小编寄语：英语四级六级考试，阅读是不可或缺的一大部分，生词多，理解难，时间少，是不少考生抱怨的问题。要想在考场上做好阅读理解，必须在平常多阅读，掌握新词汇，提高阅读速度。而小编就为大家准备了阅读材料系列，供大家练习。
我们的这个阅读系列旨在为大家提供一些阅读材料，不一定跟四六级考试的难度、篇幅、内容完全一样。对于很多童鞋纠结这是四级还是六级范围的阅读，其实没有必要。如果大家觉得比较简单，就当作泛读材料了解了解，认识几个新单词或新表达方式也不错。如果大家觉得这些材料理解上有难度，不妨当做挑战自己的拔高训练，希望大家都有进步^^
【推荐阅读】
Contrary to popular belief, men talk more than women, research has found.
But when women do speak, its worth listening because they use more varied and thoughtful language than men.
Psychologist Geoffrey Beattie, from Manchester University, reviewed 56 studies into male and female communication and discovered that 24 concluded men used more words per day while only two pointed to women being the more talkative sex.
Professor Beattie then carried out his own study, recording 50 conversations on a variety of topics before giving volunteers scripts of the exchanges with every fifth word missing and asking them to fill in the gaps.
The words spoken by women were harder to guess because they used language more carefully, said the professor.
For example, when paying compliments, the men tended to rely on bland and therefore more predictable words, such as nice and good.
A typical male compliment might be: You look really nice today. A woman, however, would be more likely to say: I really love your jacket. Where did you buy it?
Overall, the mens words could be guessed 81 per cent of the time, compared with 71 per cent for the women.
The only time the sexes were verbal equals was when talking about current affairs, the research for insurance company Sheilas Wheels found.
Professor Beattie said: It is men who are more likely to talk for the sake of talking when engaged in social chitchat by recycling their words with ritualistic and redundant language that doesnt contain new information.
Female nattering is little more than a cultural myth.
【内容简介】
本文开篇提出了一个跟大家普遍看法不一的研究结果男人比女人话多。
接着，文章介绍了这项研究的主持者及其具体过程，并得出女性用词更严谨的结论。
文中介绍女性谈话更具有文化信息，她们的用词更难猜测。
【词汇短语讲解】
①contrary to 与相反的
②But when women do speak, its worth listening. 这句话里do起强调作用。
在一般句型中，do/does/did 常用来强调谓语动词的语气，在句中要重读。且句子须符合两个条件：1. 句子是肯定句; 2. 句子的谓语动词是一般现在时或一般过去时。在这些句子里，do/does/did可译为真的果真的确确实等。
例如：You do work hard these days.
你这些天真的很努力。
③carry out 实施，实现;贯彻，执行
例句：Its hard for us to carry out this plan.
这项计划实施起来有难度。
相关短语：carry on 继续进行 carry into effect 使生效，使起作用 carry off 带走，夺去
④fill in a gap 填补空白;填空;弥补缺陷
⑤for the sake of 为了的利益
【快速阅读支招】
同前一篇一样，这类研究性文章我们关键是要先找到主题句，一般都会出现在开篇或结尾处。这一篇里，我们可直接在开篇第一句里读到。
另外这类文章通常的行文规律是研究发现研究过程和对象介绍研究补充内容。这篇文章也不例外，先是介绍研究结果，再来解说分析过程和对比研究，文章结尾再做一些补充。研究中的一些意外发现或排除情况可以多留些神。比如这一篇里男性和女性在哪一种情况下用词趋于一致，答案是谈论时事时。这一点也可能成为出题的对象。