As nanny(保姆),cook,cleaner,shopper,driver,and gardener,she has one of the most demanding jobs in Britain today.And paying someone else to do the chores(家务活)which take the average housewife 71 hours a week would cost 349.
　　At over 18,000 a year that’s more than the earnings of 70 percent of the population,including train drivers,firemen,prison officers,and social workers.
　　Looking after a baby less than a year old takes a housewife into an even higher pay league.According to a study,she earns 457 a week?at nearly 24,000 a year,the same as teachers,engineers,and chemists.
　　Researchers put a price on each chore,then tried to find out how long the average person takes doing them.They found housewives spend an average 70.7 hours a week on housework?with looking after the children(17.9 hours)and cooking and cleaning (12.3 hours each) the most time-consuming(费时的).
　　A wife with a part-time job still works an average of 59 hours a week at home.Those in full-time employment put in longer hours at home than in the workplace.The good news is that these hours drop sharply as children get older.While the average mother with a child under one puts in 90 hours weekly,the figure drops to 80 hours from one to four and to 66 hours from five to ten.
　　Mother of four Karen Williams from London said,“Paying the housewives may not be practical,but the government should recognize the value of housework, perhaps through the tax.Running a house takes a lot of time and most husbands don’t understand this.For example,my husband only puts a shelf up now and again.He never cleans the kitchen?that’s the real test.”
　　40.Who earns most according to the text?
　　A.A social worker. B.A fireman.
　　C.A gardener. D.A teacher.
　　41.We learn from the text that looking after children .
　　A.takes more time than doing any other housework
　　B.means more duties than being a teacher
　　C.requires the mother to be well-educated
　　D.prevents the mother from working outside
　　42.According to the text,a housewife with a baby less than one year old may work .
　　A.66 hours a week B.71 hours a week
　　C.80 hours a week D.90 hours a week
　　43.By mentioning her husband,Karen Williams wants to show that .
　　A.housework is no easy job
　　B.her husband has no time to clean the kitchen
　　C.a housewife needs to be paid for cleaning
　　D.the kitchen is hard to clean
　　答案 40.D 41.A 42.D 43.A

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