阅读理解
Passage One
Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.
In times of economic crisis. Americans turn to their families for support. If the Great Depression is any guide, we may see a drop in our skyhigh divorce rate. But this won’t necessarily represent. an increase in happy marriages. In the long run, the Depression weakened American families, and the current crisis will probably do the same.
We tend to think of the Depression as a time when families pulled together to survive huge job losses, By 1932. when nearly one-quarter of the workforce was unemployed, the divorce rate had declined by around 25% from 1929 But this doesn’t mean people were suddenly happier with their marriages. Rather, with incomes decreasing and insecure jobs, unhappy couples often couldn’t afford to divorce. They feared neither spouse could manage alone.
Today, given the job losses of the past year, fewer unhappy couples will risk starting separate households, Furthermore, the housing market meltdown will make it more difficult for them to finance their separations by selling their homes.
After financial disasters family members also tend to do whatever they can to help each other and their communities, A 1940 book. The Unemployed Man and His Family, described a family in which the husband initially reacted to losing his job “with tireless search for work.”He was always active, looking for odd jobs to do.
The problem is that such an impulse is hard to sustain Across the country, many similar families were unable to maintain the initial boost in morale(士气). For some, the hardships of life without steady work eventually overwhelmed their attempts to keep their families together. The divorce rate rose again during the rest of the decade as the recovery took hold.
Millions of American families may now be in the initial stage of their responses to the current crisis, working together and supporting one another through the early months of unemployment.
Today’s economic crisis could well generate a similar number of couples whose relationships have been irreparably(无法弥补地)ruined. So it’s only when the economy is healthy again that we’ll begin to see just how many broken families have been created.
单选题
In the initial stage, the current economic crisis is likely to __________.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。文章第一段第二句说到If the Great Depression is any guide,we may see a drop in our skyhigh divorce rate,意即经济大萧条使我们极高的离婚率下降,因而正确答案为C。
单选题
In the Great Depression many unhappy couples close to stick together because
单选题
In addition to job losses. What stands in the way of unhappy couples getting a divorce?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 推理题。根据文章第三段首句说到鉴于去年的失业情况,选择冒险开始独自生活的不幸福夫妻变少。第二句紧接着说到Furthermore,the housing market meltdown will make it more difficult for them to finance their separations by selling their homes,由此可知,房市的彻底崩溃将会使他们即使卖了房子也很难负担今后独自生活的费用。故选择D。
单选题
What will the current economic crisis eventually do to some married couples?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。根据最后一段第一句提到Today’s economic crisis could well generate a similar number of couples whose relationships have been irreparably(无法弥补地)ruined,由此可以看出,当前的经济危机会给一些夫妻的关系造成无法弥补的破坏。选择D。