As late as 1800, women’s only place was in the home. The idea of woman in the business world was unthinkable. Men were certain that no woman could do a good job outside her home. This was such a widely accepted idea that when the well-known Bronte sisters began writing books in 1864, they had to sign their books with men’s names instead.

Teaching was the first profession open to women soon after 1800. But even that was not an easy profession for women to enter because most schools and colleges were open only to men. Oberlin College in Ohio was the first college in America to accept women.

Hospital nursing became respectable work for women only after Nightingale became famous. Seeing that she was not only a nurse but also a rich and well-educated woman, people began to believe it was possible for women to nurse the sick and still be “ladies”. Miss Nightingale opened England’s first training school for nurse in 1860.

The invention of the typewriter in 1867 helped to bring women out of the home and into the business world. By 1900, thousands of women were working at real jobs in schools, hospitals and offices in both England and America. Some women even managed to become doctors or lawyers. The idea that women could work in the business world had been accepted.

Why couldn’t women become teachers easily? Because___________

the first profession open to them was writing.

most schools and colleges were open only to men.

they wanted to be nurses instead.

they had to work in the business world.

The article is mainly about __________.

women are in the business world

the famous Bronte sisters

schools and colleges in America

rights for American women

Which fact does the article lead you to believe?

The Bronte sisters thought that they were men.

England’s first training school for nurses was in Ohio.

There are more men than women in professional jobs.

Women find it necessary to work harder than before.

The birthrate in Europe has been in a steady decrease since the 1960s. European countries, realizing crisis is at hand, are providing great encouragement for parents to create more babies in the 21st century.

Affairs Ministry concluded last year that,    11    cash encouragement, some women just don’t want to be    12    holding the baby. “What we know is that it’s good for the    13___ if men and women share the burden of having children,” says Soren Kindlund, family policy adviser at the Swedish ministry.    14    Swedish parents can take their paid leave as they wish, men use a mere 12% of it; 60% of fathers do not take even a(n)    15 _   day off work.

Experts fear that the tendency for women to use most of the parental leave could make employers    16    to give young women the permanent jobs they need to qualify for paid maternity leave (产假). In January, Sweden decided to allow new fathers two months’ paid leave, with a warming: use it or    17    it.

Kindlund admits that men are under   18    to stay at work, even though parental pay comes out of the public purse. “It’s not popular among bosses and perhaps with other men in the workplace,” he says. “But it’s good for the father and for the child if they can    19    a relationship.”

In Norway, a(n)   20    policy has worked wonders. 70% of dads in Norway now take parental leave, and the birthrate of 1.85 children per woman is one of the highest in Europe.

11. A. is spite of   B. at the cost of 

 C. in addition to         D. due to

12. A. sent    B. left      C. caught    D. seen

13. A. birthrate   B. income      C. health    D. spirit

14. A. Just as   B. Only if     C. Even though      D. Now that

15. A. one   B. mere     C. only   D. single

16. A. willing   B. reluctant    C. likely   D. unable

17. A. reserve     B. misuse     C. ignore    D. lose

18. A. discussion  B. attack     C. control     D. pressure

19. A. make out    B. add up    C. build up     D. set aside

20. A. impersonal   B. similar     C. severe     D. global

It is hardly surprising that clothing manufacturers (生产商)follow certain uniform standards for various features(特征)of clothes.What seems strange,however,is that the standard adopted for women is the opposite of the one for men.Take a look at the way your clothes button.Men’s clothes tend to button from the right, and women’s from the left.Considering most of the world’s population—men and women — are right-handed,the men’s standard would appear to make more sense for women.So why do women’s clothes button from the left?

History really seems to matter here.Buttons first appeared only on the clothes of the rich in the l7th century,when rich women were dressed by servants.For the mostly right-handed servants,having women’s shirts button from the left would be easier.On the other hand,having men’s shirts button from the fight made sense,too.Most men dressed themselves,and a sword drawn from the left with the right hand would be less likely to get caught in the shirt.

Today women are seldom dressed by servants,but buttoning from the left is still the standard for them.Is it interesting? Actually,a standard,once set,resists change.At a time when all women’s shirts buttoned from the left,it would have been risky for any single manufacturer to offer women’s shirts that buttoned from the right.After all,women had grown so used to shirts which buttoned from the left and would have to develop new habits and skills to switch.Besides,some women might have found it socially awkward to appear in public wearing shirts that buttoned from the fight,since anyone who noticed that would believe they were wearing men’s shirts.

1.What is surprising about the standard of the clothing industry?

A.It has been followed by the industry for over 400 years.

B.It is different for men’s clothing and women’s.

C.It works better with men than with women.

D.It fails to consider right-handed people.

2.What do we know about the rich men in the 17th century?

A.They tended to wear clothes without buttons.

B.They were interested in historical matters.

C.They were mostly dressed by servants.

D.They drew their swords from the left.

3.Women’s clothes still button from the left today because _______.

A.adopting men’s style is improper for women

B.manufacturers should follow standards

C.modern women dress themselves

D.customs are hard to change

4. The passage is mainly developed by ________.

A.analyzing causes

B.making comparisons

C.examining differences

D.following the time order

 

As late as 1800, women’s only place was in the home. The idea of woman in the business world was unthinkable. Men were certain that no woman could do a good job outside her home. This was such a widely accepted idea that when the well-known Bronte sisters began writing books in 1864, they had to sign their books with men’s names instead.

Teaching was the first profession open to women soon after 1800. But even that was not an easy profession for women to enter because most schools and colleges were open only to men. Oberlin College in Ohio was the first college in America to accept women.

Hospital nursing became respectable work for women only after Nightingale became famous. Seeing that she was not only a nurse but also a rich and well-educated woman, people began to believe it was possible for women to nurse the sick and still be “ladies”. Miss Nightingale opened England’s first training school for nurse in 1860.

The invention of the typewriter in 1867 helped to bring women out of the home and into the business world. By 1900, thousands of women were working at real jobs in schools, hospitals and offices in both England and America. Some women even managed to become doctors or lawyers. The idea that women could work in the business world had been accepted.

1. Why couldn’t women become teachers easily? Because___________

A. the first profession open to them was writing.

B.  most schools and colleges were open only to men.

C.  they wanted to be nurses instead.

D.  they had to work in the business world.

2. The article is mainly about __________.

A.  women are in the business world

B.  the famous Bronte sisters

C.  schools and colleges in America

D.  rights for American women

3. Which fact does the article lead you to believe?

A. The Bronte sisters thought that they were men.

B.  England’s first training school for nurses was in Ohio.

C.  There are more men than women in professional jobs.

D.  Women find it necessary to work harder than before.

 

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