Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage.



Some futurologists have assumed that the vast upsurge(剧增)of women in the workforce may portend a rejection of marriage. Many women, according to this hypothesis, would rather work than marry. The converse(反面)of this concern is that the prospects of becoming a multi-paycheck household could encourage marriage. In the past, only the earnings and financial prospects of the man counted in the marriage decision. Now, however, the earning ability of a woman can make her more attractive as a marriage partner. Data show that economic downturns tend to postpone marriage because the parties cannot afford to establish a family or are concerned about rainy days ahead. As the economy rebounds, the number of marriages also rises.



Coincident with the increase in women working outside the home is the increase in divorce rates. Yet, it may be wrong to jump to any simple cause-and-effect conclusions. The impact of a wife"s work on divorce is no less cloudy than its impact on marriage decisions. The realization that she can be a good provider may increase the chances that a working wife will choose divorce over an unsatisfactory marriage. But the reverse is equally plausible. Tensions grounded in financial problems often play a key role in ending a marriage. Given high unemployment, inflationary problems, and slow growth in real earnings, a working wife can increase household income and relieve some of these pressing financial burdens. By raising afamily"s standard of living, a working wife may strengthen her family"s financial and emotional stability.



Psychological factors also should be considered. For example, a wife blocked from a career outside the home may feel caged in the house. She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce. On the other hand, if she can find fulfillment through work outside the home, work and marriage can go together to create a stronger and more stable union.



Also, a major part of women"s inequality in marriage has been due to the fact that, in most cases, men have remained the main breadwinners. With higher earning capacity and status occupations outside of the home comes the capacity to exercise power within the family. A working wife may rob a husband of being the master of the house. Depending upon how the couple reacts to these new conditions, it could create a stronger equal partnership or it could create new insecurities.



文章解析：本文是一篇对比文，文章讨论了女性的外出工作对婚姻的两种相反的影响。首段前两句表明专家观点：工作女性的剧增可能预示着拒绝婚姻，后半段又提出转折，工作女性的剧增可能鼓励婚姻。第二段两种相反观点继续讨论女性的外出工作对婚姻影响。第三段支持两种相反观点的两种相反的心理因素。最后一段，随着工作女性的经济能力的提高，女性在家庭的地位上升可能导致两种相反结果。近年考试对比型的文章出现频繁，包括两种观点的议论文和两种事物的说明文，特点是平行论述，没有主次之分，作者不发表态度和结论，一般两种观点的开头可当作文章主旨。26. The word“portend”(Line 2, Para.1) is closest in meaning to“_____”.A) defy B) signal C) suffer from D) result from



词义题从文章第一句话大部分考生都不难理解portend是预示的意思。但是要知道正确选项B)signal也有显示的意思，需要背到字典上signal动词形式的第三个意思。要求考生不能局限于一词一义，而要熟练掌握大纲词汇的每一个解释。A) defy不服从,反抗C) suffer from忍受,遭受D) result from由……产生。27. It is said in the passage that when the economy slides,_____.



A) men would choose working women as their marriage partners



B) more women would get married to seek financial security



C) even working women would worry about their marriages



D) more people would prefer to remain single for the time being



细节题题干的the economy slides等于原文的economic downturns。定位在Data show that economic downturns tend to postpone marriage because the parties cannot afford to establish a family or are concerned about rainy days ahead.数据显示经济低迷时期人们倾向推迟婚姻，因为双方不能承担一个家庭或者担心更窘迫的日子。只有D)符合原文意思。A B C都是“无中生有”和“答非所问”。28. If women find fulfillment through work outside the home,_____.



A) they are more likely to dominate their marriage partners



B) their husbands are expected to do more housework



C) their marriage ties can be strengthened



D) they tend to put their career before marriage



细节题找到原文On the other hand, if she can find fulfillment through work outside the home, work and marriage can go together to create a stronger and more stable union.轻松选出答案C)。正确答案就把形容词stronger转化为动词strengthen。毫无难度。29. One reason why women with no career may seek a divorce is that_____.



A) they feel that they have been robbed of their freedom



B) they are afraid of being bossed around by their husbands



C) they feel that their partners fail to live up to their expectations



D) they tend to suspect their husbands?loyalty to their marriage



细节题文章顺序和题目顺序有颠倒。定位在28题之前a wife blocked from a career outside the home may feel caged in the house. She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce.考查内在逻辑的因果关系。一个妻子被阻止外出可能会感觉被关在房子里。所以她可能认为惟一的选择就是离婚。She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce.等于题干的women with no career may seek a divorce. A wife blocked from a career outside the home may feel caged in the house.相当于A) they feel that they have been robbed of their freedom.她们感到被剥夺了自由。30. Which of the following statements can best summarize the authors view in the passage?



A) The stability of marriage and the divorce rate may reflect the economic situation of the country.



B) Even when economically independent, most women have to struggle for real equality in marriage.



C) In order to secure their marriage women should work outside the home and remain independent



D) The impact of the growing female workforce on marriage varies from case to case.



主旨题因为这种平行的对比型文章作者不发表态度和结论，所以不可能有作者态度题只能理解为文章主旨题。A)婚姻的稳定性和离婚率会影响国家经济。文章只提及国家经济会影响婚姻。颠倒黑白，排除。B)即使经济独立，大多数女性不得不为婚姻中真正的平等而奋斗。文章从未提及，无中生有。C)为了保卫婚姻，女性应当外出工作保持独立。以偏盖全。只有D) The impact of the growing female workforce on marriage varies from case to case.女性的外出工作对婚姻的影响是一例与一例不一样的。只有D)才准确表达出文章的两种平行的相反观点。

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