One of the most striking findings of a recent questionnaire in the UK is that of the people interviewed, one in two believes that it is becoming more difficult to meet someone to start a family with.
Why are many people finding it increasingly difficult to start and keep close relationships? Does modern life really make it harder to fall in love? Or are we making it harder for ourselves?
It is certainly the case today that nowadays couples benefit in different ways from relationships. Women no longer rely upon partners for economic security or status. A man doesn’t expect his wife to be in sole (唯一的) charge of running his household and raising his children.
But perhaps the knowledge that we can live perfectly well without a partnership means that it takes much more to persuade people to abandon their independence.
In theory, finding a partner should be much simpler these days. Only a few generations ago，your choice of soul mate was limited by geography, social convention and family tradition. Although it was never clear, many marriages were essentially arranged. Now those barriers have been broken down. You can approach a builder or a brain surgeon in any bar in any city on any given evening. When the world is your oyster（牡蠣）, you surely have a better chance of finding a pearl.
But it seems that the traditions have been replaced by an even tighter restriction：the limitation of choice. The expectations of partners are made greater to an unmanageable degree：good looks, impressive salary, kind to grandmother, and so on. There is no room for error in the first impression.
We think that a relationship can be perfect. If it isn’t，it is intended to be thrown away. We work to protect ourselves against future heartache and don’t put in the hard emotional labor needed to build a strong relationship. Twelve-hour work at the office makes relaxed after-hours dating(約會(huì)) difficult. The cost of housing and child-raising creates pressure to have a stable(穩(wěn)定的) income and career before a life partnership.
【小題1】 Nowadays, in a family, _________.

A．men begin to depend on women
B．couples share the burdens
C．men are responsible for housework
D．couples can’t get along together
【小題2】 People don’t want to give up their independence because______.
A．they can’t bear arranged marriages
B．they want to have more choices
C．they don’t want to follow traditions
D．they think they can live happily alone
【小題3】 People don’t bother to date because_______.
A．it requires luck to build a strong relationship
B．it takes them too much energy to work
C．it needs faith to have a life partnership
D．it causes mental problems to find a life partner
【小題4】 Which of the following can best describe the main idea of the passage?
A．The expectations of partners and financial pressure may prevent a relationship.
B．People should spend more money on marriage today.
C．Independence is much more important than love.
D．Even a perfect marriage can be given up for the sake of independence.


【小題1】B
【小題2】D
【小題3】B
【小題4】A

解析試題分析: 根據(jù)美國最新的一項(xiàng)問卷調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn)，50%的人覺得找到相伴一生的另一半很困難。本文簡(jiǎn)單地分析了其中的可能原因。
【小題1】B推理題。根據(jù)第三段Women no longer rely upon partners for economic security or status. A man doesn’t expect his wife to be in sole (唯一的) charge of running his household and raising his children.可知現(xiàn)在的女子在經(jīng)濟(jì)上獨(dú)立，男子也不能指望女子負(fù)責(zé)所有的家務(wù)和養(yǎng)孩子。說明現(xiàn)在是夫妻雙方共同承擔(dān)負(fù)擔(dān)。故選B。
【小題2】D細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)第四段But perhaps the knowledge that we can live perfectly well without a partnership means that it takes much more to persuade people to abandon their independence.可知，人們認(rèn)為獨(dú)自生活也很好的觀念使得人們不愿意放棄他們的獨(dú)立生活。故選D。
【小題3】B細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章最后一段Twelve-hour work at the office makes relaxed after-hours dating(約會(huì)) difficult.可知12小時(shí)的工作使得人們約會(huì)變得很困難，繁忙的工作花費(fèi)了人們太多的精力。故選B。
【小題4】A主旨大意題。文章主要分析現(xiàn)在的人們?yōu)槭裁春茈y找到生活伴侶，其原因可能主要為對(duì)對(duì)方的期望過高以及經(jīng)濟(jì)壓力較大。故選A。
考點(diǎn)：考查說明類短文閱讀。

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