2013年12月大六級(jí)考試PartIII ReadingComprehension （40minutes）SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereissagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingQuiteoften,educatorslfamiliesofchildrenwhoarelearningEnglishasasecondlanguagetospeakonlyEnglish,andnottheirnativelanguage,athome.Althoughtheseeducatorsmayhavegood36,theiradvicetofamiliesismisguided,andit37frommisunderstandingsabouttheprocessoflanguageacquisition.Educatorsmayfearthatchildrenhearinolanguages e38confusedandthustheirlanguagedevelopmentwillbe39;thisconcernisnotedintheliterature.Childrenarecapableoflearningmorethanonelanguage,whether40orsequentially（依次地）.Infact,mostchildrenoutsideoftheUnitedStatesareexpectedto ebilingualoreven,inmanycases,multilingual.Globally,knowingmorethanonelanguageisviewedasan41andevenanecessityinmanyareas.ItisalsoofconcernthatthemisguidedadvicethatstudentsshouldspeakonlyEnglishisgivenprimarilytopoorfamilieswithlimitededucationalopportunities,nottowealthierfamilieswhohavemanyeducationaladvantages.Sincechildrenfrompoorfamiliesoftenare42asat-riskforacademicfailure,teachersbelievethatadvisingfamiliestospeakEnglishonlyisappropriate.Teachersconsiderlearningtwolanguagestobetoo43forchildrenfrompoorfamilies,believingthatthechildrenarealreadyburdenedbytheirhomesituations.IffamiliesdonotknowEnglishorhavelimitedEnglishskillsthemselves,howcantheycommunicateinEnglish?Advisingnon-English-speakingfamiliestospeakonlyEnglishistolingthemnottocommunicatewithorinteractwiththeirchildren.Moreover,messageisthatthefamily’snativelanguageisnotimportantor I） J） K） L） M） N） H）overwhelmingSectionDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadsagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheetTheUsesofThebrainlikesachallenge—andputtingafewobstaclesinitswaymaywellboostitscreativity.A）JackWhite,theformerfrontmanoftheWhiteStripesandaninfluentialfigureamongfellowmusicians,likestomakethingsdifficultforhimself.Heusescheapguitarsthatwon’tstayin orintune.Whenperforming,hepositionshisinstrumentsinawaythatisdelibera inconvenient,sothatswitchingfromguitarto anmid-songinvolvesamaddashacrossthestage.Why?Becausehe’sontherunfromwhathedescribesasadiseasethatpreysoneveryartist:“easeofuse”.Whenmakingmusicgetstooeasy,saysWhite,it eshardertomakeitsing.B）It’sanoddthought.WhywouldanyonemadetheirworkmoredifficultthanitalreadyisYetweknowthatdifficultycanpayunexpecteddividends.In1966,soonaftertheBeatleshadfinishedworkonRubberSoul,PaulMcCartneylookedintothepossibilityofgoingtoAmericatorecordtheirnextalbum.TheequipmentinAmericanstudioswasmoreadvancedthananythinginBritain,whichhadledtheBeatles’greatrivals,theRollingStones,tomaketheirlatestalbum,“Aftermath”,inLosAngeles.McCartneyfoundthatEMI’s（百代唱片）contractualclausesmadeitprohibitivelyexpensivetofollowsuit,andtheBeatleshadtomakedowiththeprimitivetechnologyofAbbeyRoad.Luckyforus.Overthenexttwoyearstheymadetheirmostgroundbreakingwork,turningtherecordingstudiointoamagicalinstrumentofitsown.Preciselybecausetheywereworkingwithold-fashionedmachines,GeeMartinandhi