关于女性从事工程领域工作的常见误区
In the field of engineering, men hold most of the jobs. But DiscoverE wanted to change that. On February 25, DiscoverE, known as the National Engineers Week Foundation, celebrated its yearly Girl Day.
Although women fill close to all jobs in the U.S. economy, they hold less than 25% in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The agency also reported women hold a low share of college degrees in these fields, particularly in engineering.
With such a large gender gap in STEM jobs, DiscoverE wanted to show females the different fields available to them. It also intended to uncover the different myths(错误的观点) that may be causing females to shy away from this line of work. Valecia Maclin, a director of Raytheon, a technology company, and one of DiscoverE’s partners, gave the four most common myths about engineers.
Myth 1: Engineers aren’t creative.
According to Maclin, engineers are actually creative. “Engineers need to be very creative in order to solve problems,” she says. And females, Maclin adds, are great at problem solving.
Myth 2: Engineering is harder for girls.
Maclin finds that math allows students to be on an equal level, no matter what their gender is. “Math is either right or wrong and always equal,” she says. “That equal sign meant I was equal to all the males in my class.”
Myth 3: You’ll be the only female in your engineering class.
Maclin admits there’re usually very few females in engineering classes. Such was the case in her own experience, but rarely will there be only one female in the class. She believes this can work in favor of females.
Myth 4: You’ll get paid less than the male engineers.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, women working full time only make about 79% of what men earn. However, STEM careers are in such high demand that even starting salaries are high. “In engineering, your performance is the driving force behind what you get paid, regardless of your gender,” Maclin says.
1.Why did DiscoverE celebrate its annual Girl Day?
A To arouse people’s interest in the STEM jobs.
B To inspire girls to pursue engineering careers.
C To inform people of the importance of STEM.
D To make more girls major in engineering in college.
解析：选B。B 推理判断题。根据第一段第一、二句“In the field of engineering, men hold most of the jobs. But DiscoverE wanted to change that.” 可 推 断 DiscoverE 机构的目的在于激励女性从事工程方 面的工作，故选 B。
2.Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined part?
A Avoid.
B Preserve.
C Limit.
D Hunt.
解析：选A。A 词义猜测题。前文讲到女性从事科学、技术、 工程以及数学(STEM)领域工作的占比很少，DiscoverE 就来揭示一些导致女性对这些行业望 而却步的错误观念，即让女性避免做这些领域的 工作的观点。故选 A。
3. What is a fact in the engineering field in America?
A Professionals are easy to be employed.
B Few positions are available to females.
C There is fierce competition in the field.
D The salary depends on the performance and gender.
解析：选A。A 推理判断题。根据最后一段第二句“However, STEM careers are in such high demand that even starting salaries are high.”可知这些领域对职业人 士的需求量是非常大的并且起薪也很高。由此推 断，只要是工程行业的专业人士，是很容易被雇 佣的。故选 A。
4.What opinion does Valecia Maclin probably hold?
A Females are actually as smart as males in some ways.
B Women are helping the development of STEM.
C Engineering is suitable for males as well as females.
D Females should be taken good care of in any field.
解析：选C。C 观点态度题。根据第三段内容并结合 Valecia Maclin 所列举的 Myth 2 的“That equal sign meant I was equal to all the males in my class.”以及 Myth 4 的 “In engineering, your performance is the driving force behind what you get paid, regardless of your gender”可知，她认为工程领域的工作既适 合男性，也适合女性。故选 C。