In 19th-century America, men of marriageable age outnumbered women. This is in part because the immigrant stream was heavily male and because many young women died in childbirth. Changes in immigration and mortality now mean that the reverse is true. In 1890 there were 107 males for every 100 females in the 20-to 44-year-old group, but in 2002 the ratio had dropped to 98 per 100.
The present imbalance has led to exaggerated reports of female marriage prospects. For example, a widely publicized report in 1986 claimed that a white college-educated woman still single at 35 had a 5 percent chance of marrying; at 40, her chances declined to 1 percent. The conclusion seemed credible because it fed the stereotype that women who have a college degree have trouble finding a husband—a notion apparently originating in the late 19th century when marriage by female college graduates was low. A far more reliable forecast, based on more sophisticated analyses, comes from two Princeton University demographers, Joshua R. Goldstein and Catherine T. Kenney, who estimate that 97 percent of white female college graduates born between 1960 and 1964 will eventually marry.
Census data bolster their finding. Most women do not face a permanent single life but rather a delay in marriage. Evidence shows that for all women aged 25 to 29 in 2002, 61 per cent had ever married, compared with an average of 76 percent from 1890 to 1940. Among women who were 35 to 44 years old in 2002, however, 87 percent had married, only slightly less than the 89 percent recorded for the 1890 to 1940 period. Since the mid-1800s, more than 90 percent of women have eventually found husbands, and there is no reason to believe that the current generation of women will deviate much from this norm.
Besides the shortage of men, other factors have led to the postponement of marriage, including the increasing pursuit of higher education by women, and the resurgence of feminism in the 1960s. According to one theory, the steep rise beginning in about 1970 in the number of women in professional schools resulted from the greater availability of birth control methods. Another deterrent to marriage is lack of information: when in school, women could easily meet and, with the help of friends, evaluate men, but such opportunities tend to diminish as women delay marriage.
Marriage rate is lowest among black women without a college degree: only 60 percent born between 1960 and 1964 will ever marry, according to Goldstein and Kenney’s projection. Large numbers of black women have children out of wedlock, a circumstance that bears some relation to the scarcity of black men. Other elements have depleted the ranks of eligible men, including higher than average mortality rates, very high imprisonment rates and unavailability of good-paying jobs. Several studies suggest that welfare does not play a major role in lowering the black female marriage rate.
1. One reason for the unbalanced gender ratio in the US in the 1800s was that ________.
2. According to the author, which of the following is more credible?
3. The word bolster in Paragraph 3 means ________.
4. Which of the following is a cause for women’s delay of marriage?
5. Which of the following statements is true about black women?
问题1选项
A.more baby girls than boys died when they were born
B.there were more male than female immigrants
C.mortality of male immigrants had gradually decreased
D.the number of deaths of women in childbirth went down
问题2选项
A.The notion originating in the late 19th century.
B.The widely publicized report in 1986.
C.The stereotype about women with a college degree.
D.The projection made by Goldstein and Kenney.
问题3选项
A.test
B.approve
C.illustrate
D.support
问题4选项
A.Shortage of men with college education.
B.Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1960s.
C.Reluctance to have children early.
D.Unbalanced sex ratio in professional schools.
问题5选项
A.Many black women are unmarried mothers.
B.They have higher than average death rate in childbirth.
C.Without college education they cannot find well-paid jobs.
D.Their low marriage rate is chiefly a result of poor welfare.
第1题:B
第2题:D
第3题:D
第4题:B
第5题:A
第1题:
【选项释义】
One reason for the unbalanced gender ratio in the US in the 1800s was that ________. 19世纪美国性别比例不平衡的一个原因是：________。
A. more baby girls than boys died when they were born A. 女婴出生时死的比男婴多
B. there were more male than female immigrants B. 男性移民多于女性移民