ofengineerswereforcedtoapplyeveryounceoftheircreativitytosolvetheproblemsposedtothembyLennonandMcCartney.Songslike“TomorrowNeverKnows”,“StrawberryFieldsForever”,and“ADayintheLife”featuredrevolutionarysoundeffectsthatdazzledandmystifiedMartin’sAmericancounterparts.Sometimesit’sonlywhenadifficultyisremovedthatwerealisewhatitwasngforus.Formorethantwodecades,startinginthe1960s,thepoetTedHughessatonthejudgingpanelofanannualpoetrycompetitionforBritishschoolchildren.Duringthe1980shenoticedanincreasingnumberoflongpoemsamongthesubmissions,withsomerunningto70or80pages.Thesepoemswereverballyinventiveandfluent,butalso“strangelyboring”.AftermakinginquiriesHughesdiscoveredthattheywerebeingcomposedoncomputers,thenjustfindingtheirwayintoBritishYoumighthavethoughtanytoolwhichenablesawritertogetwordsontothepagewouldbeanadvantage.Buttheremaybeacosttosuchfacility.InaninterviewwiththeParisReviewHughesspeculatedthatwhenrsonputspentopr,“youmeettheterribleofwhathappenedyouryearatit,whenyoucouldn’twriteatall”.Asthebrainattemptstoforcetheunsteadyhandtodoitsbidding,thetensionbetweenthetworesultsinamorecompressed,psychologicallydenserexpression.Removethat andyouaremorelikelytoproducea70ramble（不著邊際的長(zhǎng)篇大論）.Ourbrainsrespondbettertodifficultythanweimagine.Inschools,teachersandpupilsalikeoftenassumethatifaconcepthasbeeneasytolearn,thenthelessonhasbeensuccessful.Butnumerousstudieshavenowfoundthatwhenclassroommaterialismadehardertoabsorb,pupilsretainmoreofitoverthelongterm,andunderstanditonadeeperlevel.Asapoet,TedHugheshadanacutesensitivitytothewayinwhichconstraintsonself-expression,likethedisciplinesofmetreandrhyme（）,spurcreativethought.appliestopoetsandmusiciansalsoappliestoourdailylives.Wetendtoequate（等同）happinesswithfreedom,but,asthepsychotheandwriterAdamPhillipshasobserved,withoutobstaclestoourdesiresit’shardertoknowwhatwewant,orwherewe’reheading.lsthestoryofapatient,a -timemotherwhocomplainedthatheryoungsonwasalwaysclingingtoher,wraphimselfaroundherlegswherevershewent.Sheneverhadamomenttoherself,shesaid,becausehersonwas“alwaysintheway”.WhenPhillipsaskedherwhereshewouldgoifhewasn’tintheway,sherepliedcheerfully,“Oh,Iwouldn’tknowwhereIwas!”H）Takeanothercommonobstacle:lackofmoney.Peopleoftenassumethatmoremoneywillmakethemhappier.Buteconomistswhostudytherelationshipbetweenmoneyandhappinesshaveconsistentlyfoundthat,aboveacertain e,thetwodonotreliablycorrelate.Despitetheeasewithwhichtherichcanacquirealmostanythingtheydesire,theyarejustaslikelytobeunhappyasthemiddleclasses.Inthisregardatleast,F.ScottFitzgeraldwaswrong.Indeed,easeofacquisitionistheproblem.ThenovelistEdwardStAubynhasanarratorremarkoftheveryrichthat,“nothavingtoconsideraffordability,theirdesiresrambledonlikeunstoppablebores,relentless（持續(xù)不斷的）andwhimsical（反覆無(wú)常的）atthesametime.”WhenBostonCollege,aprivateresearchuniversity,wantedabetterfeelforitspotentialdonors,itaskedthepsychologistRobertKennytoinvestigatethemindsetofthesuper-rich.Hesurveyed165households,mostofwhichhadanetworthof$25mormore.Hefoundthatmanyofsubjectswereconfusedbytheinfiniteoptionstheirmoneypresentedthemwith.Theyfoundithardtoknowwhattowant,creatingakindofexistentialbafflement.Oneofthemputitlikethis:“Youknow,Bob,youcanjustbuysomuchstuff,andwhenyougettothepointwhereyoucanjustbuysomuchstuff,nowwhatareyougoingtodo?”Theinternetmakesinformationbillionairesoutofallofus,andthearchitectsofouronlineexperiencesarecatchingontotheneedtomakethingscreativelydifficult.’shugesuccessisrootedinthesimplebutprofoundinsightthatinamediumwithinfinitespaceforself-expression,themostinterestingthingwecansrestrictourselvesto140characters.ThemusicserviceThisIsMyJamhelpspeoplenavigatethetensofmillionsoftracksnowavailableinstantlyviaSpotifyandiTunes.Userspicktheirfavouritesongoftheweektosharewithothers.Theyonlygettochooseone.Theservicewasonlylaunchedthisyear,butbyofSeptember650,000jamshadbeenchosenItsco-founderMattOgleexplainsitsraisond’être（存在的理由）likethis:“Inanageofendlesschoice,weweremissingawaytosay:‘This.Thisistheoneyoushouldlistento’.”Today’sworldoffersmoreopportunitythanevertofollowtheadviceoftheWalkerandmakeiteasyonourselves.Comparedwithahundredyearsago,ourlivesarelesstightlyboundbysocialnormsandphysicalconstraints.Technologyhascutoutmuchoflife’sdonkeywork,andwehavemorefreedomsthanever:wecanwearwhatwelikeandcommunicatewithhundredsoffriendsatonceattheclickofamouse.Obstaclesareeverywheredisappearing.Fewofuswishtoturntheclockback,butperhapsweneedtoremindourselveshowusefultherightobstaclescanbe.Sometimes,thebestroutetofulfillmentisthepathofmore.Therigorousrequirementsplacedonthewritingofpoetrystimulatethepoet’sWithcreativity,evenold-fashionedinstrumentsmayproducespectacularsoundMoremoneydoesnotnecessarilybringgreaterItisafalseassumptionthatlessonsshouldbemadeeasiertoObstacles yplacedinthecreationofmusiccontributetoitsThosewhoenjoytotalfreedommaynotfindthemselvesTedHughesdiscoveredmanylongpoemssubmittedforpoetrycompetitionwerecomposedoncomputers.MaybeweneedtobearinmindthattherightobstacleshelpleadustogreaterAninvestigationfoundthatmanyofthesuper-richwerebaffledbytheinfinitechoicestheirmoneymadeavailable.Onefreesocialnetworkingwebsiteturnedouttobesuccessfulbecauseitlimitedeachpostingtoonehundredandfortycharacters.SectionDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA）,B）,C）andD）.YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageQuestions56to60arebasedonthefollowingTherewasatimenotlongagowhennewsciencePh.D.sintheUnitedStateswereexpectedtopursueacareerpathinacademia（學(xué)術(shù)界）Buttodaymostgraduatesendupworkingoutsideacademia,notonlyinindustrybutalsoincareerssuchassciencepolicy,communications,andpatentlaw.Partlythisisaresultofhowbleaktheacademicjobmarketis,butthere’salsoarisingawarenessofcareeroptionsthatPh.D.scientistshaven’ttrainedfordirectly—butforwhichtheyhaveusefulknowledge,skills,andexperience.Still,there’sahugedisconnectbetweenthewaywecurrentlytrainscientistsandtheactualemploymentopportunitiesavailableforthem,andanurgentneedfordramaticimprovementsintrainingprogramstohelpclosethegap.OnecriticalstepthatcouldhelptodrivechangewouldbetorequirePh.D.studentsandpostdoctoralscientiststofollowanindividualdevelopmentplan（IDP）.In2002,theU.S.FederationofAmericanSocietiesforExperimentalBiology