Women in Britain are without doubt better off today than they 11 to be. At the beginning of the nineteenth century women seem to have had almost no rights at all. They could not vote, or even sign 12 . Their marriages were arranged by their parents, and once they were married they could not 13 property. Most of the time they were never given responsible jobs. It is 14 to think that, as far as we know, most women were happy with this situation.
Today the position is quite different. Women can now vote, and choose their own husbands. In 1970 a law was 15 to give them an equal share of property in the case of divorce, and in the same year the Equal Pay Act gave them the right to equal pay with men for work of equal value.
Yet despite these changes, there is no doubt that there are still great differences in 16 between men and women. Many employers maybe even the majority seem to ignore the Equal Pay Act, and the average working woman is likely to earn only about half what a man earns for the same job. Most women who do work still do 17 jobs. Only a small proportion of the countrys workers are in fact women. This small percentage is partly because of a-shortage of nurseries. If there were 18 nurseries, up to twice as many women might well go out to work. There is also great 19 in education.
Only a quarter of all university students are women. And at present boys schools are 20 much better than girls schools.
A. unselected B. desired C. undoubtedly D. used
E. contracts F. passed G. statue H. strange
I. sufficient J. inequality K. own L. status
M. unsuspiciously N. concluded O. unskilled
11. D 12. E 13. K 14. H 15. F 16. L 17. O 18. I 19. J 20. C