Sex prejudices are based on and justified by the ideology (意识形态) that biology is destiny (命运). According to the ideology, basic biological and psychological differences exist between the sexes. These differences require each sex to play a separate role in social life. Women are the weaker sex—both physically and emotionally. Thus, they are naturally suited much more so than men, to the performance of domestic duties. A woman's place, under normal circumstances, is within the protective environment of the home. Nature has determined that women play care-taker roles, such as wife and mother and homemaker. On the other hand men are best suited to go out into the competitive world of work and politics, where serious responsibilities must be taken on. Men are to be the providers; women and children are "dependents". The idea also holds that women who wish to work outside the household should naturally fill these jobs that are in line with the special capabilities of their sex. It is thus appropriate for women, not men, to be employed as nurses, social workers, elementary school teachers, household helpers, and clerks and secretaries. These positions are simply an extension of women's domestic role. Informal distinctions between "women's work" and "men's work" in the labor force, according to the ideology, are simply a functional reflection of the basic differences between the sexes. Finally, the ideology suggests that nature has worked her will in another significant way. For the human species to survive over time, its members must regularly reproduce. Thus, women must, whether at home or in the labor force, make the most of their physical appearance. So goes the ideology. It is, of course, not true that basic biological and psychological differences between the sexes require each to play sex-defined roles in social life. There is much evidence that sex roles vary from society to society, and those role differences that do exist are largely learned. But to the degree people actually believe that biology is destiny and that nature intended for men and women to make different contributions to society, sex-defined roles will be seen as totally acceptable.
单选题 "Biology is destiny" in the first sentence means that_____.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】解析:词义推断题。根据第1句可知,这个说法应与本句开头的sex prejudices相关,另外,第2、3句是对"biology is destiny"这种意识形态的解释,对比四个选项,只有选项A是与“性别偏见”有关的,因此是正确答案。
单选题 Jobs such as nursing and teaching are considered suitable for women because _____.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】解析:事实细节题。根据第2段第3句,可知选项C是本句说法的近义替换。本题最具干扰性的是选项A,该选项出现在第1段,用于解释为何女性更适合承担家庭内的责任,因此,它并不是针对本题的直接原因,故不能选。
单选题 The author most probably believes role differences exist because _____.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】解析:推理判断题。根据第3段结尾句可以推断出答案。选项A并非是作者的观点,选项B颠倒了因果关系,选项C虽然是事实但并非此问题的原因。
单选题 Which of the following can sum up the main idea of the whole passage?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】解析:主旨大意题。通读全文可知,本文讨论了男女两种性别的不同社会角色。本题最具干扰性的是选项A,事实上,作者并没有对“biology is destiny(生理决定命运)”这一观点提出质疑,只是客观地陈述这一观点,故选项A不对。选项B不够准确,意义太模糊,选项C只是本文讨论的一部分。
单选题 The author looks at sex-defined roles with _____.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】解析:观点态度题。文章第3段倒数第2句是一个以It引导的主语从句,虽然这句话表明sex-defined roles这种观点不正确,但最后一段却表明作者在某种程度上接受这种说法,对照这两方面的态度,可见作者对sex-defined roles既不完全赞成,也不完全反对,由此可推断B为正确选项。