For most of recorded human history, marriage was an arrangement designed to maximize financial stability. Elizabeth Abbott, the

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问题    For most of recorded human history, marriage was an arrangement designed to maximize financial stability. Elizabeth Abbott, the author of A History of Marriage, explains that in ancient times, marriage was intended to unite various parts of a community, establishing beneficial economic relationships.
   "Because it was a financial arrangement, it was thought of and operated as such. It was a contract between families. For example, let’ s say I am a printer and you make paper, we might want a marriage between our children because that will improve our businesses." Even the honeymoon, often called the "bridal tour", was a communal affair, with parents, brothers and sisters, and other close relatives traveling together to reinforce their new familial relationships.
   By the Middle Ages, gender inequality was not only honored in social customs, but also common law. In most European countries, married women were forced to give up control over any personal wealth and property rights to their husbands. Eventually, the system became known as "coverture", whereby married couples became a single legal entity in which the husband had all power.
   By the 19th century, the conflict between love and money had come to a head. As the Western world advanced towards a more modern, industrialized society built on wage labor, emotional bonds became more private, focused more on immediate family and friends than communal celebrations. Simultaneously, mass media helped make sentimental inclinations a larger part of popular culture, with the flourishing of holidays like Valentine’ s Day and various hobbies.
   Culturally speaking, love was in the air, and the union of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840 only served to seal the deal. Though Victoria and Albert’s marriage was sanctioned by their royal families, it was also hailed as a true "love match", strengthening the new ideal of romantic partnership. Their wedding also coincided with the surge of early print media, making the event visible to readers all across Europe and North America.
The underlined word "coverture" in Paragraph 3 most probably means______.

选项 A、the etiquette of a married man
B、to do someone’ s work or duties while they’ re away
C、action that is taken to hide a mistake or illegal activity from the public
D、a legal doctrine whereby, upon marriage, a woman’s legal rights and obligations were subsumed by those of her husband

答案D

解析 词义题。根据第三段最后一句“Eventually,the system became known as‘coverture’,whereby married couples became a single legal entity in which the husband had all power.”可知,D项正确。
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