According to The New York Times, the United States is the only high­income country that does not have nationally mandated paid family leave. In contrast, workers in Britain are given up to 50 weeks of family leave, 37 weeks of which is paid. Barack Obama has talked about closing this gap between the United States and its peers, The Times reported. In December, he began giving federal employees six weeks of paid family leave following the birth of a child."It's time we stopped treating childcare as a side issue or a women's issue, and treated it like the national economic priority (优先事项) that it is，" he said in his State of the Union address in January.

　　Some studies have shown that the benefits of paid parental leave are tangible (实际的) beyond the relief new parents experience at being able to focus on their children without worrying about money.

　　语篇解读：本文为说明文。文章介绍了美国三大公司在一周之内相继公布产假修改制度，对那些刚刚有孩子的父母来说这无疑是一大好消息。

　　24．Why is it a good week for new parents?

　　A．The cost they paid will be shared.

　　B．Longer periods of parental leave are expected.

　　C．The policy benefiting them takes effect.

　　D．Employees' working time is becoming shorter.

　　解析：选B　推理判断题。根据第一段中的"three major corporations have changed their parental leave policies"可知三大公司相继修改了产假政策；再结合"totaling 26 weeks for a birth mother"可知产假有望延长，故选B。

　　25．What did Ms. Morris say about the US's present paid leave?

　　A．It's well carried out.

　　B．It's supported by employers.

　　C．Few employees really get the benefits.

　　D．It increases the cost of the companies.

　　解析：选C　细节理解题。根据第二段中的"In the US, government mandates (命令) for paid leave are currently slim to nonexistent"可知，在美国，政府对于带薪休假的命令少得几乎不存在，由此可推知，很少有员工从带薪休假中受益。故选C。

　　26．What can we infer from Obama's words?

　　A．Women can perform as well as men.

B．Childcare should be taken more seriously than the economy.