Question

    The greatest recent social changes have been in the lives of women. During the twentieth century there has been a remarkable shortening of the proportion of a woman' s life spent in caring for the children. A woman marrying at the end of the nineteenth century would probably have been in her middle twenties, and would be likely to have seven or eight children, four or five of whom lived till they were five years old. By the time the youngest was fifteen, the mother would have been in her early fifties and would expect to live a further twenty years, during which health made it unusual for her to get paid work. Today women marry younger and have fewer children. Usually a woman' s youngest child will be fifteen when she is forty-five years and can be expected to live another thirty-five years and is likely to take paid work until retirement at sixty. Even while she has to take care of children, her work is lightened by modern living conditions.

This important change in women' s life-patterns has only recently begun to have its full effect on women' s economic position. Even a few years ago most girls took a full-time job after they left school. However, when they married, they usually left work at once and never returned to it. Today the school- leaving age is sixteen, many girls stay at school after that age, and though women usually marry older, more married women stay at work at least until shortly before their first child is born.  Many more afterwards return to full-or-part-time work. Such changes have led to a new relationship in marriage, with the husband accepting a greater share of the duties and satisfactions of family life, and with both husband and wife sharing more equally in providing the money, and running the home, according to the abilities and interests of each of them.

1.At what age did most women marry around the 1890 according to the passage?

A.At about twenty-five

B.In their earl fifties

C.At the age of fifteen

D.At any age from fifteen to forty-five

2.What happened to an ordinary family in about 1900?

A.The youngest child could live to fifteen.

B.Four of five children died after they were five.

C.Seven or eight children lived to be more than five.

D.Some children died when they were very young.

3.When she was over fifty, a late nineteenth-century mother ______.

A.was usually expected to die fairly soon

B.would expect to work until she died

C.would be healthy enough to take up paid jobs

D.was less like to find a job even if she wanted to

4.What do we know from the passage?

A.Husbands and wives share equal responsibilities at home.

B.More and more women are looked down upon by husbands.

C.Today women prefer to get married rather than get jobs.

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.D

4.A

【解析】

这是篇说明文。文章主要讲了女性在婚姻家庭及社会角色中的重大变革。

1.

细节理解题。根据第一段“A woman marrying at the end of the nineteenth century would probably have been in her middle twenties, 19世纪末结婚的女性大概是25岁左右，”可知答案为A选项。

2.

细节理解题。根据第一段“A woman marrying at the end of the nineteenth century would probably have been in her middle twenties, and would be likely to have seven or eight children, four or five of whom lived till they were five years old.十九世纪末结婚的女人，大概二十五六岁左右，可能会有七八个孩子，其中四五个活到五岁。”可知这个时期虽然一个家庭有很多孩子，但一部分会夭折，结合选项可知答案为D选项。

3.

细节理解题。根据第一段“By the time the youngest was fifteen, the mother would have been in her early fifties and would expect to live a further twenty years, during which health made it unusual for her to get paid work.到最小的孩子15岁时，母亲已经50岁出头，预计还能再活20年，在此期间，由于健康原因，她不太可能得到有报酬的工作。.”可知女性到了50多岁找到工作的可能性不大，结合选项可知答案为D。

4.

判断推理题。根据最后一段“Many more afterwards return to full-or-part-time work. …and with both husband and wife sharing more equally in providing the money, and running the home, according to the abilities and interests of each of them. 之后更多的人重返全职或兼职工作，这种变化导致了婚姻中的新关系，….夫妻双方根据各自的能力和兴趣更加平等地分配金钱和经营家庭。”可知现阶段，男女在家庭中是共同承担责任的，结合选项，可知答案为A选项。