If women are mercilessly exploited year after year, they have only themselves to blame.  Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion, they are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores. Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion. When you come to think of it, only a woman is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear.

　 Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste. Many women spend vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time altering the dresses they have. Skirts are lengthened or shortened; neck－lines are lowered or raised, and soon.

No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth, comfort and durability. They are only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who hasn’t at some time in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or delicately picking her way through deep snow in high－heeled shoes.

　 When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Does the constantly changing fashion of women's clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of instability? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers. Do their unchanged styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability? That is for you to decide.

1.The writer would be less critical if fashion designers placed more stress on the of clothing

___ .

A．comfort

B．appearance

C．cost

D．suitability

2.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE？

A．Fashion designs should not be encouraged since they are only welcomed by women.

B．The constant changes in women's clothing reflect their strength of character.

C．The fashion industry makes an important contribution to society.

D．New fashions in clothing are created for the commercial exploitation of women.

3.By saying “the conclusions to be drawn are obvious”, the writer means that _____.

A．women’s inconstancy in their choice of clothing is often laughed at

B．women are better able to put up with discomfort

C．men are also exploited greatly by fashion designers

D．men are more reasonable in the matter of fashion

 

During the twentieth-century there has been a great change in the lives of women. 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, of whom four or five 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 chance and 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 and can be expected to live another thirty-five years and is likely to take paid work until sixty.

   This important change in women's life has only recently begun to have its full effect on women's economic position. Even a few years ago most girls left school and took a full-time job. 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 marry younger, more married women stay at work at least until shortly before their first child is born. Very 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.

46. We are told that in a family in about 1900        .

     A. few children died before they were five

     B. seven or eight children lived to be more than five

     C. the youngest child would be fifteen

     D. four or five children died when they were five

47.One reason why the woman of today may take a job is that she         .

     A. is younger when her children are old enough to look after themselves

     B. does not like children herself

     C. needn't worry about food for her children

     D. can be free from family duties when she reaches sixty

48. According to the passage, it is now quite usual for women to         .

     A. stay at home after leaving school         

B. marry men younger than themselves

     C. start working again later in life          

D. marry while still at school

49.Many girls are now likely to        .

     A. give up their jobs for good after they are married

     B. leave school as soon as they can

     C. marry so that they can get a job

     D. continue working until they are going to have a baby

50. Now a husband probably        .

      A. plays a greater part in looking after the children

      B. helps his wife by doing more of the housework

      C. feels dissatisfied with his part in the family

      D. takes a part-time job so that he can help in the home

       ……

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight’s about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She is a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election, except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons, because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America: the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the Dust Bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "we shall overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there’s so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves, if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made? 

(From Obama’s victory speech, 2008 )

56. What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Ann Nixon Cooper was once a slave.              B. Ann Nixon Cooper is a black woman.

C. Ann Nixon Cooper knows Obama and his family very well.

D. Ann Nixon Cooper contributed much to the changes of America.

57. What does the underlined part“cast her ballot”in the first paragraph probably mean?

A. expressed her happiness                                B. worked for Obama

C. voted in the election                                     D. celebrated the victory

58. What message does this part of Obama’s speech mainly send?

A. Ann Nixon Cooper has experienced the best time and the darkest hours of America in the last century.

B. America has undergone great development in the last century and is looking forward to more great changes.

C. Ann Nixon Cooper has witnessed the development and democracy of America.

D. This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations.

 

It was a simple letter asking for a place to study at Scotland’s oldest university which helped start a revolution in higher education. A 140-year-old letter written by a lady calling for her to be allowed to study medicine at St Andrews University has been discovered by researchers. Written by Sophia Jex-Blake in 1873, the seven-page document, which urged the university to allow women to study medicine at the institution, was released yesterday on International Women’s Day.

The document was discovered buried in the university archives (档案) by part-time history student Lis Smith, who is completing her PhD at St Andrews Institute of Scottish Historical Research. She said: “We knew that Sophia Jex-Blake and her supporters, in their effort to open up university medical education for women, had written to the Senatus Academicus (校评议委员会) at St Andrews in an attempt to gain permission to attend classes there, but we didn’t know documentary evidence existed. While searching the archives for information about the university’s higher certificate for women, I was astonished to come across what must be the very letter Jex-Blake wrote.”

In the letter, Sophia and her supporters offered to hire teachers or build suitable buildings for a medical school and to arrange for lectures to be delivered in the subjects not already covered at St Andrews. Although her letter was not successful, it eventually led to the establishment of the Ladies Literate in Arts at St Andrews, a distance-learning degree for women. The qualification, which ran from 1877 until the 1930s, gave women access to university education in the days before they were admitted as students. It was so popular that it survived long after women were admitted as full students to St Andrews in 1892.

Ms Jex-Blake went on to help establish the London School of Medicine for Women in 1874. She was accepted by the University of Berne, where she was awarded a medical degree in January 1877. Eventually, she moved back to Edinburgh and opened her own practice.

1.Sophia wrote a letter to St Andrews University because she wanted _______.

A．to carry out a research project there

B．to set up a medical institute there

C．to study medicine there

D．to deliver lectures there

2.Lis Smith found Sophia’s letter to St Andrews University _______.

A．by pure chance

B．in the school office

C．with her supporters’ help

D．while reading history books

3.Sophia’s letter resulted in the establishment of _______.

A．the London School of Medicine for Women

B．a degree programme for women

C．a system of medical education

D．the University of Berne

4.When did St Andrews University begin to take full-time women students?

A．In 1873.

B．In 1874.

C．In 1877.

D．In 1892.

 

"Get out of the plane!" Justin shouted. Teddy and he dropped to the ground…

When Kathy and Victor reached the edge of the meadow, flames of the fire were shooting more than five meters into the air．

Kathy couldn't believe what she was seeing．One glance told her they needed medical attention immediately．She questioned Victor, "Are you able to find someone nearby for help?"

"There are no farmers, nor villagers nearby," he replied．

"I'm a distance runner, and I'll go for help．" Looking at the seriously injured men, Kathy said to Victor, "It may take me several hours to get out．" She started out．

When she was 23, Kathy set a women's record in a Marathon of 42 kilometers．But now she was running the race of life. She had nearly 30 kilometers of hard wilderness to cover to get help．

Kathy had been running for two hours．This was far back into the wilderness．The country path was growing vague．She stopped to take a quick compass reading．Yes, she had run almost for more than 20 kilometers．Her heart fell, her muscle aching．And finally she saw her car in the distance．

She jumped into the car and sped away．She reached a holiday house and called the police．

During the wait, she walked around, relaxing her legs and drinking water. It took almost two hours for a police helicopter to reach her at the trail end．They needed her for one more task．

1.Who actually had the airplane accident?

A．Justin and Teddy                        B．Kathy and Victor

C．Justin himself                          D．Kathy herself

2.The underlined part "Now, she was running the race of life" means that ____．

A．Kathy would set up a new record

B．Kathy would run a race alone

C．Kathy was running for the lives of others

D．Kathy couldn't rely on Victor this time

3.Kathy stopped to have a look at her compass because ____．

A．she wasn't sure of her own memory

B．she had completely lost her way

C．the country path was getting vague

D．there was only the wilderness

4.What do you think Kathy's final task would be?

A．Giving the injured food and drinks．         B．Showing the police the crash site．

C．Going back to put out the big fire．          D．Taking the injured to the hospital．