C. mortality of male immigrants had gradually decreased C. 男性移民的死亡率逐渐下降
D. the number of deaths of women in childbirth went down D. 女性在分娩时死亡的人数减少了
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词1800s可以定位到文章第一段第一、二句“在19世纪的美国，适婚年龄的男性数量超过女性（men of marriageable age outnumbered women）。这在一定程度上是因为移民潮中男性居多（because the immigrant stream was heavily male），而且许多年轻女性死于分娩”，说明19世纪美国性别比例不平衡的原因之一是移民潮中男性居多。因此B选项“男性移民多于女性移民”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“女婴出生时死的比男婴多”和C选项“男性移民的死亡率逐渐下降”在文中没有提及，属于无中生有；
D选项“女性在分娩时死亡的人数减少了”，由and because many young women died in childbirth（而且因为许多年轻女性死于分娩）可知，女性在分娩时死亡的人数没有减少，属于反向干扰。
第2题:
【选项释义】
According to the author, which of the following is more credible? 根据作者的说法，以下哪项更可信？
A. The notion originating in the late 19th century. A. 源于19世纪末的观念。
B. The widely publicized report in 1986. B. 1986年被广泛宣传的报告。
C. The stereotype about women with a college degree. C. 关于拥有大学学位的女性的刻板印象。
D. The projection made by Goldstein and Kenney. D. 戈德斯坦和肯尼所作的预测。
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据选项关键词credible可以定位到文章第二段最后一句“普林斯顿大学的两名人口统计学家约书亚•R.戈德斯坦和凯瑟琳•T.肯尼根据更复杂的分析得出了一个可靠得多的预测（A far more reliable forecast），他们估计，在1960年至1964年出生的白人女性大学毕业生中，有97%最终会结婚”，说明作者认为人口统计学家约书亚•R.戈德斯坦和凯瑟琳•T.肯尼得出的预测是可信的。因此D选项“戈德斯坦和肯尼所作的预测。”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“源于19世纪末的观念。”和C选项“关于拥有大学学位的女性的刻板印象。”，由The conclusion seemed credible because it fed the stereotype that women who have a college degree have trouble finding a husband—a notion apparently originating in the late 19th century when marriage by female college graduates was low.（这一结论似乎是可信的，因为它符合了一种刻板印象，即拥有大学学位的女性很难找到丈夫——这种观念显然起源于19世纪晚期，当时女性大学毕业生的结婚率很低。）可知，作者认为源于19世纪的对于拥有大学学位的女性的观念是一种刻板印象，实际上并不可信，属于反向干扰；
B选项“1986年被广泛宣传的报告。”，由The present imbalance has led to exaggerated reports of female marriage prospects. For example, a widely publicized report in 1986 claimed that a white college-educated woman still single at 35 had a 5 percent chance of marrying; at 40, her chances declined to 1 percent.（目前这种不平衡导致了对女性婚姻前景的夸大报告。例如，1986年一份广为宣传的报告称，受过大学教育的白人女性在35岁时仍然单身，结婚的几率为5%；到了40岁，她的几率降到了1%。）可知，作者认为这是一种夸大的报告，并不可信，属于反向干扰。
第3题:
【选项释义】
The word bolster in Paragraph 3 means ________. 第3段中bolster一词的意思是________。
A. test A. 检验
B. approve B. 批准
C. illustrate C. 说明
D. support D. 支持
【答案】D
【考查点】词汇推断题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词bolster可以定位到文章第三段第一句“人口普查数据bolster了他们的发现”，下文说到“有证据显示，2002年25岁至29岁的女性中，61%的人结过婚，而1890年至1940年的平均结婚率为76%。然而，在2002年35岁至44岁的女性中，87%的人已经结婚，仅略低于1890年至1940年期间记录的89%”，说明人口普查的数据支持他们“大多数女性面临的不是永久的单身生活，而是推迟结婚”的结论。因此D选项“支持”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“检验”，B选项“批准”和C选项“说明”在文中均无法体现，属于无中生有。
第4题:
【选项释义】
Which of the following is a cause for women’s delay of marriage? 以下哪项是女性推迟结婚的原因？
A. Shortage of men with college education. A. 缺少有大学教育的男性。
B. Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1960s. B. 20世纪60年代的女性解放运动。
C. Reluctance to have children early. C. 不愿早生孩子。
D. Unbalanced sex ratio in professional schools. D. 专业学校的性别比例不平衡。
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词cause for women’s delay of marriage可以定位到文章第四段第一句“除了男性短缺，还有其他因素导致了晚婚，包括女性越来越多地追求高等教育，以及20世纪60年代女权主义的复兴（the resurgence of feminism in the 1960s）”，说明20世纪60年代的女权主义运动是女性推迟结婚的原因之一。因此B选项“20世纪60年代的女性解放运动。”正确。
【干扰项排除】
A选项“缺少有大学教育的男性。”，由Besides the shortage of men（除了男性短缺）可知，缺少的是男性整体，而不只是有大学教育的男性，属于偷换概念；
C选项“不愿早生孩子。”和D选项“专业学校的性别比例不平衡。”在文中均没有提及，属于无中生有。
第5题:
【选项释义】
Which of the following statements is true about black women? 以下关于黑人女性的说法哪个是正确的？
A. Many black women are unmarried mothers. A. 许多黑人女性是未婚母亲。
B. They have higher than average death rate in childbirth. B. 她们在分娩时的死亡率高于平均水平。
C. Without college education they cannot find well-paid jobs. C. 没有大学教育，她们无法找到高薪的工作。
D. Their low marriage rate is chiefly a result of poor welfare. D. 她们的低结婚率主要是由于福利不好造成的。
【考查点】事实细节题。
【解题思路】根据题干关键词black women可以定位到文章最后一段第二句“大量的黑人女性未婚生子（Large numbers of black women have children out of wedlock），这种情况与黑人男性的稀缺有一定的关系”，说明许多黑人女性在没有结婚时就生了孩子。因此A选项“许多黑人女性是未婚母亲。”正确。
【干扰项排除】
B选项“她们在分娩时的死亡率高于平均水平。”和C选项“没有大学教育，她们无法找到高薪的工作。”，由Other elements have depleted the ranks of eligible men, including higher than average mortality rates, very high imprisonment rates and unavailability of good-paying jobs.（其他因素也减少了合格男性的数量，包括高于平均水平的死亡率、极高的监禁率和无法获得高薪工作。）可知，高死亡率和没有高薪工作是缺少适婚男性的原因，与黑人女性无关，属于曲解原文；
D选项“她们的低结婚率主要是由于福利不好造成的。”，由Several studies suggest that welfare does not play a major role in lowering the black female marriage rate.（几项研究表明，福利在降低黑人女性结婚率方面并没有发挥主要作用。）可知，福利不好对低结婚率没有影响，属于反向干扰。
