問題詳情

四、閱讀測驗  Are boys better at numbers than girls, or is this just a stereotype? According to the results of SAT Math exams (in the USA) from 1971 to 2008, there is a statistically significant gender difference, with males outscoring females by more than 30 points on average. In a standardized international test taken by over 270,000 15-year-old examinees from 40 countries in 2003, the male students also outperformed the females by two percent. How can we explain this male-female gap in math test scores that seems to persist on a global scale? Do boys just naturally excel at math? Does mathematical ability have more to do with biological factors or with social factors? Is it mainly gender (DNA) or cultural expectations that make men in general apparently better at math than women? This issue has long been debated, and experts in various fields have different theories. Educators claim that as long as females have equal access to education, this discrepancy in math exam scores will disappear. Scientists suggest that male and female brains function differently because of their different past experiences, so the math test outcomes may be due to students’ previously acquired learning models rather than specifically to biological gender. Some sociologists argue that the test formats and questions are heavily biased towards males, since the test questions ask things that make more sense to boys. If this is true, then not only do male students have more access to education, but they also get to take exams that are more “customized” to their learning style. Still other analysts insist that a gender gap does exist in the DNA, in the brain’s actual capacity to do mathematics, and that this reality is being deliberately ignored for the sake of political correctness.  To date, there is no single theory that can prove or disprove that biological gender directly influences math test scores, and if so, why it has this effect. However, whatever the case may be, it is almost certain that more females will have a better chance of performing well in the long run, even in subjects like math, when they have the same access as their male counterparts to all educational resources.
51 What is the main idea of this passage?
(A) Theories about how to improve women’s math skills and math test scores.
(B) Factors that affect math test results around the world.
(C) Ways of promoting gender equality in different parts of the world.
(D) Possible reasons for the gender difference in math exam scores.

參考答案

答案：D
難度：簡單0.75
統計：A(0),B(0),C(1),D(3),E(0)

內容推薦

內容推薦