READING COMPREHENSION You are working on a project on Women’s and Children’s Rights for your English class. Read the following text and match the topics (A-D) with the correct paragraphs (1-4). A. Women and peace. B. IWD today. C. What is IWD? D. Origins of IWD. International Women’s Day (IWD) 1.____ It is a day celebrated in many Western countries to recognize women’s achievements, to fight for women’s rights and to accelerate gender equality –globally and at a local level. 2.____ The first National Woman’s Day was celebrated in the United States on February 28, 1909, to honor the 1908 New York City strike in which thousands of women workers protested against their poor working conditions. In 1910, during an International Conference of Working Women in Denmark, the idea of having a global day to celebrate and fight for women’s rights was approved. No specific date was fixed, but as a result, International Women’s Day was observed for the first time in some European countries like Austria, Germany and Switzerland. 3. ____ The day also became a mechanism for protesting First World War. As part of the peace movement, many women around the world campaigned against the war and expressed their solidarity with other activists. In 1917, Russian women began a strike for “bread and peace” in response to the death of over 2 million Russian soldiers in the war. Four days later, the Russian government granted women the right to vote. 4.____ In 1975, the United Nations fixed IWD on March 8, and this has been the global date of celebration ever since. On this day today, thousands of women organize peaceful marches, strikes and other events and many famous feminist leaders give important speeches to raise awareness, to fight for more rights and against violent practices towards women. “The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to all who care about human rights,” says the feminist journalist and political activist Gloria Steinem. Now is your turn! Make every day International Women’s Day! Text adapted from: www.un.org and www.internationalwomensday.com B) Read the text about International Women’s Day (IWD) again and answer the questions below. /10 points 1. Where is IWD celebrated? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 2. Who protested in 1908 and why? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 3. What did many women do during the First World War? _____________________________________________________________ 4. How do women observe IWD today? ____________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________