题目内容
Did you know that women’s brains are smaller than men’s? The average women’s brain weighs 10% less than men’s. Since research has shown that the bigger the brain, the cleverer the animal, men must be more intelligent than women. Right? Wrong. Men and women always score similarly on intelligence tests, despite the difference in brain size. Why? After years of study, researchers have concluded that it’s what’s inside that matters, not just the size of the brain. The brain consists of “grey matter” and “white matter”. While men have more of the latter, the amount of “thinking” brain is almost exactly the same in both sexes.
It has been suggested that smaller brain appears to work faster, perhaps because the two sides of the brain are better connected in women. This means that little girls tend to learn to speak earlier, and that women can understand sorts of information from different sources at the same time. When it comes to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it’s women who come out on top every time.
There are other important differences between two sexes. As white matter is the key to spatial（空间的） tasks, men know better where things are in relation to other things. “A great footballer always knows where he is in relation to the other players, and he knows where to go,” says one researcher. That may explain one of life’s great mysteries: why men refuse to ask for direction and women often need to!
The differences begin when fetuses（胎儿） are about nine weeks old, which can be seen in the action of children as young as one. A boy would try to climb a barrier before him or push it down while a girl would attract help from others. These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills. It may all go back to our ancestors, among whom women needed speech skills to take care of their babies and men needed spatial skills to hunt, according to one research.
If all this disappoints you, it shouldn’t. “The brain changes throughout our lives according to what we do with it.” says a biologist.
1.The passage mainly tells us ________.
A. the difference between men’s and women’s brains
B. the changes in brain throughout our lives
C. that men are better at spatial tasks
D. that brain differences are related to our ancestors
2.Which of the following is true according to the first paragraph?
A. Women’s grey matter is 10% less than men’s.
B. Grey matter plays the same role as white matter.
C. Grey matter controls thinking in the brain.
D. Both sexes have the same amount of white matter.
3.Which of the following do you agree with according to the fourth paragraph?
A. Young boys may be stronger than young girls.
B. More women take up jobs requiring speech skills.
C. Women may have stronger feelings than men.
D. Our ancestors needed more spatial skills.
4.What is the writer’s attitude in writing this passage?
A. Defensive. B. Persuasive.
C. Supportive. D. Objective.
1.A
2.C
3.B
4.D
【解析】
试题分析：女性的大脑比男性的大脑小一些，在重量方面，女性大脑比男性的轻10%。大脑越大，人就越聪明吗？答案是否定的。男性和女性的智力测验分数是非常接近的，这是因为，决定人的聪明程度的是大脑内的物质，而不是脑的大小。女性的大脑中含有更多的控制思维的灰质，她们更擅长语言方面的工作。
1.Men and women always score similarly on intelligence test...it’s what’s inside that matters, not just the size of the brain”可知，文章主要讲的是男性和女性大脑的差异，故选A。
2.The brain consists of “grey matter” and “white matter”. While men have more of the latter, the amount of “thinking” brain is almost exactly the same in both sexes.”可知，the latter指代的是大脑中的白质， the amount of “thinking” brain指的是灰质，由此可见，灰质控制着思维，故选C。
3.These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills.”可知，男性更多地从事的是需要空间操作技能的工作，而女性则从事需要语言技能的工作，故选B。
4.The brain changes throughout our lives according to what we do with it.”可知，人们的大脑不是一成不变的，随着后天的训练和使用，大脑一直处于一种变化的状态，说明作者的叙述是客观的，故选D。
考点：科学类短文阅读
