12．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 moder 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．
24．At what age did most women marry around the 1890 according to the passage？A
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
25．What happened to an ordinary family in about 1900？D
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 the were very young．
26．When she was over fifty，a late nineteenth-century motherD．
A．was usaully expected to die fiarely 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
27．What do we know from the passage？A
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．
D．A husband plays a greater part in looking after the children．
分析 本文属于议论文阅读，作者通过这篇文章主要向我们描述了妇女的社会生活状况的变化，通过妇女的婚姻年龄的改变导致了她们经济地位的变化，改善了妇女的生活状况．
解答 AD DA
24．A．细节理解题．根据文章第一段"A woman marrying at the end of the nineteenth century would probably have been in her middle twenties"可知19世纪的女人大多在25岁左右结婚；故选A．
25．D．推理判断题．根据文章第一段"and would be likely to have seven or eight children，four or five of whom lived till they were five years old"可知19世纪的妇女她们生育了很对孩子，但并不都能活到成年；故选D．
26．D．细节理解题．根据文章第一段"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"可知19世纪的妇女她们50岁之后因为健康状况是不可能找到工作的；故选D．
27．A．推理判断题．根据文章最后一段"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"可知丈夫和妻子在家里分担平等的责任；故选A．
点评 做阅读理解时要快速的浏览全文，把握文章主旨大意，带着问题回到原文，寻找细节或概括相应的答案，最后要理清作者写作思路．
