Trying to Find a Partner One of the most striking findings of a recent poll in the UK is that of the people interviewed， one in two believes that it is becoming more difficult to meet someone to start a family with. Why are many finding it increasingly difficult to start and sustain intimate relationships？ Does modern life really make it harder to fall in love？ Or are we making it harder for ourselves？ It is certainly the case today that contemporary couples benefit in different ways from relationships. Women no longer rely upon partners for economic security or status. A man doesn't expect his spouse to be in sole charge of running his household and raising his children. But perhaps the knowledge that we can live perfectly well without a partnership means that it takes much more to persuade people to abandon their independence. In theory， finding a partner should be much simpler these days. Only a few generations ago， your choice of soulmate （心上人） was constrained by geography， social convention and family tradition. Although it was never explicit， many marriages were essentially arranged. Now those barriers have been broken down. You can approach a builder or a brain surgeon in any bar in any city on any given evening. When the world is your oyster （牡蛎） ，you surely have a better chance of finding a pearl. But it seems that the old conventions have been replaced by an even tighter constraint： the tyranny of choice. The expectations of partners are inflated to an unmanageable degree： good looks， impressive salary， kind to grandmother， and right socks. There is no room for error in the first impression. We think that a relationship can be perfect. If it isn't， it is disposable. We work to protect ourselves against future heartache and don't put in the hard emotional labor needed to build a strong relationship. Of course， this is complicated by realities. The cost of housing and child-rearing creates pressure to have a stable income and career before a l

单选题Drug Overuse ① Nowadays,millions of people misuse and even overuse pain medications and other drugs. Research by the American National Institute on Drug Abuse （NIDA， 1999） shows that around 2% of the population over age 12 were using drugs non-medically. ② NIDA views medications as a powerful force for good in the contemporary world. They reduce and remove pain for millions of people suffering from illness and disease. They make it possible for doctors to perform complicated surgery to save lives. Many people afflicted by serious medical conditions are able to control their symptoms and become active， contributing citizens. NIDA points out that most individuals who take these drags use them in a responsible. ③ Nevertheless， overuse of drugs such as opioids， central nervous system（CNS） depressants and stimulants does lead to harmful reliance in some people and is therefore becoming a serious public health concern. Although this abuse affects many people worldwide， particular trends of concern to the medical profession in the US appear among older adults， teenagers arid women. ④ Though it may be a surprise to many， the misuse of medications may be the most common form of drug abuse among the elderly. Dr Kenneth Schrader of Duke University， North Carolina states that although the elderly represent about 13% of the US population， those aged 65 and over account for the consumption of one third of all drugs. People in this age group use medications roughly three times more than the general population and have poorer compliance with instruction for use. In another study of elderly patients admitted to treatment programs， 70% were women who had overused medicines. ⑤ Unfortunately， this trend among women does not only affect those aged over. In general， among women and men who are using either an anti-anxiety drug or a sedative， women are twice as likely to become addicted. In addition， statistics compiled for 12 —17 year olds show that teenage girls are more likely than tee

单选题 Trying to Find a Partner One of the most striking findings of a recent poll in the UK is that of the people interviewed， one in two believes that it is becoming more difficult to meet someone to start a family with. Why are many finding it increasingly difficult to start and sustain intimate relationships？ Does modern life really make it harder to fall in love？ Or are we making it harder for ourselves？ It is certainly the case today that contemporary couples benefit in different ways from relationships. Women no longer rely upon partners for economic security or status. A man doesn't expect his spouse to be in sole charge of running his household and raising his children. But perhaps the knowledge that we can live perfectly well without a partnership means that it takes much more to persuade people to abandon their independence. In theory， finding a partner should be much simpler these days. Only a few generations ago， your choice of soulmate （心上人） was constrained by geography， social convention and family tradition. Although it was never explicit， many marriages were essentially arranged. Now those barriers have been broken down. You can approach a builder or a brain surgeon in any bar in any city on any given evening. When the world is your oyster （牡蛎） ，you surely have a better chance of finding a pearl. But it seems that the old conventions have been replaced by an even tighter constraint： the tyranny of choice. The expectations of partners are inflated to an unmanageable degree： good looks， impressive salary， kind to grandmother， and right socks. There is no room for error in the first impression. We think that a relationship can be perfect. If it isn't， it is disposable. We work to protect ourselves against future heartache and don't put in the hard emotional labor needed to build a strong relationship. Of course， this is complicated by realities. The cost of housing and child-rearing creates pressure to have a stable income and career before a

填空题The goal of the course is to（）(rich) our understanding of other cultures.