There was a time in my life when people asked ____1____ for stories about what it’s like to work in a field ____2____ by men. I was never very good at telling those stories because ____3____ I never found them interesting. ____4____ I do find interesting is the origin of the universe and the nature of black holes.

At 19, ____5____ I began studying astrophysics, it did not ____6____ me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom. But while ____7____ my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the ____8____ started to trouble me. My every achievement—jobs, research papers, ____9____ —was viewed through the lens of gender politics. ____ 10____ were my failures.

Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth ____11____ a sentence that would eventually become my reply ____12____ any and all of these: I don’t talk about that anymore. It ____13____ me 10 years to get back the confi dence I had at 19 and to realize that I didn’t want to ____14____ with gender issues.

Today I research and teach at Barnard, a women’s college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how many ____15____ the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45. I know some of my students worry how they will ____16____ their scientifi c research and a desire ____17____ children. And I don’t dismiss those concerns. Instead, I have given them this: the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments. And ____18____ they have given me the image of 45 women ____19____ by a love of science. And that’s a sight ____20____ talking about.

1.   A. continually     B. continuously     C. constantly  D. unceasingly

2.   A. dominated     B. commanded      C. dictated     D. prevailed

3.   A. factually        B. intentionally       C. basically    D. truthfully

4.   A. But              B. Whether            C. What        D. Though

5.   A. as                B. when                 C. since        D. after

6.   A. stress          B. molest               C. interfere    D. bother

7.   A. earning         B. learning             C. studying   D. rewarding

8.   A. question       B. subject              C. issue        D. dispute

9.   A. rewards        B. awards               C. prizes      D. cups

10.  A. As               B. Same                 C. Both       D. So

11.  A. went            B. came                 C. said         D. spoke

12.  A. to               B. for                     C. at            D. in

13.  A. spent          B. took                  C. cost         D. consumed

14.  A. handle with  B. deal with            C. meet with  D. settle with

15. A. in                 B. within                C. among      D. of

16. A. make            B. handle               C. ensure      D. manage

17. A. for               B. at                      C. to              D. in

18. A. in contrast    B. in comparison    C. in turn        D. in return

19. A. educated      B. admired          C. devoted         D. driven

20. A. worth          B. worthy            C. worthwhile       D. worthy of