Ⅲ.综合运用

The Washing Machine Has Changed the World

Which is more important to our lives,the Internet or the washing machine?Many of us might answer,“The Internet！”The Internet helps us gather i__1__.It allows us to see our friends in real time.

However,Ha-Joon Chang,a professor at Cambridge University,doesn't agree.He believes the washing machine has c__2__the world more than the Internet.That sounds strange,but Chang is not alone.Many experts have called the washing machine the greatest invention of the 20th century.Why?

Let's be honest:How many of us love to do the laundry?It seems the cycle of washing,drying and i__3__never ends.It's so tiring and boring！

However,before the washing machine was invented,women often had to spend lots of time washing clothes.Many of them s__4__from back pain.

The washing machine freed women from the laundry.Many women found they had enough time to enter the labor market（劳动力市场）.As a r__5__，the social status of women began to change.Today，most women can make an independent living.They don't have to rely on men any longer.

To better understand the i__6__of washing machines，we can look at societies without them.In many African countries，doing the laundry takes women six hours a day.Women there hardly have time to work or start a business.It is hard for them to find a way out of poverty（贫困）.Perhaps things will be a lot different if they have washing machines.

We often take the washing machine for g__7__.But these machines do play an important role in our lives.They have greatly changed the world.

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