GMAT考试阅读资料(五)f

Passage 28

　　The settlement of the United States has occupied　traditional historians since 1893 when Frederick Jackson　Turner developed his Frontier Thesis， a thesis that　explained American development in terms of westward¹（5） expansion. From the perspective of women‘s history，　Turner’s exclusively masculine assumptions constitute a　major drawback： his defenders² and critics alike have　reconstructed men‘s， not women’s， lives on the frontier.　However， precisely³ because of this masculine orientation，（10）revising the Frontier Thesis by focusing on women‘s　experience introduces new themes into women’s　history-woman as lawmaker and entrepreneur-and，　consequently， new interpretations⁴ of women‘s relation-　ship to capital， labor⁶， and statute⁷.
　　（15）Turner claimed that the frontier produced the indivi-dualism that is the hallmark of American culture， and　that this individualism in turn promoted democratic　institutions and economic equality. He argued for the　frontier as an agent of social change. Most novelists and（20） historians writing in the early to midtwentieth century　who considered women in the West， when they consid-　ered women at all， fell under Turner‘s spell. In their　works these authors tended to glorify⁸ women’s contribu-　tions to frontier life. Western women， in Turnerian tradi-（25） tion， were a fiercely independent， capable， and durable⁹　lot， free from the constraints¹⁰ binding¹¹ their eastern sisters.　This interpretation⁵ implied that the West provided a　congenial environment where women could aspire¹² to　their own goals， free from constrictive¹³ stereotypes¹⁴ and（30） sexist attitudes. In Turnerian terminology¹⁵， the frontier　had furnished “a gate of escape from the bondage¹⁶ of the　past.”
　　By the middle of the twentieth century， the Frontier Thesis fell into disfavor among historians. Later， Reac-（35） tionist writers took the view that frontier women were　 lonely， displaced persons in a hostile milieu¹⁷ that intensi-　 fied the worst aspects of gender¹⁸ relations. The renais-　 sance of the feminist¹⁹ movement during the 1970‘s led to　 the Stasist school， which sidestepped the good bad（40） dichotomy and argued that frontier women lived lives　similar to the live of women in the East. In one now-　standard text， Faragher demonstrated the persistence²⁰ of　the “cult of true womanhood” and the illusionary qual-　ity of change on the westward journey. Recently the（45） Stasist position has been revised but not entirely²¹　 discounted by new research.

　　1. The primary purpose of the passage is to
　　　（A） provide a framework within which the history ofwomen in nineteenth-century America can beorganized.
　　　（B） discuss divergent interpretations of women‘s experience on the western frontier
　　　（C） introduce a new hypothesis about women‘s experience in nineteenth-century America
　　　（D） advocate an empirical approach to women‘s experience on the western frontier
　　　（E） resolve ambiguities²² in several theories about women‘s experience on the western frontier

　　2. Which of the following can be inferred about the novelists and historians mentioned in lines 19-20？
　　　（A） They misunderstood the powerful influence of constrictive stereotypes on women in the East.
　　　（B） They assumed that the frontier had offered more opportunities to women than had the East.
　　　（C） They included accurate information about women‘s experiences on the frontier.
　　　（D） They underestimated the endurance and fortitude²³ of frontier women.
　　　（E） They agreed with some of Turner‘s assumptions about frontier women， but disagreed with other assumptions that he made.

　　3. Which of the following， if true， would provide　additional evidence for the Stasists‘ argument as it is　described in the passage？
　　　（A） Frontier women relied on smaller support groups of relatives and friends in the West than they had in the East.
　　　（B） The urban frontier in the West offered more occupational opportunity than the agricultural frontier offered.
　　　（C） Women participated more fully²⁴ in the economic decisions of the family group in the West than they had in the East.
　　　（D） Western women received financial compensation for labor that was comparable to what women received in the East.
　　　（E） Western women did not have an effect on divorce laws， but lawmakers in the West were more　responsive to women‘s concerns than lawmakers inthe East were.

　　4. According to the passage， Turner makes which of the　following connections in his Frontier Thesis？
　　Ⅰ. A connection between American individualism andeconomic equality
　　Ⅱ. A connection between geographical²⁵ expansion andsocial change
　　Ⅲ. A connection between social change and financialprosperity
　　　（A） I only
　　　（B） Ⅱonly
　　　（C） Ⅲ only
　　　（D） Ⅰand Ⅱ only
　　　（E） Ⅰ，Ⅱ and Ⅲ

　　5. It can be inferred that which of the following statements　is consistent with the Reactionist position as it is　described in the passage？
　　　（A） Continuity， not change， marked women‘s lives as they moved from East to West.
　　　（B） Women‘s experience on the North American frontierhas not received enough attention from modernhistorians.
　　　（C） Despite its rigors²⁶， the frontier offered women opportunities that had not been available in the East.
　　　（D） Gender relations were more difficult for women in the West than they were in the East.
　　　（E） Women on the North American frontier adopted new roles while at the same time reaffirming traditional roles.

　　6. Which of the following best describes the organization　of the passage？
　　　（A） A current interpretation of a phenomenon is described and then ways in which it was developed are discussed.
　　　（B） Three theories are presented and then a new hypothesis that discounts those theories is described.
　　　（C） An important theory and its effects are discussed and then ways in which it has been revised are described.
　　　（D） A controversial theory is discussed and then viewpoints both for and against it are described.
　　　（E） A phenomenon is described and then theories concerning its correctness are discussed.

　　7. Which of the following is true of the Stasist school as it　is described in the passage？
　　　（A） It provides new interpretations of women‘s relationship to work and the law.
　　　（B） It resolves some of the ambiguities inherent in Turnerian and Reactionist thought.
　　　（C） It has recently been discounted by new research gathered on women‘s experience.
　　　（D） It avoids extreme positions taken by other writers on women‘s history.
　　　（E） It was the first school of thought to suggest substantial revisions to the Frontier Thesis.