Spanish men will have to learn to change diapers and do dishwashing under the terms of a new law designed to strike a blow.

The law, due to be passed this month, is likely to cause a revolution in family affairs in a country where 40% of men reportedly don’t do housework at all. It will oblige men to “share domestic responsibilities and the care and attention” of children and elderly family members, according to the draft approved by the Spanish parliament’s justice commission.

“This will be a good way of reminding people what their duties are. It is something feminists (女权主义者) have been wanting for a long time,” said Margarita Uria, of the Basque Nationalist Party, who was behind what is an amendment to a new divorce law.

Failure to meet the obligations will be taken into consideration by judges when determining the terms of divorces. Men who refuse to do their part may be given less frequent contact with their children.

Spanish women spend five times longer on housework than husbands. Even when both have jobs outside the home, Spanish women still do three times as much work in the house.

“It is not just about housework, though,” said Ms. Uria.

A study five years ago by Spain’s Center for Sociological Investigation concluded that fathers spent an average of 13 minutes each day looking after their children.

Only 19 % of Spanish men thought it was right for mothers of school-age children to have a full-time job. More than a third thought mothers should not work outside the home at all.

The Change to the Spanish legal code will see domestic obligations added to a list of marital(婚姻的) duties that currently includes fidelity, living together and helping one another.

That should guarantee that, when the law—which will also make divorce proceedings faster and easier—is voted on in parliament in the next few weeks, the obligation to share domestic chores will be added to the statute books.

What is the percentage of Spanish men who don’t do any housework?

A. 19%    B. 40%    C. 60%    D. 80%

About the new law, which of the following is NOT true?

   A. Men are obliged to do housework.

   B. Men will have to take care of children.

   C. Women have to have full-time jobs.

   D. Men will have to take care of the elderly.

According to the fourth paragraph, which of the following is TRUE?

   A. If a man fails to fulfill the obligation, he will get a divorce.

   B. If a man fails to fulfill the obligation, he will be thrown to the jail.

   C. If a man fails to fulfill the obligation, he will be in an unfavorable condition in a divorce.

   D. If a man fails to fulfill the obligation, he will not be allowed to see the child any more.

What is the general topic of the passage?

A. Spain will pass a new law to oblige men to share domestic responsibilities.

B. Men have to share more domestic responsibilities.

C. There will be a revolution by provoked (被激怒的) feminists.

D. Marital laws in Spain are not enough yet.

Spanish men will have to learn to change diapers and do dishwashing under the terms of a new law designed to strike a blow.

The law, due to be passed this month, is likely to cause a revolution in family affairs in a country where 40% of men reportedly don’t do housework at all. It will oblige men to “share domestic responsibilities and the care and attention” of children and elderly family members, according to the draft approved by the Spanish parliament’s justice commission.

“This will be a good way of reminding people what their duties are. It is something feminists (女权主义者) have been wanting for a long time,” said Margarita Uria, of the Basque Nationalist Party, who was behind what is an amendment to a new divorce law.

Failure to meet the obligations will be taken into consideration by judges when determining the terms of divorces. Men who refuse to do their part may be given less frequent contact with their children.

Spanish women spend five times longer on housework than husbands. Even when both have jobs outside the home, Spanish women still do three times as much work in the house.

“It is not just about housework, though,” said Ms. Uria.

A study five years ago by Spain’s Center for Sociological Investigation concluded that fathers spent an average of 13 minutes each day looking after their children.

Only 19 % of Spanish men thought it was right for mothers of school-age children to have a full-time job. More than a third thought mothers should not work outside the home at all.

The Change to the Spanish legal code will see domestic obligations added to a list of marital(婚姻的) duties that currently includes fidelity, living together and helping one another.

That should guarantee that, when the law—which will also make divorce proceedings faster and easier—is voted on in parliament in the next few weeks, the obligation to share domestic chores will be added to the statute books.

1. What is the percentage of Spanish men who don’t do any housework?

2.About the new law, which of the following is NOT true?

3.According to the fourth paragraph, which of the following is TRUE?

4.What is the general topic of the passage?

