Some couples choose not to learn the sex of their baby before he or she is born because the moment people hear "boy" or "girl" they begin to make assumptions （设想) about a child. One couple in Sweden d

Traditional Ideas about Marriage

Almost every society has certain traditional ideas about marriage. For example，most societies expect men and women to marry. Most cultures also have traditions about the role and duties of a husband and a wife. Traditionally，the husband is expected to earn a living，and the wife is expected to keep house and raise children.

Many Americans did not follow traditional marriage patterns. For example，a large number of married couples share responsibilities that have been traditionally handled by either the husband or the wife. An increasing number of married women have paying jobs and help support their families financially. In 1940s，about 15 percent of all married women earned money. In the early 1990s，about 60 percent held a full-or part-time job. More and more husbands share responsibilities traditionally handled by women，such as cooking，doing housework，and caring for children.

On the average，men and women stay single longer than they once did. In 1950s，men married at an average age of 23，and women married at an average age of 20. By the mid-1990s，the average marriage age was about 26.5 for men and about 24.5 for women.

An increasing number of people choose not to marry. If a man and a woman wish to avoid marriage，they may decide to live together with no formal obligations to each other. This arrangement is more common among young adults，but some couples of all ages live together without marrying. (239 words)

6. Most societies expect men and women to marry and have traditions about the role and duties of a husband and a wife.

A. T

B. F

7. All Americans would like to follow the traditional marriage patterns.

A. T

B. F

8. The number of married women with a paying job to support their families financially is increasing.

A. T

B. F

9. In the early 1990s，about 15 percent held a full-or part-time job.

A. T

B. F

10. More and more Americans choose to live together without marriage.

A. T

B. F

ually diminishes their chances of ever attaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equated with happiness, then pain must be equated with unhappiness. But, in fact, the opposite is true: more times than not, things that lead to happiness involve some pain.

As a result, many people avoid the very endeavors that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment, civic or charitable work, self-improvement.

Ask a bachelor why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he's honest, he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure, excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.

Similarly, couples who choose not to have children are deciding in favor of painless fun over painful happiness. They can dine out whenever they feel like and sleep as late as they wish. Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night's sleep or a three-day vacation. I don't know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children.

Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations we ever come to. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buy that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those rich and glamorous people we were so sure are happy because they are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all. The moment we understand that fun does not bring happiness, we begin to live differently. The effect can be, quite literally, life-transforming.

According to the writer, people who think of happiness as fun ______.

A．are somewhat denied the chances of gaining happiness

B．will remain single although they may go dating

C．must know what true happiness is

D．should devote more time to activities

laptop. An MBA student at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business, Heard thinks about his family constantly. But because he's away at B-school, he has experienced much of his son's first year via phone calls and digital photos. Says Heard, "It has been particularly hard, not being there with them every day. "

This was his family's choice. It didn't make financial sense for his wife, Eden, a corporate lawyer in Washington, to quit her job, sell their condo(公寓), and move to Charlotterville with her husband. So he went alone. In his first Year each spouse made the 200-mile round-trip commute on alternate weekends. Since their son was born last May, Addison has been doing most of the driving.

As complicated as the Heard's situation seems, it isn't all that rare. In any year, hundreds of couples deal with how to handle the family logistics(后勤工作) of going to B-school. Some choose a long-distance relationship, commuting back and forth on weekends and breaks. Others see partners and children only on vacations and holidays. Still others pack up the family and bring them along.

Being apart hasn't been easy, but the Heards have made it work. On weekends when the couple is in Virginia, they attend social events, so she can feel a part of the community. Heard also avoids Friday classes to gain more family time. "We've gotten into a routine that works," he says, "but I'm looking forward to being home, so the three of us can be a family. "

Any long-distance commute puts pressure on a relationship, causing some couples to drift apart. Being thrown in a rigorous academic schedule for one spouse and a demanding career for the other, the stress intensifies, often distracting students from their studies.

