Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage.
【真题来源：2014年6月大学英语四级真题（第二套）Part Ⅲ，Section C，第57-61题】
Passage One
When young women were found to make only 82 percent of what their male peers do just one year out of college, many were at a loss to explain it.
All the traditional reasons put forward to interpret the pay gap—that women fall behind when they leave the workforce to raise kids, for example, or that they don't seek as many management roles—failed to justify this one. These young women didn't have kids yet. And because they were just one year removed from their undergraduate degrees, few of these women yet had ,the chance to go after (much less decline) leadership roles.
But there are other reasons why the pay gap remains so persistent. The first is that no matter how many women may be getting college degrees, the university experience is still an unequal one. The second is that our higher education system is not designed to focus on the economic consequences of our students' years on campus.
Now that women are the majority of college students and surpass men in both the number of undergraduate and advanced degrees awarded, one might think the college campus is a pretty equal place. It is not. Studies show that while girls do better than boys in high school, they start to trail off during their college years. They enroll in different kinds of classes, tend to major in less rigorous (非常严格的) subjects, and generally head off with less ambitious plans.
As a result, it's not surprising that even the best educated young women enter the workplace with a slight disadvantage. Their college experience leaves them somewhat confused, still stumbling (栽倒) over the dilemmas their grandmothers' generation sought to destroy. Are they supposed to be pretty or smart? Strong or sexy (性感的)? All their lives, today's young women have been pushed to embrace both perfection and passion—to pursue science and sports, math and theater—and do it all as well as they possibly can. No wonder they are not negotiating for higher salaries as soon as they get out of school. They are too exhausted, and too scared of failing'.
Traditionally, it is believed that women earn less than men because ________.
第2段第1句破折号中间的内容是人们的传统看法，指出女性挣钱比男性少是因为女性要离开职场养育孩子，或者是因为女性没有寻求同样多的管理职位，故答案为B。其中的do not feel as fit for management roles是对don't seek as many management roles的同义转述。A是根据第4段最后一句设置的干扰；C中的“感觉有义务”在文中并没有体现；D在文中找不到依据。
What does the author say about America's higher education system?
第3段第3句指出，美国高等教育体系设计并未重视学生在校学习几年后会得到的经济成果，故答案为B。其中的does not consider its economic impact是对is not designed to focus on the economic consequences的同义转述。A和C在文中没有提及；D是根据第4段最后一句中的tend to major in less rigorous subjects设置的干扰。
What does the author say about today's college experience?
这三句均指出大学经历是不平等的。根据文章可知，这里所说的不平等是指对男学生和女学生来说，大学经历是不平等的，故答案为A。其中的different是对unequal的同义转述。B是根据最后一段第2句中的still stumbling over设置的干扰；C是根据最后一段最后一句中的They are too exhausted设置的干扰；D在文中没有提及。
What does the author say about women students in college?
第4段第3句指出，研究表明，尽管女孩在高中时表现得比男孩好，但是在大学那几年，她们的优势开始衰退，故答案为D。其中的don't perform as well是对trail off的同义转述。A和C在文中没有提及；B是根据该段最后一句中的tend to major in less rigorous subjects设置的干扰。
How does the author explain the pay gap between men and women fresh from college?
末段倒数第2句指出，女大学生在刚出校园时并没有就更高薪资进行谈判。最后一句解释了原因：她们太累了，太害怕失败了。而这同样也是解释男性和女性之间薪酬差距的原因，故答案为A。其中的too worn out是对too exhausted的同义转述。B和C均不是刚毕业的女性遇到的问题；D中的“不善于”在文中得不到体现。