The other morning on the subway I sat next to an attractive young blonde woman who was reading something on her iPad. She was very well-dressed, carrying a Prada bag with tastefully applied make-up indeed, she had an unmistakable air of wealth, material success and even authority. I suspected she worked as a highly-paid Wall Street lawyer or stockbroker or something of that sort. So, I was curious to see what she was so focused on. The Wall Street Journal perhaps? The Economist?
Quite the contrary; rather, she was concentrating on a romance novel. Then I realized that I have known many women who love romance novels—smart, attractive, successful, “liberated,” modern females who nonetheless find some kind of deep satisfaction and thrill from those hyper-romantic, artificial and extremely unrealistic tales of handsome, manly heroes falling in love with virginal women, enduring a series of adventures, then no doubt having a happy ending.
These romance stories are to literature what hot dogs are to fine food. Yet, the genre(体裁) remains enormously popular. Consider some of these surprising statistics from the good folks at the Romance Writers of America (RWA):
*More than 9,000 romance titles were released last year, with sales of about $1.44 billion (more than triple the taxes produced by classic literary fiction).
*More than 90 percent of the market are women (okay, that’s not at all surprising).
* Readers are typically women between the ages 30 and 54 who are themselves involved in a romantic relationship (betraying the stereotype that only lonely women long for these tales of love and adventure).
*Almost 40 percent of romance book consumers have an annual income of between $50,000 and $99,900 (placing them firmly in the middle class).
I had thought that romance novels accounted for a very small share of the literary market, so I was quite surprised that this part has such enormous popularity. But I must wonder why so many women—forty years after the women’s liberation movement—continue to enjoy themselves in the fanciful tales?
I’m not sure if it represents a kind of “rejection” of the women’s liberation movement, but clearly something is missing in the lives of contemporary ladies. A romance author named Donna Hatch who focuses on the Regency period (early 19th century Britain) explained the appeal of such books this way: “Regency men were civilized and treated women with courtesy. When a lady entered the room, gentlemen stood, doffed their hats, offered an arm, bowed, and a hundred other little things I wish men still did today. But they were also very athletic; they hunted, raced, boxed, rode horses. They were manly. Strong. Noble. Honorable. And that is why I love them!”
Mrs. Hatch may have expressed the secret desires and attitudes of untold millions of her peers—that is, in the early 21st century, have women grown tired of the burdens and expectations that the “freedoms” they have gained give them? Is this a rejection of modern feminism? Do women long for days of old when men were masculine gentlemen and women were feminine and protected as precious treasures and regarded as possessions?
Perhaps most women (even the ones who get lost in romance novels) do not want to go all the way back but it is obvious,______.
1.What is the function of the opening paragraph?
A. To summarize the whole passage. B. To prove the author’s argument.
C. To lead in the main topic of the passage. D. To raise problems that will be solved later.
2.What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph imply?
A. Romance novels are satisfying and thrilling.
B. Romance novels are not of much “nutrition”.
C. Romance novels are as popular as hot dogs.
D. Romance novels are an essential part of contemporary life.
3.In the author’s opinion, what is missing in the lives of contemporary women?
A. Authority. B. Dignity. C. Liberty. D. Care.
4.Which sentence can be put in the blank in the last paragraph?
A. they prefer tales of innocent romance to classics
B. they are unhappy with how the world has turned out
C. true love described in romance novels does exist in reality
D. romance novels provide them with an access to society
Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District
2015 High School Video Contest
Here’s the Scoop on Pet Waste!
Submission Deadline March 27, 2015.
Eligibility | Judging |
Page 1 of 3 www.northgeorgiawater.org |
1.What does the underlined word “Eligibility” probably mean?
A.Age. B.Qualification.
C.Location. D.Grade.
2.When entering the contest, ________.
A.one must ask his or her teacher to sign the entry form
B.winners can earn at least $750 as a prize
C.one can invite friends from other schools to act in the video
D.participants had better add some humor and fun to the video
Why do young adult children become independent so much later than they did in 1970，when the average age of independent living was____? Why have reduced class sizes and increased per-pupil expenditures (花销）not____higher academic achievement levels? Why is the mental health of today’s kids so poor when____with that of children in the 1960s and before? Why do today’s____become defensive when told by teachers that their children have misbehaved in school?
The answer in two words: parental____Those two words best summarize the____between “old” child raising and new, post-1960s parenting. Then, the overall philosophy was that parents were not to be____involved with their kids. They were available____crisis, but they stood a (an)____distance from their kids and allowed them to experience the benefits of the trial-and-error process. It was the child’s____, back then, to keep his or her parents from getting involved. That was____children learned to be responsible and determined.
Today’s parents help their kids with almost everything. These are parents who are____when it comes to an understanding of their purpose in their kids’ lives. Their involvement leads them to personalize everything that happens to their kids;____, the defensiveness. But given that schools and mental health professionals have been pushing parent involvement for nearly four decades, the confusion and defensiveness are____.
University researchers analyzed three decades of data relating to parent participation in children’s academics. Their conclusions____what I’ve been saying since the 1980s: parental help with homework____a child’s academic achievement and is not reflected on standardized tests.
Parents who manage a child’s social life interfere with the____of good social skills. Parents who manage a child’s after-school activities grow kids who don’t know how to____their own free time. Parents who get involved in their kids,____with peers grow kids who don’t know how to avoid much less trouble.
These kids have anxieties and fears of all sorts and don’t want to leave their____And their parents, when the time comes, don’t know how to____being parents. You can imagine what will become of their fu ture.
1.A.counted on B.resulted in C.touched on D.taken in
2.A.associated B.linked C.compared D.matched
3.A.parents B.adolescents C.psychologists D.youths
4.A.assistance B.protection C.involvement D.preference
5.A.differences B.similarities C.choices D.relations
6.A.slightly B.passively C.highly D.fairly
7.A.in case of B.in spite of C.in view of D.in fear of
8.A.equal B.safe C.long D.short
9.A.fault B.turn C.job D.attitude
10.A.when B.how C.why D.what
11.A.confused B.disappointed C.amazed D.satisfied
12.A.however B.still C.yet D.thus
13.A.unreasonable B.changeable C.understandable D.avoidable
14.A.confirmed B.convinced C.realized D.reflected
15.A.decides B.lowers C.helps D.stimulates
16.A.appearance B.performance C.establishment D.development
17.A.value B.devote C.fill D.save
18.A.communication B.conflicts C.cooperation D.competitions
19.A.start B.ignore C.consider D.stop
20.A.home B.school C.career D.profession
—Do you know the newly appointed CEO?
--__________.
A. I’ll check it
B. Only that there is one
C. More often than not
D. It will come to me
Mr. Smith let off upon me the speech he_______ to make all along.
A. had died B. died
C. was dying D. had been dying
My voice was so little and the shop owner had to bend down to hear_______ I wanted to buy.
A.what it was B.it was what
C.what it was that D.what was that
