雅思阅读真题（Part 3）
英国儿童照料与性别差异之争
本篇也叫：谁在英国照顾孩子、英国儿童看护、男女大脑差异、系统化大脑与共情大脑、Baron-Cohen 性别差异、英国育儿分工
Part 3 · 考频：中频 · 最近考试：2025.8.23
本篇为雅思阅读真题（Part 3）《Who looks after the children in today's Britain》，共 14 题，2025.8.23雅思考试真题回忆，页面提供完整原文、题目、答案与解析，并支持在线机考模式免费练习。本页同时提供 Markdown 版本 供 AI 助手与搜索引擎直接读取。
文章讨论当今英国儿童照料责任归属，围绕Simon Baron-Cohen提出的女性大脑偏共情、男性大脑偏系统化的观点展开，引用Elizabeth Spelke等学者的质疑，并分析社会期待与传统性别分工如何影响女性在育儿与工作间的平衡。
A
When Simon Baron-Cohen recently published a book, The Essential Difference, in which he claimed that the female brain is predominantly hard-wired for empathy the male brain is predominantly hard-wired for understanding and building systems, he caught the mood of the moment His team's experiments on day-old babies, and the finding that the male babies looked for longer at a hanging toy and the female babies longer at a face has been repeatedly cited in the press since his book's publication. However, Elizabeth Spelke is one expert who is sceptical about whether this experiment deserves such attention. This is one isolated experiment, she says. 'Its findings fly in the face of dozens of studies on similar aspects of cognition carried out on young babies over decades. It is astonishing how much this one study has been cited, When the many studies that show no difference between the sexes, or a difference in the other direction, are ignored.
B
One of Baron-Cohen's other main studies was conducted by collecting and examining responses to questionnaires completed by adults on their own behaviour: the sort of quiz well known to readers of magazines. The answers recorded in such cases will reflect differences formed by cultural assumptions and socialisation: it is hard to see what they tell us about innate differences/Nevertheless, they have become a fashionable reference point, and recently Princess Anne, patron of Women into Science and Engineering, gave a speech in which she quoted Baron-Cohens research as proof that six out of ten men have a systemising brain. This kind of science has passed into everyday culture, often outrunning the intentions of those who did the original work
C
Social expectations play heavily with young men and women, and expectations are in some ways more conventional in Britain today than they were ten or 20 years ago. It is particularly when they have children that women) find out how society reinforces traditional expectations of their behaviour. They discover that many pressures including the work schedule of their male partner and the expectations of his employer that it should be maintained - make it hard to combine work and home without giving their paid work a lower priority than their male colleagues do. In such a context, the "claims about males' greater power to systemise and compere only serve to put further pressure on women.
D
The pressures are equally powerful on men to continue in a traditional lifestyle. Some educationalists argue that among young men the concern that they might appear 'feminine' is higher than ever and may even hold back educational achievement, since studying is often seen as girlish. In later life, the drive to competitiveness in the workplace is mythologised as being tied to high levels of masculinity Men are also told that high achievers attract more women, even though evidence shows that as women slowly become more equal at work, they begin to care less about the economic status of potential partners.
E
Men are often held back from making the choice to move deeper into domestic life, and in particular childcare, feeling that it lacks status. While the gains in a social revolution were clear for women - they could gain status art income by moving beyond the home - the gains in the parallel social revolution are harder for men see, since it will involve them in losing status and income. The idea that men are naturally less empathetic also produces feelings of fatalism about their role. Yet there is much evidence to show that even being empathetic and good at parenting is a learned behaviour.
F
It is true that, as the linguist Steven Pinker noted, in our culture women respond more readily to their children's cries, but there is nothing to say that this is down to anything other than practice and socialisation. In a culture where most men return to work straight after the birth of their children, it would be extraordinary if they did manage to remain as alert to their needs as women who remain at home. In one test carried out with teenagers, although girls said that they liked children more than boy they did, when left alone with a crying infant, their responses were no different.Women can testify to the fact that parenting is a tricky, complicated process, not always a natural, easy role.
