Three years ago, the president of Harvard, Lawrence H. Summers, got into trouble for questioning women’s “intrinsic (内在的) aptitude (能力)”for science and engineering. Recently, a study paid for by America’s National Science Foundation has found that girls perform as well as boys on standardized math tests.
Although boys in high school performed better than girls in math 20 years ago, the researchers found that is no longer the case. The reason, they said, is simple: Girls used to take fewer advanced math courses than boys, but now they are taking just as many.
“Now that enrollment in advanced math courses is equalized, we don’t see gender differences in test performance,” said Marcia C. Linn of the University of California, Berkeley, a co-author of the study. “But people are surprised by these findings, which suggests to me that the stereotypes are still there.”
The researchers looked at the average test scores of all students, the performance of the most gifted children and the ability to solve complex math problems. They found, in every category, that girls did as well as boys.
Janet Hyde, a professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who led the study, said the stereotypes about girls and math, had taken a toll (造成伤害).
“The stereotype that boys do better at math is still held widely by teachers and parents,” Hyde said. “And teachers and parents guide girls, giving them advice about what courses to take, what careers to pursue. I still hear anecdotes about guidance counselors (顾问)steering (指导)girls away from engineering, telling them they won’t be able to do the math.”
The study also analyzed the gender gap on the math section of the SAT. Since more girls than boys go to college, about 100, 000 more girls than boys take the test, including lower-achieving girls who bring down the girls’ average score.
32. What might be the reason to carry out the study?
A. To put Harvard University to shame for its president’s prejudice against girls.
B. To find out if there’s any gender gap in science.
C. To help girls to earn equal social status as boys.
D. To enroll more girls in advanced math courses in the university.
33. Which statement about people’s opinions of girls is NOT true?
A. People still find it hard to believe average girls perform in math as well as boys.
B. Highly educated people are more likely to accept the fact that girls can do well in math.
C. Many teachers and parents advise girls to avoid careers like engineering based on their talent.
D. Some guidance counselors think careers related with math are not suitable for girls.
34. We can learn from the text EXCEPT ______.
A. girls used to perform worse than boys in math because they didn’t take as many advanced math courses
B. the stereotype about girls and math may lead to misguided choice of future careers
C. the average lower scores of girls in SAT math test prove that boys do better in math
D. the public doesn’t accept outspoken prejudice against girls’ talent for math despite the stereotype
35. The main purpose of writing the passage is to______.
A. report the findings of a research into girls’ math ability
B. criticize those who hold the wrong belief that girls cannot do well in math
C. prove that the stereotype that girls do worse in math is wrong
D. help girls regain confidence in learning math well