The law says women should have the chance of doing the same jobs as men and earn the same as them. The reality is very different. Women lose because, 25 years after the Equal Pay Act, many of them still get paid less than men. They lose because they do lower－paid jobs which men just won’t consider. And they lose because they are the ones who interrupt a career to have children. All this is reported in an independent study ordered by the Government’s women’s unit. The biggest problem isn’t equal pay in workplaces such as factories. It is the sort of work women do.
Make a list of low－paid－jobs, then consider who does them. Try nurses, secretaries, cleaners, clerks, teachers in primary schools, dinner ladies and child－care helpers. Not a lot of men among that group, are there? Yet some of those jobs are really important. Surely no one would deny that about nurses and teachers, for a start. So why do we reward the people who do them so poorly? There can be only one answer—because they are women. This is not going to be put right overnight. But the government, which employs a lot of them, and other bosses have to make a start.
It is disgraceful（可耻的） that we have gone into the 21st century still treating women like second－class citizens.
1.
Women should have the chance of doing the same jobs and getting the same pay as men_________.
A．after 25 years
B．according to the law
C．as a result of those important jobs
D．because women are as strong as men
2.
．We can learn from the text that what really matters in this problem is_________.
A．that women interrupt a career to have children
B．what sort of work women do
C．because they are women
D．what unfair pay women get in workplaces
3.
．Which of the following best describe the writer’s idea?
A．Women and men should get equal pay for equal work.
B．Women should strengthen themselves.
C．The government ought to protect women against getting paid less than men.
D．Some of the jobs that women do are of great importance.
4.
Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?
A．Work to give women a fair pay deal B．The equal pay act
C．The sort of work women do D．The biggest problem about women
To face the music
Like every language, American English is full of special expressions, phrases that come from the day-to-day life of the people and develop in their own way. Our expression today is “to face the music”.
When someone says, “well, I guess I’ll have to face the music,” it does not mean he’s planning to go to the concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you didn’t do this or that. Sour music indeed, but it has to be faced. At sometime or another, every one of us has had to face the music, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry voice, “I want to talk to you.” and only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was!
The phrase “to face the music” is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old. And where did this expression come from? The first explanation comes from the American novelist, James Fenimore Looper. He said, in 1851, that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on the stage. When they got their cue to go on, they often said, “Well, it’s time to face the music.” And that was exactly what they did — facing the orchestra which was just below them. And an actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of an audience that might be friendly or perhaps hostile, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So the expression “to face the music” come to mean “having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.”
Other explanations about the expression go back to the army. When the men faced an inspection by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shinny enough to pass the inspection? Still the men had to go out and face the music of the band as well as the inspection. What else could they do?
Another army explanation is more closely related to the idea of facing the results and accepting the responsibility for something that should not have been done. As, for example when a man is forced out of the army because he did something terrible, he is dishonored. The band does not play. Only the drums tap a sad, slow beat. The soldier is forced to leave, facing such music as it is and facing the back of his horse.
1.How many ways does the phrase “to face the music” comes from?
A. 1 B. 2 C. 3 D. 4
2. What’s the meaning of “to face the music?”
A. To face something far less pleasant. B. To face the stage.
C. To face the back of one’s horse. D. To face one’s leader.
3.Which of the following is a situation of facing the music?
A. When we are playing basketball. B. When we are making a speech.
C. When we are having a party. D. When we are talking with somebody.
4. The underlined word “hostile” means _______.
A. unfriendly B. dislike C. unkind D. unnecessary
A young man who lived in
London was in love with a beautiful girl. Soon she became his fiancée(未婚妻).The man was very
poor 26 the girl was rich. The young man wanted to give her a 27 on
her birthday. He wanted to buy something 28 for her, but he had no
29 how to do it, as he had very little 30 .
The next morning he went to a shop. There were many fine things there; rings, gold watches, diamonds but all these things were 31 .There was one thing he could not take his eyes 32 . 33 was a beautiful vase. That would be a wonderful present for 34 . He had been looking at the vase for half an hour 35 the manager asked what had happened to him. The young man told him everything. The manager felt 36 for him and decided to help him. A brilliant idea 37 him. The manager pointed to the corner of the shop. To his great 38 , the young man saw a vase 39 into many pieces. The manager said, “I can help you. I shall order my servant to 40 it and take it to your fiancée. When he enters the room, he will 41 it.”
On the birthday of his
fiancée the young man was very 42 . Everything
happened as he had 43 ．The servant brought in the vase, and as
he entered the room, he dropped it. There was 44 on
everybody's face. When the vase was unwrapped, the guests saw that 45 was
packed separately.
1..
A. when B. while C. as D. because
2.
A. vase B. coat C. ring D. present
3..
A. important B. necessary C. separate D. beautiful
4.
A. way B. plan C. idea D. path
5.
A. time B. thought C. money D. change
6.
A. too expensive B. so cheap C. too big D. very beautiful
7.
A. on B. out C. off D. over
8.
A. It B. Which C. This D. one
9.
A. a man B. him C. a girl D. his fiancée
10.
A. when B. while C. since D. after
11. A. sorry B. sorrowful C. worried D. uneasy
12.
A. stuck B. came C. helped D. struck
13.
A. surprise B. excitement C. joy D. horror
14.
A. burst B. broken C. got D. turned
15.
A. wrap (包起来) B. send C. buy D. pick
16.
A. watch B. fall C. drop D. unwrap
17.
A. exited B. surprised C. calm D. busy
18.
A. planned B. told C. realized D. expected
19.
A. expression B. anger C. horror D. fun
20.
A. the vase B. the present C. all that D. each piece
–Why don’t we hold a party to celebrate the achievements gained by our Olympic players?
--__________.
A. Because we have not got enough preparations
B. Good idea
C. It is all because of the terrible weather
D. Not all would like to attend it
________, the more expensive the camera, the better its quality.
A. General speaking B. Speaking general
C. Generally speaking D. Speaking generally
She ________ Japanese when she was in Japan. Now she can speak it freely.
A. picked out. B. made out C. made up D. picked up
