阅读理解   There is nothing quite like falling in love. The palms sweat, the heart races. But time passes, and, nights of endless passion are replaced with snoring. Studies show that married couples can expect around two years of the passionate stuff, and then decades of a companionable slog. So why get married at all? Why not just look for the next dopamine hit?
    It is a good question. Many are clearly asking it, as nearly nine in ten people live in a country with a falling marriage rate. In search of answers, Aziz Ansari, an American comedian, teamed up with Eric Klinenberg, a sociologist at New York University, to write Modern Romance, a lively look at love, marriage and the oddities of mating in the 21st century.
    The pursuit of love has never before involved so many choices, with so many new-fangled tools and such high expectations. Dating apps and social networking sites ensure that anyone with a smartphone can sample from a seemingly endless buffet of romantic prospects. This makes being single more enjoyable, but also more stressful.
    Digital wooing helps people to behave like scoundrels. Among the hundreds of people interviewed for Modern Romance, many admitted to becoming addicted to dating sites. One woman confessed to having hunted for better-looking alternatives while enroute to a first date. Others talked about the ease of starting affairs or snooping on partners. Countless women complained of receiving messages from aspiring Lotharios that ranged from lewd to asinine. Requests to 'hang out' do not make the heart go aflutter.
    The book treads more novel territory when it considers mating rites farther afield. In Qatar, where the only way for a woman to leave her family's home is 'to get married or die' (in the words of one woman), the Internet affords more freedom to socialise away from prying eyes. In Japan, where a sluggish economy has left men feeling more insecure, few can pluck up the nerve to ask women out. This has ensured a booming 'relationship replacement' industry, in which women are paid to serve drinks and listen attentively.
    Readers should not expect a serious work of sociology, but a breezy survey of the relevant research. But when it comes to the question of marriage, Mr. Ansari reaches a satisfying conclusion. Certainly, fewer people are tying the knot, in part because fewer people need to, and the plethora of potential mates raises the opportunity cost of choosing one. But people in good marriages statistically live longer, happier and healthier lives. The passion may burn up, but a more stable, more trusting love takes its place—and this kind of love only gets stronger with time.
单选题     Today's complicated situation of hunting for love is ______.
 
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】 事实细节题。文章第三段讲到了这一问题。文章指出，约会软件和社交网站使有手机的人都能如同取无穷的自助餐那样取得浪漫的前景。B、C选项文中并未提及。D选项是表面原因，其根本原因在于网络的全球化。因此，正确答案为A选项。
单选题     The interviews for Modern Romance reveal ______.
 
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】 事实细节题。根据“interviews for Modem Romance”定位到文章第四段。该段首先指出网络求爱促使人们的行径如恶棍一样。最后又指出，无数女性抱怨受到蠢蠢欲动的花花公子们从低俗到愚蠢的短信。因此，C选项为正确答案。
单选题     The reason why Japanese men don't have courage dating with women is that ______.
 
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】 事实细节题。根据“Japanese”一词定位到文章第五段。该段指出，在日本，滞缓的经济让男性缺乏安全感，极少人能鼓起勇气约女性出去。据此可知，D选项为正确答案。
单选题     'Tying the knot' in the last paragraph probably means ______.
 
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】 词汇理解题。文章最后一段指出，涉及关于婚姻的疑问，Ansari得到了满意的结论。确实，如今______的人越来越少，部分原因是需要______的人变少了，但是婚姻状况良好的人们，活得更久、更开心并且更健康。这两句话其实是对比不结婚与结婚，据此可知“tying the knot”意为“结婚”。
单选题     According to the author, the book Modern Romance is really ______.
 
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】 观点态度题。文章最后一段指出，读者们不要期待这是一部严肃的社会学著作，而应该视为相关领域风趣的调查。据此可知，A选项错误，B选项正确。第二段指出这本书生动活泼地展示了21世纪的爱情、婚姻和交配的怪事。第四、五、六段也不断引用这本书中的例子，可知作者对于这本书是持积极、肯定的态度，故C、D选项均错误。