III.综合能力
A. 阅读(篇章层次理解)
Since its foundation in 1945, the United Nations has written into its major aGREements the need to establish minimum ages for marriage. But the custom of marriage is a highly sensitive cultural issue, mainly because it is so unpleasantly involved with women's rights and societal traditions and practices, and rules on marriage vary widely between countries. Some countries, particularly in West Africa, still do not have a legal minimum age.
In the West, a 13-year-old is still considered a child. Even getting married in one's late teens is not usually encouraged because married life is likely to interfere with a young woman's education and will
consequently restrict her opportunities in later life. And there are physical dangers in giving birth so young. The World Health Organization has over the ten years identified(把……看作)early birth as a major cause of female mortality.
Under Islamic(伊斯兰教的) religious law, the age of consent for sex and marriage is puberty(青春期),which Muslims(伊斯兰教徒) say is in harmony with the biological transition from childhood into adulthood. In Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan the age of puberty at 13 or 14 is the legal age for marriage. But in Turkey it is 15, and in Egypt and Tunisia, 18, the same minimum age as in many Western countries. It is argued that by allowing earlier marriages, Islamic law is promoting stable relationships, while Western laws are encouraging promiscuity (abnormal sexual relationships) among young people.
In many countries the trends of urbanization and education for girls have been a drop in the number of child brides. However, early marriages continue to occur in poor rural areas, where society works very much on personal arrangements between families, villages and communities. And it does not only happen in countries that don't have a legal minimum age. In India, for example, the legal age of marriage for a girl is 18 and to a boy, 21. Yet, according to governmental statistics, 18 percent of 10 to 14-year-old girls in a poor rural state are married. There are obvious social and economic advantages for doing this: by marrying off their daughters early, families no longer have to provide for them, and the younger the bride the smaller the dowry(嫁妆), or wedding price, demanded by the groom's family.
It is clear, then, that child marriages are connected with poverty, lack of education and rural customs such as dowries; there don't tend to be any child marriages in urban or rich areas. So unless these real causes are addressed, it will be extremely hard to enforce change, even when change is dictated(命令,要求)by a country's governing body.
1. According to the passage, getting married early does all the following EXCEPT________.
A. reducing a young woman's education
B. limiting a young woman's chances
C. resulting in infant death
D. doing harm to a young woman's health
2. What kind of women is likely to marry late?
A. women from less educated background
B. women from rural areas
C. women from Islamic countries
D. women from cities
3. Which of the following statements is FALSE?
A. None of the Western countries have a legal minimum age of marriage.
B. In the West, people are in favor of getting married in one's late teens. C. In some Islamic countries, the minimum age of marriage is the same as that in many Western countries.
D. Some people hold that early marriages are good for stable relationships.
4. From the context, the word "transition" in the 5th line of the third paragraph is closest in meaning to________.
A. harmony B. change
C. need D. relationship
5. Clearly, child marriages are related to all of the following EXCEPT________.
A. rural customs B. education
C. poverty D. family planning
B.写作(议论文)
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition entitled My Opinion on College Students Taking Part-time Jobs. You are required to write your composition on the following outline and your composition should be about 120 words.
1. 一些人认为学生应该打零工
2. 有些人则持相反观点
3. 你的看法
