提供了对父母的调查结果和个别组织的态度，并不能说每个人都欢迎这项政策，故排除C)；虽然自始至终没有提到孩子的态度，但也没有证据说孩子的意见就被忽视了，所以，排除D)。