【文章內(nèi)容簡介】 n ,author of the playA Doll39。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 panies in Norway are obliged to ensure that at least 40% of their board directors are women. Most firms have obeyed the law, which was passed in about 75 out of the 480 or so panies it affects are still too male for the government39。s liking. They will shortly receive a letter informing them that they have until the end of February to act , or face the legal consequenceswhich 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 panies across Europe or America39。s 15% for the Fortune 39。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 panies 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 plain that it has been Difficult to find experienced candidates. Because of this, some of the best women have collected as many as 2535 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 paniesthey 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 that In turn could mean that boards might bee less able to hold managers to account. Recent history in Norway, however, suggests that the right women can make strong directors. Women feel more pelled than men to do their homework, says Ms Reksten Skaugen , who was voted Norway39。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.41. The author mentions Ibsen39。s play in the first paragraph in order to . A. depict women39。s dilemma at work B. explain the newly passed law C. support Norwegian government D. introduce the topic under discussion42. A public pany that fails to obey the new law could be forced to .A. pay a heavy fine B. close down its businessC. change to a private businessD. sign a document promising to act 43. 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 mon principle should be followed by all panies.D. An inexperienced businessman is not subject to the new law. author attributes the phenomenon of golden skirts to .A. the small number of qualified females in managementB. the overrecruitment of female managers in public panies C. the advantage women enjoy when peting for senior positionsD. the discrimination toward women in Norwegian business circles45. The main idea of the passage might be .A. female power and liberation in NorwayB. the significance of Henric Ibsen39。s playC. women39。s status in Norwegian firmsD. the constitution of board members in Norway PASSAGE2.While there39。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 (小兒科的) cancer centers, but young adults have a tough time finding peers, often sitting sidebyside 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 she39。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 bee a fulltime 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 isn39。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. There are just too many cool things to do and plan and live for. Ms. Carr still has cancer, but it has stopped progressing. Her cancer tips include using timesaving mass s to keep friends informed, sewing or buying fashionable hospital gowns so you39。re not stuck with regulation blue or gray and playing Gloria Gaynor39