Two thirds of the singles looking for love in Britain turned to the Internet last year, according to figures made in public yesterday. Special sites offer introductions to smokers, to Roman Catholics, tall people, beautiful people, frequent flyers and vegans (素食者). Technology has brought about a great change in the dating game.
A survey by Parship, a British branch of Europe’s largest dating service with more than 1.5 million members, says that 65 percent of the 5.4 million Britons looking for a relationship used online dating services last year.
A spokeswoman for Relate, the relationship advisor, confirmed that a figure of two third feel it all right. “Doing it online allows people quite a lot of privacy, because they can do a bit of quiet research and look around from the comfort of their own home. You don’t have to meet a middleman or go to an actual dating agency office, which takes a lot of courage,” she said.
There are more than 100 independent online dating agencies in Britain. Parship says that 50 percent of single people believe they will meet a suitable partner through the Internet, up from 35 percent six months ago.
Mary Balfour, the founder, says that the Internet has changed the dating industry completely. “It’s like a return to old-fashioned love letters,” she said. “You don’t base your initial judgment on how someone looks or what his or her figure is like. You e-mail or talk before you actually see each other. Everybody you know who is single these days has at least had a good look at a dating website, introduction agency or personal ad. They have to, because all the old matchmaking institutions have gone. People work harder, settle down later and live more isolated lives. They’re much more likely to end the day with a DVD and a can of beer than by going to a village dance.”

1. 1.

   Singles in Britain can look for love online mainly because of ________

   1. A.
      Parship
   2. B.
      the help of go-betweens
   3. C.
      technology
   4. D.
      the revolution of dating game
2. 2.

   About ________ Britons tried to find love online last year according to this passage

   1. A.
      1.5 million
   2. B.
      3.5 million
   3. C.
      5.4 million
   4. D.
      65 million
3. 3.

   For those who want to look for love online, they _________

   1. A.
      don’t need to do any research at all
   2. B.
      have to meet first before they can e-mail each other
   3. C.
      don’t have to find a go-between
   4. D.
      must go to an actual dating agency office first
4. 4.

   From this passage we can infer that ________

   1. A.
      not all single people believe the Internet can help them find their partners
   2. B.
      looking for love online needs a lot of courage
   3. C.
      old-fashioned love letters become popular again
   4. D.
      single people don’t like to look for their partners online