III阅读（共两节，满分40分）
第一节 阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从41~55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卷上将该项涂黑。
“Family” is of course an elastic word. But when British people say that their society is based on family life, they are thinking of “family” in its narrow, peculiarly European sense of mother, father and children living together alone in their own house as an economic and social unit. Thus, every British marriage indicates the beginning of a new and independent family—hence the tremendous importance of marriage in British life. For both the man and the woman, marriage means leaving one´s parents and starting one´s own life. The man´s first duty will then be to his wife, and the wife´s to her husband. He will be entirely responsible for her financial support, and she for the running of the new home. Their children will be their common responsibility and theirs alone. Neither the wife´s parents nor the husband´s, nor their brothers or sisters, aunts or uncles, have any right to interfere with them—they are their own masters.
Readers of novels like Jane Austen´s Pride and Prejudice will know that in former times marriage among wealthy families were arranged by the girl´s parents, that is, it was the parents´ duty to find a suitable husband for their daughter, preferably a rich one, and by skillful encouragement to lead him eventually to ask their permission to marry her. Until that time, the girl was protected and maintained in the parents´ home, and the financial relief of getting rid of her could be seen in their giving the newly married pair a sum of money called a dowry. It is very different today. Most girls of today get a job when they leave school and become financially independent before their marriage. This has had two results. A girl chooses her own husband, and she gets no dowry.
41. What does the author mean by “Family is of course an elastic word”?
A.Different families have different ways of life.
B. Different definitions could be given to the word.
C. Different nations have different families.
D.Different times produce different families.
42. For an English family, the husband´s duty is ____.
A. supporting the family while the wife is financial
B. defending the family while the wife is running the home
C. financial while the wife is running the home
D. independent while the wife is dependent
43. Everything is decided in a family ____.
A.by the coupleB. with the help of their parents
C. by brothers and sistersD. with the help of aunts and uncles
44. What is true concerning the book Pride and Prejudice?
A. It is the best book on marriage.
B. It is a handbook of marriage.
C. It gives quite some idea of English social life in the past.
D. It provides a lot of information of formertime wealthy families.
45.With regard to marriage in Britain, present-day girls differ from former time girls in ____.
A. the right marry B. more parental support
C. choosing husbands D. social position
