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Katy Tanner, a director at Robert Half in the UK, said, “International Women’s Day provides a platform to highlight the importance for rewarding all employees fairly on the basis of their contribution to the organization, rather than their gender or indeed any other point of difference.”

The firm highlighted recent research by the World Economic Forum that predicted full gender on a global basis would not come about until 2133, but warned the latest statistics suggest it could take even longer. The average salary for a man working full-time was £29,934 last year, but for women it was £24,202, a shortfall of £5,732, according to the data. The research also showed that annual earnings for women grew 1.4 per cent between 2014 and 2015, compared with 1.6 per cent for men.

“Given men have on average higher salaries to begin with, the absolute difference is becoming still further,” Robert Half said.

While Robert Half's findings point to an annual gender pay gap of 24 per cent, the ONS’ findings are based on states the gap is 9.4 per cent. In its Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings published in November, the ONS said, “The gender pay gap for full-time employees decreased to 9.4 per cent, from 9.6 per cent in 2014. This is the lowest since the survey began in 1997, although the gap has changed relatively little over the last four years. A similar trend is seen when full-time and part-time employees are combined, although the gap is unchanged from 2014, at 19.2 per cent. The ONS bases its calculations on hourly earnings, while Robert Half used average annual earnings to reach its results.

A government spokesman said, “This government has gone further than ever before dealing with the gender pay gap. Only last month we required companies with more than 250 employees publish their gender pay gap. We are making progress with business towards the end of the gender pay gap.”

1.What is the writer’s purpose of writing the article?

A To tell us the average salary of all the British.

B To make us focus on the gender pay gap.

C To tell us earnings for women didn’t grow.

D To show us how to celebrate Women’s Day.

解析：选B。写作意图题。根据文章第四段第一句While Robert Half's findings point to an annual gender pay gap of 24 per cent…可知，该文章在讲述男女的收入差距的问题，故选B。

2.In Britain, why did women make less money than men?

A Because annual earnings for women didn’t grow.

B Because their contribution was less than men’s.

C Because they received the gender difference pay.

D Because they often held other different opinions.

解析：选C。细节理解题。根据文章第一段最后一句…rather than their gender …difference.可知女士们的性别差异导致了她们的收入偏少，故选C。

3.What Robert Half said in the third paragraph mean?

A Men never wanted the higher salary.

B Women needed to wait for long to get equal pay.

C Men would be given an average salary.

D Women must accept the pay difference.

解析：选B。推理判断题。根据第三段…the absolute difference is becoming still further可知要做到男女薪酬平等还需要很长的时间，故选B。

4.“A similar trend” in the forth paragraph may refer to _____.

A the unchanged pay

B the Annual Survey

C the full-time jobs

D the decreased gap

解析：选D。词义指代题。根据第四段第二句The gender pay gap for full-time employees decreased to 9.4 per cent, from 9.6 per cent in 2014.可知是“收入差距减小的趋势”，故选D。

5.What did the government do to end the gender pay gap?

A They published all the employees’ pay.

B They attempted to go to the further places.

C They made clear of the gender pay gap.

D They gave the companies a lot of money.

解析：选C。推理判断题。根据文章最后一段第二句的Only last month we required companies with more than 250 employees publish their gender pay gap.可知政府让公司公布性别收入差异，也就是政府首先做的是弄明白差异有多大，故选C。