American Women at Work.

Most American women went to work outside the home during World War II so that they might help in the war effort. War was raging in Europe and in the Pacific and the Americans thought that the women’s place was no longer in the home but in the factory. After the war, American women continued to work side by side with American men for some time in order that they might contribute to the re-building of their country’s economy.

However, in the 1960s and 1970s, the number of working women started to decrease. Many of them preferred staying at home so that they could take care of their children. Their highly salaried husbands bought them cars so that they could drive their children to school and back. They also supplied them with brand new washing machines and cookers so that they would spend less time on house work. And they furnished them with TV sets so that they might not feel bored during their free time.

This tendency to stay at home on the part of American women did not last long. Many of them felt the need to work outside the home again in the late 1970s. At first, they went back to work in order to help their husbands support their families, but with time they learned the value of economic independence. So they stayed on the job market. A considerable number of them became business owners in the late 1980s.

                                                                                        Getting Through  2 SE – pp. 170/171

Comprehension: 

Say whether these statements are true or false.

1. American women wanted to go to Europe. → False

2. A lot of women stayed at home because of war. → False

3. In the 1960s and 1970s the number of working women increased. → False

4. The husbands could not buy TV sets for their wives. → False

Answer the following questions

a.       Why did the American women go to work outside the home during the World War II? ..........

They went to work outside to help in the war effort.

b.      Why did many of them prefer staying at home in the 1960s?

So that they could take care of their children.

c.       What did their highly salaried husbands buy them cars for?

In order to drive their children to school and back.

d.      Why did they supply them with washing machines and cookers?

So as to spend less time on house work.

e.       What did they furnish them for?  So that they might not feel bored during their free time.

Ask appropriate questions about the underlined words.

1. They decide to buy a new house. →  What do they decide to buy?
2. The lawyer flies to London. →  Where does the lawyer fly to?
3. Jenny is writing an email to Fiona. → What is Jenny writing to Fiona
4. Sheila took much time to answer. → Who took much time to answer?
5. The World War II ended in 1945. → When did the World War II end?
6. Most American women left work. → What did most American women leave?
7. You must eat good food. → What must you eat?
8. I have bought four birds yesterday. → How many birds have you bought?

Complete the following table.

Supply capitalisation and punctuation.

1/ john said I would like you to leave this place

→ ‘John said: ‘I would like you to leave this place.’

2/ she went to london with adams her brother told me

→ ‘She went to London with Adams.’ Her brother told me.

Give the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

1. If you decide. to do it, I (not help) you. → won’t help
2. When I closed the window, the light (go) out. → went
3. Before the boy (wake up), we had prepared breakfast. → woke up
4. After you (arrive), I phoned your mother. → had arrived

Turn into the passive voice.

1. The manager holds the meetings on Sundays.

      The meetings are held on Sundays by the manager.

2. The judge sentences the murderer to death.

      The murderer is sentenced to death by the judge.

3. Jennifer decorated the room.

The room was decorated by Jennifer

4. Doria grew nice flowers in the garden.

Nice flowers were grown in the garden by Doria.

Fill in the blanks with words given in the list.   (improve - as – job -are - is – work - of – and)

Memo

     The employees of the company ………are…………. not satisfied with their working conditions. Some ……of…… them complain about bad treatment ……and….. bad practice while others say that the wages are not fair and that the managers are not sensitive to their feelings.

     The present organisation of our company ……is…… not efficient. It is time to arrange and organize it again so ………as…….. to establish again good labour relations.

     It is not possible to ……improve……. production and productivity if the policy wages is not considered again.