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  3. Twenty years ago a debate erupted about whether there were specific "Asian values" . But a more intriguing, if less noticed, arg

Twenty years ago a debate erupted about whether there were specific "Asian values" . But a more intriguing, if less noticed, arg

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问题    Twenty years ago a debate erupted about whether there were specific "Asian values" . But a more intriguing, if less noticed, argument was that traditional family values were stronger in Asia than in America and Europe, and this partly accounted for Asia’s economic success. In the words of Lee Kuan Yew, former prime minister of Singapore, the Asian family encouraged "scholarship and hard work and thrift" .
   His claim appears persuasive. In most of Asia, marriage is widespread and illegitimacy almost unknown. In contrast, half of marriages in some Western countries end in divorce, and half of all children are born outside wedlock. Yet marriage is changing fast in Asia. The changes are different from those that took place in the West in the second half of the 20th century. What’s happening in Asia is a flight from marriage.
   Marriage rates are falling partly because people are postponing getting married. Marriage ages have risen all over the world, but the increase is particularly marked in Asia. People there now marry even later than they do in the West. The mean age of marriage in the richest places of Asia has risen sharply in the past few decades.
   A lot of Asians are not marrying later. They are not marrying at all. Almost a third of Japanese women in their early 30s are unmarried; probably half of those will always be.
   Women are retreating from marriage as they go into the workplace. That’s partly because, for a woman, being both employed and married is tough in Asia. Women there are the primary caregivers for husbands, children and, often, for ageing parents; and even when in full-time employment, they are expected to continue to play this role. Not surprisingly, Asian women have an unusually pessimistic view of marriage.
   At the same time as employment makes marriage tougher for women, it offers them an alternative. More women are financially independent, so more of them can pursue a single life that may appeal more than the drudgery of a traditional marriage.
   The flight from marriage is also creating social problems. Compared with the West, Asian countries have invested less in pensions and other forms of social protection, on the assumption that the family will look after ageing or ill relatives. That can no longer be taken for granted. The decline of marriage is also contributing to the collapse in the birth rate. That is beginning to cause huge demographic problems, as populations age with startling speed. Also, marriage socializes men: it is associated with less criminal behavior. Less marriage might mean more crime.

Which of the following would be the subject of the text?
选项 A、Flight from marriage among Asian women.
B、The disappearance of Asian family values.
C、Serious demographic problems in Asia.
D、The decline of marriage in Asia.
答案D
解析 主旨题。本题考查考生对文章主旨大意的把握，故需要通读全文，梳理各段段落大意。文章前两段首先指出，有观点认为传统的家庭观念在亚洲要比在美国和欧洲更牢固，但是这种情况正在发生变化，目前很多亚洲人正在逃避婚姻。第三、四段作者则描述了亚洲人逃避婚姻的具体表现：结婚年龄的显著增长以及不婚人数的增加，尤其是不婚女性的增加。第五、六段则具体分析了亚洲女性逃避婚姻的原因：家庭和工作的双重压力，另外工作使她们经济独立，也为她们逃避婚姻提供了条件。第七段作者指出了逃避婚姻所带来的社会问题。显然，本文主要论述了亚洲结婚率下降的现象、原因及其影响，四个选项中只有D项抓住了文章的核心，最能准确、全面地概括文章的主要内容，故为正确答案。
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