thateverypostdoctoralresearcherputtogetheranIDPinconsultationwithanadviser.Sincethen,severalacademicinstitutionshavebeguntorequireIDPsforpostdocs.AndinJune,theU.S.NationalInstitutesofHealth（NIH）BiomedicalResearchWorkforceWorkingGroupmendedthattheNIHrequireIDPsfortheapproximay32,000postdoctoralresearcherstheysupport.Otherfundingagencies,publicandprivate,aremovinginasimilarIDPshavelongbeenusedbyernmentagenciesandtheprivatesectortoachievespecificgoalsfortheemployeeandtheanization.Theaimistoensurethatemployeeshaveanexplicittooltohelpthemunderstandtheirownabilitiesandaspirations,determinecareerpossibilities,andset（usuallyshort-term）goals.Inscience,graduatestudentsandnewPh.D.scientistscanuseanIDPtoidentifyandnavigateaneffectivecareerpath.AfreeWebapplicationforthispurpose,calledmyIDP,has eavailablethisweek.It’sdesignedtoguideearly-careerscientiststhrougha,rigorousprocessofintrospection（內(nèi)?。﹖ocreateacustomizedcareerplan.Guidedbyexpertknowledgefromapanelofscience-focusedcareeradvisers,eachtrainee’sself-assessmentisusedtorankasetofcareertrajectories（軌跡）Aftertheuserhasidentifiedalong-termcareergoal,myIDPwalksherorhimthroughtheprocessofsettingshort-termgoalsdirectedtowardaccumulatingnewskillsandexperiencesimportantforthatcareerchoice.AlthoughsurveysrevealtheIDPprocesstobeuseful,traineesreportaneedforadditionalresourcestohelpthemidentifyalong-termcareerpathandcompleteanIDP.Thus,myIDPwillbemosteffectivewhenit’sembeddedinlargercareer-developmentefforts.Forexample,universitiescouldincorporateIDPsintotheirgraduatecurriculatohelpstudentsdiscuss,plan,preparefor,andachievetheirlong-termcareergoals.WhatdowelearnaboutnewsciencePh.D.sintheUnitedStatestoday?A）Theylacktheskillsandexpertiseneededfortheirjobs.B）Theycanchoosefromawiderrangeofwell-payingjobs.C）Theyoftenhavetoseekjobsoutsidetheacademiccircle.D）Theyareregardedasthenation’sdrivingforceofWhatdoestheauthorsayaboutAmerica’sPh.D.training?A）Itshouldbeimprovedtobettersuitthejobmarket.B）Itiscloselylinkedtofuturecareerrequirements.C）Itshouldbere-orientedtocareersoutsideacademia.D）ItincludesagreatvarietyofpracticalWhatwas mendedforPh.D.sandpostdoctoralresearchers?A）Theymeettheurgentneedsofthecorporateworld.B）Along-termcareergoalbesetasearlyaspossible.C）AnIDPbemadeinconsultationwithanadviser.D）Theyacquireanexplicittooltohelpobtainjobs.ernmentagenciesandtheprivatesectoroftenuseIDPs A）bringintofullplaytheskillsandexpertiseoftheirpostdoctoralresearchersB）helpemployeesmakethebestuseoftheirabilitiestoachievetheircareergoalsC）placeemployeesinthemostappropriatepositionsD）hirethemostsuitablecandidatestoworkforWhatdoweknowaboutA）Itisaneffectivetoolofself-assessmentandintrospectionforbettercareerplans.B）Itenablespeopletolookintovariouspossibilitiesandchoosethecareertheylove.C）Itpromisesalong-termcareerpath.D）ItispartofthegraduatePassageQuestions61to65arebasedonthefollowingJustoveradecadeintothe21stcentury,women’sprogresscanbecelebratedacrossarangeoffields.TheyholdthehighestpoliticalofficesfromThailandtoBrazil,CostaRicatoAustralia.AwomanholdsthetopspotattheInternationalMonetaryFund;anotherwontheNobelPrizeineconomics.Self-madebillionairesinBeijing,techinnovatorsinSiliconValley,pioneeringjusticesinGhana—intheseandcountlessotherareas,womenareleavingtheirmark.Butholdtheapplause.InSaudiArabia,womenaren’tallowedtodrive.InPakistan,womendieinhonorkillingseveryyear.Inthedevelopedworld,womenlagbehindmeninpayandpoliticalpower.ThepovertyrateamongwomenintheU.S.roseto14.5%lastyear.Tomeasurethestateofwomen’sprogress,Newsweekranked165countries,lookingatfiveareasthataffectwomen’slives:treatmentunderthelaw,workforceparticipation,politicalpower,andaccesstoeducationandhealthcare.yzingdatafromtheUnitedNationsandtheWorldEconomicForum,amongothers,andconsultingwithexpertsandacademics,wemeasured28factorstocomeupwithourrankings.CountrieswiththehighestscorestendtobeclusteredintheWest,wheregenderdiscriminationisagainstthelaw,andequalrightsareconstitutionallyenshrined（神圣化）.Butthereweresomesurprises.Someotherwisehigh-rankingcountrieshadrelativelylowscoresforpoliticalrepresentation.Canadarankedthirdoverallbut26thinpower,behindcountriessuchasCubaandBurundi.Doesthissuggestthatawomaninanation’stopofficetranslatestobetterlivesforwomeningeneral?Notexactl.Tryingtofyormeasuretheimpactofwomeninpoliticsishardbecauseinveryfewcountrieshavetherebeenenoughwomeninpoliticstomakeadifference,”saysAnne-MarieGoetz,peaceandsecurityadviserforU.N.Women.Ofcourse,noindexcanaccountforeverything.Declaringthatonecountryisbetterthananotherinthewaythatittreatsmorethanhalfitscitizensmeansrelyingonbroadstrokesandgeneralities.Somethingssimplycan’tbemeasured.Andcross-culturalcomparisonscan’taccountfordifferencesofopinion.Certainconclusionsarenonethelessclear.Foronething,ourindexbacksupasimplebutprofoundstatementmadebyHillaryClintonattherecentAsia-PacificEconomicCooperationsummit.“Whenweliberatetheeconomicpotentialofwomen,weelevatetheeconomicperformanceofcommunities,nationsandtheworld,”shesaid.“There’sastimulativeeffectthatkicksinwhenwomenhavegreateraccesstojobsandtheeconomiclivesofourcountries:Greaterpoliticalstability.Fewermilitarys.Morefood.Moreeducationalopportunityforchildren.Byharnessingtheeconomicpotentialofallwomen,weboostopportunityforallpeople.”Whatdoestheauthorthinkaboutwomen’sprogresssoA）Itstillleavesmuchtobedesired. C）Ithasgreatlychangedwomen’sfate.B）Itistooremarkabletobe D）ItisachievedthroughhardInwhatcountrieshavewomenmadethegreatestprogress?A）Wherewomenholdkeypostsin Wherewomen’srightsareprotectedbyWherewomen’sparticipationinmanagementishigh.D）Wherewomenenjoybettereducationandhealthcare.WhatdoNewsweekrankingsrevealaboutwomeninCanada?A）Theycarelittleaboutpoliticalparticipation.Theyaregenerallytreatedasequalsbymen.C）Theyhaveasurprisinglylowsocialstatus.D）Theyareunderrepresentedinpolitics.WhatdoesAnne-MarieGoetzthinkofawomanbeinginanation’stopoffice?A）Itdoesnotnecessarilyraisewomen’spoliticalawareness.Itdoesnotguaranteeabetterlifeforthenation’swomen.C）Itenhanceswomen’sstatus.D）WhatdoesHillaryClintonsuggestwedotomaketheworldabetterGivewomenmorepoliticalpower. C）Allowwomenaccesstoeducation.B）Stimulatewomen’s D）Tapwomen’seconomic36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45.46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55.57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65.2014年6月大六級(jí)考試PartIII ReadingComprehension （40minutes）SectionADirections:Inthissection,thereissagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordforeachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingForinvestorswhodesirelowriskandguaranteed