Part II Reading Comprehension(40 points)
Directions：There are 4 reading passages in this part．Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements．For each of them there are four choices marked A，B，C and D．You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with o single line throught the center．


16、根据以下内容回答16-35题：
In the mid 1 940’s，the young ambitious duo(艺人)Ruth and Elliot Handler，owned a Company that made wooden pictures frames．It was in l945 that Ruth and Elliot Handler joined with their close friend Harold Mattson to form a company that would be known for the most fa-mous and successful doll(洋娃娃)ever created．This company would be named Mattel，Matt for Mattson，and EL for Elliot．
In the mid 1950’s，while visiting Switzerland，Ruth Handler purchased a German Lilli doll．Lilli was a shapely，pretty fashion doll first made in l955．She was originally fashioned after a famous cartoon character in the West German Newsletter-Build．
Lilli is the doll that would inspire Ruth Handler to design the Barbie doll(芭比娃娃)．With the help of her technicians and engineers at Mattel，Barbie was born．Ruth then hired Charlotte Johnson，a fashion designer，to create Barbie’S wardrobe．It was in l958 that the patent for Barbie was obtained．This would be a fashion doll unlike any of her time．She would be long 1imbed，shapely，beautiful，and only 11．5 inches tall．Ruth and Elliot would name their new fashion doll after their own daughter，Barbie．
In 1959，the Barbie doll would make her way to the New York Toy Show and receive a cool reception from the toy buyers．
Barbie has undergone a lot of changes over the years and has managed to keep up with current trends in hairstyles，make-up and clothin9．She is a reflection of the history of fashion since her introduction to the tov market．
Barbie has a universal appeal and collectors both young and old enjoy time spent and memories made with their dolls．
When Ruth and Elliot Handler was youn9，they had a strong desire__________ ．
A．to go to school．
B．to take photos．
C．to make frames．
D．to be highly successful．


17、Who owned Mattel?
A．Mattson．
B．Elliot．
C．Harold Mattson and Elliot Handler．
D．Harold Mattson，Ruth and Elliot Handler．


18、It can be inferred from the second paragraph that Lilli was fashioned after
A．Build
B．a German doll
C．a pretty girl
D．a shapely woman


19、Where did Ruth Handler's inspiration for the design of the Barbie doll come from?
A．Barbie．
B．Lilli．
C．Charlotte Johnson．
D．A fashion designer．


20、Which of the following statements is NOT true of the Barbie doll?
A．She does not attract young men．
B．She has undergone many changes over the years．
C．She is ll．5 inches tall．
D．She has managed to keep up with fashion．


21、根据以下内容回答21-40题：
The greatest recent social changes have been in the lives of women．During the twentieth century there has been a remarkable shortening of the proportion of a woman’s life spent in caring for the children．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 tiU 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 custom，opportunity 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 years old and is likely to take paid work until retirement at sixty．Even while she has the care of children，her work is lightened by household appliances and convenience foods．
This important change in woman’s life-pattern has only recendy begun to have its full effect on women's economic position．Even a few years ago most girls left school at the first opportunity，and most of them 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 tend to marry younger，more married women stay at work at least until shortly before their first child is born．Very many more afterwards retum 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，aid with both husband and wife sharing more equally in providing the money，and running the home，according to the abilities and interests of each of them．
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 work until retirement at 60
D．marry while still at school


22、We are told that in an average family about 1900__________ ．
A．many children died before they were five years old
B．seven or eight children lived to be more than five years old
C．the youngest child would be fifteen years old
D．four or five children died when they were five years old


23、Many g!rls，the passage claims，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


24、One reason why the woman of today takes 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．need not worry about food for her children
D．can retire from family responsibilities


25、Nowadays，a husband tends to__________ ．
A．play a greater part in looking after the children
B．help his wife by doing most of the housework
C．feel dissatisfied with role in the family
D．take a part．time job so that he can help in the home