Women work harder than men at university and get better degrees as a result, according to a study carried out at Burnel University.

The research , which tracked 200 students over four years, found that women con sistently outperformed men  in further education  even though they  had started their courses with almost the same A—level results.

An analysis of the department's results showed that while 65 per cent of female graduates were awarded, only 35 per cent of males did that well.

Girls are known to outperform boys at school, but this research shows the trend continues at university.

Fiona Smith, the senior lecturer at Brunel who led the study, said , “The survey proved a previously held opinion wrong that the educational sex gap is purely a middle school phenomenon . "

It also makes the unfairness for working women in terms of pay .Women work harder at school, harder at university and do better in both, yet still receive less pay.      

The survey found that female students were harder working, less likely to miss lectures and more likely to believe their marks reflected their ability than their male competitors. Female students were also more likely to seek and receive support from teachers.

On the contrary , men were more likely than women to miss lectures due to “ la­ziness " and to believe that playing sport was an important part of university life.

Different from the popular argument that women's success is due to the in­creased emphasis on coursework, female geographers at Brunel did better in exams than in coursework, the research found.

The study, based on 180 questionnaires and interviews with more than 70 students, concluded that males underachieved because they felt working hard was not “macho”.

Dr Smith said, “Most women feel that getting good grades is the most important

part of university life .They believe they need to work harder in order to be able to compete in the male-controlled environment they will face at work : good grades are viewed as an “ insurance policy " for success .Men ,on the other hand , feel that it's not "macho" to work hard . They tend to put going out and playing sport higher than coursework.

1．The underlined word “It” in the sixth paragraph probably refers to________.

    A．the previously held opinion                   B．a(chǎn) middle school phenomenon

    C．the survey                                           D．the educational sex gap

2．The cause of women performing better at university than men is that ______ .

A．female students did better at school before entering university

    B．women will not find jobs unless working harder at university

    C．women get more help and support from the teachers

   D．most female students think good grades at university will benefit them in the future

3．The underlined word "macho" might have the same meaning as _______.

    A．proud            B．manly         C．brave              D．strong

4．Which of the following might be the best title of this passage?

    A．Women Outperform Men at University.

    B．Women Should Receive the Same Pay as Men.

    C．Males at University Perform too Badly.

       D．Females Do Better at School as Well as at University.

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