Being an ambitious lady
In the 1960s, I set up my own software house in Britain. People laughed at 33______ very idea because software, at that time, was given away free with hardware. 34______ would buy software, certainly not from a woman. 35______ women were then coming out of the universities with decent degrees, there was a glass ceiling to our progress. And I’d hit that glass ceiling and wanted opportunities for women.
I recruited professionally-qualified women who had left the industry after marriage or when their first child 36______ (expect). We pioneered the idea of women going back into the workforce after a career break. We pioneered all sorts of new, flexible work methods: job shares，profit-sharing, and so on.
I changed my name from “Stephanie” to “Steve” in my business development letters to get through the door 37______ anyone realized that “ he” was a “she”…
When I started my company of women, the men said, “How interesting! It only works because it’s small.” And later, as it became sizable, they accepted：“Yes， it is sizable now, but of no strategic interest.” And later, when it was a company 38______(value) at over 3 billion dollars, and I’d made 70 of the staff into millionaires, they sort of said, “Well done , Steve!”
You 39______ always tell ambitious women by the shape of our heads: they’re flat on top from 40______ (pat) patronizingly (傲慢地) by man. And we have larger feet to stand away from the kitchen sink.
33. the 34. Nobody 35. Although/Though 36. was expected 37. before 38. valued 39. can 40. being patted
