Question

It is not often realized that women held a high place in southern European societies in the 10th and 11th centuries. As a wife, the woman was protected by the setting up of a dowry (嫁妆). Admittedly, the purpose of this was to protect her against the risk of desertion, but in reality its function in the social and family life of the time was much more important. The dowry was the wife’s right to receive a tenth of all her husband’s property. The wife had the right to with hold consent, in all transactions the husband would make, and more than just a right; the documents show that she enjoyed a real power of decision, equal to that of her husband. In no case do the documents indicate any degree of difference in the legal status of husband and wife.

The wife shared in the management of her husband’s personal property, but the opposite was not always true. Women seemed perfectly prepared to defend their own inheritance against husbands who tried to exceed their rights, and on occasion they showed a fine fighting spirit. A case in point is that of Maria Vivas. Having agreed with her husband Miro to sell a field she had inherited, for the needs of the household, she insisted on compensation. None being offered, she succeeded in dragging her husband to the scribe to have a contract duly drawn up assigning her a piece of land from Miro’s personal inheritance. The unfortunate husband was obliged to agree, as the contract says, “for the sake of peace.” Either through the dowry or through being hot-tempered, the wife knew how to win herself, with the context of the family, a powerful economic position.

1. Originally, the purpose of a dowry is to_________.

A give a woman the right to receive all her husband’s property

B help a woman to enjoy a higher position in the family

C protect a woman against the risk of desertion

D both A and C

2. According to the passage, the legal status of the wife in marriage was__________.

A higher than that of a single woman

B higher than that of her husband

C lower than that of her husband

D the same as that of her husband

3. Why does the author give us the example of Maria Vivas?

A To show that the wife shared in the management of her husband?s personal property.

B To show that the wife can defend her own inheritance.

C To prove that women have powerful position.

D To illustrate how women win her property.

4. The compensation Maria Vivas got for the field is____________.

A some of the land Miro had inherited

B a tenth of Miro’s land

C money for household expenses

D money form Miro’s inheritance

5.The author’s attitude towards Maria Vivas is_____________.

A sympathetic B disapproval C indifferent D objective

 

Answer 1

1.C

2.D

3.B

4. A

5.D

【解析】

欧洲南部的妇女在10和11世纪时享有较高的社会地位，这并未获得广泛认识。作为一个妻子，女性的地位受到其嫁妆的保护。诚然，嫁妆最初的目的是防止女性被抛弃;但是，它在当时家庭和社会现实生活中起着更重要的作用。妻子的嫁妆使她有权获得其丈夫十分之一的财物。妻子有权利拒绝丈夫所做的任何交易，但这不仅仅只是一项权利而已;文件表明她与丈夫一样平等地享有真正的决定权。文件没有表明丈夫和妻子在法律地位上有任何差别。

妻子享有管理丈夫私人财产的权利，但是反之则不然。如果丈夫要越权侵犯她们的利益，女性们会时刻准备着捍卫自己的利益，有时她们还会表现出一种坚强的斗争精神。Maria Vivas就是一个典型的例子。为了家庭的需要，她同意其丈夫Miro出售一块属于她的土地，但是她坚持要求获得补偿。但是丈夫没有给她提供补偿，于是她把丈夫拖到一个文书处，起草了一份合同，成功地把他丈夫的一块私人土地划归自己。正如合同所写的，“为了和平”，这个不幸的丈夫不得不同意。要么借助嫁妆，要么通过发脾气，妻子知道如何在家庭中为自己赢得强大的经济地位。

1.[C 推断题。本文介绍了欧洲南部10和11世纪嫁妆对女性在婚姻中地位的重要性。虽然嫁妆最初的目的是防止女性被抛弃，但实际上它的作用远远不止于此。它使妻子在婚姻中的地位与丈夫平等，并保障了妻子的经济利益。女性在维护自己的利益上，是很坚定果敢的，Maria Vivas就是一个例子。见第一段第三句，“Admittedly, the purpose of this was to protect her against the risk of desertion...”，虽然在实际生活中嫁妆有更重要的作用，但最初它的作用只是为了防范女性被丈夫抛弃，所以C为正确答案。

2.[D 细节题。根据本文，妻子在婚姻中的法律地位和丈夫是平等的。见第一段最后一句，“In no case do the documents indicate any degree of difference in the legal status of husband and wife”文件中并没有表明丈夫和妻子在法律地位上有任何的差别，也就是说他们的地位是平等的，所以D为正确答案。

3.[B 推断题。作者举Maria Vivas的事例，是为了说明妻子是能够捍卫自己的利益的。见第二段第二句，“Women seemed perfectly prepared to defend their own inheritance...they showed a fine fighting spirit.”如果丈夫要侵占自己的利益，女性们就时刻准备着捍卫自己的利益，有时她们还表现出很强的斗争精神。接下来作者就举了Maria Vivas的例子，说明女性是有能力捍卫自己的利益的。所以B为正确答案。

4.[A 细节题。Maria Vivas得到的一份作为补偿的土地，本来是属于Miro的个人财产。见第二段第五句，“None being offered, she succeeded in... assigning her a piece of land from Miro?s personal inheritance”由此知A为正确答案。

5.[D 推断题。作者对Maria Vivas所持的态度是客观的。作者客观地介绍了Maria Vivas的事例，并没有表示出同情、不满或者是漠不关心，所以A、B、C都是错误答案。