Section A: Banked Cloze
Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
Parenting brings fathers more joy than it does mothers, according to a new study. The research examined three studies (26) ______ more than 18, 000 participants. Across all three, parenthood was (27) ______ with more positive wellbeing outcomes for dads than for mums.
So why are fathers happier than mothers? “Fathers may fare better than mothers in part due to how they spend time with their children,” said lead author Katherine Nelson-Coffey. In one study, the authors (28) ______ that dads were more likely to take “playing” as an (29) ______ activity both when caring for their kids and spending time with their kids. “Playing with their children likely offers parents opportunities to experience positive feelings and (30) ______ closeness with their children,” they say.
Fathers also did better than men without kids, reporting greater happiness, life satisfaction, and fewer (31) ______ symptoms. They also reported greater connectedness and autonomy (自主). For mums, (32) ______ , compared to women without children, the results weren't quite as positive. Mums reported greater autonomy, but also “greater trouble” and fewer positive (33) ______.
Mums reported happier moods while interacting with their kids, compared to other experiences, but not while engaging (34) ______ in childcare. “This difference suggests that how mothers and fathers spend time with their children might have important (35) ______ for their wellbeing,” the authors write. They suspect that mums may be less happy than dads because they're more likely to have higher expectations about parenthood. As such, they're more likely to be “let down” by the experience.
Word Bank
全文翻译
根据一项新研究，育儿带给父亲的快乐多于母亲。该研究考察了三项涵盖超过18,000名参与者的研究。在所有三项研究中，育儿身份与父亲比母亲更积极的福祉结果相关联。那么为什么父亲比母亲更快乐呢？"父亲可能比母亲表现更好，部分原因在于他们如何与孩子共度时间，"主要作者 Katherine Nelson-Coffey 说。在一项研究中，作者指出，爸爸们更有可能将"玩耍"视为在照顾孩子和与孩子共度时间时的一项额外活动。"与孩子玩耍可能为父母提供体验积极情感和培养与孩子亲密关系的机会，"他们说。父亲也比没有孩子的男性表现更好，报告了更高的幸福感、生活满意度和更少的抑郁症状。他们还报告了更强的联系感和自主性。然而对于母亲来说，与没有孩子的女性相比，结果并不那么积极。母亲报告了更强的自主性，但也"更多困扰"和更少的积极情绪。母亲在与孩子互动时报告了比在其他经历中更快乐的情绪，但不是在直接参与育儿时。"这种差异表明，母亲和父亲如何与孩子共度时间可能对他们的福祉有重要影响，"作者写道。他们猜测母亲可能不如父亲快乐，因为她们更有可能对育儿有更高的期望。因此，她们更有可能被这种经历"失望"。Answers & Explanations
26. K (involving)。解析：空格修饰 studies，且后接宾语 participants。studies involving... 意为“包含...参与者的研究”，involving 为现在分词作后置定语。
27. B (associated)。解析：be ______ with 构成固定搭配。be associated with 意为“与...相关联”。句意为“育儿身份与更积极的福祉结果相关联”。
28. L (note)。解析：空格为主句谓语。作者“指出/注意到” (note) 爸爸们更倾向于将玩耍视为一种活动。注意此处 note 是学术论文引用中的常用动词。
29. A (additional)。解析：修饰名词 activity。由 activity 前有 an 可知应填元音开头的词。这里意为爸爸们在照顾孩子时会把“玩耍”作为一种“额外的”活动。
30. D (cultivate)。解析：and 连接并列的动词原形（与 experience 并列）。cultivate closeness 意为“培养/建立亲密关系”，是高频学术搭配。
31. E (depressive)。解析：修饰名词 symptoms (症状)。depressive symptoms 意为“抑郁症状”，符合描述健康和福祉的语境。
32. H (however)。解析：逻辑转折词。前文说父亲的情况很好，后文说“然而” (however) 对于母亲来说结果并不那么积极。
33. G (emotions)。解析：positive 的宾语，且需填复数名词。fewer positive emotions 意为“更少的积极情绪”，与前文的 positive outcomes 呼应。
34. F (directly)。解析：副词修饰动词 engaging。engaging directly in childcare 意为“直接参与育儿”。句意为：母亲在直接育儿时情绪并不快乐。
35. I (implications)。解析：have important ______ for sth 是固定句型，意为“对...有重要启示/影响”。implications 在此处最符合语境。