Spanish men will have to learn to change diapers and do dishwashing under the terms of a new law designed to strike a blow.
The law, due to be passed this month, is likely to cause a revolution in family affairs in a country where 40% of men reportedly don’t do housework at all. It will oblige men to “share domestic responsibilities and the care and attention” of children and elderly family members, according to the draft approved by the Spanish parliament’s justice commission.
“This will be a good way of reminding people what their duties are. It is something feminists (女权主义者) have been wanting for a long time,” said Margarita Uria, of the Basque Nationalist Party, who was behind what is an amendment to a new divorce law.
Failure to meet the obligations will be taken into consideration by judges when determining the terms of divorces. Men who refuse to do their part may be given less frequent contact with their children.
Spanish women spend five times longer on housework than husbands. Even when both have jobs outside the home, Spanish women still do three times as much work in the house.
“It is not just about housework, though,” said Ms. Uria.
A study five years ago by Spain’s Center for Sociological Investigation concluded that fathers spent an average of 13 minutes each day looking after their children.
Only 19 % of Spanish men thought it was right for mothers of school-age children to have a full-time job. More than a third thought mothers should not work outside the home at all.
The Change to the Spanish legal code will see domestic obligations added to a list of marital(婚姻的) duties that currently includes fidelity, living together and helping one another.
That should guarantee that, when the law—which will also make divorce proceedings faster and easier—is voted on in parliament in the next few weeks, the obligation to share domestic chores will be added to the statute books.
【小题1】 What is the percentage of Spanish men who don’t do any housework?

I remember vividly the call that changed my life. It was Tuesday, February 18, when the 31  rang in the kitchen of my Los Angeles home. On the  32  was Marty Bandera, a literary agent to whom I had sent a draft(草稿) of my novel three weeks earlier. “ I have a couple of 33 ,” Bandera said.

“First, how old are you?” “I’m 48,” I replied.

“Are you in good 34 ?” “Yes, excellent. What’s this about?”

“I’ve sold your novels 35 one and a half million dollars.”

I sat down in 36 . I had written over fourteen novels in twenty years, but each one had been 37 by the publishers. I suppose many people would have been 38 , but not me. Each time, I just 39 writing another one. My husband advised me to find something else to do, but I refused to 40 . Seeing this book 41 was the best thing that has ever happened to me. It’s a mystery story (like all the others) and it was on the best-seller 42 two weeks after publication!

I got my first lesson in story 43 from my grandmother. She used to read me stories. She was the one who gave me a 44 of words. She sparked(激发) my 45  and she has been a 46  influence on me. I always had stories running through my 47  and as soon as I could write I 48  them down on paper.

I married young and I have three children, but I never stopped writing, 49  novels between doing the diapers(婴儿的尿布) and dishes. I am writing another novel now. Yes, my 50 has changed my life。

The American newspaper has been around for about three hundred years. In 1721, the printer James Franklin, Benjamin’s older brother, started the New England Courant, and that was what we might recognize today as a real newspaper. He filled his paper with stories of adventure, articles on art, on famous people, and on all sorts of political subjects.

Three centuries after the appearance of Franklin’s Courant, few believe that newspapers in their present printed from will remain alive for long. Newspaper companies are losing advertisers(广告商)，readers, market value, and in some cases, their sense of purpose at a speed that would not have been imaginable just several years ago. The chief editor(主编) of the Times said recently, “At places where they gather, editors ask one another, ‘How are you?’, as if they have just come out of the hospital or a lost law case.” An article about the newspaper appeared on the website of the Guandian, under the headline “NOT DEAD YET.”

Perhaps not, but the rise of the Internet, which has made the daily newspaper look slow and out of step with the world, has brought about a real sense of death. Some American newspapers have lost 42% of their market value in the past three years. The New York Times Company has seen its stock(股票) drop by 54% since the end of 2004, with much of the loss coming in the past year. A manager at Deutsche Bank suggested that stock-holders sell off their Times stock. The Washington Post Company has prevented the trouble only by changing part of its business to education; its testing and test-preparation service now brings in at least half the company’s income.

1.What can we learn about the New England Courant?

A. It is mainly about the stock market.

B. It marks the beginning of the American newspaper.

C. It remains a successful newspaper in America.

D. It carries articles by political leaders.

2.What can we infer about the newspaper editors?

A. They often accept readers’ suggestions.

B. They care a lot about each other’s health.

C. They stop doing business with advertisers.

D. They face great difficulties in their business.

3.Which of the following found a new way for its development?

A. The Washington Post.

B. The Guardian.

C. The New York Times.

D. New England Courant.

4.How does the author seem to feel about the future of newspapers?

A. Satisfied.

B. Hopeful.

C. Worried.

D. Surprised.