Some schools offer students in these situations a good deal of support. For faraway spouses, there are on-campus social events when they visit, online communities, even involvement in alumni networks in their home cities. But mainly B-schools try to make it easier for students to take their partners along for the ride. They help families find housing, preschools, or local employment.

The decision to attend a distant B-school is fraught(伴随着的) with financial and logistical problems. Students also must decide if their families should stay or go. Either way, schools try to accommodate them. "We have more than ourselves to think about," an MBA student, Cory Hricik says. "It's a family-influenced choice. "

Heard will come into contact with his son in his first year via____________________.

still closely interrelated. Most American marriages, particularly first marriages【C1】______ young Couples, are the result of【C2】______ attraction and affection【C3】______ than practical considerations.

In the United States, parents do not arrange marriages for their children. Teenagers begin【C4】______ in high school and usually find mates through their own academic and social【C5】______ .

Though young people feel【C7】______ to choose their friends from【C6】______ groups, most choose a mate of similar background.

This is【C8】______ in part to parental guidance. Parents cannot select spouses for their children, but they can usually【C9】______ choices by【C10】______ disapproval of someone they consider unsuitable.

【C11】______ , marriages between members of different groups (interclass, interfaith, and interracial marriages) are increasing, probably because of the greater【C12】______ of today's youth and the fact that they are restricted by【C13】______ prejudices than their parents. Many young people leave their home towns to attend college,【C14】 ______ in the armed forces,【C15】______ pursue a career in a bigger city.

Once away from home and family, they are more【C16】______ to date and marry outside their own social group.

In mobile American society, interclass marriages are neither【C17】______ nor shocking. Interfaith marriages are【C18】______ the rise particularly between Protestants and Catholics. On the other hand, interracial marriage is still very uncommon. It can be difficult for interracial couples to find a place to live, maintain friendships, and【C19】______ a family. Marriages between people of different national【C20】______ (but the same race and religion) have been commonplace here since colonial times.

【C1】

A．involving

B．linking

C．connecting

D．correlating

ies have become impossible since their kids were born. That&39; s the way most parents are living their lives, no weekends of their own, no time to visit friends, not even a chance of promotion in their jobs.

Asking help from their parents might be a way out,but problems are that some out aging parents are not strong enough to take care of the kids, and that the kids may also become too spoiled by their grandparents.

Then, here comes a solution: families with kids can form. a small group, and parents of each family can take turns to look after all the kids in this group on weekends. Thus, other parents can have some quiet time and feel free to do something they&39; ve been planning for a long time. At the same time, the kids can make new friends and won&39; t be hanging around their parents all day long. This is baby-pooling.

46. Many post-80s couples can&39;t go to the movies, shop or attend parties because__________

A.they have to look after their kids

B.they have to look after their parents

C.they are busy with their work

D.they have no money

According to the last paragraph, the solution to the problem of post-80s couples is that__________A.families with kids form a small group

B.they ask their aging parents for help

C.they give up their jobs

D.they take cheir kids wherever they go

In paragraph 2, “a way out” means__________A.out of date

B.a solution

C.without question

D.a complaint

What is(are) the advantage(s) of baby-pooling？__________.

A.The parents can have much more free time

B.The kids can make new friends

C.The kids won’t be hanging around their parents all day long

D.All of the above

The passage mainly discusses__________A.post-80s couples and their friends

B.post-80s couples and baby-pooling

C.post-80s couples and their parents

D.kids and their grandparents

请帮忙给出每个问题的正确答案和分析，谢谢！

Which of the following statement can best represent the judges opinion in Charmans case？

A．The wealth in the family is created through the hardworking of both parties.

B．In some sense, the husband"s attitude toward the case is reasonable.

C．There is a trend of husband trying to keep the majority of the family assets.

D．Young divorced couples don"t believe that wealth should be separated equally.

A. cheapest

B. cheaper

C. more expensive

D. most expensive

Most Chinese parents would prefer to choose some professions that are stable and could bring （) and economic benefits.