英语四级 2015年6月·第1套 Part III Section C (2) 阅读理解（四选一）试卷排版
英语四级2015年6月·第1套 Part III Section C (2) 阅读理解（四选一）：共 5 题、占整卷 20%（710 分制折算约 142 分）、卷面选文共 343 个英文单词。本页按真题原卷版式还原该模块卷面（不含解析）；逐题解析在「题目解析」页，全文逐句精读在「原文精读」页；本模块真题可免费下载 PDF/Word，入口见上方本题行。
试卷原卷
真题卷第1套(2015-06) • 四级
Part III Section C (2)
Directions: There are 2 passages in this section.Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements.For each of them there are four choices marked A),B),C)and D).You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
Passage Two
Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.
The endless debate about "work-life balance" often contains a hopeful footnote about stay-at-home dads. If American society and business won't make it easier on future female leaders who choose to have children, there is still the ray of hope that increasing numbers of full-time fathers will. But based on today's socioeconomic trends, this hope is, unfortunately, misguided.
It's true that the number of men who have left work to do their thing as full-time parents has doubled in a decade, but it's still very small: only 0.8% of married couples where the stay-at-home father was out of the labor force for a year. Even that percentage is likely inflated by men thrust into their caretaker role by a downsizing. This is simply not a large enough group to reduce the social stigma(污名) and force other adjustments necessary to supporting men in this decision, even if only for a relatively short time.
Even shorter times away from work for working fathers are already difficult. A study found that 85% of new fathers take some time off after the birth of a child—but for all but a few, it's a week or two at most. Meanwhile, the average for women who take leave is more than 10 weeks.
Such choices impact who moves up in the organization. While you're away, someone else is doing your work, making your sales, taking care of your customers. That can't help you at work. It can only hurt you. Women, of course, face the same issues of returning after a long absence. But with many more women than men choosing to leave the workforce entirely to raise families, returning from an extended parental leave doesn't raise as many eyebrows as it does for men.
Women would make more if they didn't break their earning trajectory(轨迹) by leaving the workforce, or if higher-paying professions were more family-friendly. In the foreseeable future, stay-at-home fathers may make all the difference for individual families, but their presence won't reduce the numbers of high-potential women who are forced to choose between family and career.
51.
What gives women a ray of hope to achieve work-life balance?
A)More men taking an extended parental leave.
B)People's changing attitudes towards family.
C)More women entering business management.
D)The improvement of their socioeconomic status.
52.
Why does the author say the hope for more full-time fathers is misguided?
A)Women are better at taking care of children.
B)Many men value work more than their family.
C)Their number is too small to make a difference.
D)Not many men have the chance to stay at home.
53.
Why do few men take a long parental leave?
A)A long leave will have a negative impact on their career.
B)They just have too many responsibilities to fulfill at work.
C)The economic loss will be too much for their family to bear.
D)They are likely to get fired if absent from work for too long.
54.
What is the most likely reaction to men returning from an extended parental leave?
A)Jealousy.
B)Surprise.
C)Admiration.
D)Sympathy.
55.
What does the author say about high-potential women in the not-too-distant future?
A)They will benefit from the trend of more fathers staying at home.
B)They will find high-paying professions a bit more family-friendly.
C)They are unlikely to break their career trajectory to raise a family.
D)They will still face the difficult choice between career and children.