12．One of the most striking findings of a recent questionnaire in the UK is that of the people interviewed，one in two believes that it is becoming more difficult to meet someone to start a family with．
Why are many people finding it increasingly difficult to start and keep close relationships（关系）？Does modern life really make it harder to fall in love？Or are we making it harder for ourselves？
It is certainly the case today that nowadays couples benefit in different ways from relationships．Women no longer rely upon partners for economic security（安全性）or status．A man doesn't expect his wife to be in sole（唯一的）charge of running his household and raising his children．
But perhaps the knowledge that we can live perfectly well without a partnership means that it takes much more to persuade people to give up their independence．
In theory，finding a partner should be much simpler these days．Only a few generations ago，your choiceof soul mate was limited by geography，social customs and family tradition．Although it was never clear，many marriages were essentially arranged．Now those barriers have been broken down．You can approach a builder or a doctor in any bar in any city on any given evening．When the world is your oyster（牡蛎），you surely have a better chance of finding a pearl．
But it seems that the traditions have been replaced by an even tighter restriction：the limitation of choice．The expectations of partners are made greater to an unmanageable degree：good looks，impressive salary，kind to grandmother，and so on．There is no room for error in the first impression．
We think that a relationship can be perfect．If it isn't，it is intended to be thrown away．We work to protect ourselves against future heartache and don't put in the hard emotional labor needed to build a strong relationship．Twelve-hour work at the office makes relaxed after-hours dating（约会） difficult．The cost of housing and child-raising creates pressure to have a stable（稳定的）income and career before a life partnership．
57．Nowadays，in a family，B．
A．men begin to depend on womenB．couples share the burdens
C．men are responsible for houseworkD．couples can't get along together
58．People don't want to give up their independence becauseD．
A．they can't bear arranged marriagesB．they want to have more choices
C．they don't want to follow traditionsD．they think they can live happily alone
59．People are not eager to date becauseB．
A．it requires luck to build a strong relationship
B．it takes them too much energy to work
C．it needs faith（信心）to have a life partnership
D．it causes mental problems to find a life partner
60．Which of the following can best describe the main idea of the passage？A
A．The expectations of partners and financial （经济的）pressure may prevent a relationship．
B．People should spend more money on marriage today．
C．Independence is much more important than love．
D．Even a perfect marriage can be given up for the sake of independence．
分析 根据美国最新的一项问卷调查发现，50%的人觉得找到相伴一生的另一半很困难．本文简单地分析了其中的可能原因．
解答 答案：57-60 BDBA
57．B 推理判断题．根据第三段Women no longer rely upon partners for economic security or status．A man doesn't expect his wife to be in sole （唯一的） charge of running his household and raising his children．可知现在的女子在经济上独立，男子也不能指望女子负责所有的家务和养孩子．说明现在是夫妻双方共同承担负担．故选B．
58．D 细节理解题．根据第四段But perhaps the knowledge that we can live perfectly well without a partnership means that it takes much more to persuade people to abandon their independence．可知，人们认为独自生活也很好的观念使得人们不愿意放弃他们的独立生活．故选D．
59．B 细节理解题．根据文章最后一段Twelve-hour work at the office makes relaxed after-hours dating（约会） difficult．可知12小时的工作使得人们约会变得很困难，繁忙的工作花费了人们太多的精力．故选B．
60．A 主旨大意题．文章主要分析现在的人们为什么很难找到生活伴侣，其原因可能主要为对对方的期望过高以及经济压力较大．故选A．
点评 阅读理解是考查语篇理解能力．常考的题型有：推理判断题；主旨大意题；细节理解题；猜测词意题．近几年又出现了两种新的考查方式：写作态度判断题和文章结构题．解题时，在读懂文章的基础上，还有特别注意掌握题型的特征，尤其是细节题和推断题不可混淆：细节题是文章信息的再现；推断题是文章信息的提取．本题是广告类文章，考查主要是以细节题为主，细节题要注意常用的出题陷阱有：夸大，缩小，张冠李戴，偷梁换柱，无中生有等，做题时要看清看准．
