In the United States, the first day-nursery was opened in 1854. Nurseries were established

in various areas during the (1)_____ half of the 19th century; most of (2)_____ were charitable. Both in Europe and in the U.S. the day nursery movement received great (3)_____ during the First World War, when (4)_____ of manpower caused the industrial employment of unprecedented numbers of women.

In some European countries nurseries were established (5)_____ in munitions plants, under direct government sponsorship. (6)_____ the number of nurseries in the U.S. also rose (7)_____, this rise was accomplished without government aid of any kind. During the years following the First World War, (8)_____, Federal, State, and local governments gradually began to exercise a measure of control (9)_____ the day-nurseries, chiefly by (10)_____ them and by inspecting and regulating the conditions within the nurseries.

The (11)_____ of the Second World War was quickly followed by an increase in the number of day-nurseries in almost all countries, ms women were (12)_____ called upon to replace men in the factories.

On this (13)_____ the U.S. government immediately supported the nursery schools, (14)_____ $6,000,000 in July, 1942 for a nursery-school program for the children of working mothers.

Many States and local communities (15)_____ this Federal aid. By the end of the war, in August, 1945, more than 100,000 children were being cared (16)_____ in daycare centers receiving Federal (17)_____. Soon afterward, the Federal government (18)_____ cut down its expenditures for this purpose and later (19)_____ them, causing a sharp drop in the number of nursery schools in operation. However, the expectation that most employed mothers would leave their (20)_____ at the end of the war was only partly fulfilled.

A．latter

B．late

C．other

D．first