2011 年英语专业四级阅读理解

Text C

These days lots of young Japanese doomiai, literally, “meet and look.” Many of them do so willingly. In today’s prosperous and increasingly conservative Japan, the traditional omiai kekkon, or arranged marriage, is thriving.

But there is a difference. In the original omiai, the young Japanese couldn’t reject the partner chosen by his parents and their middleman. After World War II, many Japanese abandoned the
arranged marriage as part of their rush to adopt the more democratic ways of their American conquerors. The Western ren’ai kekkon, or love marriage, became popular; Japanese began picking their own mates by dating and falling in love.

But the Western way was often found wanting in an important respect: it didn’t necessarily produce a partner of the right economic, social, and educational qualifi cations. “Today’s young
people are quite calculating,” says Chieko Akiyama, a social commentator.

What seems to be happening now is a repetition of a familiar process in the country’s history, the “Japanization” of an adopted foreign practice. The Western ideal of marrying for love is accommodated in a new omiai in which both parties are free to reject the match. “Omiai is evolving into a sort of stylized introduction,” Mrs. Akiyama says.

Many young Japanese now date in their early twenties, but with no thought of marriage. When they reach the age—in the middle twenties for women, the late twenties for men—they increasingly turn to omiai. Some studies suggest that as many as 40 % of marriages each year are omiai kekkon. It’s hard to be sure, say those who study the matter, because many Japanese couples, when polled, describe their marriage as a love match even if it was arranged.

These days, doing omiai often means going to a computer matching service rather than to a nakodo. The nakodo of tradition was an old woman who knew all the kids in the neighbourhood and went around trying to pair them off by speaking to their parents; a successful match would bring her a wedding invitation and a gift of money. But Japanese today find it’s less awkward to reject a proposed partner if the nakodo is a computer.

Japan has about five hundred computer matching services. Some big companies, including Mitsubishi, run one for their employees. At a typical commercial service, an applicant pays $80 to $125 to have his or her personal data stored in the computer for two years and $200 or so more if a marriage results. The stored information includes some obvious items, like education and hobbies, and some not-so-obvious ones, like whether a person is the oldest child. (First sons, and to some extent fi rst daughters, face an obligation of caring for elderly parents.)

91. According to the passage, today’s young Japanese prefer _____.
A. a traditional arranged marriage.    B. a new type of arranged marriage.
C. a Western love marriage.             D. a more Westernized love marriage.

92. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?
A. A Western love marriage tends to miss some Japanese values.
B. Less attention is paid to the partner’s qualifi cation in arranged marriages.
C. Young Japanese would often calculate their partner’s wealth.
D. A new arranged marriage is a repetition of the older type.

93. According to the passage, the fi gure 40% (Paragraph Five) is uncertain because _____.
A. there has been a big increase in the number of arranged marriages.
B. Western love marriage still remains popular among young Japanese.
C. young Japanese start dating very early in their life in a Western tradition.
D. the tendency for arranged marriages could be stronger than is indicated.

94. One of the big differences between a traditional nakodo and its contemporary version lies in the way _____.
A. wedding gifts are presented.   B. a proposed partner is refused.
C. formalities are arranged.         D. the middleman/woman is chosen.

95. What is the purpose of the last paragraph?
A. To tell the differences between an old and modern nakodo.
B. To provide some examples for the traditional nakodo.
C. To offer more details of the computerized nakodo.
D. To sum up the main ideas and provide a conclusion.

答案与解析:

91. B。主旨题。第一段已经将大意讲出,通读全文后可以判断虽然采用传统的方式,但在做选择上,今日的年轻人有更多自由,所以选B。

92. A。推理题。根据文章所给信息,判断每一句的对错。B和D与原文含义完全相反,C没有明确提到。

93. D。细节题。直接到指向的第五段,最后一句说明该数据可能比真实数据偏少。

94. B。细节题。文中指出两种婚姻形式最大的不同就在于现在被介绍双方都可以选择拒绝对方。D是最具迷惑的选项,文中的确谈到现在的中间人多数是电脑充当,但是中间人并非二者的根本差别,所以不对。

95. C。主旨题。最后一段列出不少实例来具体说明电脑媒介所起的作用。