Is there something seriously wrong with marriage today? During the past 50 years, the rate of divorce in the United States has exploded. almost 50% of marriages end in divorce now, and the evidence suggests it is going to get worse. If this trend continues, it will lead to the breakup of the family, according to a spokesperson for the National Family Association. Some futurists predict that in 100 years, the average American will marry at least four times, and extramarital(婚外的) affairs will be even more common than they are now. But what are the reasons for this, and is the picture really so gloomy(阴暗的)? The answer to the first question is really quite simple. marriage is no longer the necessity it once was. The institution of marriage has been based for years partly on economic need. Women used to be economically dependent on their husbands as they usually didn't have jobs outside the home. But with the rising number of women in well-paying jobs, this is no longer the case, so they don't feel that they need to stay in a failing marriage. In answer to the second question, the outlook may not be as pessimistic(悲观的) as it seems. While the rate of divorce has risen, the rate o~ couples marrying has never actually fallen very much, so marriage is still quite popular. In addition to this, many couples now simply live together and don't bother to marry. These couples are effectively married, but they do not appear in either the marriage or divorce statistics. In fact, more than 50% of first marriages survive. So is marriage really an outdated institution? The fact that most people still get married indicates that it isn't. And it 'is also true that married couples have a healthier life than single people: they suffer less from stress and its consequences, such as heart problems, and married men generally consider themselves more contented than their single counterparts. Perhaps the key is to find out what makes a successful marriage and apply it to all of our relationships!
单选题
Which of the following is true about the marriage in the United States today? A. Divorce leads to the breakup of the family. B. More than half of the married couples get divorced. C. American people marry more than four times. D. More and more people are getting divorced.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 题意：在当今的美国，有关婚姻问题下列哪一项是真实的? 题干中的关键词为“true真实；the marriage婚姻；the united states today在当今的美国”。 答“真实”这类题非常容易，按A—D逐项在短文内查读。 根据文中第1段的2～3行：“现在几乎50%的婚姻以离婚告终，而且证据表明还会越来越恶化。”以此判断应选D项。
单选题
What does "this is no longer the case" in paragraph 2 mean? A. Women are not economically dependent any more. B. It is not necessary to get married any more. C. Women do not need a husband any longer. D. Many wives do well-paying jobs outside home now.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 题意：第2段中的“不再是这种情况了”意指什么? 题干中的关键词为“‘this is no longer the case不再是这种情况了’；in paragraph 2在第2段中；mean意指”。 this代表的是回指它的前一句，即：“由于妇女过去通常在家没有工作，她们经常在经济上依赖她们的丈夫。”以此判断应选A项。
单选题
Why is the outlook of marriage not as hopeless as it appears? A. Many people still like to get married. B. The rate of divorce has actually decreased. C. Over 60% of the marriages continue to exist. D. The statistics of divorce is reliable.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 题意：为什么婚姻前景似乎不像看起来那么令人无望? 题干中的关键词为“the outlook of marriage婚姻前景；hopeless无望。” 根据文中第3段的1～3行：“…，前景似乎并不那么悲观。虽然离婚率上升，但结婚率实际上从没有下降多少，因此结婚依然非常流行。”以此判断应先A项。
单选题
How do most men feel in their marriage life? A. They feel much stronger than before. B. They don't feel as lonely as before. C. They suffer more than before. D. They feel more satisfied than being single.
单选题
Which of the following about marriage is NOT mentioned in the passage? A. It is important to discover what makes a marriage successful. B. Marriage has long been partly an economic need. C. It is a fact that most people choose to get married. D. Many people went abroad after divorce.