In times of economic crisis. Americans turn to their families for support. If th

In times of economic crisis. Americans turn to theirfamilies for support. If the Great Depression is any guide, we may see a dropin our skyhigh divorce rate. But this won't necessarily represent. an increasein happy marriages. In the long run, the Depression weakened American families,and the current crisis will probably do the same.

We tend tothink of the Depression as a time when families pulled together to survive hugejob losses, By 1932. when nearly one-quarter of the workforce was unemployed,the divorce rate had declined by around 25% from 1929 But this doesn't meanpeople were suddenly happier with their marriages. Rather, with incomesdecreasing and insecure jobs, unhappy couples often couldn't afford to divorce.They feared neither spouse could manage alone.

Today, giventhe job losses of the past year, fewer unhappy couples will risk startingseparate households, Furthermore, the housing market meltdown will make it moredifficult for them to finance their separations by selling their homes.

Afterfinancial disasters family members also tend to do whatever they can to helpeach other and their communities, A 1940 book. The Unemployed Man and HisFamily, described a family in which the husband initially reacted to losing hisjob "with tireless search for work."He was always active, looking forodd jobs to do.

The problemis that such an impulse is hard to sustain Across the country, many similarfamilies were unable to maintain the initial boost in morale(士气). For some, the hardships of life without steady workeventually overwhelmed their attempts to keep their families together. Thedivorce rate rose again during the rest of the decade as the recovery tookhold.

Millions ofAmerican families may now be in the initial stage of their responses to thecurrent crisis, working together and supporting one another through the earlymonths of unemployment.

Today'seconomic crisis could well generate a similar number of couples whoserelationships have been irreparably(无法弥补地)ruined.So it's only when the economy is healthy again that we'll begin to see just howmany broken families have been created.

1.In the initial stage, the current economic crisis islikely to __________.

A.tear many troubled families apart

B.contribute to enduring family ties

C.bring about a drop in the divorce rate

D.cause a lot of conflicts in the family

2.In the Great Depression many unhappy couples closeto stick together because

A.starting a new family would be hard

B.they expected things would turn better

C.they wanted to better protect their kids

D.living separately would be too costly

3.In addition to job losses. What stands in the way ofunhappy couples getting a divorce?

A.Mounting family debts

B.A sense of insecurity

C.Difficulty in getting a loan

D.Falling housing prices

4.What will the current economic crisis eventually doto some married couples?

A.It will force them to pull their efforts together

B.It will undermine their mutual understanding

C.It will help strengthen their emotional bonds

D.It will irreparably damage their relationship

5.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A.The economic recovery will see a higher divorce rate

B.Few couples can stand the test of economic hardships

C.A stable family is the best protection againstpoverty.

D.Money is the foundation of many a happy marriage

试题答案

【答案】

1.C

2.D

3.D

4.D

5.A

【解析】

文章大意：讲述在经济大萧条时期离婚率下降的真正原因。

1.C 细节理解题：If the GreatDepression is any guide, we may see a drop in our sky high divorce rate. 如果有经济大萧条的迹象的话，我们会看到（原来）极高的离婚率会下降。

2.D 推理判断题：Rather, with incomesdecreasing and insecure jobs, unhappy couples often couldn't afford to divorce.They feared neither spouse could manage alone. 随着收入减少和不稳定的工作，不快乐的夫妻常常离不起婚。他们害怕配偶双方都无法独立生活。

3.D 细节理解题：Furthermore, thehousing market meltdown will make it more difficult for them to finance theirseparations by selling their home.此外，房产市场的暴跌会使得他们在卖掉住房之后，更难负担起各自生活的费用。

4.D  F推理判断题：or some,the hardships of life without steady work eventually overwhelmed their attemptsto keep their families together. The divorce rate rose again during the rest ofthe decade as the recovery took hold.对于一些家庭来说，没有稳定工作的生活的艰辛最终会压倒他们团结家庭的努力。随着经济复苏，在这十年剩余时间里，离婚率会再次上升。

5.A 主旨大意题：Today's economiccrisis could well generate a similar number of couples whose relationships havebeen irreparably(无法弥补地)ruined. So it's only when the economy ishealthy again that we'll begin to see just how many broken families have beencreated. 现在的经济危机可能会产生同等数量的夫妇，他们的关系已经被完全毁坏，无法弥补。因此，只有在经济再次向好，我们才回看到（在经济危机时期）有多少家庭破裂了。言外之意，经济复苏，离婚率会上升。

考点：考查社会类阅读。