Passage Two Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage. Some futurologists have assumed that the vast upsurge( i )of women in he workforce may portend a rejection of marriage. Many women, according to th hypothesis, would rather work than marry. The converse( Il) of this concern is that the prospects of becoming a multi-paycheck household could encourage mar riages. In the past, only the earnings and financial prospects of the man counte d in the marriage decision. Now, however the earning ability of a woman can mak e her more attractive as a marriage partner Data show that economic downturns t end to postpone marriage because the parties cannot afford to establish a family or are concerned about rainy days ahead. as the economy rebounds, the number of marriages also rises Coincident with the increase in women working outside the home is the increa se in divorce rates. Yet, it may be wrong to jump to any simple cause-and-effect conclusions. The impact of a wifes work on divorce is no less cloudy than its pact on marriage decisions. The realization that she e can be a good provider ma y increase the chances that a working wife will choose divorce over an unsatisfa ctory marriage. But the reverse is equally plausible. Tensions grounded in finaI t. inflationary problems, and slow growth in real earnings, a working wife cap.9 5 cial problems often play a key role in ending a marriage. Given high unemployme ncrease household income and relieve some of these pressing financial burdens. B y raising a family's standard of living, a working wife may strengthen her famil ys financial and emotional stability. Psychological factors also should be considered. For example, a wife blocked from a career outside the home may feel caged in the house She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce. On the other hand, if she can find fulfillment through work outside the home, wo rk and marriage can go together to create a stronger and more stable union. r part of womer equality in marriage has been due to the fa t that, in most cases, men have remained the main breadwinners. with higher earning capacity and status occupations outside of the home comes the capacity to exercise power wit hin the family. a working wife may rob a husband of being the master of the hou se. Depending upon how the couple reacts to these new conditions, it could creat e a stronger equal partnership or it could create new insecurities. 26. The word "portend"(Line 2, Para. 1)is closest in meaning to A)defy C)suffer from B)signal D)result from 27. It is said in the passage that when the economy slides A)men would choose working women as their marriage partners B)more women would get married to seek financial security C)even working women would worry about their marriages D )more people would prefer to remain single for the time being 28. If women find fulfillment through work outside the home A) they are more likely to dominate their marriage partners B)their husbands are expected to do more housework C) their marriage ties can be strengthened D)they tend to put their career before marriagePassage Two Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage. Some futurologists have assumed that the vast upsurge ( 剧增 ) of women in t he workforce may portend a rejection of marriage. Many women, according to this hypothesis, would rather work than marry. The converse ( 反面 ) of this concern is that the prospects of becoming a multi-paycheck household could encourage mar riages. In the past, only the earnings and financial prospects of the man counte d in the marriage decision. Now, however, the earning ability of a woman can mak e her more attractive as a marriage partner. Data show that economic downturns t end to postpone marriage because the parties cannot afford to establish a family or are concerned about rainy days ahead. As the economy rebounds, the number of marriages also rises. Coincident with the increase in women working outside the home is the increa se in divorce rates. Yet, it may be wrong to jump to any simple cause-and-effect conclusions. The impact of a wife’s work on divorce is no less cloudy than its impact on marriage decisions. The realization that she can be a good provider ma y increase the chances that a working wife will choose divorce over an unsatisfa ctory marriage. But the reverse is equally plausible. Tensions grounded in finan cial problems often play a key role in ending a marriage. Given high unemploymen t, inflationary problems, and slow growth in real earnings, a working wife can i ncrease household income and relieve some of these pressing financial burdens. B y raising a family’s standard of living, a working wife may strengthen her famil y’s financial and emotional stability. Psychological factors also should be considered. For example, a wife blocked from a career outside the home may feel caged in the house. She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce. On the other hand, if she can find fulfillment through work outside the home, wo rk and marriage can go together to create a stronger and more stable union. Also, a major part of women’s inequality in marriage has been due to the fac t that, in most cases, men have remained the main breadwinners. With higher earning capacity and status occupations outside of the home comes the capacity to exercise power wit hin the family. A working wife may rob a husband of being the master of the hou se. Depending upon how the couple reacts to these new conditions, it could creat e a stronger equal partnership or it could create new insecurities. 26. The word “portend” (Line 2, Para. 1) is closest in meaning to “ ____” . A) defy C) suffer from B) signal D) result from 27. It is said in the passage that when the economy slides,____. A) men would choose working women as their marriage partners B) more women would get married to seek financial security C) even working women would worry about their marriages D) more people would prefer to remain single for the time being 28. If women find fulfillment through work outside the home,____. A) they are more likely to dominate their marriage partners B) their husbands are expected to do more housework C) their marriage ties can be strengthened D)they tend to put their career before marriage