【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】[听力原文] 1-5
W: What are the historical trends with respect to marriage and family?
M: The "traditional nuclear family", consisting of a breadwinner-husband and a homemaker-wife raising children, was the norm for most households in the United States in the 1950s. In these traditional families, married couples were usually of the same religion, the same race, and the same socio-economic class, and they were supposed to live together for the rest of their lives even if the relationship was abusive or dysfunctional. Times have changed. Today, the "Ozzie and Harriet" family constitutes only about 10 percent of all families (1). Family diversity is now the norm, with 25% of households consisting of adults living alone, and the rest made up of people living in a variety of family structures, such as dual-income families, single-parent families, step-families, inter-racial families, inter-faith families, foster families, cohabiting opposite-sex couples, same-sex partners (5), and group homes.
W: Why have family structures changed so much?
M: More women entering the workforce; passage of no fault divorce laws; aggressive enforcement of domestic violence laws (2) ; greater social acceptance of unmarried cohabitation (2); family diversity portrayed more on television; changing religious attitudes and more spiritual flexibility (2); and greater visibility for gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. These are some of the reasons.
W: Why don't some people get married?
M: Obviously, everyone starts out single (5). Eventually, most people do get married, although the Census Bureau reports that about 10% of adults never will. But for those who do "tie the knot", marriage is no longer a lifetime status. Most people will be married, then divorce, then remarry, and eventually become single again, either through the death of their spouse or another divorce (3). As a result, marriage comes and goes in phases for most people. Many young adults defer marriage until they finish college or get their careers launched. A majority of couples will cohabit together for a few months or a few years to determine whether they should marry each other. Same-sex couples are always unmarried because gay marriages are not recognized by the law. Some feminists view marriage with distrust because historically it has been a sexist institution (3), and therefore they may choose unmarried cohabitation or may register as domestic partners with their mate. Atheists and agnostics may view even "civil" marriage as a quasi-religions institution and therefore refused to participate in matrimony (3) because, unlike domestic partnership, marriage is not truly secular. Some divorcees are reluctant to enter marriage again because they found their previous relationship to be abusive and hurtful.
W: Are domestic partner laws and benefits plans important?
M. People who believe in "equal pay for equal work" find domestic partner benefits important. A worker with a domestic partner should not receive less pay in terms of benefits compensation which can be 30% of the total pay package, merely because he or she has a domestic partner and not a spouse (4). And a worker with a dependent blood relative at home should get equal benefits too. Domestic partnership registries are also important. Dozens of cities and counties have established procedures for unmarried couples to publicly register as a family unit (4). The symbolism of declaring themselves as a family, albeit a non-marital family (4), is important to these couples, many of whom have children. Registrants tell society that they will he responsible for each other's welfare and that they will care for each other—which is what a family does— and society then tells these folks, through the public registry, that they are valuable members of the community. This public gesture, by the couples and by society, is important for philosophical, political, and psychological reasons. People want to be valued members of society, not social outcasts.
题目问传统家庭目前在美国社会的比例。采访中提到：“Times have changed. Today, the“Ozzie and Harriet” family constitutes only about 10 percent of all families”。此句直接给出了答案：仅有10%的家庭，即正确选项是A。“Ozzie and Harriet”意指“正派的中产阶级夫妇”。

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】题目问四个选项中，哪一项不是家庭结构变化的原因。B、C、D三项都直接提到，分别是“Aggressive enforcement of domestic violence laws";“Greater social acceptance of unmarried cohabitation”;“Changing religious attitudes and more spiritual flexibility”。而选项A中的family diversity只是家庭结构变化的 结果。

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】题目问四个选项中，哪一项不是一些人单身的原因。A、B、D三项都提到过，分别是“Some feminists view marriage with distrust because historically it has been a sexist institution”; "eventually become single again, either through the death of their spouse or another divorce"; "Atheists and agnostics may view even "civil" marriage as a quasi-religious institution"。虽然文中提到离婚会让人回到单身的状态，但选项C的表述是指由于考虑到将来会因为某种原因离婚，所以一些人选择单身。

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】题目问对于选择domestic partnership的人来说，这意味着什么。采访中提到：“a non-marital family”；“A worker with a domestic partner should not receive less pay... merely because he or she has a domestic partner and not a spouse"; "Dozens of cities and counties have established procedures for unmarried couples to publicly register as a family unit"，可知“家庭伴侣关系”是一种非婚家庭形式，在少数地方可以公开登记注册，他们也应该享受同工同酬的待遇，但选项D的内容并未提及，故此题答案为选项D。

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】题目问下列四个选项中哪一项不是不结婚的人可以有的其他选择。家庭形式多样化的表现之一就是存在“cohabiting opposite-sex couples，same-sex partners"，即异性同居、同性伴侣等非婚家庭形式，当然还有许多人选择了单身的方式，“starts out single”。因此，只有选项D的表述与不结婚无关。