单选题 Nationwide, only about three percent of early childhood teachers are male in the U. S. Experts say this can have an impact on young children whose understanding of gender roles and identity are rapidly forming. Research has found that having access to diverse teachers is beneficial for children. For the youngest learners, it means they are more likely to get exposed to different varieties of play and communication. It also helps them develop healthy ideas around gender. "In our world and our society, we have very specific stereotypes (模式化形象) of gender roles," said Mindi Reich-Shapiro, an assistant professor in the teacher education department of the Borough of Manhattan Community College, and one of the authors of a recent study. "It’s important for children to see other possibilities and other paths they can take. " Despite mostly feeling supported by colleagues and family members, many of the male educators surveyed in the study reported facing social or cultural resistance in their careers as early education teachers. Some also reported that there were parents surprised or concerned that their child had a male teacher. And they had been advised by colleagues or other staff not to hug children. Reich-Shapiro and fellow researchers made several recommendations to increase male representation in the field. Low pay has long been acknowledged as a major issue in the early childhood field. Over 70% of male educators who said they intended to stay in the early education workforce noted an increased salary was a major motivating factor for them to commit to the career long-term. The report suggests paying all early childhood educators the way elementary school teachers are paid. Cities and programs should establish support groups for male early childhood educators and provide mentoring and professional development advice for male educators and their program leaders. The authors also suggest that traditional recruitment approaches for early childhood educators "do not address the gender gap in the field." They recommend providing young men opportunities to work with children through training and volunteer programs, targeting groups of men who are considering a career change, such as fathers.
单选题 What do we learn from the first paragraph about early childhood education in the U.S. ?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】推理判断题。定位段提到，在整个美国范围内，只有大约3％的幼儿教师是男性。专家表示，这可能会对儿童产生影响，他们对性别角色和身份的理解正在迅速形成。研究发现，接触不同类型的老师对孩子是有益的。由此可知，男性幼儿教师的缺乏会对儿童产生不利的影响，因此确定答案为C)。A)、B)两项混淆了原文的概念。原文指的是如果儿童接触到不同类型的老师，他们可以接触到各种各样的游戏和交流，也有助于他们围绕性别形成健康的观念。而现实是缺少男性幼儿教师，因此排除A)和B)；D)将原文中提到的play和identity混淆在一起，误解了原文要表达的意思，故排除。
单选题 What does Mindi Reich-Shapiro emphasize in her comment on childhood education?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】细节辨认题。定位句提到，让孩子们看到其他的可能性和他们可以选择的其他道路是很重要的。也就是说，拓宽孩子的视野是十分重要的，因此确定答案为A)。B)、C)、D)三项都不是明迪·赖希一夏皮罗所做的评论，因此排除。
单选题 What do we learn about male teachers from their responses in the study?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】细节辨认题。定位句提到，尽管很大程度上感觉得到了同事和家人的支持，许多接受该研究调查的男性教育工作者表示，作为早教教师，他们在职业生涯中面临着社会或文化阻力。也就是说，男性幼儿教师经历着社会和文化的偏见，因此本题答案为D)。原文第三段最后一句说的是男性幼儿教师被建议不要拥抱孩子，而不是男老师他们自己觉得拥抱孩子很尴尬，因此排除A)；B)在原文未提及；原文第三段第二句提到，有些家长对自己孩子的老师是男性感到惊讶或担心，并未涉及家长的期望，因此排除C)。
单选题 What is needed for men to commit to early childhood education?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】细节辨认题。定位句提到，在打算留在早教工作者队伍中的男性教育工作者中，超过70％的人表示，加薪是激励他们长期从事这一职业的主要因素。由此可以确定an increased salary是关键词，因此本题答案为A)。B)“工作稳定”、C)“社会认可”和D)“更好的工作环境”三项在原文中并未提及，因此排除。
单选题 What do the authors of the study recommend to bridge the gender gap in early childhood education?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】推理判断题。第六段首句指出，传统的幼儿教育工作者招聘方法不能解决该领域的性别差距。第二句提供了解决方法，即通过培训和志愿者项目为年轻男性提供与孩子一起工作的机会，目标人群是那些考虑跳槽的男性群体，比如爸爸们。由此可知，该研究的作者建议吸引潜在的男老师来从事幼教工作，因此本题答案为B)。A)和D)在原文中并未提及，因此排除；第六段第二句说的是这些培训和志愿者项目的目标人群是考虑跳槽的男性群体，比如爸爸们，而不是说服未来的爸爸们考虑改变他们的职业，因此排除C)。