Divorces in Japan have more than doubled, according to health ministry statistics. One in three Japanese marriages now ends in divorce.

Atsuko Okano was in one of those failed marriages. Three years ago, she found herself alone in her 30s, with children to raise and a future full of question marks and social shame. But she also saw an opening, and became an advisor helping people like herself.

“My husband was cheating on me,” she recalled. ‘I did everything to bring him back to me but it didn’t work, so I dumped him.” Such frankness is a major characteristic of Japan’s recently divorced.

Divorced people – particularly woman – have long been looked down upon in Japan, where self-sacrifice and family stability are regarded as ideals. In the past, bored housewives remained bored. The security of the family unit was the most important thing. Now, young Japanese are increasingly choosing satisfaction in life over the demands of tradition, and more woman are financially independent. As a result, Japanese divorce rates are flying. Experts attribute this to the erosion of a long-standing double standard that granted divorced men respectability, but branded(gave somebody a bad name) divorced women as damaged goods.

Over the past decade, growing numbers of highly educated and successful professional women have challenged that assumption(something taken for granted) by turning their backs on unhappy marriages and paying no attention to the taboo（禁忌）of divorce. The majority of divorce behavior now is started by women.

1.This passage mainly talks about the fact that nowadays Japanese women _________.

A．are granted respectability after they get divorced

B．are becoming brave enough to challenge the taboo of divorce

C．still consider the security of the family unit to be very important

D．are becoming more financially independent

2.It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that Atsuko Okano __________.

A．had some children to raise

B．was very confident with her future

C．was not greatly respected by Japanese society

D．might have found a job to help divorced people

3.The underlined word “dumped” in paragraph 3 probably means _________.

A．looked down upon

B．had a quarrel with

C．hated

D．divorced

4.Which of the following is NOT mentioned as the reason for rising rate of Japanese divorces?

A．Self-sacrifice and family stability are not much appreciated in Japan as before.

B．More women can support themselves financially.

C．Divorced men and women can quickly find their new partners

D．Young Japanese care more about satisfaction in life than their elders did.

 

Divorces in Japan have more than doubled, according to health ministry statistics. One in three Japanese marriages now ends in divorce.
Atsuko Okano was in one of those failed marriages. Three years ago, she found herself alone in her 30s, with children to raise and a future full of question marks and social shame. But she also saw an opening, and became an advisor helping people like herself.
“My husband was cheating on me,” she recalled. ‘I did everything to bring him back to me but it didn’t work, so I dumped him.” Such frankness is a major characteristic of Japan’s recently divorced.
Divorced people – particularly woman – have long been looked down upon in Japan, where self-sacrifice and family stability are regarded as ideals. In the past, bored housewives remained bored. The security of the family unit was the most important thing. Now, young Japanese are increasingly choosing satisfaction in life over the demands of tradition, and more woman are financially independent. As a result, Japanese divorce rates are flying. Experts attribute this to the erosion of a long-standing double standard that granted divorced men respectability, but branded(gave somebody a bad name) divorced women as damaged goods.
Over the past decade, growing numbers of highly educated and successful professional women have challenged that assumption(something taken for granted) by turning their backs on unhappy marriages and paying no attention to the taboo（禁忌）of divorce. The majority of divorce behavior now is started by women.
【小题1】This passage mainly talks about the fact that nowadays Japanese women _________.

A．are granted respectability after they get divorced

B．are becoming brave enough to challenge the taboo of divorce

C．still consider the security of the family unit to be very important

D．are becoming more financially independent

【小题2】It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that Atsuko Okano __________.

A．had some children to raise

B．was very confident with her future

C．was not greatly respected by Japanese society

D．might have found a job to help divorced people

【小题3】The underlined word “dumped” in paragraph 3 probably means _________.

A．looked down upon

B．had a quarrel with

C．hated

D．divorced

【小题4】Which of the following is NOT mentioned as the reason for rising rate of Japanese divorces?

A．Self-sacrifice and family stability are not much appreciated in Japan as before.

B．More women can support themselves financially.

C．Divorced men and women can quickly find their new partners

D．Young Japanese care more about satisfaction in life than their elders did.

It’s really true what people say about English politeness: it’s everywhere. When squeezing (挤过去) past someone in a narrow passage, people say “sorry”. When getting off a bus, English passengers say “thank you” rather than the driver. In Germany, people would never dream of doing these things. After all, squeezing past others is sometimes unavoidable, and the bus driver is only doing his job. I used to think the same way, without questioning it, until I started traveling to the British Isles, and here are some more polite ways of interacting (交往) with people in UK.

People thank each other everywhere in England, all the time. When people buy something in a shop, customer and shop assistant in most cases thank each other twice or more. In Germany, it would be exceptional to hear more than one thank you in such a conversation. British students thank their lecturers when leaving the room. English employers thank their employees for doing their jobs, as opposite to Germans, who would normally think that paying their workers money is already enough.

