Women work harder than men at university and get better degrees as a result, according to a study at Brunel University.

?? The research, which followed 200 students for four years, found that women consistently outperformed men in their studies even though they had started their courses with almost identical A-level grades.

?? An analysis of the results showed that while 65 percent of female graduates were awarded, only 35 percent of male graduates did as well. Girls are known to outperform boys at school, but this research showed that trend continued at university.

?? Fiona Smith, who led the research, said, “The research shows that the difference has something to do with schools in general.”

?? “It also shows something about the inequality for working women in terms of pay and promotion. Women work harder at school, harder at university, and do better at both, but they still receive less pay.”

?? The research found that female students were more faithful, less likely to miss lectures, and more likely to believe that their marks reflected their abilities than male students. Female students were also more likely to ask for and receive support from their professors.

?? Women were also more likely to choose their universities because they liked the courses offered.

?? In contrast, men were more likely than women to miss lectures due to “other affairs” and “laziness”, and to believe that playing sports was an important part of university life.

?? Generally, people think that women’s success comes from more emphasis on coursework, but the research showed that female geographers at Brunel did better in their exams than in their coursework.

?? Dr Smith said, “Most women feel that getting good grades is the most important part of university life. They believe that they need to work harder in order to compete in the male-dominated (男性主导的) environment they will encounter at work. Good grades are viewed as an ‘insurance policy’ for success. Men, on the other hand, prefer going out and playing sports to academic work.”

?? “This research shows how important it is to get all young people working hard and teach them the value of higher education,” he said.

1.The research at Brunel University showed that women ________.

A. did worse than men both at school and at university

B. got better grades than men

C. paid little attention to their courses

D. often missed classes

2.Which of the following about men is TRUE according to the passage?

A. They work as hard as women.

B. They spend as much time on courses as women.

C. They play a lot more than women.

D. They consider good grades to be an “insurance policy” for success.

3.We can infer from the results of the research that ________.

A. women do better both at school and at university

B. female students are more likely to ask for and receive support from their professors

C. compared with men, women are in an unfavorable condition in the male-dominated world

D. it’s easier for women to get rises in pay and promotion

4.The main purpose of the research is to _________.

A. give the government some advice on higher education

B. show us some information about higher education

C. show the sex difference in higher education

D. make all students work hard and realize the importance of higher education

　　At the recent 77th Academy Awards，a movie about black music legend Ray Charles was nominated （提名） for six awards．

　　When emotional Jamie Fox received his Best Actor Oscar for playing Ray Charles at the ceremony（颁奖仪式）， he sang in respect to Charles and was greeted by a standing ovation（鼓掌）．Charles ，who was blind， has certainly left a beautiful musical legacy（遗产） ，just like many other famous African American musicians．

　　The contributions of African Americans to US musical history began with the arrival of the first Africans on its mainland in 1619．African slaves were often treated no better than animals．Taken from their homes and robbed of their freedom， they managed to maintain （keep） memories of the rich music and dance traditions of their ancestors．

　　Music played a very important role in the West African way of life．Music was played during every activity．There were special kinds of music for festivals．The slaves developed their own versions（版本） of these practices．

　　American music developed under a strong African influence （影响）．Black spirituals （圣歌）are one of the best-known and earliest forms of American music．These religious songs eventually（ finally） gave birth to the blues and jazz in the late 1800's．In the mid-1900's musicians combined spirituals， blues，and jazz styles to develop rock'n'roll．In the late 1900's， a new American musical form called rap appeared．

　　As people traveled and moved around， these forms of music were later brought to Europe and other parts of the world．Nowadays， almost all popular music contains elements（元素） of African American music．

1．The passage is mainly written to________．

A．prove that African American music is the best in the world

B．introduce a famous African American musician

C．explain how African music influenced American music

D．persuade people to love American music

2．Ray Charles was famous because________．

A．he used to be an African slave

B．he was a blind musician

C．he made great contributions to American music

D．he managed to create various kinds of music

3．Which of the following statements about African slaves is NOT true？

A．They were treated better than animals．

B．The first of them reached America in 1619．

C．Their lives were closely related to music．

D．Their ancestors left them a rich legacy of music and dance．

4．The last sentence of the passage infers that________．

A．African music has become the most important part of American music

B．African American music has now become popular all over the world

C．Africans in America are well-received worldwide

D．African American music may replace all other kinds of music