Americans are less inclined to get married than at any time in US history, posing social and public-policy dilemmas and the threatening to dissolve the "glue" that connects fathers to their children, experts say. A report released by the US National Marriage Project found "a rather weakening of the institution of marriage" in America. The researchers said the prefix = st1 /USmarriage rate has never been lower, births to unmarried women have skyrocketed, the divorce rate remains high and Americans' marriages are less happy than in the past. "There is no known society that has got along without marriage and has done a decent job in rearing and sponsoring the next generation," said Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, US National Marriage Project co-director. The crumbling of the institution of marriage should not be viewed as a kind social trend with no costs to society at large, added the project's other co-director, David Popenoe. US government statistics cited in the Rutgers report detail a crisis in marriage whose origins can be traced back about 40 years. The report, citing census data ,said the marriage rate has quickly reduced by a third since 1960. It said there were about 73 marriages per 1,000 unmarried women aged 15 and up in 1960. In 1996, the last year for which such figures were available, the rate was about 49 per 1,000. Popenoe said the USmarriage rate now has dropped below a previous historic low recorded at the turn of the century. He said several factors have something to do with the trend. One is that Americans are delaying marriage until they are older. In 1960, the median age for first marriages was 20 for women and 23 for men. In 1997, with many college-educated Americans delaying marriage until their 30s, the median age rose to 25 for women and 27 for men, the report said. "The later the marriage, by and large, the lower the (overall) marriage rate in the long run. In other words, people delay too long and then they decide not to marry after a while," Popenoe said. In addition, many American women,... Which of the following is the best title for the passage? A) Children in Single-Parent Families. B) Experts' Prediction of Birthrate for the Next Decade. C) Babies Born out of Wedlock Presents Problems. D) Americans Seem Less Inclined to Get Married Nowadays.
D
(Question)
You must know what BYD stands for? Yes, Build Your Dream. Have you built your dream and spare no effort to achieve it? Here is an inspiring story from http//www.naijamotiveation.com Eddie Arcaro dreamed of becoming the world's greatest jockey . But after watching him ride a horse for five minutes, reality reflected a rough contradiction. He was awkward and clumsy, and in his early years in the saddle( )he couldn't do one thing right. In his first 100 races he never even came close to winning. Still, he got right back on and trained again. Even as a schoolboy, Arcaro had set his own track in life. Because he was only a little over five feet tall (1.5 meters) and weighed barely 80 pounds (36kg), the other students _ him. So he skipped school, hanging out at the local race track where a trainer let him ride horses. His father reluctantly agreed to let him pursue a career as a jockey. The trainer had told him so. "Send him back to school," he said. "He'll never be a rider." In spite of that, Arcaro was determined not just to ride, but to become the world's greatest jockey. But first someone would have to give him a chance. He finally got to ride in a real race. Before it was over, he'd lost his whip and his cap and had almost fallen off the saddle. By the time he finished the race, the other horses were on their way to the stables . He'd come in dead last. Nevertheless, Arcaro went from track to track, looking for any opportunity to ride. Finally, a trainer who pitied him took him in and gave him a chance. One hundred losses later, he was still giving him chances. He saw something in this unlucky jockey, something he couldn't define. There were many brushes with death and several broken bones. Every time he would return to the saddle. Then Arcaro began to win. In thirty years of riding, he won 4, 779 races, becoming the only jockey in history to win the Kentucky Derby five times. By the time he retired in 1962 he was a millionaire and a legend in his own lifetime. The key message the author wants to convey through the passage is that _ . A) a man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds B) you can't stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf C) winners in life set goals and follow through on them D) life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing well those you hold.
(Answer)
C
In some countries in which there is very little rain at any time, the farmers have to irrigate their fields. Irrigation is easy enough if there is a great river near the crops, and if there is plenty of water in it. Canals carry the river water to the fields when necessary. In some seasons there may be too much water in the river, and the water may flood all the land near it. At other times the river water may not be enough for all the farmers, and then it will be difficult to irrigate the fields. To prevent these difficulties, a dam may be built across the river. This will store water for dry seasons, and in wet seasons it will prevent the flooding of the land. A great lake will, no doubt, be formed behind the dam, and this may mean that houses and fields will be covered with water. Most people will accept _ and will be ready to move to other places. Then the country can have the right amount of water at all times; more crops will be grown, there will be more food for everyone, and there will be no more floods. Dams have been built for centuries in different parts of the world. Modern dame are usually built of concrete but earth dams were used in India and Sri Lanka about 2500 years ago. There was another across the River Tigris very long ago, and large numbers of irrigation canals were made in Iraq to irrigate the land. The Romans were great dam-builders and there was also a famous dam at Ma' rubin Arabia. We cannot use sea water for irrigation; the salt will not allow the crops to grow. Fresh water is always needed, and it is very difficult and costly to make fresh water from sea water. This is done in a few countries, but the fresh water is for drinking. There is not enough at present for irrigation. Perhaps a scientist will one day invent a cheaper way of producing fresh water from the sea. A dam is usually built _ . A) to cover the houses and fields B) for people to have the right amount of water at all times C) to grow crops better D) to form a large lake
B