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It is not only experts in China who are arguing over whether women should work after marriage or not. Worldwide this question is being discussed as an interestingly large number of married women enter the workplace.
Take the United States for example. Since 1960, the percentage of married women in the work force has jumped from 31.9 per cent to 59.4 per cent.
American women first moved into the paid labour force during the World War II, when men left their jobs to fight.
In the last fifty years, more and more women have worked outside the home. And over these years of developing, Americans have changed their social values as a result.
In 1975, women aged 35 and above made up half of all working women. And by 1980, 60 per cent were women at the age of 45 and above.
Now in Japan, women’s work group is M-shaped with middle-aged women and those aged 20-25 at the two peaks.
According to statistics(统计)， 37.7 per cent of Japanese women at childbearing age(25-29) still engaged themselves in work in 1980. and the number reached 50 per cent the next year.
Being a housewife has always been regarded as a “graceful occupation” in Japan. Some young Japanese women believe it is good to be a “ professional housewife”
However, old attitudes have been changing everywhere, and sometimes just out of economic necessary. In recent years, a great number of city housewives have poured out of homes to take
part time jobs.
Even the UN has given its support.
The 34th Congress of the United Nations in 1979 put forward the decision for formalagreement on the getting rid of discrimination(歧视) against women.
So far, most UN members have agreed on it, but some still haven’t, including the United States.
1.From the first passage, we can learn that ________________.
A.experts encourage women to take paying jobs
B.men encourage women to take paying jobs
C.government encourage women to take paying jobs
D.more and more people begin to care about women’s life
2. In the United States _________________.
A.married women are lazier than their husbands.
B.Husbands are lazier than their wives
C.Few married women used to work outside
D.More married women used to work outside
2.Married women in Japan________________.
A, all work outside their homes B. seldom work outside their homes
C. have different opinions on their working outside
D.all do housework at their homes
More and more women have taken jobs outside for the reason that ____________.
A. they have no children to take care of B. they have no housework to do
C. they want to make more friends D. they want to improve their living conditions
5. What the main idea of the passage?
A.Women should stay at home and do housework
B.More women take jobs worldwide
C.The United States should pay more attention to women’s right
D.Women in the poor countries should work outside

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