2013年12月六级考试真题（一）

2013年12月六级考试真题（第一套）PAGE8PAGE92013年12月六级考试真题（第一套）PartI WritingDirections:Forthispartyouareallowed30minutestowriteanessaycommentingontheremark“Thegreatestuseoflifeistospenditforsomethingthatwilloutlastit.”YoucangiveexamplestoillustrateyourpointandthenexplainwhatyouwilldotomakeyourlifemoremeaningfulYoushouldwriteatleast150wordsbutnomorethan200words._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________PartⅡ ListeningComprehensionSectionADirections:Inthissection,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2longconversations.Attheendofeachconversation,oneormorequestionswillbeaskedaboutwhatwassaid.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Aftereachquestiontherewillbeapause.Duringthepause,youmustreadthefourchoicesmarkedA)，B)，C)andD),anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.1.A)Weatherconditions. C)Anerrorintheorder. B)Laborproblems. D)Misplacingofgoods.2.A)Whatthewomansaysmakesalotofsense. B)Therichareopposedtosocialwelfare. C)HeagreeswithMr.Johnson’sviews. D)Heissympatheticwithpoorpeople.3.A)Hehasworktofinishintime. C)Hehasatoughproblemtosolve. B)Hewillbepracticingsoccer. D)Hewillbeattendingameeting.4.A)Marywillnotbeabletokeepadoginthebuilding. B)Maryshouldgetridofherpetassoonaspossible. C)Marymightaswellsendherdogtoherrelative. D)Maryisnothappywiththebanonpetanimals.5.A)Hedoesnotbelievetheyaretwinsisters. C)LisaandGalearenotverymuchalike. B)Thewomanseemsabithardofhearing. D)Thetwins,voicesarequitedifferent.6.A)TheseriouseconomiccrisisinBritain. C)ApackagedealtobesignedinNovember. B)Amessagefromtheirbusinessassociates. D)Theirabilitytodealwithfinancialproblems.7.A)Cleaningthepantswilltakelongerthanusual. B)Themanwillbechargedextrafortheservice. C)Themanhastogotothemaincleaningfacility. D)Itisimpossibletoremovethestaincompletely.8.A)Europeanmarkets. C)Luxurygoods. B)Importedproducts. D)Aprotestrally.Questions9to12arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.9.A)Hetalkedtoheronthephone. C)Hemadeabusinesstrip. B)HehadaquarrelwithMarsha. D)Heresolvedabudgetproblem.10.A)Shehasdevelopedsomeseriousmentalproblem. B)Shemayhavetobefiredforpoorperformance. C)Shesupervisesanumberofimportantprojects. D)Sheisinchargeofthefirm’sbudgetplanning.11.A)Somethingunexpectedhappenedatherhome. B)Davidpromisedtogoonthetripinherplace. C)Shefailedtoarriveattheairportontime. D)Shewasnotfeelingherselfonthatday.12.A)Heoftenfailstofollowthroughonhisprojects. B)HehasbeentryinghardtocoverforMarsha. C)HeisalwaysfindingfaultwithMarsha. D)Hefrequentlygetsthingsmixedup.Questions13to15arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.13.A)Theyarebettershelteredfromalltheoutsidetemptations. B)Theytakeanactivepartinmoreextracurricularactivities. C)Theyareusuallymoremotivatedtocompetewiththeirpeers. D)Theyhavemoreopportunitiestodeveloptheirleadershipskills.14.A)Itsstudentsaimatmanagerialposts. C)Itschiefpositionsareheldbewomen. B)Itsstudentsarerolemodelsofwomen. D)Itsteachingstaffconsistsofwomenonly.15.A)Theyhaveampleopportunitiestomeettheoppositesex. B)Theyaremoreorlessisolatedfromtheoutsideworld. C)Itistraditionalbutcolourful. D)Itisunderadequatecontrol.SectionBDirections:Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearsomequestions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet1withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions16to19arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.16.A)Byspeakingwiththelocalagent. C)Bymakinggesturesatstrategicpoints. B)Byspeakinginadeep,loudvoice. D)Byinvadingthepersonalspaceoflisteners.17.A)Topromotesportsmanshipamongbusinessowners. B)Toraisemoneyforaforthcominglocalsportsevent. C)Toencouragepeopletosupportlocalsportsgroups. D)Toshowhisfamily’scontributiontothecommunity.18.A)Theywouldcertainlyappealtohisaudience. B)Theyareknowntobethestyleofthesportsworld. C)Theyarebelievedtocommunicatepowerandinfluence. D)Theyrepresentthelatestfashioninbusinesscircles.19.A)Tocreateawarmpersonalatmosphere. C)Toallowtheaudiencetobetterenjoyhisslides. B)Tocoveruphisownnervousness. D)Toenhancetheeffectofbackgroundmusic.PassageTwoQuestions20to22arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.20.A)ShewasthefirstAfrican-Americanslavetopublishabook. B)Shewasbornaboutthetime-oftheWarofIndependence. C)ShewasthegreatestfemalepoetinColonialAmerica. D)ShewasthefirsteducatedslaveofJohnWheatley’s.21.A)Turntothecolonialgovernorforhelp. C)Obtainconsentfromherowner. B)Gothroughascholarlyexamination. D)Reviseitanumberoftimes.22.A)ReligiousscriptspopularamongslavesinAmerica. B)Literaryworkscallingfortheabolitionofslavery. C)Arichstockofmanuscriptsleftbyhistoricalfigures. D)LotsoflostworkswrittenbyAfrican-Americanwomen.PassageThreeQuestions23to25arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.23.A)Itisatraitofgenerouscharacter. C)Itisasignofhappinessandconfidence. B)Itisareflectionofself-esteem. D)Itisanindicatorofhighintelligence.24.A)Itwastheessenceofcomedy. C)Itwasself-defeating. B)Itwassomethingadmirable. D)Itwasaggressive.25.A)Itisafeatureofagivenculture. C)Itisaresultofbothnatureandnurture. B)Itisadouble-edgedsword. D)Itisauniquegiftofhumanbeings.SectionCDirections:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadforthefirsttime,youshouldlistencarefullyforitsgeneralidea.Whenthepassageisreadforthesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillintheblankswiththeexactwordsyouhavejustheard.Finally,whenthepassageisreadforthethirdtime,youshouldcheckwhatyouhavewritten.Itisimportantthatwebemindfuloftheearth,theplanetoutofwhichwearebornandbywhichwearenourished,guided,healed—theplanet,however,whichwehave26toaconsiderabledegreeinthesepasttwocenturiesof27exploitation.Thisexploitationhasreachedsuch28thatpresentlyitappearsthatsomehundredsofthousandsofspecieswillbe29beforetheendofthecentury.Inourtimes,humanshrewdnesshasmasteredthedeep30oftheearthatalevelfarbeyondthecapacitiesofearlierpeoples.Wecanbreakthemountainsapart;wecandraintheriversandfloodthevalleys.Wecanturnthemostluxuriantforestsintothrowawaypaperproducts.Wecan31thegreatgrasscoverofthewesternplainsandpour32chemicalsintothesoiluntilthesoilisdeadandblowsawayinthewind.Wecanpollutetheairwithacids,theriverswithsewage(污水),theseaswithoil.Wecaninventcomputers33processingtenmillioncalculationspersecond.Andwhy?Toincreasethevolumeandthespeedwithwhichwemovenaturalresourcesthroughtheconsumereconomytothejunkpileorthewasteheap.Ourmanagerialskillsaremeasuredbythecompetence34inacceleratingthisprocess.Ifintheseactivitiesthephysicalfeaturesoftheplanetaredamaged,iftheenvironmentismadeinhospitablefor35livingspecies,thensobeit.Weare,supposedly,creatingatechnologicalwonderworld.PartⅢReadingComprehensionSectionADirections：Inthissection,thereisapassagewithtenblanks.Youarerequiredtoselectonewordfareachblankfromalistofchoicesgiveninawordbankfollowingthepassage.Readthepassagethroughcarefullybeforemakingyourchoices.Eachchoiceinthebankisidentifiedbyaletter.PleasemarkthecorrespondingletterforeachitemonAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.Youmaynotuseanyofthewordsinthebankmorethanonce.Questions36to45arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Quiteoften,educatorstellfamiliesofchildrenwhoarelearningEnglishasasecondlanguagetospeakonlyEnglish,andnottheirnativelanguage,athome.Althoughtheseeducatorsmayhavegood36theiradvicetofamiliesismisguided,andit37frommisunderstandingsabouttheprocessoflanguageacquisition.Educatorsmayfearthatchildrenhearingtwolanguageswillbecome38confusedandthustheirlanguagedevelopmentwillbe39;thisconcernisnotdocumentedintheliterature.Childrenarecapableoflearningmorethanonelanguage,whether40orsequentially（依次地）Infact,mostchildrenoutsideoftheUnitedStatesareexpectedtobecomingbilingualoreven,inmanycases,multilingual.Globally,knowingmorethanonelanguageisviewedasan41andevenanecessityinmanyareas.ItisalsoofconcernthatthemisguidedadvicethatstudentsshouldspeakonlyEnglishisgivenprimarilytopoorfamilieswithlimitededucationalopportunities,nottowealthierfamilieswhohavemanyeducationaladvantages.Sincechildrenfrompoorfamiliesoftenare42asat-riskforacademicfailure,teachersbelievethatadvisingfamiliestospeakEnglishonlyisappropriate.Teachersconsiderlearningtwolanguagestobetoo43forchildrenfrompoorfamilies,believingthatthechildrenarealreadyburdenedbytheirhomesituations.IffamiliesdonotknowEnglishorhavelimitedEnglishskillsthemselves,howcantheycommunicateinEnglish?Advisingnon-English-speakingfamiliestospeakonlyEnglishis44totellingthemnottocommunicatewithorinteractwiththeirchildren.Moreover,the45messageisthatthefamily’snativelanguageisnotimportantorvalued.A)assetI)permanentlyB)delayedJ)prevalentC)deviatesK)simultaneouslyD)equivalentL)stemsE)identifiedM)successivelyF)intentionsN)underlyingG)objectO)visualizingH)overwhelmingSectionBDirections:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.TheUsesofDifficultyThebrainlikesachallenge—andputtingafewobstaclesinitswaymaywellboostitscreativity.[A]JackWhite,theformerfrontmanoftheWhiteStripesandaninfluentialfigureamongfellowmusicians,likestomakethingsdifficultforhimself.Heusescheapguitarsthatwon’tstayinshapeorintune.Whenperforming,hepositionshisinstrumentsinawaythatisdeliberatelyinconvenient,sothatswitchingfromguitartoorganmid-songinvolvesamaddashacrossthestage.Why?Becausehe’sontherunfromwhathedescribesasadiseasethatpreysoneveryartist:“easeofuse”.Whenmakingmusicgetstooeasy,saysWhite,itbecomeshardertomakeitsing.[B]It’sanoddthought.Whywouldanyonemaketheirworkmoredifficultthanitalreadyis?Yetweknowthatdifficultycanpayunexpecteddividends.In1966,soonaftertheBeatleshadfinishedworkon“RubberSoul”,PaulMcCartneylookedintothepossibilityofgoingtoAmericatorecordtheirnextalbum.TheequipmentinAmericanstudioswasmoreadvancedthananythinginBritain,whichhadledtheBeatles’greatrivals,theRollingStones,tomaketheirlatestalbum.“Aftermath”,inLosAngeles.McCartneyfoundthat EMI’s(百代唱片）contractualclausesmadeitprohibitivelyexpensivetofollowsuit,andtheBeatleshadtomakedowiththeprimitivetechnologyofAbbeyRoad.[C]Luckyforus.Overthenexttwoyearstheymadetheirmostgroundbreakingwork,turningtherecordingstudiointoamagicalinstrumentofitsown.Preciselybecausetheywereworkingwithold-fashionedmachines,GeorgeMartinandhisteamofengineerswereforcedtoapplyeveryounceoftheircreativitytosolvetheproblemsposedtothembyLennonandMcCartney.Songslike“TomorrowNeverKnows”.“StrawberryFieldsForever”,and“ADayintheLife”featuredrevolutionarysoundeffectsthatdazzledandmystifiedMartiniAmericancounterparts.