题目内容
4．Across Britain，burnt toast will be served to mothers in bed this morning as older sons and daughters rush to deliver their supermarket bunches of flowers．But，according to a new study，we should be placing a higher value on motherhood all year．Mothers have long known that their home workload was just as heavy as paid work．Now，the new study has shown that if they were paid for their parental labours，they would earn as much as£172，000a year．
The study looked at the range of jobs mothers do，as well as the hours they are working，to determine the figure．This would make their yearly income£30，000more than the Prime Minister earns．
By analyzing the numbers，it found the average mother works 119hours a week，40of which would usually be paid at a standard rate 79hours as overtime．After questioning 1，000mothers with children under 18，it found that，on most days，mums started their routine work at 7am and finished at around 11pm．
To calculate just how much mothers would earn from that labour，it suggested some of the roles that mums could take on，including housekeeper，part-time lawyer，personal trainer and entertainer．Being a part-time lawyer，at£48，98an hour，would prove to be the most profitable of the"mum jobs"，with psychologist（心理学家） a close second．
It also asked mothers about the challenges they face，with 80per cent making emotional（情感的） demand as the hardest thing about motherhood．
Over a third of mums felt they needed more training and around half said they missed going out with friends．
The study shows mothers matter all year long and not just on Mother's Day．The emotional，physical and mental energy mothers devote to their children can be never-ending，but children are also sources of great joy and happiness．Investing（投入） in time for parenting and raising relationships is money well spent．
41．How much would a mother earn a year if working as the Prime Minister？B
A．£30，000．B．£142，000．
C．£172，000．C．£202，000．
42．The biggest challenge for most mothers is fromA．
A．emotional demand
B．low pay for work
C．heavy workload
D．lack of training
43．What is stressed in the last paragraph？B
A．mothers'importance shows in family all year long．
B．The sacrifices mothers make are huge but worthwhile．
C．Mothers'devotion to children can hardly be calculated．
D．Investing time in parenting would bring a financial return．
44．What can we conclude from the study？C
A．Mothers'working hours should be largely reduced．
B．Mothers should balance their time for work and rest．
C．Mothers'labour is of a higher value than it is realized．
D．Mothers should be freed from housework for social life．
分析 这是一篇写在母亲节的文章，在母亲节这一天，每个人都会对母亲做出一些事，比如一束花等等，但是作者认为，母亲这一职业值得全年的关注，因为它包含太多．
解答 41---44 BABC
41．答案：B．推理判断题．第二段中一句"they would earn as much as＄172，000 a year．"和第三段中一句"This would make their yearly income＄3000morethan the Prime Minister earns．"可知首相的年薪是172，000-30，000=142，000．
42．答案：A．细节理解题．根据倒数第三段的"It also asked mothersabout the challenges they face，with 80percent makingemotional（情感的） demand as the hardest thing aboutmotherhood．"可知答案．80%的母亲认为她们面对的最大的挑战是情感方面的．
43．答案：B．细节理解题．最后一段中一句"The emotional，physical and mental energy mothers devote to their children can benever-ending，but children are also sources of great joyand happiness．"可知母亲的付出可能是永无休止的，但也是很值的．
44．答案：C．推理判断题．根据文章第一段中"But，according to a new study，we should beplacing a higher value on motherhood all year．"可知，作者认为母亲的重要性应得到更多关注．
点评 这类说明文阅读中要求学生要特别注意一些数字等．除此之外，还需要抓住关键词、中心词，迅速在文中进行定位，解决细节题．最后，对文章的内容要了解，通常主题在第一段最后出现，所以学生要善于把握主题．
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12．
Japanese and American Comic Book Heroes
To some people，the idea of reading comic books seems childish．To others，comics are nothing more than （41）J of their happy childhoods．But for people who love comic books，they can be a（n） （42）G escape from the realities of modern life．Comics are able to （43）K readers to brightly-colored，imaginary worlds where superheroes fight with super-monsters，where good can succeed over bad，and where heroes can save thousands of innocent people from the"bad guys．"Comics are published globally，but Japanese and American versions （44）F the market despite the fact-or perhaps because-they differ in some ways．
One difference is the appearance of the heroes．Manga （[日语]漫画） heroes look smaller，younger，and more immature than their all-conquering American ones who have sport muscles and wear themed clothes．Also，manga heroes rarely look Japanese，and the stories are not typically set within a Japanese（45）D．Conversely，American comic heroes，despite their masks，are proudly American and are admired for their （46）C to defend U．S．cities．Importantly，in Japan a manga creator can himself or herself become a national hero，becoming almost as famous as the characters．
Probably the biggest difference is the （47）H．Up until the 1950s，American comic books were read by both children and adults，with popular titles such as Superman selling as many as half a million copies per month．The（48）A of TV，however，led to a long-term decline in sales so that now the average reader of an American comic book is a teenage boy with an interest in superheroes．In Japan，the （49）E couldn't be greater．There manga sales are still （50）B，reaching as high as 7billion each year largely because readers range from young boys and girls up to middle-aged men and women．A survey by the Mainichi newspaper estimates that 42percent of women aged 20to 49read comics．Manga for men and boys，like the American comics，tend to be action-oriented，while manga for women and girls tend to be focused on relationships．
| A．arrival B．booming C．contest D．context E．contrast F．dominate G．fantastic H．readership I．readiness J．reminders K．transport |
To some people，the idea of reading comic books seems childish．To others，comics are nothing more than （41）J of their happy childhoods．But for people who love comic books，they can be a（n） （42）G escape from the realities of modern life．Comics are able to （43）K readers to brightly-colored，imaginary worlds where superheroes fight with super-monsters，where good can succeed over bad，and where heroes can save thousands of innocent people from the"bad guys．"Comics are published globally，but Japanese and American versions （44）F the market despite the fact-or perhaps because-they differ in some ways．
One difference is the appearance of the heroes．Manga （[日语]漫画） heroes look smaller，younger，and more immature than their all-conquering American ones who have sport muscles and wear themed clothes．Also，manga heroes rarely look Japanese，and the stories are not typically set within a Japanese（45）D．Conversely，American comic heroes，despite their masks，are proudly American and are admired for their （46）C to defend U．S．cities．Importantly，in Japan a manga creator can himself or herself become a national hero，becoming almost as famous as the characters．
Probably the biggest difference is the （47）H．Up until the 1950s，American comic books were read by both children and adults，with popular titles such as Superman selling as many as half a million copies per month．The（48）A of TV，however，led to a long-term decline in sales so that now the average reader of an American comic book is a teenage boy with an interest in superheroes．In Japan，the （49）E couldn't be greater．There manga sales are still （50）B，reaching as high as 7billion each year largely because readers range from young boys and girls up to middle-aged men and women．A survey by the Mainichi newspaper estimates that 42percent of women aged 20to 49read comics．Manga for men and boys，like the American comics，tend to be action-oriented，while manga for women and girls tend to be focused on relationships．