◇社会生活类
Passage 54 题材：社会生活类字数：431
In some society it is the custom for parents to arrange the marriages of their children. The father and mother of the bride will meet with the father and mother of the groom, and if both families are plead with each other, an agreement will be made. Often the brides and grooms will not be asked for their opinion in this matter, and sometimes they do not even meet each other until the day of the wedding. In some countries, men adverti for mail—order brides in the local paper.
Most Americans find the idea of arranged marriages difficult to understand or accept. They believe that two people should marry for love, after a period of dating or courtship. During that period, the prospective marriage partners are suppod to learn enough about each other to decide whether or not they will be able to build a successful marriage. T oday in America, it is common for people to live together as a way of preparing for marriage. The idea of an arranged marriage ems very old-fashioned indeed.
But aren’t all marriages ar ranged in one way or another? In the United States marriages are ldom formally arranged, but quite a lot of informal arranging goes on before two people become husband and wife. People who get married are introduced to each other by friends. The friends have already decided that the two people are right for each other and arrange for them to meet. In the United
States this kind of arrangement is very common. Becau friends have such great influence, their approval of a dating or mating partner is very important. Families also exert open and subtle pressures on their children to influence their choices of marriage partners. Parents often arrange dates for their own children. One parent often tells a friend about her beautiful daughter or handsome son. Also, parents can meet the perfect marriage prospect for their son or daughter through business relationships. Since parents often assist their children financially, they feel that they have the right to help the bride and groom lect where they will live, what type of furniture they will purcha, and what their life-style will be like.
To a larger extent, social class determines the choice of a marriage partner in the United States. Marriages are usually arranged between people of similar religious, ethnic, and financial backgrounds. Despite what we e in the movies, the son of a bank president rarely marries or even meets a miner’s daughter. Americans may not accept or understand arranged marriages, but marriages in the United States are arranged nevertheless.
1. Which of the following can be chon as the best title of this passage?
[A] Americans’ Marriage
[B] Arranged Marriage
[C] Marriage for Love
六级词组[D] Perfect Marriage
2. Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage?
[A] Some couple s marry according to their parents’ arrangement.
[B] Some men ek their future-wife by advertising in the newspaper.
[C] The Americans will not live together before their marriage.
[D] Friends and parents usually play an important role in arranging marriage.
3. Most Americans deem that ______.
[A] financial status determines the choice of a marriage partner
[B] young men and women should get married as soon as they fall in love
[C] arranged marriages are hardly understood and accepted
[D] love plays a critical role in marriage
4. According to the passage, all of the following statements are true except that
______.
[A] in arranged marriages, the brides and grooms never meet before their wedding
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[B] many Americans think the idea of arranged marriage out of date
[C] all marriages are not arranged in America
[D] a lot of informally arranged marriages exist in America
5. We can draw the conclusion that ______.
[A] children always ask their parents for opinions about marriage
[B] the author thinks that in America marriages still bear class character
[C] it is unusual for Americans to live together as a way of preparing for marriages
[D] despite the different backgrounds, people still marry in America
1.B 主旨题。文章前两段首先提出正式的“arranged marriage”的定义及人们对此所持的态度；后三段着重讲述在美国，尽管人们不接受“arranged marriage”，但实际上他们
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只是“informal arranging”，形式不同而已。所以通篇文章都在讲述“arranged marriage”，故选项B正确。
2.C 细节题。文章第二段倒数第二句提到“Today preparing for marriage”，即在美国人们婚前同居是很普遍的现象，选项C“美国人婚前不同居”不正确。
3.C 细节题。文章第二段第一句指出“Most understand or accept”，即大多数美国人认为很难理解或接受“arranged marriage”，故选项C正确。
4.A 细节题。原文第一段指出在“arranged marriage”中，通常不会征求男女双方的意见，有时“they do not even meet each other until the day of the wedding”，但并不是说在此类婚姻中他们都从不见面，选项A表述不准确。
5.B 细节题。文章第五段第一句指出“social in the United States”，即在美国社会阶层决定着配偶的选择，也就是说婚姻带有阶级的概念。故选项B正确。『词汇词组』
·bride n. 新娘；姑娘
·groom n. 新郎；马夫；男仆
·courtship n. 求爱，求婚我在人间彷徨
·prospective adj. 预期的，有希望的
·exert vt. 运用；发挥，施加（压力等）
Passage 55 题材：社会生活类
字数：405
Many critics of the current welfare system argue that existing welfare regulations foster family instability. They maintain that tho regulations, which exclude most
poor husband and wife families from Aid to Families with Dependent Children assistance grants, contribute to the problem of family dissolution. Thus, they conclude that expanding the t of families eligible for family assistance plans or guaranteed income measures would result in a marked strengthening of the
动名词做定语10w-income family structure. If all poor families could receive welfare, would the incidence of instabili
ty change markedly? The unhappily married couple, in most cas, remain together out of n of economic responsibility for their children, becau of the high costs of paration, or becau of the consumption benefits of marriage. The formation, maintenance, and dissolution of the family is in large part a function of the relative balance between the benefits and costs of marriage as en by the individual members of the marriage. The major benefit generated by the creation of a family is the expansion of the t of consumption possibilities. The benefits from such a partnership depend largely on the relative dissimilarity of the resources or basic endowments each partner brings to the marriage. Persons with similar productive capacities have less economic “cement” holding their marriage together. Since the family performs certain function society regards as vital, a complex network of social and legal buttress has evolved to reinforce marriage. Much of the variation in marital stability across income class can be explained by the variation in COSTS of dissolution impod by society, e. g. division of property, alimony, child support, and the social stigma attached to divorce.
Marital stability is related to the costs of achieving an acceptable agreement on family consumption and production and to the prevailing social price of instability走路的路怎么写
in the marriage partners social economic group. Expected AFDC income exerts pressures on family instability by reducing the cost of dissolution. To the extent that welfare is a form of government subsidized alimony payments, it reduces the institutional costs of paration and guarantees a minimal standard of living for wife and children. So welfare opportunities are a significant determinant of family instability in poor neighborhoods, but this is not the result of AFDC regulations that exclude most intact families from coverage. Rather, welfare instability occurs becau public assistance lowers both the benefits of marriage and the costs of its disruption by providing a system of government subsidized alimony payments.
1. Some criticize the current welfare regulations becau ______.
[A] tho regulations encourage family dissolution回门宴邀请函
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[B] the low-income families are not given enough family assistance grants
[C] they expand the t of families eligible for family assistance
[D] the guaranteed income measures are incread
2. According to this passage, family stability depends on ______.
[A] the couple’s earning ability
[B] the relative balance between the benefits and costs of marriage
[C] how much posssions the couple have before marriage
[D] a network of social and legal support
3. All of the following are mentioned by the author as factors tending to perpetuate
a marriage EXCEPT ______.
[A] the stigma attached to divorce
