1、Or are we making it harder for ourselves?It is certainly the case today that contemporary couples benefit in different ways from relationships.Women no longer rely upon partners for economic security or status.A man doesnt expect his spouse to be in sole charge of running his household and raising h
2、is children.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.In theory,finding a partner should be much simpler these days.Only a few generations ago,your choice of soulmate (心上人) was constr
3、ained by geography,social convention and family tradition.Although it was never explicit,many marriages were essentially arranged.Now those barriers have been broken down.You can approach a builder or a brain surgeon in any bar in any city on any given evening.When the world is your oyster (牡蛎),you
4、surely have a better chance of finding a pearl.But it seems that the old conventions have been replaced by an even tighter constraint:the tyranny of choice.The expectations of partners are inflated to an unmanageable degree:good looks,impressive salary,kind to grandmother,and right socks.There is no
5、 room for error in the first impression.We think that a relationship can be perfect.If it isnt,it is disposable.We work to protect ourselves against future heartache and dont put in the hard emotional labor needed to build a strong relationship.Of course,this is complicated by realities.The cost of
6、housing and child-rearing creates pressure to have a stable income and career before a life partnership.31.What does the recent poll show?A.It is getting more difficult for a woman to find her husband.B.It is getting increasingly difficult to start a familyl.C.It is getting more difficult for a man
7、to find his wife.D.It is getting increasingly difficult to develop an intimate relationship with your spouse.32.Which of the following is NOT true about a contemporary married couple?A.The wife doesnt have to raise the children all by herself.B.The husband doesnt have to support the family all by hi
8、mself.C.The wife is no longer the only person to manage the household.D.They will receive a large sum of money from the govemment.33.Which of the following was NOT a constraint on ones choice of soulmate in the old days?A.The health condition of his or her grandmother.B.The geographical environment.
9、C.The social convention.D.The family tradition.34.Which of the following is NOT expected of a partner according to this passage?A.Good looks.B.An impressive career.C.A high salary.D.A fine sense of humor.35.The wordsustain(paragraph 2)could be best replaced byA.reduce.B.shakeC.maintainD.weaken第二篇Mil
10、osevics DeathFormer Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic was found dead last Saturday in his cell at the Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.The 64-year-old had been on trial there since February 2002.Born in provincial Pozarevac in 1941,he was the second son of a pri
11、est and a school teacher.Both of his parents died when he was still a young adult.The young Milosevic wasuntypical,says Slavoljub Djukic,his unofficial biographer.He wasnot interested in sports,avoided excursions(短途旅行)and used to come to school dressed in the old-fashioned way-white shirt and tie.On
12、e of his old friends said,he couldimagine him as a station-master or punctilious(一丝不苟的)civil servant.Indeed that is exactly what he might have become,had he not married Mira.She was widely believed to be his driving force.At university and beyond he did well.He worked for various firms and was a com
13、munist party member.By 1986 he was head of Serbias Central Committee.But still he had not yet really been noticed.It was Kosovo that gave him his chance.An autonomous province of Serbia,Kosovo was home to an Albanian majority and a Serbian minority.In 1989,he was sent there to calm fears of Serbians
14、 who felt they were discriminated against.But instead he played the nationalist card and became their champion.In so doing,he changed into a ruthless (无情的) and determined man.At home with Mira he plotted the downfall of his political enemies.Conspiring(密谋)with the director of Serbian TV,he mounted a modern media campaign which aimed to get him the most power in the country.He was elected Serbian president in 1990.In 1997,he became president of Yugoslavia.The rest of the story is well-known:his nationa
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