Once while being prepared for a television interview, I was chatting with the host about stay-at-home fathers. I made the point that one reason why we’re seeing more stay-at-home dads may be that many families now take earning power into account when deciding which parent will stay home.

At that point, one of the male crew members commented, “It should be the better parent who stays home. ” A lot of guys say things like that. I was a stay-at-home father for eight years, so his declaration made me exited. It implied that our family’s choice could only have been correct if I was a “batter” parent than my wife.

I suppose an argument could have been made that when I began staying home my wife was the “better” parent: She spent more time with Ray, could read him better and calm him more quickly. And given a choice, he’d have picked her over me. But as she was the more employable one, my wife went out to work and I looked after our son.

Because of the increased time I spent with him, I soon knew Ray well, and could look after him more or less as well as my wife. Actually, the experience helped me unlock one of the world’s great secrets: Women are good at looking after children because they do it. It’s not because of any innate（先天的）female gift or a mother’s instinct. It’s because they put in the time and attention required to become good at the job.

Women obviously get a biological head start from giving birth and nursing，but over the long term experience is more important. When I got the experience myself, I was good，too. As good? I don’t know . Who cares?

1．Which of the following does the first paragraph imply?

A．Actually more men like staying at home.

B．The author has found a job at a TV station.

C．The wife earns more in more and more families.

D．The husband proves to be the better parent

2．Why did the author decide to stay at home to look after their son eight years ago?

A．Because he thought he was the better parent.

B．Because their son Ray liked him better.

C．Because he found himself better at looking after baby.

D．Because he was less likely to find a job than his wife.

3．Which of the following is NOT mentioned or implied in the passage?

A．Good parents should spend sufficient time with their children.

B．Good parents should take turns to take care of their children.

C．Good parents should try to understand their children well.

D．Good parents should help each other to support the family.

4．It is often believed women are good at taking care of children because        .

A．they devote much time and attention to them

B．they learned to do it when they were young

C．they were born with this ability

D．they have a gift to understand babies well

5．What does the author conclude finally?

A．It is difficult for a baby to make a choice between Dad and Mum.

B．It is hard for a man to take care of his baby but easy for his wife.

C．A man can take good care of children if he gets the experience.

D．A man cannot do as well as his wife no matter how hard he works.

Mother Knows Best?

Once while being prepared for a television interview, I was chatting with the host about stay-at-home fathers. I made the point that one reason we’re seeing more stay-at-home dads may be that it’s no longer a given (a known fact) that a man makes more money than his wife. Many families now take earning power into account when deciding which parent will stay home.

At that point, one of the male crew members commented, almost to himself but loud enough for my benefits, “It should be the better parent who stays at home”. A lot of guys say things like that.

I was a stay-at-home father for eight years, so what he said made me excited. It implied that our family’s choice could only have been correct if I was a “better” parent than my wife.

I think men shoot themselves in the foot with this kind of thinking. I suppose an argument could have been made that when I began staying home my wife was the “better” parent: she had spent more time with our son, could read him better and calm him more quickly. And given a choice, he’d have picked her over me. But as she was the more employable one, my wife went out to work and I looked after our son.

Know what? I caught up. Because of the increased time I spent with him, I soon knew him well, understood what he needed and could look after him more or less as my wife could.  Actually, the experience helped me unlock one of the world’s great secrets: Women are good at looking after the children because they do it. It’s not because of any born female gift or a mother’s instinct－which I think is mostly learned anyway. It’s because they put in the time and attention required to become good at the job.

Women obviously get a biological head start from giving birth and nursing, but over the long term experience is more important. When I got the experience myself, I was good, too. As good? I don’t know. Who cares? Children are not made of glass. Other people are capable of looking after them besides Mom.

64.Which of the following does the first paragraph imply?

A. Men are no longer given the chance to stay at home as they used to.

B. In some families the wives are earning more than their husbands.

C. The author is telling the readers that he works in the TV station.

D. There are more stay-at- home fathers than stay-at-home mothers.

65. The author decided to stay at home eight years ago because ______.

A. it was easier for his wife to find a job

B. he thought he was the better father

C. their son liked him a little bit better

D. he was earning more than his wife did

66. Women are better than men at taking care of children because ______.

A. they were born with the ability

B. they love children and enjoy it

C. they spend more time doing it

D. they have learned it at school

67. Which of the following is the author’s conclusion drawn at the end?

A. He is better than his wife at taking care of children.

B. He is as good as his wife at taking care of children.

C. Either fathers or mothers can take care of children.

D. Both fathers and mothers cannot take care of children.