G
However, while the definite trend of a decade ago is no longer evident,the movement towards equality has not completely stalled. A more equal sharing of childcare and even domestic labour is still desired by many men as well as women. Nearly three quarters of young British men say that if it were financially possible the would like to stay at home to look after their families. And three-quarters of young men tell pollsters that the amount of time fathers are allowed to take off work after a birth- paternity leave - is too short in Britain. The government is therefore proposing more equal policies on maternity/paternity leave, knowing that the pressure is still forwards rather than backwards. And remember that in Britain, young men in full-time work spend about an hour a day looking after their children. That may sound paltry, but not compared to the 15 minutes they spent 30 years ago if the time went on increasing fourfold every 30 years, equal partnership would become a reality for their grandchildren.
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答案：D
原文定位：Some educationalists argue that among young men the concern that they might appear 'feminine' is higher than ever and may even hold back educational achievement, since studying is often seen as girlish
同义替换：「poor academic performance」↔「hold back educational achievement」
答案：F
原文定位：It is true that, as the linguist Steven Pinker noted, in our culture women respond more readily to their children's cries, but there is nothing to say that this is down to anything other than practice and socialisation;In a culture where most men return to work straight after the birth of their children, it would be extraordinary if they did manage to remain as alert to their needs as women who remain at home;In one test carried out with teenagers, although girls said that they liked children more than boy they did, when left alone with a crying infant, their responses were no different;Women can testify to the fact that parenting is a tricky, complicated process, not always a natural, easy role
同义替换：「mothers」↔「women」，「demands」↔「needs」
答案：D
原文定位：Men are also told that high achievers attract more women, even though evidence shows that as women slowly become more equal at work, they begin to care less about the economic status of potential partners
同义替换：「change in women's interest」↔「care less about」，「men's earning power」↔「economic status of potential partners」
答案：A
原文定位：His team's experiments on day-old babies, and the finding that the male babies looked for longer at a hanging toy and the female babies longer at a face has been repeatedly cited in the press since his book's publication
同义替换：「a study on infant behaviour」↔「experiments on day-old babies」
答案：G
原文定位：That may sound paltry, but not compared to the 15 minutes they spent 30 years ago if the time went on increasing fourfold every 30 years, equal partnership would become a reality for their grandchildren
同义替换：「more involvement of men in childcare」↔「the time fathers spend looking after their children increasing fourfold」
答案：B
原文定位：One of Baron-Cohen's other main studies was conducted by collecting and examining responses to questionnaires completed by adults on their own behaviour: the sort of quiz well known to readers of magazines
同义替换：「popular self-assessment method」↔「questionnaires」
答案：F
原文定位：In one test carried out with teenagers, although girls said that they liked children more than boy they did, when left alone with a crying infant, their responses were no different
同义替换：「experiment on adolescents」↔「test carried out with teenagers」，「reactions to young babies」↔「responses were no different when with a crying infant」
答案：She is doubtful whether it merits the notice it has been given
原文定位：Elizabeth Spelke is one expert who is sceptical about whether this experiment deserves such attention
同义替换：「merits the notice it has been given」↔「deserves such attention」
答案：Few allowances are made for fathers to reduce their working hours
原文定位：They discover that many pressures including the work schedule of their male partner and the expectations of his employer that it should be maintained - make it hard to combine work and home without giving their paid work a lower priority than their male colleagues do
同义替换：「mothers put childcare above career」↔「giving their paid work a lower priority」，「Few allowances are made for fathers to reduce their working hours」↔「the work schedule of their male partner and the expectations of his employer that it should be maintained」
答案：They have to work at mastering the skills of motherhood
原文定位：Women can testify to the fact that parenting is a tricky, complicated process, not always a natural, easy role
同义替换：「have to work at mastering the skills」↔「tricky, complicated process, not always a natural, easy role」
答案：status
原文定位：While the gains in a social revolution were clear for women - they could gain status art income by moving beyond the home - the gains in the parallel social revolution are harder for men see, since it will involve them in losing status and income
同义替换：「a considerable drop in pay」↔「losing income」
答案：empathetic
原文定位：The idea that men are naturally less empathetic also produces feelings of fatalism about their role
同义替换：「conventional notion」↔「idea」，「sense of resignation」↔「feelings of fatalism」
答案：paternity leave
原文定位：And three-quarters of young men tell pollsters that the amount of time fathers are allowed to take off work after a birth- paternity leave - is too short in Britain
同义替换：「statutory time permitted」↔「the amount of time fathers are allowed to take off work」，「inadequate」↔「too short」
答案：government
原文定位：The government is therefore proposing more equal policies on maternity/paternity leave, knowing that the pressure is still forwards rather than backwards
同义替换：「review the existing provision」↔「proposing more equal leave policies」