2014年12月英语四级卷三仔细阅读原文及翻译、答案详解

第

3

周实践训练课上材料（

For Reading

）

Passage One

Children are a delight. They are our future. But sadly, hiring someone to take care of them while

you go to work is getting more expensive by the year.

Earlier this month, it was reported that the cost of enrolling an infant or small kid at a childcare

center

rose

3%

in

2012,

faster

than

the

overall

cost

of

living.

There

are

now

large

strips

of

the

country where daycare for an infant costs more than a tenth of the average married couple's income.

This

is

not

necessarily

a

new

trend,

but

it

is

a

somewhat

puzzling

one.

The

price

of

professional

childcare has been rising

since the

1980s. Yet

during that time, pay for professional

childcare workers has stood still. Actually caregivers make less today, in real terms, than they did in

1990. Considering that labor costs are responsible for up to 80% of a daycare center's expenses, one

would expect flat wages to have meant flat prices.

So who's to blame for higher childcare costs?

Childcare

is

a

carefully

regulated

industry.

States

lay

down

rules

about

how

many

children

each employee is allowed to watch over, the space care centers need per child, and other minute

details. And the stricter the regulations, the higher the costs. If it has to hire a caregiver for every

two

children,

it

can't

really

achieve

any

economies

of

scale

on

labor

to

save

money

when

other

expenses

go

up.

In

Massachusetts,

where

childcare

centers

must

hire

one

teacher

for

every

three

infants, the price of care averaged more than $$16,000 per year. In Mississippi, where centers must

hire one teacher for every five infants, the price of care averaged less than $$5,000.

Unfortunately,

I

don't

have

all

the

daycare-center

regulations

handy.

But

I

wouldn't

be

surprised if as the rules have become more elaborate, prices have risen. The tradeoff (

交换

) might

be worth it in some cases; after all, the health and safety of children should probably come before

cheap

service.

But

certainly,

it

doesn't

seem

to

be

an

accident

that

some

of

the

cheapest

daycare

available is in the least regulated South.

56. What problem do parents of small kids have to face?

A

A) The ever-rising childcare prices.

C) The balance between work and family.

B) The budgeting of family expenses.

D) The selection of a good daycare center.

57. What does the author feel puzzled about?

C

A) Why the prices of childcare vary greatly from state to state.

B) Why increased childcare prices have not led to better service.

C) Why childcare workers' pay has not increased with the rising childcare costs.

D) Why there is a severe shortage of childcare professional in a number of states.

58. What prevent childcare centers from saving money?

B

A) Steady increase in labor costs.

C) Lack of support from the state.

B) Strict government regulations.

D) High administrative expenses.

59. Why is the average cost of childcare in Mississippi much lower than in Massachusetts?

D

A) The overall quality of service is not as good.

B) Payments for caregivers there are not as high.

C) Living expenses there are comparatively low.

1

D) Each teacher is allowed to care for more kids.

60. What is the author's view on daycare service?

B

A) Caregivers should receive regular professional training.

B) Less elaborate rules about childcare might lower costs.

C) It is crucial to strike a balance between quality and costs.

D) It is better for different states to learn from each other.

56

．【

A

】

2

【定位】 根据题干中的

problem

，

par ents

of

small

kids

定位至第

l

段最后一句。

【解析】本题问有小孩的家长必须面临什么问题。第