Pride and Prejudice for the Modern Woman

Let us imagine how Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's most famous work, might be updated, 200 years on.

Austen's popularity is rooted in her intelligence. But today she would certainly have had a very different life, as would her characters. Here's my own suggestion. . .

It is a truth finally and universally acknowledged that a single woman with brains deserves to have equal opportunities to men, however disadvantaged she may feel by sexism.

" My dear husband," said his hopeful wife one day, " have you heard that the local store, standing empty for so long, is taken over by a bright young businesswoman?"

Her dull and indifferent (漠不关心的) husband replied that he had not. "But it is, it is," she replied excitedly. Mr Dull-Husband made no reply.

"Don't you want to know her plans?" she cried with some impatience.

"Well, clearly you think it matters to your silly little head. .. so I'd better listen. "

"Well, my dear, the rumour (传言) is that she has already set up a string of successful businesses in northern England, though how a woman can know anything about that is beyond me. She will move in herself next month. " "What is her name?" "Bingley. "

"Is she married or single?"

"What a question! And none of your business. But her coming will be a fine thing for our five boys. " "How so? How can it possibly affect them? "

"My dear love; those lazy boys need something to wake them up. There are bound to be jobs going. "

" Is that her point in settling here? Surely as a woman she has simply taken a fancy to the place. "

" Nonsense, my love, how little you've noticed the world has changed. She's got a first-rate degree and some sort of business qualification, I'm told. She surely needs one of our boys! Perhaps you might give her a call. "

" Me? No. Perhaps you can take an interest. You still have your looks, after all. She may even offer you a job. " "Oh, that's not likely. These new chances belong to the younger generation. But now you mention it, I think I'll go along all the same. "

And Mrs Bennet went along. That was 10 years ago. She is now managing director of a FTSE-listed company.

... It would remain the case, of course, that Mrs Bennet would be one of very few women on the company board, that her salary would be lower than her male colleagues, her bonus of a more "female" dimension and her lifespan (年限) among the city's business leaders shorter than theirs. Still, she'd no doubt have enjoyed Davos—and might even have hobnobbed (攀谈) with influential figures.

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

A．Austen was born 200 years ago.

B．Austen rewrote Pride and Prejudice.

C．Austen's success lies in her wisdom.

D．Austen's updated work gains popularity.

2.The underlined part in the passage suggests that Mrs Bennet ____.

A．had mixed feelings of admiration and surprise about Bingley

B．felt kind of worried and doubtful about Bingley

C．was extremely anxious to meet Bingley

D．had a great curiosity about Bingley

3.In the eyes of Mrs Bennet, Bingley surely needed one of their boys to ____.

A．get married to                          B．work for her

C．help her move in                        D．take over her store

4.What does the writer intend to tell us?

A．Women with brains can also be as successful as men.

B．Women have to pay a high price for success.

C．A judgment must be made free from prejudice.

D．Sex discrimination still exists nowadays.

Pride and Prejudice for the Modern Woman
Let us imagine how Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's most famous work, might be updated, 200 years on.
Austen's popularity is rooted in her intelligence. But today she would certainly have had a very different life, as would her characters. Here's my own suggestion. . .
It is a truth finally and universally acknowledged that a single woman with brains deserves to have equal opportunities to men, however disadvantaged she may feel by sexism.
" My dear husband," said his hopeful wife one day, " have you heard that the local store, standing empty for so long, is taken over by a bright young businesswoman?"
Her dull and indifferent (漠不关心的) husband replied that he had not. "But it is, it is," she replied excitedly. Mr Dull-Husband made no reply.
"Don't you want to know her plans?" she cried with some impatience.
"Well, clearly you think it matters to your silly little head. .. so I'd better listen. "
"Well, my dear, the rumour (传言) is that she has already set up a string of successful businesses in northern England, though how a woman can know anything about that is beyond me. She will move in herself next month. " "What is her name?" "Bingley. "
"Is she married or single?"
"What a question! And none of your business. But her coming will be a fine thing for our five boys. " "How so? How can it possibly affect them? "
"My dear love; those lazy boys need something to wake them up. There are bound to be jobs going. "
" Is that her point in settling here? Surely as a woman she has simply taken a fancy to the place. "
" Nonsense, my love, how little you've noticed the world has changed. She's got a first-rate degree and some sort of business qualification, I'm told. She surely needs one of our boys! Perhaps you might give her a call. "
" Me? No. Perhaps you can take an interest. You still have your looks, after all. She may even offer you a job. " "Oh, that's not likely. These new chances belong to the younger generation. But now you mention it, I think I'll go along all the same. "
And Mrs Bennet went along. That was 10 years ago. She is now managing director of a FTSE-listed company.
... It would remain the case, of course, that Mrs Bennet would be one of very few women on the company board, that her salary would be lower than her male colleagues, her bonus of a more "female" dimension and her lifespan (年限) among the city's business leaders shorter than theirs. Still, she'd no doubt have enjoyed Davos—and might even have hobnobbed (攀谈) with influential figures.
【小题1】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A few weeks ago, our dog, which we had kept for more than ten years, had to be put down. First, a tumor on her stomach got worse, and she was very   36 . Then, the pain in her back got so bad that sometimes she   37  lie down in the middle of a walk and couldn't take another   38 .

When I first found out, l was very sad and cried a lot. She was more like a sister to me than a   39 .But I was also angry at my stepfather,Steve,who told us the  40  a week after it happened. He   41  because he didn' t want to worry us, and he didn't want me to get depressed(抑郁的) and fail my exams. I just thought she was   42  at the animals' hospital.

I think you know all the   43  that went through my head: She was my dog！Why didn't he tell us earlier? I didn't even get to say goodbye.

People in my family have a   44  of keeping things from me to protect me, such as only telling me that my aunt had cancer   45  she had already improved health. All I could think was: Not again !

I   46  to my mum, and she said， “I know. I'm   47  , too.” I opened my mouth to shout. And then she added, “I'm so angry with Steve that he had to   48  through all this on his own.”Hearing my mum's words, I shut up my mouth. I had been so   49  on myself. I hadn't thought about   50  Steve was going through. That dog was his baby. He'd had her for longer than he'd had us—and he had to make the decision to   51  her life, and then kept in silence for an entire   52 . All my anger melted away, and all I felt was   53 .

It makes me realize that we focus so much on ourselves that we   54  the pain of others. At that moment, my mum's words were an incredible   55  that I'll never forget.

1.                A．lazy            B．lonely          C．painful   D．shameful

2.                A．would          B．should          C．might D．could

3.                A．walk           B．step            C．foot D．breath

4.                A．tool           B．toy            C．baby     D．pet

5.                A．plan           B．accident        C．anecdote D．truth

6.                A．lied            B．waited          C．reflected D．hesitated

7.                A．still            B．once           C．even     D．never

8.                A．facts           B．opinions        C．thoughts D．doubts

9.                A．story           B．secret          C．habit D．hobby

10.               A．until           B．before         C．while D．after

11.               A．adjusted        B．turned         C．contributed    D．related

12.               A．angry          B．shocked        C．guilty D．abused

13.               A．break          B．go             C．look D．push

14.               A．focused        B．hooked         C．dependent D．hard

15.               A．that           B．where          C．what D．which

16.               A．save           B．expand         C．make D．end

17.               A．year           B．month          C．week D．day

18.               A．regret          B．blame          C．sorrow    D．sympathy

19.               A．shared         B．ignored        C．reminded D．rid

20.               A．comfort        B．compromise     C．gift   D．suggestion