Text 1
Henric Ibsen ,author of the play "A Doll's House", in which a pretty, helpless housewife abandons .Her husband and children to seek a more serious life, would surely have approved.. From January Ist ,2008, all public companies in Norway are obliged to ensure that at least 40% of their board directors arewomen. Most firms have obeyed the law, which was passed in 2003.But about 75 out of the 480 or socompanies it affects are still too male for the government's liking. They will shortly receive a letterinforming them that they have until the end of February to act , or face the legal consequences---which could include being dissolved。
Before the law was proposed, about 7% of board members in Norway were female , according to the Centre for Corporate Diversity. The number has since jumped to 36%. That is far higher than the average of 9% for big companies across Europe or America's 15% for the Fortune 500.Norway's stock exchange and its main business lobby oppose the law, as do many businessmen." I am against quotas for women or men as a matter of principle," says Sverre Munck , head of international operations at a media firm. "Board members of public companies should be chosen solely on the basis of merit and experience,"be says. Several firms have even given up their public status in order to escape the new law.Companies have had to recruit about 1,000 women in four years. Many complain that it has been
Difficult to find experienced candidates. Because of this, some of the best women have collected as many as 25-35 directorships each, and are known in Norwegian business circles as the "golden skirts". One reason for the scarcity is that there are fairly few women in management in Norwegian companies---they occupy around 15% of senior positions. It has been particularly hard for firms in the oil, technology and financial industries to find women with a enough experience。
Some people worry that their relative lack of experience may keep women quiet on boards, and thatIn turn could mean that boards might become less able to hold managers to account. Recent history in Norway, however, suggests that the right women can make strong directors. "Women feel more compelled than men to do their homework," says Ms Reksten Skaugen , who was voted Norway's chairman of the year for 2007, " and we can afford to ask the hard questions, because women are not always expected to know the answers."
1. The author mentions Ibsen's play in the first paragraph in order to__________
A. depict women's dilemma at work。
B. explain the newly passed law。
C. support Norwegian government。
D. introduce the topic under discussion。
2. A public company that fails to obey the new law could be forced to ____________
A. pay a heavy fine。
B. close down its business。
C. change to a private business。
D. sign a document promising to act。
3. To which of the following is Sverre Munck most likely to agree?
A. A set ratio of women in a board is unreasonable。
B. A reasonable quota for women at work needs to be set。
C. A common principle should be followed by all companies。
D. An inexperienced businessman is not subject to the new law。
4.The author attributes the phenomenon of "golden skirts" to____________
A. the small number of qualified females in management。
B. the over-recruitment of female managers in public companies。
C. the advantage women enjoy when competing for senior positions。
D. the discrimination toward women in Norwegian business circles。
5. The main idea of the passage might be ____________
A. female power and liberation in Norway。
B. the significance of Henric Ibsen's play。
C. women's status in Norwegian firms。
D. the constitution of board members in Norway。
参考答案
B B A A C
Text 2
While there's never a good age to get cancer, people in their 20s and 30s can feel particularly isolated. The average age of a cancer patient at diagnosis is 67. Children with cancer often are treated at pediatric cancer centers, but young adults have a tough time finding peers, often sitting side-by-side during treatments with people who could be their grandparents。
In her new book Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips, writer Kris Carr looks at cancer from the perspective of a young adult who confronts death just as she's discovering life. Ms. Carr was 31 when she was diagnosed with a rare from of cancer that had generated tumors on her liver and lungs。
Ms. Carr reacted with the normal feelings of shock and sadness. She called her parents and stocked up on organic food, determined to become a "full-time healing addict." Then she picked up the phone and called everyone in her address book, asking if they knew other young women with cancer. The result was her own personal "cancer posse": a rock concert tour manager, a model, a fashion magazine editor, a cartoonist and a MTV celebrity, to name a few. This club of "cancer babes" offered support, advice and fashion tips, among other things。
Ms. Carr put her cancer experience in a recent Learning Channel documentary, and she has written a practical guide about how she coped. Cancer isn't funny, but Ms. Carr often is. She swears, she makes up names for the people who treat her ( Dr. Fabulous and Dr. Guru )， and she even makes second sound fun ("cancer road trips," she calls them)。
She leaves the medical advice to doctors, instead offering insightful and practical tips that reflect the world view of a young adult. "I refused to let cancer ruin my party," she writes. " Thereare just too many cool things to do and plan and live for."
