You can’t entirely blame men for this change in manners, though. Gone are the days when women could be referred to as weakers without causing trouble. A whole generation of women has grown up demanding(要求) equality(平等) with men, not just equality in jobs or education, but in social life. Hold a door open for some women and you are likely to get an angry lecture on treating women as weakers unable to open doors for themselves. Take a girl out for a meal and she’ll probably insist on paying her share(份额) of the bill. On second thoughts, that is perhaps not a bad idea.

    It’s no wonder that men have given up some ways of politeness and consideration(考虑) which they used to show towards women. On the other hand, the man’s active politeness is perhaps slowly being replaced by true consideration for the needs and feelings of women, so that men can see women as equal human beings, rather than as weakers or something that can be used to please(取悦) men.

1.　　   Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A.　　  Gentlemen are considered impolite nowadays if they do not offer their seats to a standing woman.

B.　　  A good gentleman who doesn’t give his seat to a standing woman should be blamed.

C.　　  Today women do not enjoy the politeness shown actively to her by men but they considered it pleasant in the past.

D.　　 In order to be equal with men, women have to stand in a bus or train.

2.　　   A woman may get angry if a man holds a door open for her because________________.

A.　　  she doesn’t like him to pay too much attention to all her needs

B.　　  women enjoy opening the door themselves

C.　　  she feels herself treated as a weaker

D.　　 she thinks it impolite for a man to do so

3.　　   What do women really need today?

A.　　  Men’s active politeness and consideration.

B.　　  Men’s true consideration for the needs and feelings of women.

C.　　  Trying to win men’s favor.

D.　　 Men’s good manners such as offering their seats and opening the door, etc.

4.　　   The writer most probably is________________________.

A.　　  a man who thinks the changes are reasonable

B.　　  a woman who wants equality

C.　　  a man who doesn’t agree with the changes today

D.　　 a woman who doesn’t agree with the changes today

    There was a time when, if a lady got into a crowded bus or train, a gentleman would immediately stand up and offer his seat. But now, things are different. Today a gentleman will probably look out of the window, or if he feels a bit shy, hide behind his newspaper. Either way, the lady will have to stand until someone else gets off.

    You can’t entirely blame men for this change in manners, though. Gone are the days when women could be referred to as weakers without causing trouble. A whole generation of women has grown up demanding(要求) equality(平等) with men, not just equality in jobs or education, but in social life. Hold a door open for some women and you are likely to get an angry lecture on treating women as weakers unable to open doors for themselves. Take a girl out for a meal and she’ll probably insist on paying her share(份额) of the bill. On second thoughts, that is perhaps not a bad idea.

    It’s no wonder that men have given up some ways of politeness and consideration(考虑) which they used to show towards women. On the other hand, the man’s active politeness is perhaps slowly being replaced by true consideration for the needs and feelings of women, so that men can see women as equal human beings, rather than as weakers or something that can be used to please(取悦) men.

1.　　   Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A.　　  Gentlemen are considered impolite nowadays if they do not offer their seats to a standing woman.

B.　　  A good gentleman who doesn’t give his seat to a standing woman should be blamed.

C.　　  Today women do not enjoy the politeness shown actively to her by men but they considered it pleasant in the past.

D.　　 In order to be equal with men, women have to stand in a bus or train.

2.　　   A woman may get angry if a man holds a door open for her because________________.

A.　　  she doesn’t like him to pay too much attention to all her needs

B.　　  women enjoy opening the door themselves

C.　　  she feels herself treated as a weaker

D.　　 she thinks it impolite for a man to do so

3.　　   What do women really need today?

A.　　  Men’s active politeness and consideration.

B.　　  Men’s true consideration for the needs and feelings of women.

C.　　  Trying to win men’s favor.

D.　　 Men’s good manners such as offering their seats and opening the door, etc.

4.　　   The writer most probably is________________________.

A.　　  a man who thinks the changes are reasonable

B.　　  a woman who wants equality

C.　　  a man who doesn’t agree with the changes today

D.　　 a woman who doesn’t agree with the changes today

As the old saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But Venezuela, whose beauty queens have won Miss Universe and Miss World over six times, doesn’t leave it to chance. In Venezuela, girls as young as four can be found attending beauty schools, where they can learn a range of skills from how to walk to the correct way to hold a wine glass.

“Hair must always be completely clean, make-up should look natural, and you should always, always wear high-heels,” advises Andrea Reyes, a teacher in a school of Caracas with 160 students.

Beauty contests are treated in Venezuela much as sporting competitions are elsewhere. Many Venezuelan parents believe that if their daughters can succeed and get the beauty crown, their future as famous and public persons is sure to come. As a result, the girls are trained to compete at a young age.

Among former beauty queens are Irene Saez, who went on to compete for the country’s president, and Eva Ekvall, whose battle with cancer helped to make more people know about the illness in Venezuela.

However, voices against the trend can be heard all over the country. At one time, a feminist (男女平等主义者) group tried to stop the Miss Venezuela broadcast. President Hugo Chavez has spoken out against the culture of plastic surgery(整形手术)in Venezuela, calling it a “frightening thing”.

The BBC reporter Sarah Grainger says that acceptance of the contests is partly a result of the country’s “machista” (大男子主义的) view of the different roles that men and women should play, “Men are supposed to be strong and brave and women to be gentle and beautiful”.

Miss Universe 1996, Alicia Machado, knows the price to be paid when you’re no longer seen as attractive. After winning the beauty contest, she said all she wanted to do was “eat, eat and eat”. Her weight gain later and warning by the organizers of the contest to replace her as queen with the runner-up was among the hottest topics in the country, especially in Latin America.

1.What’s the advice given by a teacher in Caracas to her students?

A. Attending beauty schools as early as possible.

B. Wearing high-heels at times.

C. Washing your hair quite often.

D. Fighting against cancer bravely.

2.Girls try to win in the beauty contest to__________.

A. try plastic surgery     

B. practice the country’s “machista” view

C. earn a good future   

D. eat as much as one pleases

3.We can learn from the passage that__________.

A. Venezuela girls have won Miss Universe and Miss World over six times by chance

B. In Venezuela, people judge men and women in quite different ways

C. Eva Ekvall once competed for the country’s president

D. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has spoken out against beauty contests

4.What does the underlined word “runner-up” in the last paragraph mean?

A. the news reporter covering the beauty contest

B. the organizer of the beauty contest

C. the girl who is slim

D. the person who comes in the second place