Educating girls quite possibly yields a higher rate of return than any other investment available in the developing world. Women’s education may be unusual territory for economists, but enhancing women’s contribution to development is actually as much an economic as a social issue. And economics, with its emphasis on incentives (激励), provides guideposts that point to an explanation for why so many girls are deprived of 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. Girls are thus seen as less valuable than boys and art kept at home to do housework while their brothers are sent to school-the prophecy (预言) becomes self-fulfilling, trapping women in a vicious circle (恶性循环) of neglect.
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. The vicious circle is thus transformed into a virtuous circle.
Few will dispute that educating women has great social benefits. But it has enormous 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 per cent for each additional year of schooling. Such big returns are impressive by the standard of other available investments, but they are just the beginning. Educating women also has a significant impact on health practices, including family planning.
26. The author argues that educating girls in developing countries is ________.
A) troublesome
B) labor-saving
C) rewarding
D) expensive(C)
27. By saying “... the prophecy becomes self-fulfilling...” (Lines 45, Para. 2). the author means that ________.
A) girls will turn out to be less valuable than boys
B) girls will be capable of realizing their own dreams
C) girls will eventually find their goals in life beyond reach
D) girls will be increasingly discontented with their life at home(A)
28. The author believes that a vicious circle can turn into a virtuous circle when ________.
A) women care more about education
B) girls can gain equal access to education
C) a family has fewer but healthier children
D) parents can afford their daughters’ education(B)
29. What does the author say about women’s education?
A) It deserves greater attention than other social issues.
B) It is now given top priority in many developing countries.
C) It will yield greater returns than other known investments.
D) It has aroused the interest of a growing number of economists.(C)
30. The passage mainly discusses ________.
A) unequal treatment of boys and girls in developing countries
B) the potential earning power of well-educated women
C) the major contributions of educated women to society
D) the economic and social benefits of educating women(D)
这篇文章从经济学的角度论证了在发展中国家女性教育的价值。全文第一句话就概括了全文论述的核心：Educating girls quite possibly yields a higher rate of return than any other investment available in the developing world，在发展中国家，女性教育可能会获得比任何其他投资更高的回报。一般说来，女性教育属于社会学研究的问题，但文章开头却从投资的角度看待这个问题，观点新颖，立即引起读者的阅读欲望。作者随后指出女性教育不受重视的问题首先可以从经济学角度(incentives，动机)进行理解。
第二段承接第一段的内容，具体解释女性教育不受重视的经济学原因：do not expect them to make an economic contribution to the family，父母们认为女孩不会对家庭经济做出贡献。女孩的价值因而被认为比男孩低而被剥夺了受教育的权利，使女性教育陷入恶性循环。
作者接下来从相反的角度论述了受教育女性会带来的价值：对外，greater earning abilities outside the home，赚钱的能力更强(这是从经济学角度);对内，daughters are given a fair chance，在教育问题上对男女孩一视同仁(社会效应)。这样下一代女孩因为受到了足够的教育，在处理自己的儿女教育问题时，同样会重视女孩的教育(the next generation of girls will be educated and healthy)，因而形成良性循环。
最后一段承接上文对重视女性教育所带来的社会效应的论述，提出女性教育的巨大经济效应：wages of female workers(女性工人的工资增长)——rise by 10 to 20 per cent for each additional year of schooling，多上一年学，工资增长10-20%。作者把这一效应和其他投资的收益相对比(impressive by the standard of other available investments)，与开篇引题的一句遥相呼应。文末指出女性教育的影响远不止此。