e,U.S.ernmentbondsareasecureinvestmentbecausethesebondshavethefinancialbackingandfullfaithandcreditofthefederalernment.Municipalbonds,alsosecure,areofferedbylocalernmentsandoftenhave36suchastax-freeinterest.Somemayevenbe37.Corporatebondsareabitmorerisky.Twoquestionsoften38-timecorporatebondinvestors.Theis“IfIpurchaseacorporatebond,doIhavetoholdituntilthematuritydate?Theanswerisno.Bondsareboughtandsolddailyon39securitiesexchanges.However,ifyoudecidetosellyourbondbeforeitsmaturitydate,you’renotguaranteedtogetthefacevalueofthebond.Forexample,ifyourbonddoesnothave40thatmakeitattractivetootherinvestors,youmaybeforcedtosellyourbondata41,i.e.,apricelessthanthebond’sfacevalue.Butifyourbondishighlyvaluedbyotherinvestors,youmaybeabletosellitatapremium,i.e.,apriceaboveitsfacevalue.Bondpricesgenerally42inversely（相反地）withcurrentmarketinterestrates.Asinterestratesgoup,bondpricesfall,andviceversa（反之亦然）.Thus,likeallinvestments,bondshaveadegreeofrisk.Thesecondquestionis“HowcanI theinvestmentriskofaparticularbondissue?”Standard&Poor’sandMoody’sInvestorsServiceratethelevelofriskofmanycorporateandernmentbonds.And ,thehigherthemarketriskofabond,thehighertheinterestrate.Investorswillinvestinabondconsideredriskyonlyifthe45returnishigh I） J） K） L） M） N） O）SectionDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadsagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheetLessonsfromaFeministOnthesurface,Swedenappearstobeafeministparadise.LookatanyglobalsurveyofgenderequalityandSwedenwillbenearthetop.Family-friendlypoliciesareitsnorm—with16monthsofpaidparentalleave,specialprotectionsforpart-timeworkersandstate-subsidizedpreschoolswhere,accordingtoaernmentwebsite,“gender-awarenesseducationisincreasinglycommon.”Duetoanunofficialquotasystem,womenhold45percentofpositionsintheSwedishparliament.TheyhaveenjoyedtheprotectionofernmentagencieswithtitlesliketheMinistryofIntegrationandGenderEqualityandtheSecretariatofGenderResearch.SowhyareAmericanwomensofaraheadoftheirSwedishcounterpartsinbreakingthroughtheglassIna2012report,theWorldEconomicForumfoundthatwhenitcomestoclosingtdergapin“economicparticipationandopportunity,theUnitedStatesisaheadofnotonlySwedenbutalsoFinland,Denmark,theNetherlands,Iceland,Germany,andtheUnitedKingdom.Sweden’srankinthereportcanlargelybeexplainedbyitspoliticalquotasystem.ThoughtheUnitedStateshasfewerwomenintheworkforce（68percentcomparedtoSweden’s77percent）,Americanwomenwhochoosetobeemployedarefarmorelikelytoworkfull-timeandtoholdhigh-leveljobsasmanagersorprofessionals.Theyalsoownmorebusinesses,launorestart-ups（新創(chuàng)辦的企業(yè)）andmoreoftenworkintraditionallymalefields.Asforbreakingthroughtheglassceilinginbusiness,Americanwomenarewellinthelead.WhatexplainstheAmericanadvantage?HowcanitbethatsocietieslikeSweden,wheregenderequalityisvigorouslypursuedandenforced,havefewerfemalemanagers,executives,professionals,andbusinessownersthanthelaissez-faire（放任的）UnitedStates?AnewstudybyCornelleconomistsFrancineBlauandLawrenceKahngivesanexplanation.Generousparentalleavepoliciesandreadilyavailablepart-timeoptionshaveunintendedconsequences:insteadofstrengtheningwomen’sattaenttotheworkplace,theyappeartoweakenit.Inadditiontoa16-monthleave,aSwedishparenthastherighttoworksixhoursaday（forareducedsalary）untilhisorherchildiseightyearsold.Mothersarefarmorelikelythanfatherstotakeadvantageofthislaw.Butextendedleavesandpart-timeemploymentareknowntobeharmfultocareers—forbothgenders.Andwithwomenasecondfactorcomesintoplay:mostseemtoenjoytheflexible-timearrangement（onceknownasthe“mommytrack）andneverfindtheirwaybacktofull-timeorhigh-levelemployment.Insum:generousfamily-friendlypoliciesdokeepmorewomeninthelabormarket,buttheyalsotendtodiminishtheircareers.AccordingtoBlauandKahn,Swedish-stylepaternal（父親的）leavepoliciesandflexible-timearrangementsposeasecondthreattowomen’sprogress:theymakeemployerscautiousabouthiringwomenforfull-timepositionsatall.Offeringajobtoamanisthesaferbet.Heisfarlesslikelytotakeayearofparentalleaveandthenreturnonareducedworkscheduleforthenexteightyears.Ibecameawareofthetrialsofcareer-focusedEuropeanwomenafewyearsagowhenImetapost-doctoralstudentfromGermanywhowasthenavisitingfellowatJohnsHopkins.ShewasastonishedbytheprofessionalpossibilitiesaffordedtoyoungAmericanwomen.HerbesthopeinGermanywasa ernmentjob—prospectsforwomenintheprivatesectorweredim.“InGermany,”shetoldme,“wehaveallthebenefits,butemployersdon’twanttohireus.”SwedisheconomistsMagnusHenreksonandMikaelStenkulaaddressedthefollowingquestionintheir2009study:whyaretheresofewfemaletopexecutivesintheEuropeanegalitarian（主義的）welfarestates?Theiranswer:“Broad-basedwelfare-statepolicieshinderwomen’srepresentationinelitecompetitivepositions.”ItistemptingtodeclaretheSwedishpoliciesregressive（退步的）andhailtheAmericansystemassuperior.Butthatwouldbeshortsighted.TheSwedescancertainlytakealessonfromtheUnitedStatesandlookforwaystoclearapathfortheirambitiousfemalecareerists.Butmostwomenarenotcommittedcareerists.WhenthePewResearchCenterrecentlyaskedAmericanparentstoidentifytheir“ideallifearrangement47percentofmotherssaidtheywouldprefertoworkpart-timeand20percentsaidtheywouldprefernottoworkatall.Fathersanswereddifferently:75percentpreferredfull-timework.SomeversionoftheSwedishsystemmightworkwellforamajorityofAmericanparents,buttheUnitedStatesisunlikelytofullyembracetheSwedishmodel.Still,wecanlearnfromtheirexperience.Despiteitsfailuretoshattertheglassceiling,Swedenhasoneofthemostpowerfulandinnovativeeconomiesintheworld.Inits2011-2012survey,theWorldEconomicForumrankedSwedenastheworld’sthirdmostcompetitiveeconomy;theUnitedStatescameinfifth.Sweden,dubbedthe“rockstaroftherecovery”intheWashingtonPost,alsoleadstheworldinlifesatisfactionandhappiness.Itisasocietywellworthstudying,anditseffortstoconquertdergapimpartavitallesson—thoughnotthelessontheSwedeshadinmind.Swedenhasgonefartherthananyothernationonearthtointegratethesexesandtoofferwomenthesameopportunitiesandfreedomsasmen.Fordecades,thesedescendantsoftheVikingshavebeentryingtoshowtheworldthattherightmixofenlightenedpolicy,consciousnessraising,andnon-sexistchildrearingwouldclosetderdinceandforall.YetthedivideA2012pressreleasefromStatisticsSwedenbearsthetitle“GenderEqualityinSwedenTreadingWater”andnotes:The efromemploymentforallagesislowerforwomenthanforOneinthreeemployedwomenandoneintenemployedmenworkpart-Women’sworkingtimeisinfluencedbythenumberandageoftheirchildren,butmen’sworkingtimeisnotaffectedbythesefactors.Ofallemployees,only1