READING TEXT 4

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. 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 the chairman of the executive board. Now they’ve found out that it isn’t going to happen, so they got 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 a newspaper software system, and her office was a bedroom at home, with a shoe box 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 programmes. When these were marketed and sold, ASK began to grow. It now has 200 employees, and Sandra Kurtzig owns $6.9 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. Therefore, 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.

All of the following are mentioned in the text as barriers to women in the business world in the past EXCEPT ____________.

• women had to stay at home with their families

• women lacked ability to work in business

• women faced discrimination in business

• women were not trained in business

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. 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 the chairman of the executive board. Now they’ve found out that it isn’t going to happen, so they got 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 a newspaper software system, and her office was a bedroom at home, with a shoe box 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 programmes. When these were marketed and sold, ASK began to grow. It now has 200 employees, and Sandra Kurtzig owns $6.9 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. Therefore, 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.

The word ‘this trend’ in line 7 refers to the fact that ____________.

• businesses owned by women account for more than $40 billion in annual revenues

• the 1980s turned out to be the decade of the woman entrepreneur

• the 1970s was the decade of women entering management

• there were demands on women of caring for families

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. 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 the chairman of the executive board. Now they’ve found out that it isn’t going to happen, so they got 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 a newspaper software system, and her office was a bedroom at home, with a shoe box 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 programmes. When these were marketed and sold, ASK began to grow. It now has 200 employees, and Sandra Kurtzig owns $6.9 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. Therefore, 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.

According to the text, Charlotte Taylor believes that women in the 1970s ____________.

• were still more interested in education than in business opportunities

• were unrealistic about their opportunities in business management

• were unable to work hard enough to succeed in business

• had fewer obstacles in business than they do today

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. 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 the chairman of the executive board. Now they’ve found out that it isn’t going to happen, so they got 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 a newspaper software system, and her office was a bedroom at home, with a shoe box 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 programmes. When these were marketed and sold, ASK began to grow. It now has 200 employees, and Sandra Kurtzig owns $6.9 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. Therefore, 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.

The word ‘hurdles’ in line 21 can be best replaced by ____________.

• fences

• questions

• obstacles

• habits

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. 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 the chairman of the executive board. Now they’ve found out that it isn’t going to happen, so they got 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 a newspaper software system, and her office was a bedroom at home, with a shoe box 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 programmes. When these were marketed and sold, ASK began to grow. It now has 200 employees, and Sandra Kurtzig owns $6.9 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. Therefore, 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.

The writer believes that businesses operated by women are small because ____________.

• the business world is still male-dominated

• women prefer a small, intimate setting

• many women fail at large businesses

• women can’t deal with money

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. 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 the chairman of the executive board. Now they’ve found out that it isn’t going to happen, so they got 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 a newspaper software system, and her office was a bedroom at home, with a shoe box 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 programmes. When these were marketed and sold, ASK began to grow. It now has 200 employees, and Sandra Kurtzig owns $6.9 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. Therefore, 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.

The writer’s attitude about the future of women in business is ____________.

• sceptical

• b)

• optimistic

• negative

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. 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 the chairman of the executive board. Now they’ve found out that it isn’t going to happen, so they got 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 a newspaper software system, and her office was a bedroom at home, with a shoe box 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 programmes. When these were marketed and sold, ASK began to grow. It now has 200 employees, and Sandra Kurtzig owns $6.9 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. Therefore, 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.

What is the main idea of the text?

• Women today are better educated than in the past, making them more attractive to the business world.

• Women today are opening more businesses of their own.

• The computer is especially profitable for women today.

• Women are better at small businesses than men are.