单选题 Men lie to women. At the heart of many men's lies, however, is the male ego. Men lie to build them- selves up or to conceal something. They are more likely to lie to enhance themselves than women are Men have a hard time admitting failure. How our culture defines success is important to a man, so he assumes it's important to his partner.
In a 1991 study, psychologist William Tooke and an assistant at the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh asked 110 students at the university to look at 88 deceptive tactics — such as inflating one's accomplishments and wearing designer's clothes to appear wealthy — and reveal how often they were used in their own relationships. Men were significantly more likely than women to use such deception. Ego- stroking statements that turn out to be total lies may be designed to cover up opposite feelings — for instance, when a man says he values his wife's work but actually doesn't consider it important. Such lies can signal serious problems ahead, whether it's dealing with child care, vacation plans or career moves.
The more quickly a woman seeks the truth behind these lies, the sooner she can remedy the relationship— or, if necessary, end it. As one puts it: "I'd rather have the ax fall than slip down the endless slope of un- certainty and frustration." A wife may not be sure that what her husband is saying means "the end". She should listen closely, not only to what he says, but also to how he says it. According to Depaul, changes in voice can be significant. She has found that people's voices often get higher or shakier when they lie, and they are more likely to stumble over words.
However, there are few things that trouble a man more than a woman's anger — or nagging, as he calls it — so he lies to avoid a scene. It is in "{{U}}hassle-prevention lying{{/U}}" that men can demonstrate their greatest versatility. A young man in New York City forgot his girlfriend's birthday. When she confronted him, he claimed he'd planned a surprise all along. He grabbed the phone, called a home shopping network and berated the representative for not sending the expensive gift he'd ordered. "If you can't do better than this, I'll tear up my membership card!" he shouted. Of course, the man didn't have a card and had never ordered a gift.
In this book The Varnished Truth, David Nyberg, professor of education at State University of New York at Buffalo, states, "Occasionally there is a lot to lose by telling the truth, and something to be gained by not telling the truth." Still, it is important to remember that lies axe at heart deceptions, and repeated deceptions destroy intimacy. Real intimacy is only possible to the degree that we can be honest about what we are doing and feeling. When lying comes to predominate in a marriage, the relationship begins to deteriorate. A husband and wife can sense the trust erode, and feel their hearts growing colder.
Men, for their part, need to develop the courage to drop the defense mechanisms that bolster their egos and pride, and search for true intimacy with their mates. Telling the truth to a spouse is the first step toward showing that love is more important than lies.
单选题 Men have a hard time admitting failure because ______.
  • A. they think their partners set much store by their success
  • B. according to tradition as a man they must succeed
  • C. success is important to both men and women
  • D. they are defined as success by our culture
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】第一段最后一句指出：How our culture...to his partner(我们的文化如何定义“成功”这一点对男人很重要，因此男人认为这对其伴侣也很重要)，因此本题选[A]。it 指success；[A]项中的 set store by意为“看重”。
单选题 Men are likely than women to use deceptive tactics in their relationships to ______.
  • A. present them in the best light
  • B. make an impression on women
  • C. conceal opposite feelings
  • D. all of the above
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】细节题。[A]、[B]对应于第二段第一句两个破折号中间的部分，[C]对应于该段第三句，它们都是男人撒谎的原因，因此选[D]。
单选题 All of the following are the ways women judge whether a man is telling a lie EXCEPT ______.
  • A. they listen to what he says attentively
  • B. they watch how he says it closely
  • C. he often uses a frightening voice to speak
  • D. he is more likely to hesitate what to say
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】细节题。文章第三段对女人如何辨别男人是否撒谎提出了一些建议。其中第四句(She should listen...．how he says is)提到了[A]、[B]，第六句(She has found that...stumble over words)指出了 [D]项。只有[C]在文中没有体现。
单选题 According to the passage, what is "hassle-prevention lying" (Line 2,Para 4)?
  • A. A person tells barefaced lie.
  • B. A person lies to avoid a face-to-face dispute.
  • C. The lies a person tells can prevent him from harm.
  • D. A person tells lies to allay his anger.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】词义推测题。由上下文来判断。文章第四段第一句指出，男人撒谎有时是为了避免某种局面 (to avoid a scene)，然后作者说正是在这种"hassle-prevention lying"中男人体现了极大的能耐。接下来作者又举了一个例子：一个男人通过撒谎避免了与女友的一场争吵。由此可以推断出，hassle-prevention lying就是指为避免(面对面的)争吵的撒谎，选[B]。
单选题 If men do not drop their defense mechanisms and tell the truth ______.
  • A. real intimacy in a marriage will be destroyed
  • B. lies will become more important than love in a relationship
  • C. husband and wife will divorce
  • D. women will issue a serious warning to them
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】分析推理题。文章第五段指出了撒谎对婚姻关系的不良影响：它会破坏夫妻间的亲密关系和相互信任，会使他们变得相互冷淡，这即是[A]的意思。[B]、[D]明显不对，文章并没有指出夫妻间的亲密关系破坏后会怎样，故[C]也不对。