英语四级阅读练习

Reading Comprehension.

Directions: In this part, you will read four passages. Each passage is followed by some questions or incomplete statements. For each of them there are four choices marked by a), b), c) and d). You should decide on the best choice.

Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage:

It is only seventy years since British women got the right to vote. Some people think this is the main reason women are so under-represented in politics, trade unions and big businesses. Other feel it is simply that they are much too busy doing other things, The old saying “a woman’s place is in the home” may seem out of date to most people, but the old, fixed image of a woman as a supporting wife and caring mother is certainly still usual—one only has to watch a few television ads.

In 1975 the law did not allow women to be paid less than men doing the same work. Certainly it is usually the case nowadays that women doing the same jobs as men get the same money for doing it; but generally women do not do the same jobs: they do different ones that offer lower salaries. The areas women work in are almost all those of “service’’: teaching, nursing, catering, and cleaning, jobs that can be seen as an extension(延伸) of the mothering role.

Apart from looking after people during the day at work, women often have to take care of a family at home too, which may mean they have less energy to compete in the race for professional development. In almost every field, top positions are more likely to be filed by men. While most teachers are women, for example, most headmasters are not. School cooks are women, head cooks are men and even cleaners tend to be watched over and directed by male caretakers（看管人）。

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

a) Many women’s places are still in the home.

b) Women’s places are no longer in the home.

c) Many women’s jobs have something to do with TV.

d) Women’s jobs are less important than before.

2. Now women are .

a) doing the same jobs as men.

b) in need of more new services.

c) not doing the same jobs as men.

d) paid more attention to than before.

3. In Para. 2, Line 5, the word “catering” may mean .

a) preparing meals b) writing articles

c) running a school d) watching TV programs

4. From the passage, we can see that .

a) it’s better for a woman to stay at home

b) women need much more education to deal successfully with professional tasks

c) there is still a long way for women to go to get equal opportunities

d) women should be at the top positions in their working places.

5. The writer tells us that .

a) women are kept busy all day long

b) women usually learn things faster than men

c) some women teachers cook better than men