It would be pleasant to believe that all young girls in the past got married for romantic reasons; but the fact is that many of them regarded marriage as their only chance to gain independence from their parents, to have a provider, or to be assured of a good place in society. A couple of generations ago, an old maid of twenty-five did not have much to look forward to. She was more or less fated to remain with her parents or to live in some relative’s home where she would help with the chores and the children. Not so any more. In the first place, women remain young much longer than they used to, and an unmarried woman of twenty-eight or thirty does not feel that her life is over. Besides, since she’s probably working and supporting herself, she is free to marry only when and if she chooses. As a result today’s women tend to marry later in life. They have fewer children-or none at all―if they prefer to devote themselves to their professions . The result is a decline in the birthrate.

The new role that women have developed for themselves has changed family life. Children are raised differently; they spend more time with adults who are not their parents; baby-sitters, day-care center personnel, relatives, or neighbors. Whether they gain or lose in the process is a hotly debated question. Some child experts believe that young children must spend all their time with their mother if they are to grow sound in body and mind. Others think that children get more from a mother who spends with them “quality time” (a time of fun and relaxation set aside for them) rather than hours of forced and unhappy baby-sitting. And many child psychologists point out that children kept in day-care centers every day are brighter than those raised at home. No matter what it is, one thing about child raising to be certain of is that the longer the child is with the mother, the better.

68．Which of the following is the reason for young girls’ marriage in the past ?

       A．Marriage was one of the chances to get freedom.

       B．They could find happiness through marriage.

       C．They preferred to devote themselves to housework.

       D．They wanted to find a good place in society.

69．We can conclude from the passage a decrease in the birthrate is because         .

       A．a good many women still depend on their parents

       B．raising children is a great burden for many families

       C．many women would like to remain young forever

       D．more and more women are concentrating on their careers

70．The underlined word “sound” means         .

       A．bright                 B．healthy               C．tall                      D．strong

71．Which of the following is being discussed in the passage ?

       A．How long children should stay with their parents?

       B．Where children should be raised?

       C．Whether children should stay with their parents?

       D．How children should be raised?

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　It would be pleasant to believe that all young girls in the past got married for romantic reasons; but the fact is that many of them regarded marriage as their only chance to gain independence from their parents, to have a provider, or to be assured of a good place in society. A couple of generations ago, an old maid of twenty-five did not have much to look forward to, she was more or less fated to remain with her parents or to live in some relative's home where she would help with the chores and the children. Not so any more. In the first place, women remain young much longer than they used to, and an unmarried woman of twenty-eight or thirty does not feel that her life is over. Besides, since she is probably working and supporting herself, she is free to marry only when and if she chooses. As a consequence, today's women tend to marry later in life. They have fewer children or none at all if they prefer to devote themselves to their profession. The result is a decline in the birthrate.

　　The new role that women have developed for themselves has changed family life. Children are raised differently; they spend more tine with adults who are not their parents; baby-sitters, day-care center personal, relatives, or neighbors. Whether they gain or lose in the process is a hotly discussed question. Some child experts believe that young children must spend all their time with their mother if they are to grow sound in body and mind. Others maintain that children get more from a mother who spends with them “quality time” (a time of fun and relaxation set aside for them) rather than hours of forced and unhappy baby-sitting. And many child experts point out that children kept in day-care centers every day are brighter then those raised at home. No matter what it is, one thing about child raising to be certain of is that the linger the child is with the mother, the better.

1．It can be concluded from the passage that ________.

[　　]

A．women today have developed a new role in family life

B．the birthrate is declining as a result of women's pursuit of careers

C．women have always been dependent on their parents even after marriage

D．children must spend all their time with their mother if they are to grow sound

2．The change in women's attitude towards marriage result in all of the following EXCEPT ________.

[　　]

A．more and more women give up jobs to take care of their children at home.

B．women today tend to marry later than they did

C．women have less time to raise their children

D．more and more families remain childless

3．People have different opinions over the question as to ________.

[　　]

A．how children should be raised

B．where children should be raised

C．whether children should stay with their parents

D．how long children should stay with their parents

4．The author suggests that ________.

[　　]

A．working women should not have children

B．children should be kept in day-care centers all the time

C．young children should stay with their mothers as long as possible

D．women should leave their work to look after their children at home