A
Crying is the sign of the rawest of human emotions. We cry when we can't hold inside what we feel any more. We cry when we're at our best, and when we're at our worst. By we, I mean all of us. Men included.
But we never see other men cry. In no western culture has it ever been acceptable for men to shed (流泪) more than a single tear, and even then it's reserved for grand victories, defeats and deaths. Dutch research suggests that women cry between three and five times more than men. Generally men and women cry over the same things — deaths, breakups and homesickness, primarily, but researchers believe that men cry more often than women when it comes to positive events.
I want to admit I'm a bit of a cryer. However, having never really experienced deaths in my life, a few weeks ago I experienced what it means to really, truly, pour my heart out in tears.
See, my dog — and 24/7 companion — was killed by a car right outside my house. Being a witness to this painful event left me in shock for a good hour, but then the floodgates opened. Over the next 48 hours, I might have cried 20 times. Once or twice I crouched (蹲) on the floor with my head in my hands and tears were the only outlet.
It is suggested in the book Adult Crying: A Biopsychosocial Approach that there's certain pleasure in crying. It helps ease stress when there is no other way to express ourselves.
In those days after my dog's death, I remember thinking, “I've got to stop this crying”. It felt unmanly. It felt like a sign of weakness. I've since realised that tears are for everybody; they're not genderspecific. They show we have sympathy, allow us to get rid of stress and just feel.
【文章大意】 本文是一篇夹叙夹议文。作者的狗遭遇车祸，作者痛哭不已，伤心欲绝。后来作者意识到哭泣是释放压力的方式。
【难句分析】However, having never really experienced deaths in my life, a few weeks ago I experienced what it means to really, truly, pour my heart out in tears.(第三段第二句)
分析：该句为主从复合句。该句中what it means to really, truly, pour my heart out in tears为what引导的宾语从句；having never really experienced deaths in my life为现在分词短语作原因状语。
译文：然而，我在生活中从来没有真正体会过死亡，数周前的一次体验让我知道死亡真的意味着痛哭流涕和撕心裂肺的感觉。
1. What does the first paragraph mainly talk about?
A．Crying is a raw human emotion.
B．Crying is an emotion beyond control.
C．Crying is an emotion showing sadness.
D．Crying is an emotion showing happiness.
答案与解析：A'考查段落大意。通读该段可知，该段第一句“Crying is the sign of the rawest of human emotions”为该段的主题句。结合该段其他内容可知，该段主要论述“哭泣是人类最自然的情感流露”，故A项正确。
2. What's the difference between men and women in crying according to Dutch research?
A．They cry over different matters.
B．They cry at different times of life.
C．Women cry more often over deaths.
D．Men are more likely to have tears of joy.
答案与解析：D'考查细节理解。由题干关键词“Dutch research”定位至第二段，根据第二段的“but researchers believe that men cry more often than women when it comes to positive events”可知，男女哭泣的区别是男子对于积极事物的哭泣频率要比妇女高，故D项正确。
3. What did the author think of his crying over his dog's death?
A．A sign of strength.
B．A sign of weakness.
C．Behavior of being womanish.
D．A way of reducing emotional stress.
答案与解析：D'考查细节理解。根据第六段，尤其是最后一句“They show we have sympathy, allow us to get rid of stress and just feel.”可知，作者意识到哭泣是减轻情感压力的方式，故D项正确。
4. What's the best title for the text?
A．Men, never cry like women
B．Men, it's OK to cry sometimes
C．Crying solves psychological problems
D．Crying explains differences between men and women
答案与解析：B'考查标题判断。通读全文内容尤其是第一段第一句“Crying is the sign of the rawest of human emotions”和本文最后一句“They show we have sympathy, allow us to get rid of stress and just feel”可知，本文论述的中心是“哭泣是人类最自然的情感流露，是减轻情感压力的方式”，据此可以判断，B项最适合作文章标题。