[D]Sometimesit’sonlywhenadifficultyisremovedthatwerealisethatitwasdoingforus.Formorethantwodecades,startinginthe1960s,thepoetTedHughessatonthejudgingpanelofanannualpoetrycompetitionforBritishschoolchildren.Duringthe1980shenoticedanincreasingnumberoflongpoemsamongthesubmissions,withsomerunningto70or80pages.Thesepoemswereverballyinventiveandfluent,butalso“strangelyboring”.AftermakinginquiriesHughesdiscoveredthattheywerebeingcomposedoncomputers,thenjustfindingtheirwayintoBritishhomes.[E]Youmighthavethoughtanytoolwhichenablesawritertogetwordsontothepagewouldbeanadvantage.Buttheremaybeacosttosuchfacility.InaninterviewwiththeParisReviewHughesspeculatedthatwhenapersonputspentopaper,“youmeettheterribleresistanceofwhathappenedyourfirstyearatit,whenyoucouldn’twriteatall”.Asthebrainattemptstoforcetheunsteadyhandtodoitsbidding,thetensionbetweenthetworesultsinamorecompressed,psychologicallydenserexpression.Removethatresistanceandyouaremorelikelytoproducea70ramble(不着边际的长篇大论).[F]Ourbrainsrespondbettertodifficultythanweimagine.Inschools,teachersandpupilsalikeoftenassumethatifaconcepthasbeeneasytolearn,thenthelessonhasbeensuccessful.Butnumerousstudieshavenowfoundthatwhenclassroommaterialismadehardertoabsorb,pupilsretainmoreofitoverthelongterm,andunderstanditonadeeperlevel.[G]Asapoet,TedHugheshadanacutesensitivitytothewayinwhichconstraintsonself-expression,likethedisciplinesofmetreandrhyme（韵律）,spurcreativethought.Whatappliestopoetsandmusiciansalsoappliestoourdailylives.Wetendtoequate（等同）happinesswithfreedom,but,asthepsychotherapistandwriterAdamPhillipshasobserved,withoutobstaclestoourdesiresit’shardertoknowwhatwewant,orwherewe’reheading.Hetellsthestoryofapatient,afirst-timemotherwhocomplainedthatheryoungsonwasalwaysclingingtoher,wrappinghimselfaroundherlegswherevershewent.Sheneverhadamomenttoherself,shesaid,becausehersonwas“alwaysintheway”.WhenPhillipsaskedherwhereshewouldgoifhewasn’tintheway,sherepliedcheerfully,“Oh,Iwouldn’tknowwhereIwas!”[H]Takeanothercommonobstacle:lackofmoney.Peopleoftenassumethatmoremoneywillmakethemhappier.Buteconomistswhostudytherelationshipbetweenmoneyandhappinesshaveconsistentlyfoundthat,aboveacertainincome,thetwodonotreliablycorrelate.Despitetheeasewithwhichtherichcanacquirealmostanythingtheydesire,theyarejustaslikelytobeunhappyasthemiddleclasses.Inthisregardatleast,F.ScottFitzgeraldwaswrong.[I]Indeed,easeofacquisitionistheproblem.ThenovelistEdwardStAubynhasanarratorremarkoftheveryrichthat,“nothavingtoconsideraffordability,theirdesiresrambledonlikeunstoppablebores,relentless(持续不断的）andwhimsical(反复无常的）atthesametime.”WhenBostonCollege,aprivateresearchuniversity,wantedabetterfeelforitspotentialdonors,itaskedthepsychologistRobertKennytoinvestigatethemindsetofthesuper-rich.Hesurveyed165households,mostofwhichhadanetworthof$25mormore.Hefoundthatmanyofhissubjectswereconfusedbytheinfiniteoptionstheirmoneypresentedthemwith.Theyfoundithardtoknowwhattowant,creatingakindofexistentialbafflement.Oneofthemputitlikethis:“Youknow,Bob,youcanjustbuysomuchstuff,andwhenyougettothepointwhereyoucanjustbuysomuchstuff,nowwhatareyougoingtodo?”[J]Theinternetmakesinformationbillionairesoutofallofus,andthearchitectsofouronlineexperiencesarecatchingontotheneedtomakethingscreativelydifficult.Twitter’shugesuccessisrootedinthesimplebutprofoundinsightthatinamediumwithinfinitespaceforself-expression,themostinterestingthingwecandoisrestrictourselvesto140characters.ThemusicserviceThisIsMyJamhelpspeoplenavigatethetensofmillionsoftracksnowavailableinstantlyviaSpotifyandiTunes.Userspicktheirfavouritesongoftheweektosharewithothers.Theyonlygettochooseone.Theservicewasonlylaunchedthisyear,butbytheendofSeptember650,000jamshadbeenchosen.Itsco-founderMattOgleexplainsitsraisondetre(存在的理由)likethis:“Inanageofendlesschoice,weweremissingawaytosay:‘This.Thisistheoneyoushouldlistento.”