Another thing I observed during my stay was that English people rarely criticize (批评) others. Even when I was working and mistakes were pointed out to me, my employers emphasized several times but none of their explanations were intended as criticism. It has been my impression that by avoiding criticism, English people are making an effort to make others feel comfortable. This also is showed in other ways. British men still open doors for women, and British men are more likely to treat women to a meal than German men. However, I do need to point out here that this applies to English men a bit more than it would to Scottish men! Yes, the latter are a bit tightfisted.

1.What is the author’s attitude towards English politeness?

A．He thinks it is unnecessary.                B．He thinks little of it.

C．He appreciates it very much.               D．He thinks it goes too far.

2.What can be inferred from the passage?

A．German men never treat a woman to dinner.

B．The author think it’s unnecessary to say “thank you” to the bus driver.

C．In Germany, employers often say “thank you” to employees for their job.

D．Germans think it is unnecessary to thank workers because payment is enough.

3.We can learn from the last paragraph that Scottish men ______.

A．like to fight with each other

B．treat women in a polite way

C．are as generous as English men

D．are unwilling to spend money for women

4.The author develops the text through the method of ______.

A．making comparisons                     B．telling stories

C．giving reasons                          D．giving examples

 

It’s really true what people say about English politeness: it’s everywhere. When squeezing (挤过去) past someone in a narrow passage, people say “sorry”. When getting off a bus, English passengers say “thank you” rather than the driver. In Germany, people would never dream of doing these things. After all, squeezing past others is sometimes unavoidable, and the bus driver is only doing his job. I used to think the same way, without questioning it, until I started traveling to the British Isles, and here are some more polite ways of interacting (交往) with people in UK.

People thank each other everywhere in England, all the time. When people buy something in a shop, customer and shop assistant in most cases thank each other twice or more. In Germany, it would be exceptional to hear more than one thank you in such a conversation. British students thank their lecturers when leaving the room. English employers thank their employees for doing their jobs, as opposite to Germans, who would normally think that paying their workers money is already enough.

Another thing I observed during my stay was that English people rarely criticize (批评) others. Even when I was working and mistakes were pointed out to me, my employers emphasized several times but none of their explanations were intended as criticism. It has been my impression that by avoiding criticism, English people are making an effort to make others feel comfortable. This also is showed in other ways. British men still open doors for women, and British men are more likely to treat women to a meal than German men. However, I do need to point out here that this applies to English men a bit more than it would to Scottish men! Yes, the latter are a bit tightfisted.

1.What is the author’s attitude towards English politeness?

A．He thinks it is unnecessary.	B．He thinks little of it.
C．He appreciates it very much.	D．He thinks it goes too far.

2.What can be inferred from the passage?

A．German men never treat a woman to dinner.

B．The author think it’s unnecessary to say “thank you” to the bus driver.

C．In Germany, employers often say “thank you” to employees for their job.

D．Germans think it is unnecessary to thank workers because payment is enough.

3.We can learn from the last paragraph that Scottish men ______.

A．like to fight with each other

B．treat women in a polite way

C．are as generous as English men

D．are unwilling to spend money for women

4.The author develops the text through the method of ______.

A．making comparisons	B．telling stories
C．giving reasons	D．giving examples

 

It’s really true what people say about English politeness: it’s everywhere. When squeezing (挤过去) past someone in a narrow passage, people say “sorry”. When getting off a bus, English passengers say “thank you” rather than the driver. In Germany, people would never dream of doing these things. After all, squeezing past others is sometimes unavoidable, and the bus driver is only doing his job. I used to think the same way, without questioning it, until I started traveling to the British Isles, and here are some more polite ways of interacting (交往) with people in UK.

People thank each other everywhere in England, all the time. When people buy something in a shop, customer and shop assistant in most cases thank each other twice or more. In Germany, it would be exceptional to hear more than one thank you in such a conversation. British students thank their lecturers when leaving the room. English employers thank their employees for doing their jobs, as opposite to Germans, who would normally think that paying their workers money is already enough.

Another thing I observed during my stay was that English people rarely criticize (批评) others. Even when I was working and mistakes were pointed out to me, my employers emphasized several times but none of their explanations were intended as criticism. It has been my impression that by avoiding criticism, English people are making an effort to make others feel comfortable. This also is showed in other ways. British men still open doors for women, and British men are more likely to treat women to a meal than German men. However, I do need to point out here that this applies to English men a bit more than it would to Scottish men! Yes, the latter are a bit tightfisted.

1.What is the author’s attitude towards English politeness?

A．He thinks it is unnecessary.	B．He thinks little of it.
C．He appreciates it very much.	D．He thinks it goes too far.

2.What can be inferred from the passage?

A．German men never treat a woman to dinner.

B．The author think it’s unnecessary to say “thank you” to the bus driver.

C．In Germany, employers often say “thank you” to employees for their job.

D．Germans think it is unnecessary to thank workers because payment is enough.

3.We can learn from the last paragraph that Scottish men ______.

A．like to fight with each other

B．treat women in a polite way

C．are as generous as English men

D．are unwilling to spend money for women

4.The author develops the text through the method of ______.

A．making comparisons	B．telling stories
C．giving reasons	D．giving examples