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Europe is not a gender-equality heaven.In particular, the corporate workplace will never be completely family—friendly until women are part of senior management decisions,and Europe,s top corporate-governance positions remain overwhelmingly male .indeed,women hold only 14 percent of positions on Europe corporate boards.
The Europe Union is now considering legislation to compel corporate boards to maintain a certain proportion of women-up to 60 percent.This proposed mandate was born of frustration. Last year, Europe Commission Vice President Viviane Reding issued a call to voluntary action. Reding invited corporations to sign up for gender balance goal of 40 percent female board membership. But her appeal was considered a failure: only 24 companies took it up.
Do we need quotas to ensure that women can continue to climb the corporate Ladder fairy as they balance work and family?
“Personally, I don’t like quotas,” Reding said recently. “But i like what the quotas do.” Quotas get action: they “open the way to equality and they break through the glass ceiling,”according to Reding, a result seen in France and other countries with legally binding provisions on placing women in top business positions.
I understand Reding’s reluctance-and her frustration. I don’t like quotas either; they run counter to my belief in meritocracy, government by the capable. But, when one considers the obstacles to achieving the meritocratic ideal, it does look as i.f a fairer world must be temporarily ordered.
After all, four decades of evidence has now shown that corporations in Europe as the US are evading the meritocratic hiring and promotion of women to top position— no matter how much “soft pressure ” is put upon them. When women do break through to the summit of corporate power--as, for example, Sheryl Sandberg recently did at Facebook—they attract massive attention precisely because they remain the exception to the rule.
i.f appropriate pubic policies were in place to help all women---whether CEOs or their children’s caregivers--and all families, Sandberg would be no more newsworthy than any other highly capable person living in a more just society.
36. In the European corporate workplace, generally_____.
[A] women take the lead
[B] men have the final say
[C] corporate governance is overwhelmed
[D] senior management is family-friendly
37. The European Union’s intended legislation is ________.
[A] a reflection of gender balance
[B] a reluctant choice
[C] a response to Reding’s call
[D] a voluntary action
38. According ti Reding, quotas may help women ______.
[A] get top business positions
[B] see through the glass ceiling
[C] balance work and family
[D] anticipate legal results
39. The author’s attitude toward Reding’s appeal is one of _________.
[A] skepticism
[B] objectiveness
[C] indi.fference
[D] approval
40. Women entering top management become headlines due to the lack of ______.
[A] more social justice
[B] massive media attention
[C] suitable public policies
[D] greater “soft pressure”
36．【答案】B men have the final say
【解析】根據題干中的關鍵詞European corporate workplace，定位到文章的第一段.第一句話就明確指出歐洲不是一個性別平等的天堂。接著說，尤其是工作場所從來不是徹底友好的，公司的高層仍舊是清一色的男性。選項B，男性有最后的話語權，是這句話的同義替換，所以正確。
37．【答案】A a reflection of gender balance
【解析】根據題干的關鍵詞The European Union，定位到第二段首句，intended legislation是對is now considering legislation的同義改寫。該句意思為“歐洲國家現(xiàn)在考慮立法來迫使公司董事讓婦女的比例達到60%”，因此立法是為了保持性別的平衡。B選項的reluctant是對第5段的Reding’s reluctance出的干擾項，并不是說European Union的立法。C選項a response to Reding’s call不正確，Reding號召的是voluntary action， D也是干擾項，而真正的立法緣由是對gender balance的反思醫(yī)學
全在線
www.med126.com，所以A項正確，也是文章中心的反映。
38．【答案】A get top business positions
【解析】定位至第4段，Reding說自己不喜歡quotas，后面出現(xiàn)了but，他真正的觀點在but之后，他說他喜歡quotas所做的事情，即get action，后面的冒號是對get action的解釋。核心的答案在a result seen in France and other countries with legally binding provisions on placing women in top business positions。a result是前面內容的同位語，進一步補充說明，所以選A。B項see through the glass ceiling是對原文break through the glass ceiling的望文生義，屬于膚淺選項，也和原文意思不符。C和D選項屬于無中生有。
39．【答案】D approval
【解析】本題問的是作者對Reding的呼吁的態(tài)度。Reding的appeal最早出現(xiàn)在第二段，但是根據自然段界定原則，上一題是第四段，所以這道題只能從第五段開始。作者在第五段給出了自己的觀點，先是說可以理解Reding，自己本身也不喜歡quotas，但是“既然現(xiàn)在meritocratic ideal（精英管理的理想)有障礙，確實需要一種強制的手段，即強制設定男女比例�！彼钥梢钥闯鲎髡呤浅帧百澇伞钡膽B(tài)度。
40．【答案】C suitable public policies
【解析】題干中的women entering top management become headlines是對第6段第二句話when women do break through to the summit of the corporate power的同義改寫，become headlines是對后面for example所舉的Sheryl Sandberg的事例的概括。答案出現(xiàn)在第7段開頭。第7段是提出一種解決措施，“i.f appropriate pubic choices were in place to help all women, ...Sandberg would be no more newsworthy...”，這個句子是i.f虛擬條件句，是對未來的一種美好展望，也是提出觀點的一種方式，意思是“如果有合理的公共政策來幫助所有的女性，Sandberg也就沒有報道價值了”。所以正確答案是C，因為缺少“suitable public policies”。
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