How Women Were Freed From Their Homes
As late as 1800, a woman’s only place was in her home. Women in business were unheard of. No respectable woman would dream of entering what was strictly a “man’s world”. Even if she would, what could she do? Men were sure that no woman could do a job well outside her home. This was a widely accepted idea. When the famous Brontё sisters began writing books in 1846, they had to resort to using men’s names as aliases(别名).
Teaching was the first profession opened to women, soon after 1800. But even that was not easy for women to take because most high schools and colleges were open only to men. Oberlin College in Ohio was the first college in America to take in women.
Nursing was regarded as a respectable profession for women only after Florence Nightingale won high credit for her nursing career and became famous. Miss Nightingale opened the first training school for nursing in 1860 in England.
The invention of typewriters in 1867 helped to bring women out of their homes to join the business world. Because women are careful and have nimble fingers, businessmen found that they were well suited to this kind of work.
By 1890, tens of thousands of women were working in schools, hospitals, shops, offices, and factories both in England and the States. Some even managed to become doctors or lawyers. The idea of women working in business and other circles was accepted.
1. Oberlin College was the first college in America ________.
A. where teaching was a profession only open to women B. where girls could get advanced education
C. to train women to be teachers and nurses D. to accept women only as professors and students
2. It can be inferred from the text that besides nursing, Florence Nightingale was also _______.
A. a doctor B. a lawyer C. a teacher D. a businessman
3. Quite a lot of women entered the business world _______.
A. soon after 1800 B. when Nightingale became famous
C. at the beginning of this century D. after the typewriter came into being
4. If we give another title for the text, which of the following do you think is the best?
A. Women Are Good at Nursing B. Typing Is the Best Profession for Women
C. What Happened in the Business World D. How Women Joined the Outside World
(1—4 BCDD)
【答案与解析】本文介绍了妇女从家庭走向社会的历史过程。
1. B。细节题。根据文章第2段最后一句话：Oberlin College是第一所接收妇女的学校，可推知此题答案为B。
2. C。细节题。根据文章第3段最后一句话：Florence Nightingale于1860年在英国开办了第一家护理训练学校，可推知她就成了老师，则此题答案为C。
3. D。细节题。根据文章第4段第1句话：1867年打字机的发明把妇女从家庭带入了事业界，可推知此题答案为D。
4. D。细节题。根据全文的内容：妇女开始从做老师、护理再到打字、开创事业，可推知此题答案为D。
