Choose the word or phrase among A, B, C or D that best fits the blank space in the following passage:
"Men are lazy in the home, according to an official survey (1)……… today. They have about six hours a week more free time than wives, but play very little(2)…… in cooking, cleaning, washing, and ironing, according to the Social Trends Survey by the Central (3)…… Office.
Nearly three quarters of married women (4)…… to do all or most of the housework, and among married men the proportion who admitted that their wives did all or most of the housework was only slightly lower.
The survey (5)…… that washing and ironing was the least popular task among men, with only one percent (6)…… this duty, compared with 89 percent of women, and 10 percent sharing equally.
Only 5 percent of men (7)….. the evening meal, 3 percent carry out household cleaning duties, 5 percent household shopping, and 17 percent wash the evening dishes. But when household gadgets break down, (8)…… are carried out by 82 percent of husbands.
The survey says that, despite our economic problems, the majority of Britons are substantially better (9)….. than a decade ago. We’re healthier, too - eating healthier foods and smoking less.
The (10)….. Briton, not surprisingly, is more widely travelled than a decade ago. More people are going abroad for holidays, with Spain the favorite destination."
3. and ironing, according to the Social Trends Survey by the Central (3)…… Office.