阅读理解。
If women are mercilessly exploited (剥削) year after year, they
have only themselves to blame,because they tremble at the thought
of being seen in pubhc in clothes that are out of fashion. They are
always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores.
Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside
because of the change of fashion. When you come to think of it, only
a woman is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe packed with
clothes and announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear.
Changing fashion is nothing more than the intentional creation
of waste. Many women spend vast sums of money each year to re-
place clothes that have hardly been worn. Women who cannot afford
to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time altering
the dresses they have. Skirts are lengthened or shortened;necklines
are lowered or raised, and so on.
No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything
really important to society. Fashion designers are rarely concerned
with vital things like warmth, comfort and durability (耐用).
They're only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage
of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort,
as long as they look right. There can hardly be a man who
hasn't sometime in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in
a thin dress on a winter day, or delicately picking her way through
deep snow in high-heeled shoes.
When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the
conclusions to be drawn are obvious. Does the constantly changing
fashion of women's clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of
instability(不稳定) ? Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated
by fashion designers. Do their unchanged styles of dress reflect
basic qualities of stability and reliability? That is for you to decide.
1. Designers and big stores always make money ________.
A. by mercilessly exploiting women workers in the clothing industry
B. because they are capable of predicting the new fashion
C. by constantly changing the fashion in women's clothing
D. because, they always improve the quality of women's clothing
2. To the writer, the fact that women change their old-fashioned dresses is seen as_______.
A. a quality of instability
B. a waste of time and money
C. an expression of taste
D. an expression of creativity
3. The writer would be less critical if fashion designers placed more stress on the ____ of clothing.
A. Cost
B. appearance
C. comfort
D. suitability
4. According to the passage, which of the following statements isTRUE?
A. New fashions in clothing are created for the commercial exploitation of women.
B. The constant changes in women's clothing reflect their strength of character.
C. The fashion industry makes an important contribution to society.
D. Fashion designers should not be encouraged since they are only welcomed by women.
5. By saying" the conclusions to be drawn are obvious", the writer means that_______.
A. women's changeableness in their choice of clothing was often laughed at
B. women are better able to put up with discomfort
C. men are also exploited greatly by fashion designers
D. men are more reasonable in the matter of fashion
