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  3. Before the economy fell apart, it was Britain’s society that was supposed to be in terminal decline, especially in the eyes of t

Before the economy fell apart, it was Britain’s society that was supposed to be in terminal decline, especially in the eyes of t

admin2011-03-11  53
问题     Before the economy fell apart, it was Britain’s society that was supposed to be in terminal decline, especially in the eyes of the Tories. David Cameron, the Conservative Party leader, was wont to bemoan "broken Britain", mired in moral degeneracy, with high rates of teenage pregnancy, low rates of marriage and other less quantifiable breakdowns in the civilised scheme of things.  
    Such antediluvian worries were raked over again on July 13th when Iain Duncan Smith, a former Tory leader, called for an official endorsement of marriage. Mr Duncan Smith cites several reasons to encourage wedlock, including family stability (married couples are much less likely to split than cohabiting ones ) and healthier children who do better in later life. There was talk of state-run counselling, pro-marriage propaganda in schools and mandatory "cooling-off" periods before divorces. Mr Duncan Smith favours tax breaks for married couples, something that Labour has long refused to endorse.  
    It is true that marriage is a declining institution. Marriage rates are at their lowest since 1895．But, curiously, those who do marry now stay together for longer. Divorce rates are falling, not rising, and have been for several years.  In 2007 11.9 married couples per thousand untied the knot, down from 12.2 the year before and the lowest since 1981．The time that divorcing couples endure each other before flinging back the rings has lengthened too., from 10.1 years in 1981 to 11.7 in 2007．Indifference towards the sacrament of marriage appears strongest among the elderly, not the feckless young. Since 2004, when the overall divorce rate peaked at 14.1 per thousand, over-60s have been the only part of the population whose rates have continued to rise.  
    There are plenty of competing explanations for the diminishing appeal of divorce, and no easy way to discover which are true. Immigration may have helped, since immigrant families often have more conservative attitudes than the degenerate natives. Accountants and divorce lawyers reckon a string of recent big settlements may have acted as a deterrent (although it could equally have encouraged the poorer partners in financially unequal marriages).  
    Falling marriage rates and falling divorce rates could be two sides of the same coin, says Kathleen Kiernan, a professor of social policy at York University. The unpopularity of marriage and the relative ease of divorce has left only a hard core of stable couples bound in wedlock. And the rise in the average age at which people get married (now 36 for men and 33 for women) is helping too, since older brides and grooms tend to stay together longer in any case. If so, politicians should be cautious about handing out tax breaks. Even if they work (and Ms Kiernan thinks they would have to be enormous to have much effect), chivvying unmarried couples into wedlock is likely to mean more divorces in the future.
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
选项 A、Marriage rates now are the lowest since 18th century.
B、Divorce rates in 2007 were lower than that of last year.
C、Young people are more inclined to divorce than old people did.
D、Marriage and divorce rates have been both increasing these years.
答案B
解析 A项看第三段，Marriage rates are at their lowest since 1895，是19世纪而非18世纪，故A项错误。B项看In 2007 11.9 married couples per thousand untied the knot，down from12.2 the year before，故正确。C项看over-60s have been the only part of the population whose rates have continued to rise，老人实际上比年轻人更愿意离婚，故C错误。D项可以根据B项判断出离婚率在下降，故D项错误。   
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