The status of women in colonial North America has been well studied and described and can be briefly summarized. Throughout the

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问题     The status of women in colonial North America has been well studied and described and can be briefly summarized. Throughout the colonial period there was a marked shortage of women, which varied with the regions and was always greatest in the frontier areas. This favorable ratio enhanced women’s status and position and allowed them to pursue different careers. The Puritans, the religious sect that dominated the early British colonies in North America, regarded idleness as a sin, and believed that life in an underdeveloped country made it absolutely necessary that each member of the community perform an economic function. Thus work for women, married or single, was not only approved, it was regarded as a civic duty. Puritan town councils expected widows and unattached women to be self-supporting and for a long time provided needy spinsters with parcels of land. There was no social sanction against married women working; on the contrary, wives were expected to help their husbands in their trade and won social approval for doing extra work in or out of the home. Needy children, girls as well as boys, were indentured or apprenticed and were expected to work for their keep.
    The vast majority of women worked within their homes, where their labor produced most articles needed for the family. The entire colonial production of cloth and clothing and partially that of shoes was in the hands of women. In addition to these occupations, women were found in many different kinds of employment. They were butchers, silversmiths, gunsmiths, upholsterers. They ran mills, plantations, tanyards, shipyards, and every kind of shop, tavern, and boardinghouse. They were gatekeepers, jail keepers, sextons, journalists, printers, apothecaries, midwives, nurses, and teachers.
According to the passage, what did the Puritans expect from married women?

选项 A、They should adopt needy children.
B、They should assist in their husbands’ trade or business.
C、They should work only within their own homes.
D、They should be apprenticed.

答案B

解析 细节推断题。根据题干关键词married women定位到原文首段第七句。原句中的their husbands,trade与选项B重现,原句中的wives were expected与选项B中的assist对应。故答案为B。
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