For the last few decades，women have been breaking barriers in professions. But a new study shows that there is a hidden barrier girls are meeting with.

"Girls are facing prejudice（偏见）from boys，from some parents，and even from each other. We have made a lot of progress in gender（性别）equality but we still have a long way to go，"said Richard Weissbourd，who conducted this study. The prejudice could hold girls back from succeeding.

The study shows only 8%of girls prefer female political leaders. Many tend to believe males have always led，so they have a preference for males' leading，which becomes one of their habits. What's more surprising is that even some mothers appear to be prejudiced，supporting school councils more led by men. The girls say that they feel threatened by boys' successes in school.

Rachel Simmons says these findings are amazing，but she's not really surprised by them. "Even today we've given girls every opportunity but our attitudes still have to change，"Simmons said. "We're still giving girls messages to look at each other as threats. Girls are not looking at each other for support，and they're also feeling so insecure about how they look."

Simmons offers ways to parents to help break these patterns of gender prejudice：

Research shows that chores（日常琐事）can be given to kids in really gendered ways. Change it at home. That's a big thing parents can do. Let boys do some care-giving because attitudes start very early and parents can help kids change them very early in the home. Another thing is to change the way we talk to our kids. If you have an outspoken girl，do you call her a bossy-boots，or do you say" I'm so glad you spoke up"？

We all have our own prejudice. I have a 3-year-old daughter and when she doesn't want to wear a dress, I get a little upset about it. Again, every parent has to look at their own prejudice. What toys are we buying for our kids? Are we buying girls the make-up kits and boys the science kits?

Getting around the city when you are six months pregnant and have a two-year-old girl can be really challenging. One spring afternoon，we went to one of the grocery 【小题1】（store）nearby to buy some food for dinner. There was no sign of rain，and the store was just around the corner，【小题2】 we went there without an umbrella. However，we were about 【小题3】（leave）the store when the rain came in full force. It seemed that the streets would be flooded 【小题4】 water within minutes.

I noticed a young Chinese couple staring at 【小题5】（we）when we came to a crossroad and were waiting for the light to change. I figured they were 【小题6】（probable）wondering why a pregnant foreigner was dragging her little kid out through the rain. But as we crossed the street，【小题7】 woman offered me her umbrella. I told her I couldn't take it because it was clearly starting to storm. She insisted and handed it to me as she 【小题8】（hurry）off with her husband.

Though 【小题9】（catch）in the rain unexpectedly，we still treasured the memory and will always recall the 【小题10】（warm）and kindness of the Chinese couple.

   Getting to know other people is a typical activity in our daily lives. Even if you're good with people，there are likely times when you're stuck for something more to say and start wondering what topic to bring up next. 【小题1】

Talk about the other person.

The biggest secret to being a good conversationalist is simply allowing the other people to talk about themselves. Why? 【小题2】

Ask about work.

This one can be a little tricky because the conversation could end up sounding like a job interview. Still, if you can handle it carefully and keep it short and sweet, it can lead to an interesting discussion.

【小题3】

This is where it starts to get more personal. It’s up to you to carry on the conversation using these questions in a proper way. Do you play or follow any sports? What do you like to read? What kind of music do you like?

Ask about their travels.

Ask the person where they’ve been. Even if they have never left their hometown, they will likely be happy to talk about where they want to go. If you had a chance to move to any other country, which one would it be and why? 【小题4】 How did you like it?

Know what to avoid.

You know the old rule: never talk about religion, politics, money, family problems, or women’s age with people you don’t know well. 【小题5】 So you should stay extremely clear.

I'm Li Hua. Recently we had a discussion _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Best wishes！

Yours sincerely，

Li Hua

It is reported that in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games，some athletes are banned from taking part in the games for taking doping. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________