A woman named Emily renewing her driver’s license at the County Clerk’s office was asked to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.
“What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “do you have a job, or are you just a …”
“Of course I have a job,” said Emily. “I’m a mother.”
“We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation… ‘housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder.
One day I found myself in the same situation. The clerk was obviously a career woman, confident and possessed of a high sounding title. “What is your occupation?” she asked.
The words simply popped out. “I’m a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”
The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair.
I repeated the title slowly, then I stared with wonder as my statement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
“Might I ask,” said the clerk with new interest, “Just what you do in this field?”
Coolly, without any trace of panic in my voice, I heard myself reply, “I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t), in the lab and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most careers and rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.”
There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and showed me out.
As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up (受鼓舞) by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants---ages 13, 7, and 3.
Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (a 6 month old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.
I felt proud! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable (不可缺少的) to mankind than “just another mother.”
Motherhood…What a glorious career! Especially when there’s a title on the door.
小题1:What can we infer from the conversation between the woman and the recorder at the beginning of the passage?
A．The recorder was impatient and rude.
B．The woman felt ashamed to admit what her job was.
C．The author was upset about the situation that mothers faced.
D．Motherhood was not recognized and respected as a job by society.小题2:How did the female clerk feel at first when the author told her occupation?
A．curious
B．indifferent
C．puzzled
D．interested小题3:Why did the woman clerk show more respect for the author?
A．Because the author cared little about rewards.
B．Because she thought the author did admirable work.
C．Because she admired the author’s research work in the lab.
D．Because the writer did something she had little knowledge of.小题4:What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage?
A．To show how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it.
B．To argue that motherhood is a worthy career and deserves respect.
C．To show that the author had a greater job than Emily.
D．To show that being a mother is hard and boring work.
