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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. Bur, when one considers the obstacles to achieving the meritocratic ideal, it does look as if 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.

If 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] indifference

[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】根据题干corporate workplace定位到第一段。首句就说欧洲性别不平等，in particular进一步指出corporate workplace，说明工作中性别尤其不平等。紧接着说欧洲公司高管职位remain overwhelmingly male，说明以男性为主导。Indeed进一步解释，指出女性在欧洲公司董事会只占有14%的席位。所以，B选项是基于首段信息给出的推论。A项women take the lead和D项senior management is family-friendly都与原文相反;C选项是对文章overwhelm这个词出的干扰项。

37.【答案】A a reflection of gender balance

【解析】根据题干，定位到第二段首句，intended legislation是对is now considering legislation的同义改写。该句意思为“欧洲国家现在考虑立法来迫使公司董事让妇女的比例达到60%”，因此立法是为了保持性别的平衡。B选项的reluctant是对第5段的Reding’s reluctance出的干扰项，并不是说European Union的立法。C选项a response to Reding’s call不正确，Reding号召的是voluntary action， D也是干扰项，而真正的立法缘由是对gender balance的反思，所以A项正确，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说自己不喜欢quotas，后面出现了but，他真正的观点在but之后，他说他喜欢quotas所做的事情，即get action，后面的冒号是对get action的解释。核心的答案在a result seen in France and other coutries with legally binding provisions on placing women in top business positions。a result是前面内容的同位语，进一步补充说明，所以选A。B项see through the glass ceiling是对原文break through the glass ceiling的望文生义，属于肤浅选项，也和原文意思不符。C和D选项属于无中生有。

39.【答案】D approval

【解析】本题问的是作者对Reding的呼吁的态度。Reding的appeal最早出现在第2段，即呼吁在董事会中有40%的女性，以实现性别均衡。而第四段再一次提到Reding 的观点即“他自己也不喜欢quotas,但是quotas本身确实起到了作用”;接着作者在第五段给出了自己的观点，先是说可以理解Reding，自己本身也不喜欢quotas，但是“既然现在meritocratic ideal(精英管理的理想)有障碍，确实需要一种强制的手段，即强制设定男女比例。”所以可以看出作者是持“赞成”的态度。

40.【答案】C suitable public policies

【解析】题干中的women entering top management become headlines是对第6段第二句话when women do break through to the summit of the corporate power的同义改写，become headlines是对后面for example所举的Sheryl Sandberg的事例的概括。答案出现在第7段开头。第7段是提出一种解决措施，“If appropriate pubic choices were in place to help all women, ...Sandberg would be no more newsworthy...”，这个句子是if虚拟条件句，是对未来的一种美好展望，也是提出观点的一种方式，意思是“如果有合理的公共政策来帮助所有的女性，Sandberg也就没有报道价值了”。所以正确答案是C，因为缺少“suitable public policies”。