Romantic love is a culture trait found primarily in industrialized societies. Elsewhere in the world, pragmatic considerations rather than flights of fancy are often used to make a choice of partner, and romantic love is seen as an unfortunate inconvenience that gets in the way of the ordinary, rational process of mate selection. Traces of this attitude persist in the American upper classes, where daughters are expected to marry “well”-----that is, to a male who is eligible by reason of family background and earning potential. Most Americans, however, see romantic love as essential for a successful marriage, and tend to look askance(輕蔑地)at anyone who marries for a more practical reason in which love plays no part.
The phenomenon of romantic love occurs when two young people meet and find one another personally and physically attractive. They become mutually absorbed, start to behave in what appears to be a flighty(充滿幻想的), even irrational manner, decide that they are right for one another, and may then enter a marriage whose success is expected to be guaranteed by their enduring love. Behavior of this kind is portrayed and warmly endorsed(贊同)throughout American popular culture, by books, magazines, comics, records, popular songs, movies, and TV. Romantic love is a noble ideal, and it can certainly provide a basis for the spouses to “live happily ever after.” But a marriage can equally well be founded on much more practical considerations”----as indeed they have been in most societies throughout most of history. Why is romantic love of such importance in the modern world? The reason seems to be that it has some basic functions in maintaining the institution of the nuclear family(小家庭).
57. Romantic love is less frequently found in many non-industrial societies because people in these societies_______.
A ) firmly believe that only money can make the world go round
B ) fail to bring the imaginative power of the mind into full play
C ) fondly think that flights of fancy prevent them from making a correct choice of partner
D ) have far more practical considerations to determine who will marry whom
58. The word eligible (in Line5, Para. l), could best be replaced by ____.
A ) qualified B ) available C ) chosen D ) influential
59. According to the passage, most Americans _____.
A) expect their daughters to fall in love with a male at first sight
B) regard romantic love as the basis for a successful marriage
C) look up to those who marry for the sake of wealth
D) consider romantic love to be the most desirable thing in the world
60. What can we learn from the second paragraph about romantic love?
A) It is a common occurrence among the old. B) It is primarily depicted by books.
C) It is characterized by mutual attraction and absorption. D) It is rejected as flighty and irrational.
61. The author seems to believe that ___________
A) romantic love makes people unable to think clearly in the process of mate selection
B) only romantic love can make a marriage happy ever after
C) much more practical considerations can also be the basis for a successful marriage
D) romantic love plays an insignificant role in maintaining the institution of the nuclear family.
參考答案：
57-61：DABCC
