单选题
Few people doubt the fundamental importance of mothers in
child-rearing, but what do fathers do? Much of what they contribute is simply
the result of being a second adult in the home. Bringing up children is
demanding, stressful and exhausting. Two adults can support and make up for each
other's deficiencies and build on each other's strengths.
Fathers also bring an array of unique qualities. Some are familiar: protector
and role model. Teenage boys without fathers are notoriously prone to trouble.
The pathway to adulthood for daughters is somewhat easier, but they must still
learn from their fathers, in ways they cannot from their mothers, how to relate
to men. They learn from their fathers about heterosexual trust, intimacy and
difference. They learn to appreciate their own femininity from the one male who
is most special in their lives. Most important, through loving and being loved
by their fathers, they learn that they are love-worthy. Current
research gives much deeper—and more surprising—insight into the father's role in
child-rearing. One significantly overlooked dimension of fathering is play. From
their children's birth through adolescence, fathers tend to emphasize play more
than caretaking. The father's style of play is likely to be both physically
stimulating and exciting. With older children it involves more teamwork,
requiring competitive testing of physical and mental skills. It frequently
resembles a teaching relationship: come on, let me show you how. Mothers play
more at the child's level. They seem willing to let the child direct
play. Kids, at least in the early years, seem to prefer to play
with daddy. In one study of 2.5-year-olds who were given a choice, more than
two-thirds chose to play with their father. The way fathers
play has effects on everything from the management of emotions to intelligence
and academic achievement. It is particularly important in promoting
self-control. According to one expert, "children who roughhouse with their
fathers quickly learn that biting, kicking and other forms of physical violence
are not acceptable." They learn when to "shut it down." At play
and in other realms, fathers tend to stress competition, challenge, initiative,
risk-taking and independence. Mothers, as caretakers, stress emotional security
and personal safety. On the playground fathers often try to get the child to
swing even higher, while mothers are cautious, worrying about an
accident. We know, too, that fathers' involvement seems to be
linked to improved verbal and problem-solving skills and higher academic
achievement. Several studies found that along with paternal strictness, the
amount of time fathers spent reading with them was a strong predictor of their
daughters' verbal ability. For sons the results have been
equally striking. Studies uncovered a strong relationship between fathers'
involvement and the mathematical abilities of their sons. Other studies found a
relationship between paternal nurturing and boys' verbal intelligence.
单选题
The first paragraph points out that one of the advantages of a family
with both parents is ______.
A. husband and wife can share housework
B. two adults are always better than one
C. the fundamental importance of mothers can be fully recognized
D. husband and wife can compensate for each other's shortcomings
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】细节题。根据第一段最后一句，两个成年人可以相互支持，相互取长补短(make up for each other's deficiencies and build on each other's strengths)。这也是双亲家庭的一个优势。所以D是本题正确答案。
单选题
According to Paragraph 3, one significant difference between the
father's and mother's role in child-rearing is ______.