单选题

How Romance Destroyed Traditional Marriage

For most of recorded human history, marriage was an arrangement designed to maximize (最大化) financial stability. Elizabeth Abbott, the author of A History of Marriage , explains that in ancient times, marriage was intended to unite various parts of a community, establishing beneficial economic relationships. "Because it was a financial arrangement, it was thought of and operated as such. It was a contract between families. For example, let"s say I"m a printer and you make paper, we might want a marriage between our children because that will improve our businesses." Even the honeymoon, often called the "bridal tour", was a communal (群体的) affair, with parents, brothers and sisters, and other close relatives traveling together to reinforce their new familial relationships.
By the Middle Ages, gender inequality was not only honored in social customs, but also common law. In most European countries, married women were forced to give up control over any personal wealth and property rights to their husbands. Eventually, the system became known as "coverture" (有夫之妇), whereby married couples became a single legal entity in which the husband had all power.
By the 19th century, the conflict between love and money had come to a head. As the Western world advanced towards a more modern, industrialized society built on wage labor, emotional bonds became more private, focused more on immediate family and friends than communal celebrations. Simultaneously, mass media helped make sentimental inclinations a larger part of popular culture, with the flourishing of holidays like Valentine"s Day and various hobbies.
Culturally speaking, love was in the air, and the union of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840 only served to seal the deal. Though Victoria and Albert"s marriage was sanctioned by their royal families, it was also hailed as a true "love match", strengthening the new ideal of romantic partnership. Their wedding also coincided with the surge of early print media, making the event visible to readers all across Europe and North America.

单选题 What"s the purpose of marriage in ancient times?

单选题 Why do people go on honeymoon with relatives?

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】[解析] 根据题干中的honeymoon定位到原文第一段最后一句。该句提到，甚至是蜜月，也就是通常所说的“新婚旅行”，也是一种群体活动，父母、兄弟姐妹，以及其他的近亲也一起旅行，以便于加强新建立的家族关系。由此可知，人们带上亲人去新婚旅行的原因在于想要巩固新建立的家庭关系，故选C。

单选题 What do we know about gender inequality in the Middle Ages?

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] 根据题干中的gender inequality in the Middle Ages定位到原文第二段。该段首句提到，中世纪时期，男女之间的不平等不仅体现在社会风俗中，也常见于不成文的法律中。由此可知B项表述正确，故选B。原文中说的是大部分欧洲国家的女性在结婚之后被迫放弃个人财产支配权，因而A、D两项表述与原文不符。原文中并没有说不成文的法律敦促人们尊重女性，故C项也可排除。

单选题 What was the relationship between love and money by the 19th century?

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】[解析] 根据题干中的love and money by the 19th century，定位到原文第三段。该段首句提到，到了19世纪时，爱情与金钱之间的矛盾达到顶峰。理解短语come to a head的含义对于解题十分关键，该短语意为“达到最高点”。而且该段后文详细解释了19世纪时期西方社会的发展使得人们更加注重情感需求，与以往注重考虑财产的传统相悖。因此通过对上下文的理解也可以推断出D项表述正确，故选D。

单选题 Why was the wedding of Queen Victoria visible across Europe and North America?

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】[解析] 根据题干中的visible across Europe and North America定位到原文最后一段。该段最后一句中提到，维多利亚和阿尔伯特的婚礼恰好赶上了早期印刷媒体的迅猛发展，这使得整个欧洲和北美的读者都能见证这一场盛典。故选B。A、C两项的表述虽然符合原文，但是并非是欧洲和北美的人们都能见证维多利亚和阿尔伯特的婚礼的原因，D想表述并未在文中提及，故排除。