During the twentieth-century there has been a great change in the lives of women. A woman marrying at the end of the nineteenth century would probably have been in her middle twenties, and would be likely to have seven or eight children, of whom four or five lived till they were five years old. By the time the youngest was fifteen, the mother would have been in her early fifties and would expect to live a further twenty years, during which chance and health made it unusual for her to get paid work. Today women marry younger and have fewer children. Usually a woman's youngest child will be fifteen when she is forty-five and can be expected to live another thirty-five years and is likely to take paid work until sixty.

   This important change in women's life has only recently begun to have its full effect on women's economic position. Even a few years ago most girls left school and took a full-time job. However, when they married, they usually left work at once and never returned to it. Today the school-leaving age is sixteen, many girls stay at school after that age, and though women marry younger, more married women stay at work at least until shortly before their first child is born. Very many more afterwards return to full or part-time work. Such changes have led to a new relationship in marriage, with the husband accepting a greater share of the duties and satisfactions of family life.

46. We are told that in a family in about 1900        .

     A. few children died before they were five

     B. seven or eight children lived to be more than five

     C. the youngest child would be fifteen

     D. four or five children died when they were five

47.One reason why the woman of today may take a job is that she         .

     A. is younger when her children are old enough to look after themselves

     B. does not like children herself

     C. needn't worry about food for her children

     D. can be free from family duties when she reaches sixty

48. According to the passage, it is now quite usual for women to         .

     A. stay at home after leaving school         

B. marry men younger than themselves

     C. start working again later in life          

D. marry while still at school

49.Many girls are now likely to        .

     A. give up their jobs for good after they are married

     B. leave school as soon as they can

     C. marry so that they can get a job

     D. continue working until they are going to have a baby

50. Now a husband probably        .

      A. plays a greater part in looking after the children

      B. helps his wife by doing more of the housework

      C. feels dissatisfied with his part in the family

      D. takes a part-time job so that he can help in the home

There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do .

In the ancient world , as is today ,most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another .In societies where social roles are rigidly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls are being prepared, even in play , to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world .

What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same . The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship ,mechanics, and technology . It is the universality of toys with regard to their development in all parts of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing .In Egypt ,America ,China ,Japan and among the Arctic (北极的)people, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Variations depended on local customs and way of life because toys imitate their surrounding. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.

Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize inventions for adult use .The progress from the wheel to the cart to the automobile is a direct line of ways up. The progress from a rattle (拔浪鼓) used by a baby in 3000BCto one used by an infant today , however , is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of available materials.

1.The reason why the toys most boys play with are different from those that girls play with is that       .

    A. their social roles are rigidly determined

B. they like challenging activities

C. most boys would like to follow their fathers’ professions

D. boys like to play with their fathers while girls with their mothers.

2.One aspect of “the universality of toys ”lies in the fact that          .

A. the basic characteristics of toys are the same all over the world

B. technological advances have greatly improved the durability of toys

C. the exploration of the universe has led to the creation of new kinds of toys

D. the improvement of craftsmanship in making toys depends on the efforts of universities

3.Which of the following is the author’s view on the historical development of toys?

A. Toys are playing an increasingly important role in shaping a child’s character.

B. The toy industry has witnessed great leaps in technology in recent years.

C. The craftsmanship in toy-making has remained essentially unchanged.

D. Toys have remained basically the same all through the centuries.

4.Regarded as a kind of art form, toys           .

A. reflect the pace of social progress

B. are not characterized by technological progress

C. follow a direct line of ascent

D. also appeal greatly to adults

 

 The greatest recent social changes have been in the lives of women. During the twentieth century there has been a remarkable shortening of the time of a woman’s life spent in caring for children. A woman marrying at the end of the nineteenth century would probably have been in her middle twenties, and would be likely to have seven or eight children, of whom four or five lived till they were five years old. By the time the youngest was fifteen, the mother would have been in her early fifties and would expect to live a further twenty years, during which health made it unusual for her to get paid work. Today women marry younger and have fewer children. Usually a woman‘s youngest child will be fifteen when she is forty-five and can be expected to live another thirty-five years and is likely to take paid work until retirement(退休) at sixty. Even while she has the care of children, her work is lightened by modern living conditions.

  This important change in women’s life-pattern has only recently begun to have its full effect on women‘s economic position. Even a few years ago most girls left schools at the first chance, and most of them took a full-time job. However, when they married, they usually left work at once and never returned to it. Today the school-leaving age is sixteen, many girls stay at school after that age, and though women usually marry younger, more married women stay at least until shortly before their first child is born. Very many more afterwards return to full or part-time work. Such changes have led to a new relationship in marriage, with the husband accepting a greater share of the duties and satisfactions of family life, and with the both husband and wife sharing more equally in providing the money, and running the home, according to the abilities and interests of each of them.

 1.According to the passage, around the year 1900 most women married ________.

  A. at about twenty-five B. in their early fifties

  C as soon as possible after they were fifteen

  D. at any age from fifteen to forty-five

 2. We are told that in a common family about 1900 _________.

A.many children died before they were five

B.seven or eight children lived to be more than five

C.the youngest child would be fifteen

D.four or five children died when they were five

3.When she was over fifty, the late nineteenth-century mother _________.

A.would be healthy enough to take up paid jobs

B.was usually expected to die fairly soon

C.would expect to work until she died

D.was unlikely to find a job even if she wanted one

4.According to the passage, the women of today usually _________.

A.marry instead of getting paid work

B.marry before they are twenty-five

C.have more children under fifteen

D.have too few children

 

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