Improve Your English: English in Everyday Life

The Role of W
ome
n
55
pretty good head on her shoulders:
An expression that 
means “to have good judgment or be a sound or circum-
spect thinker.”
spending money:
Money that can be used for any desired 
purpose, usually for pleasure, in contrast to money that 
has to be used for a specifi c purpose.
swing back and forth:
To move or alternate between two 
diff erent positions or points of view.
trash it:
To discard, throw away, or vandalize something.
trickle down:
Th
e fl ow of something from one level or 
area to another.
QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES
1. What kinds of changes in women’s roles do these 
speakers describe?
2. How is the role of women in the United States 
diff erent from the role of women in other 
countries?
3. How is the life of your sister or wife diff erent 
from that of your mother?
4. What do you think explains the changing role of 
women?
5. How do you expect women’s roles to change in 
the future?
6. Identify three words or phrases in this chapter 
that are new to you, and write a sentence with 
each one.

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57
EDUCATION
In this chapter, interviewees describe their educa-
tional experiences.
1. SCHOOL IN PHILADELPHIA
I had a, I grew up in Philadelphia, uh. So, in 
Philly
, I 
started in local schools, um, I guess 
nursing school
they 
started with, 
Pre-K
, and, uh—not sure how detailed you 
want, but if it’s a year-by-year thing—uh, my, the thing 
in-in Philly, the, in a, in grade school, the, in Philadelphia 
in particular—and I don’t know if other cities do it—but 
it had a fabulous system where it was, there’s kind of two 
C H A P T E R 5
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