Educating girls quite possibly provides a higher rate of return than any other investment（投资）in the developing world． Women’s education may be an unusual field for economists(经济学家) , but increasing women’s contribution to development is actually as much an economic as a social problem． And economics, with its importance on encouragement, provides directions that point to an explanation for why so many girls are prevented from receiving an education．
Parents in low-income countries fail to invest in their daughters because they do not expect them to make an economic contribution to the family ;girls grow up only to marry into somebody else’s family and bear children． So girls are seen as less valuable than boys and are kept at home to do housework while their brothers are sent to school―the prophecy（预言）becomes self-fulfilling, making women in a vicious(恶性)circle of neglect(忽略)．
An educated mother, on the other hand, has greater earning abilities outside the home and faces an entirely different set of choices． She is likely to have fewer but healthier children and can insist on the development of all her children, ensuring that her daughters are given a fair chance． The education of her daughters then makes it much more likely that the next generation of girls, as well as of boys, will be educated and healthy． So the vicious circle is changed into a virtuous （良性的）circle．
Few well arguer that educating women has great social benefits． But it has great economic advantages as well． Most obviously, there is the direct effect of education on the wages of female workers． Wages rise by 10 to 20 percent for each additional year of schooling． Such big returns are impressive by the standard of other investments, but they are just the beginning ． Educating women also has a great effect on health practices, including family planning．
49．The author argues that educating girls in developing countries is
A．rewarding B．labor-saving C．troublesome D．expensive
50．The author believes the vicious circle can become a virtuous circles when
A．women care more about education
B．girls can get equal rights of being educated
C．parents can afford their daughters’ education
D．a family had fewer but healthier children．
51．What does the author say about women’s education?
A．It will provide greater returns than other known investments
B．It is now given top priority(优先) in many developing countries．
C．It is worth greater attention than other social problems
D．It has caused the interest of a growing number of economists．
52．The passage mainly discusses
A．unequal treatment of boys and girls in developing countries
B．the possible earning power of well-educated women
C．the major contributions of educated women to society
D．the economic and social benefits of educating women