[K]Today’sworldoffersmoreopportunitythanevertofollowtheadviceoftheWalkerBrothersandmakeiteasyonourselves.Comparedwithahundredyearsago,ourlivesarelesstightlyboundbysocialnormsandphysicalconstraints.Technologyhascutoutmuchoflife’sdonkeywork,andwehavemorefreedomsthanever:wecanwearwhatwelikeandcommunicatewithhundredsoffriendsatonceattheclickofamouse.Obstaclesareeverywheredisappearing.Fewofuswishtoturntheclockback,butperhapsweneedtoremindourselveshowusefultherightobstaclescanbe.Sometimes,thebestroutetofulfillmentisthepathofmoreresistance.46.Therigorousrequirementsplacedonthewritingofpoetrystimulatethepoet’screativity.47.Withcreativity,evenold-fashionedinstrumentsmayproducespectacularsoundeffects.48.Moremoneydoesnotnecessarilybringgreaterhappiness.49.Itisafalseassumptionthatlessonsshouldbemadeeasiertolearn.50.Obstaclesdeliberatelyplacedinthecreationofmusiccontributetoitssuccess.51.Thosewhoenjoytotalfreedommaynotfindthemselveshappy.52.TedHughesdiscoveredmanylongpoemssubmittedforpoetrycompetitionwerecomposedoncomputers. 53.Maybeweneedtobearinmindthattherightobstacleshelpleadustogreaterachievements.54.Aninvestigationfoundthatmanyofthesuper-richwerebaffledbytheinfinitechoicestheirmoneymadeavailable.55.Onefreesocialnetworkingwebsiteturnedouttobesuccessfulbecauseitlimitedeachpostingtoonehundredandfortycharacters.SectionCDirections:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).YoushoulddecideonthebestchoiceandmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.PassageOneQuestions56to60arebasedonthefollowingpassage.TherewasatimenotlongagowhennewsciencePh.D.sintheUnitedStatedwereexpectedtopursueacareerpathinacademia（学术界）.Buttoday,mostgraduatesendupworkingoutsideacademia,notonlyinindustrybutalsoincareerssuchassciencepolicy,communications,andpatentlaw.Partlythisisaresultofhowbleaktheacademicjobmarketis,butthere’salsoarisingawarenessofcareeroptionsthatPh.D.scientistshaven’ttrainedfordirectly—butforwhichtheyhaveusefulknowledge,skills,andexperience.Still,there’sahugedisconnectbetweenthewaywecurrentlytrainscientistsandtheactualemploymentopportunitiesavailableforthem,andanurgentneedfordramaticimprovementsintrainingprogramstohelpclosethegap.OnecriticalstepthatcouldhelptodrivechangewouldbetorequirePh.D.studentsandpostdoctoralscientiststofollowanindividualdevelopmentplan(IDP).In2002,theU.S.FederationofAmericanSocietiesforExperimentalBiologyrecommendedthateverypostdoctoralresearcherputtogetheranIDPinconsultationwithanadviser.Sincethen,severalacademicinstitutionshavebeguntorequireIDPsforpostdocs.AndinJune,theU.S.NationalInstitutesofHealth(NIH)BiomedicalResearchWorkforceWorkingGrouprecommendedthattheNIHrequireIDPsfortheapproximately32,000postdoctoralresearcherstheysupport.Otherfundingagencies,publicandprivate,aremovinginasimilardirection.IDPshavelongbeenusedbygovernmentagenciesandtheprivatesectortoachievespecificgoalsfortheemployeeandtheorganization.Theaimistoensurethatemployeeshaveanexplicittooltohelpthemunderstandtheirownabilitiesandaspirations,determinecareerpossibilities,andset(usuallyshort-term)goals.Inscience,graduatestudentsandnewPh.D.scientistscanuseanIDPtoidentifyandnavigateaneffectivecareerpath.AnewWebapplicationforthispurpose,calledmyIDP,hasbecomeavailablethisweek.It’sdesignedtoguideearly-careerscientiststhroughaconfidential,rigorousprocessofintrospection(内省）tocreateacustomizedcareerplan.Guidedbyexpertknowledgefromapanelofscience-focusedcareeradvisers,eachtrainee’sself-assessmentisusedtorankasetofcareertrajectories(轨迹).Aftertheuserhasidentifiedalong-termcareergoal,myIDPwalksherorhimthroughtheprocessofsettingshort-termgoalsdirectedtowardaccumulatingnewskillsandexperiencesimportantforthatcareerchoice.AlthoughsurveysrevealtheIDPprocesstobeuseful,traineesreportaneedforadditionalresourcestohelpthemidentifyalong-termcareerpathandcompleteanIDP.Thus,myIDPwillbemosteffectivewhenifsembeddedinlargercareer-developmentefforts.Forexample,universitiescouldincorporateIDPsintotheirgraduatecurriculatohelpstudentsdiscuss,plan,preparefor,andachievetheirlong-termgoals.56.WhatdowelearnaboutnewsciencePh.D.sintheUnitedStatestoday? A)Theylacktheskillsandexpertiseneededfortheirjobs. B)Theycanchoosefromawiderrangeofwell-payingjobs. C)Theyoftenhavetoseekjobsoutsidetheacademiccircle. D)Theyareregardedasthenation’sdrivingforceofchange.57.WhatdoestheauthorsayaboutAmerica’sPh.D.training? A)Itshouldbeimprovedtobettersuitthejobmarket. B)Itiscloselylinkedtofuturecareerrequirements. C)Itshouldbere-orientedtocareersoutsideacademia. D)Itincludesagreatvarietyofpracticalcourses.58.WhatwasrecommendedforPh.D.sandpostdoctoralresearchers? A)Theymeettheurgentneedsofthecorporateworld. B)Along-termcareergoalbesetasearlyaspossible. C)AnIDPbemadeinconsultationwithanadviser. D)Theyacquireanexplicittooltohelpobtainjobs.59.GovernmentagenciesandtheprivatesectoroftenuseIDPsto . A)bringintofallplaytheskillsandexpertiseoftheirpostdoctoralresearchers B)helpemployeesmakethebestuseoftheirabilitiestoachievetheircareergoals C)placeemployeesinthemostappropriatepositions D)hirethemostsuitablecandidatestoworkforthem60.WhatdoweknowaboutmyIDP? A)Itisaneffectivetoolofself-assessmentandintrospectionforbettercareerplans. B)Itenablespeopletolookintovariouspossibilitiesandchoosethecareertheylove. C)Itpromisesalong-termcareerpath. D)Itispartofthegraduatecurricula.PassageTwoQuestions61to65arebasedonthefollowingpassage.Justoveradecadeintothe21stcentury,women’sprogresscanbecelebratedacrossarangeoffields.TheyholdthehighestpoliticalofficesfromThailandtoBrazil,CostaRicatoAustralia.AwomanholdsthetopspotattheInternationalMonetaryFund;anotherwontheNoblePrizeineconomics.Self-madebillionairesinBeijing,techinnovatorsinSiliconValley,pioneeringjusticesinGhana—intheseandcountlessotherareas,womenareleavingtheirmark.Butholdtheapplause.InSaudiArabia,womenaren’tallowedtodrive.InPakistan,1,000womendieinhonorkillingseveryyear.Inthedevelopedworld,womenlagbehindmeninpayandpoliticalpower.ThepovertyrateamongwomenintheU.S.roseto14.5%lastyear.Tomeasurethestateofwomen’sprogress,Newsweekranked165countries,lookingatfiveareasthataffectwomen’slives:treatmentunderthelaw,workforceparticipation,politicalpower,andaccesstoeducationandhealthcare.AnalyzingdatafromtheUnitedNationsandtheWorldEconomicForum,amongothers,andconsultingwithexpertsandacademics,wemeasured28factorstocomeupwithourrankings.CountrieswiththehighestscorestendtobeclusteredintheWest,wheregenderdiscriminationisagainstthelaw,andequalrightsareconstitutionallyenshrined（神圣化）Butthereweresomesurprises.Someotherwisehigh-rankingcountrieshadrelativelylowscoresforpoliticalrepresentation.Canadarankedthirdoverallbut26thinpower,behindcountriessuchasCubaandBurundi.D