Until recently, most American entrepreneurs were men. Discrimination against women in business, the demands of caring for families, and lack of business training had kept the number of women entrepreneurs small. Now, however, businesses owned by women account for more than $40 billion in annual revenues, and this figure is likely to continue rising throughout the 1990s. As Carolyn Doppelt Gray, an official of the Small Business Administration, has noted, "The 1970s was the decade of women entering management, and the 1980s turned out to be the decade of the woman entrepreneur". What are some of the factors behind this trend? For one thing, as more women earn advanced degrees in business and enter the corporate world, they are finding obstacles. Women are still excluded from most executive suites. Charlotte Taylor, a management consultant, had noted, "In the 1970s women believed if they got an MBA and worked hard they could become chairman of the board. Now they've found out that isn't going to happen, so they go out on their own". In the past, most women entrepreneurs worked in "women's" fields: cosmetics and clothing, for example. But this is changing. Consider ASK Computer Systems, a $22-million-a-year computer software business. It was founded in 1973 by Sandra Kurtzig, who was then a housewife with degrees in math and engineering. When Kurtzig founded the business, her first product was software that let weekly newspapers keep tabs on their newspaper carriers-and her office was a bedroom at home, with a shoebox under the bed to hold the company's cash. After she succeeded with the newspaper software system, she hired several bright computer-science graduates to develop additional programs. When these were marketed and sold, ASK began to grow. It now has 200 employees and Sandra Kurtzig owns $66.9 million of stock. Of course, many women who start their own businesses fail, just as men often do. They still face hurdles in the business world, especially problems in raising money; the banking and finance world is still dominated by men, and old attitudes die hard. Most businesses owned by women are still quite small. But the situation is changing; there are likely to be many more Sandra Kurtzigs in the years ahead.Question 11: What is the main idea of this passage?A. Women today are better educated than in the past, making them more attractive to the business world.B. The computer is especially lucrative for women today.C. Women are better at small businesses than men areD. Women today are opening more businesses of their own.Question 12: The word "excluded" in the third paragraph is closest in meaning to A. not permitted in B. often invited to C. decorators of D. charged admission toQuestion 13: All of the following were mentioned in the passage as detriments to women in the business world EXCEPTA. women were required to stay at home with their families B. women lacked ability to work in businessC. women faced discrimination in business D. women were not trained in businessQuestion 14: In line 17, "that" refers toA. women working hard B. a woman becomes chairman of the board C. women achieving advanced degrees D. women believing that business is a place for themQuestion 15: According to the passage, Charlotte Taylor believes that women in the 1970sA. were unrealistic about their opportunities in business managementB. were still more interested in education than business opportunitiesC. had fewer obstacles in business than they do todayD. were unable to work hard enough to succeed in businessQuestion 16: The author mentions the "shoebox under the bed" in the third paragraph in order toA. show the frugality of women in business B. show the resourcefulness of Sandra KurtzigC. point out that initially the financial resources of Sandra Kurtzig's business were limitedD. suggest that the company needed to expandQuestion 17: In the third paragraph, the word "this" refers to A. women becoming entrepreneurs B. women buying cosmetics and clothingC. women working in "women's fields" D. women staying at homeQuestion 18: The word "hurdles" in the third paragraph can be best replaced byA. fences B. obstacles C. questions D. small groupsQuestion 19: It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes that businesses operated by women are small becauseA. women prefer a small intimate setting B. women can't deal with moneyC. women are not able to borrow money easily D. many women fail at large businessesQuestion 20: The author's attitude about the future of women in business isA. skeptical B. optimistic C. frustrated D. negative.
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