单选题 Life as a woman in the colonial (殖民的) America seems quite different from it is today. Women were considered inferior to men, a fact 21 in tradition, law and religion. Their place was in the home, 22 they were to serve as devoted wives and mothers. They were therefore considered unfit to operate 23 political beings and unable to 24 the benefits of citizenship given to men. Very few women 25 a college education, secured a well-paid job, or pursued a fruitful career. Other than marrying well, they could do 26 to improve their economic status.
27 their secondary status, women 28 play a central role in developing, civilizing, and advancing the nation long before the United States gained its independence 29 Great Britain. During the colonial period, they made great contributions to family and community. They worked alongside their husbands 30 family survival demanded that chores (杂事) be shared by all. Women helped to sow, plant and harvest crops. They 31 pigs and chickens, planted gardens and milked cows. This need for shared male and female labor 32 a constant theme (主题) as families moved to the frontier, where all family members" having to work 33 essential.
34 scholars still debate the nature of white women"s standing during the colonial period, many of them admit that colonial women 35 some standing in their families and communities 36 their contributions were to essential. A woman might 37 chores in the home but also assist her husband in 38 a newspaper or a store. But this cooperative (合作的) approach did not translate into 39 rights for women; instead, it 40 the realities and uncertainties of colonial life.