4．Across Britain，burnt toast will be served to mothers in bed this morning as older sons and daughters rush to deliver their supermarket bunches of flowers．But，according to a new study，we should be placing a higher value on motherhood all year．
Mothers have long known that their home workload was just as heavy as paid work．Now，the new study has shown that if they were paid for their parental labours，they would earn as much as£172，000a year．
The study looked at the range of jobs mothers do，as well as the hours they are working，to determine the figure．This would make their yearly income£30，000more than the Prime Minister earns．
By analyzing the numbers，it found the average mother works 119hours a week，40of which would usually be paid at a standard rate 79hours as overtime．After questioning 1，000mothers with children under 18，it found that，on most days，mums started their routine work at 7am and finished at around 11pm．
To calculate just how much mothers would earn from that labour，it suggested some of the roles that mums could take on，including housekeeper，part-time lawyer，personal trainer and entertainer．Being a part-time lawyer，at£48，98an hour，would prove to be the most profitable of the"mum jobs"，with psychologist（心理學(xué)家） a close second．
It also asked mothers about the challenges they face，with 80per cent making emotional（情感的） demand as the hardest thing about motherhood．
Over a third of mums felt they needed more training and around half said they missed going out with friends．
The study shows mothers matter all year long and not just on Mother's Day．The emotional，physical and mental energy mothers devote to their children can be never-ending，but children are also sources of great joy and happiness．Investing（投入） in time for parenting and raising relationships is money well spent．
41．How much would a mother earn a year if working as the Prime Minister？B
A．£30，000．B．£142，000．
C．£172，000．C．£202，000．
42．The biggest challenge for most mothers is fromA．
A．emotional demand
B．low pay for work
C．heavy workload
D．lack of training
43．What is stressed in the last paragraph？B
A．mothers'importance shows in family all year long．
B．The sacrifices mothers make are huge but worthwhile．
C．Mothers'devotion to children can hardly be calculated．
D．Investing time in parenting would bring a financial return．
44．What can we conclude from the study？C
A．Mothers'working hours should be largely reduced．
B．Mothers should balance their time for work and rest．
C．Mothers'labour is of a higher value than it is realized．
D．Mothers should be freed from housework for social life．
分析 這是一篇寫在母親節(jié)的文章，在母親節(jié)這一天，每個(gè)人都會(huì)對(duì)母親做出一些事，比如一束花等等，但是作者認(rèn)為，母親這一職業(yè)值得全年的關(guān)注，因?yàn)樗啵?/p>
解答 41---44 BABC
41．答案：B．推理判斷題．第二段中一句"they would earn as much as＄172，000 a year．"和第三段中一句"This would make their yearly income＄3000morethan the Prime Minister earns．"可知首相的年薪是172，000-30，000=142，000．
42．答案：A．細(xì)節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)倒數(shù)第三段的"It also asked mothersabout the challenges they face，with 80percent makingemotional（情感的） demand as the hardest thing aboutmotherhood．"可知答案．80%的母親認(rèn)為她們面對(duì)的最大的挑戰(zhàn)是情感方面的．
43．答案：B．細(xì)節(jié)理解題．最后一段中一句"The emotional，physical and mental energy mothers devote to their children can benever-ending，but children are also sources of great joyand happiness．"可知母親的付出可能是永無休止的，但也是很值的．
44．答案：C．推理判斷題．根據(jù)文章第一段中"But，according to a new study，we should beplacing a higher value on motherhood all year．"可知，作者認(rèn)為母親的重要性應(yīng)得到更多關(guān)注．
點(diǎn)評(píng) 這類說明文閱讀中要求學(xué)生要特別注意一些數(shù)字等．除此之外，還需要抓住關(guān)鍵詞、中心詞，迅速在文中進(jìn)行定位，解決細(xì)節(jié)題．最后，對(duì)文章的內(nèi)容要了解，通常主題在第一段最后出現(xiàn)，所以學(xué)生要善于把握主題．
