Question

They say the average person makes 35, 000 decisions a day. Yet in her new book, How Woman Decide, Therese Huston explores a widespread phenomenon that many women fail to notice. “There’s a huge double standard when it comes to how men and women are viewed as decision makers, ”explains Therese, a psychologist from Seattle University. Therese decided to write the book after looking at her bookshelf: At one end, there were bestselling books about how to be a brilliant decision maker--all written by men and featuring interviews with men like athletes. At the other end were books aimed at women on gaining leadership skills and confidence.

“Once those women are at the table, will their decisions be taken as seriously as men’s? ”Therese wondered. “Men are respected as decision makers more than women, especially in the workplace, largely because there’s this cultural belief that women are unable to make smart choices at work.”

So, Therese began to pick apart the stereotypes (固有印象) to see what scientific research had found. “Scientific research shows that men and women struggle with decision-making equally. The only disadvantage I found was that during the teenage years, teenage girls are more indecisive than teenage boys. Otherwise, there’s little difference between the genders.”

However, there are some differences. “Women are more cooperative, ” says Therese, “A female boss is more likely to ask the opinions of those around her when making a choice. Women ask for input, which helps make better decisions. However, this is often seen as a weakness rather than a strength.”

Therese also found that during times of stress, men and women make different choices, and the outcomes are often better when women are involved.

Study after study backs this view up. Neuroscientists Mara Mather and Nicole Lighthall from the University of Southern California studied the way men and women make decisions and found that in times of stress, they react very differently.

During their study, which involved playing a virtual gambling (赌博) game, they found that when the females became stressed, they made smart decisions-quitting while they were ahead or taking safe bets. But when the men became stressed, they did the opposite, risking everything for a slim chance of a big win.

1.Why did Therese Huston write her book How Women Decide?

A. Women are less respected as decision makers.

B. Women are not equally treated in workplaces.

C. Women are unable to make smart choices.

D. Women are poor at making big decisions.

2.What is women’s weakness in decision-making according to Therese Huston?

A. Men can make quicker decisions than women.

B. Women easily get stressed when making decisions.

C. Women are likely to ask for input when making decisions.

D. Teenage girls are 1ess able to make decisions than teenage boys.

3.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A. Women show less confidence in times of stress.

B. Men tend to make risky decisions in times of stress.

C. Men demonstrate great bravery in times of stress.

D. Women quit making decisions when ahead in games．

4.What’s Therese’s final conclusion according to the text?

A. Women are brilliant as decision makers.

B. Men are weaker in making smart decisions.

C. We should give up all cultural beliefs about gender.

D. Great difference exists between the two genders in decision-making.

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.B

4.D

【解析】本文主要介绍了Therese Huston写的新书《女性怎样决定》，在书中，作者认为在决策方面，两性存在着很大的不同。

1.细节理解题。由“Men are respected as decision makers more than women，especially in the workplace，largely because there’s this cultural belief that women are unable to make smart choices at work．” So，Therese set out to pick apart the stereotypes(固有印象)to see what scientific research had found．可知Therese Huston写这本书是因为作为决策者，女性受尊重比较少，选A。

2.细节理解题。由The only disadvantage I found was that during the teenage years-teenage girls are more indecisive than teenage boys．可知作者认为女性在决策中的弱点是青少年女孩比青少年男孩做决定时更犹豫不决，选D。

3.推理判断题。由But when the men became stressed，they did the opposite，risking everything for a slim chance of a big win．可知从最后一个自然段我们可以推断出在遇到压力的时候，男性更倾向于冒险，选B。

4.推理判断题。由Otherwise，there’s little difference between the genders(性别)和Therese also found that during times of stress，men and women make different choices，可推断出Therese最后得出的结论是在决策方面，两性存在着很大的不同，选D。