阅读理解
Educating girls quite possibly yields a higher rate of return than any other investment available in the developing world. Women''s education may be unusual territory for economists, but enhancing women''s contribution to development is actually as much an economic as a social issue. And economics, with its emphasis on incentives (激励), provides guideposts that point to an explanation for why so many girls are deprived of an education.
Parents in low-income countries fail to invest in their daughters because they do not expect them to make an economic contribution to the family: girls grow up only to marry into somebody else''s family and bear children. Girls are thus seen as less valuable than boys and art kept at home to do housework while their brothers are sent to school —— the prophecy （预言) becomes self-fulfilling, trapping women in a vicious circle (恶性循环) of neglect.
An educated mother, on the other hand, has greater earning abilities outside the home and faces an entirely different set of choices. She is likely to have fewer but healthier children and can insist on the development of all her children, ensuring that her daughters are given a fair chance. The education of her daughters then makes it much more likely that the next generation of girls, as well as of boys, will be educated and healthy. The vicious circle is thus transformed into a virtuous circle.
Few will dispute that educating women has great social benefits. But it has enormous economic advantages as well. Most obviously, there is the direct effect of education on the wages of female workers. Wages rise by 10 to 20 per cent for each additional year of schooling. Such big returns are impressive by the standard of other available investments, but they are just the beginning. Educating women also has a significant impact on health practices, including family planning.
单选题
The author argues that educating girls in developing countries is________.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】根据第二段提到低收入国家中父母之所以不送女孩上学是因为他们认为“女孩长大就是为了嫁人生孩子”，作者在第三段第一句就否定了这种错误观念。on the other'' hand译为“然而”，暗示与前面的观点相反，这恰与该题题干中的argue相对应。与less valuable than boys相反，作者认为An educated mother…has greater earning abilities outside the home，由此可知。作者认为让女孩受教育是“值得的”，故[B]项正确。[A]troublesome(“麻烦的，棘手的”)；[C] laborsaving(“节省劳力的”)；[D]expensive(“昂贵的”)。
单选题
By saying "…the prophecy becomes self-fulfilling…" (Lines 45. Para. 2). the author means that________.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】根据第二段可知，题干中的prophecy实际是指低收入国家里父母对女孩的价值认定，即文中的Girls are…as less valuable than boys。self-fulfill意为“自我实现”，可见作者的意思是“结果女孩真的就像被认定的那样变得不如男孩有用了”。turn out to be“结果…”。[C]中beyond reach为“够不到的，难以实现的”；[D]中be discontented with…为“对…不满意”；[B]中be capable of doing sth．“有能力做某事”。
单选题
The author believes that a vicious circle can turn into a virtuous circle when________.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】因为几代人的情况综合在一起才能形成vicious circle“恶性循环”或virtuous circle“良性循环”的局面，所以解答本题要从generation一词着眼。The education of her daughters then makes it…．likely that the next generation of girls…will be educated表明，如果女孩拥有了平等的受教育机会，那么将来她女儿受教育的几率就很大，这样一代一代便形成了良性循环。选项中的gain equal access to对应文中的are given a fair chance，故[B]正确。[A]中education指代不明确，应为girls''education；文中没提到父母对女孩的学费支付能力，故排除[D]。[C]项只提到了健康问题，而没有提到教育问题与文章的主题。
单选题
What does the author say about women''s education?
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[B]项中的will对应文章第一句中的quite possibly；greater returns对应文中的a higher rate of return；other known investments对应文中的any other investment available，故[C]为答案。[D]与第一段第二句的前半句矛盾；[B]在文中未提及，其中be given top priority为“被予以高度的优先权”。[A]为依据第一段第二句中as much an economics as a social issue设计的干扰项。
单选题
The passage mainly discusses________.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】第一段论点部分中，作者提到enhancing women''s contribution to development is actually as much an economies as a social issue；最后一段结论部分中，作者又强调…educating women has great social benefits．But it has enormous economic advantages as well。由此可知，本文主要讨论的是妇女受教育的经济效益和社会效益，故[D]正确。[A]未体现文章的中心内容“教育”。文中只提到了enhancing women''s contribution to development的意义，而没有提到受教育妇女对社会的具体贡献，故排除[C]。[B]只是论据部分的内容。