Question

    The old romantic saying is a cute one, but according to recent studies, opposites don't necessarily attract.

Research shows that people tend to seek out relationships with—and eventually marry — partners who have similar defining characteristics, such as age, political orientation, religion, education, and income.

“ Generally speaking, when we think about opposites attracting or not, we're thinking in terms of personality rather than these big key factors," says Vinita Mehta, a clinical psychologist and writer based in Washington, D. C.

One big factor as to why this may be is simply your stage of life: where you live, what lifestyle you have, and what kind of people you're exposed to.

“ If you’re on a college campus, by and large，you’re going to find people who are in your age group,'' Mehta says. "You're going to find people who at least eventually become part of the same general income strata. ”

Researchers from the University of Kansas made a courageous claim. A study released earlier this year analyzed real-world relationships and asked couples (romantic partners, friends, and acquaintances) about attitudes, behaviors, values, prejudices, and personality characteristics that were important to them. The pairs that had closer and more intimate relationships were not necessarily more similar than newly formed pairs, and people shared similarities on almost every personal issue that was measured.

The lead psychologists on this study believe this doesn't happen by chance ； it's so common and widespread that seeking out like-minded people may be our psychological default when we make new friends or romantic partners. We certainly get the most out of these relationships. They make us more comfortable and trusting of the other person, and that makes it easier to cooperate and achieve goals.

As far personalities go, connecting on major characteristics, like levels of neuroticism (神经质)and conscientiousness, generally lead to happier couples. But that doesn't mean you and your significant other need to agree on everything. Having different habits——fewer defining parts of your personality, like your favorite sport or foods---can introduce you to new activities and ways of thinking, which can make you a more well-rounded person.

1.What does the underlined word " strata" in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A.Factors. B.Levels. C.Resources. D.Taxes.

2.The research conducted by the University of Kansas implies that _______.

A.the phenomenon takes place accidentally

B.the subjects have almost everything in common

C.the participants were asked questions about their partners

D.the similarity between partners may not change with closer relationship

3.In the last paragraph, the author stresses that a happier couple may _______.

A.have some differences

B.have everything in common

C.share the same personalities

D.result from the conflict in thinking

4.What is the main purpose of the passage?

A.To find out what stage of life we are in.

B.To prove we are attracted to what is familiar.

C.To show what kind of people we should make friends with.

D.To introduce the advantages like-minded people can bring to us.

Answer

1.B

2.D

3.A

4.B

【解析】

这是一篇议论文。文章认为人们倾向于寻找具有相似定义特征的伴侣。作者运用了一个心理学家的研究来证明这个观点。最后作者还强调了伴侣之间可存在不同点，这样子可以让生活更美好。

1.词义猜测题。根据第2段中Research shows that people tend to seek out relationships with—and eventually marry — partners who have similar defining characteristics, such as age, political orientation, religion, education, and income，人们倾向于寻找具有相似定义特征的伴侣，如年龄、政治倾向、宗教、教育和收入，并最终结婚。根据第五段If you’re on a college campus, by and large，you’re going to find people who are in your age groupIf you’re on a college campus, by and large，you’re going to find people who are in your age group如果你在大学校园里，总的来说，你会找到和你同龄的人。故可知第5段中强调的是“收入处于同样水平”。故选B项。

2.推理判断题。根据第6段The pairs that had closer and more intimate relationships were not necessarily more similar than newly formed pairs, and people shared similarities on almost every personal issue that was measured可知，拥有更亲密关系的情侣并不一定比刚形成的情侣更相似。由此判断出情侣之间的相似点不会随着关系的亲密而改变。故选D项。

3.细节理解题。根据文章最后一段But that doesn't mean you and your significant other need to agree on everything. Having different habits——fewer defining parts of your personality, like your favorite sport or foods---can introduce you to new activities and ways可知，拥有不同的习惯，可以让你接触新的活动和思维方式，这会让你成为一个更全面的人。所以幸福夫妻之间可存在差异。故选A项。

4.推理判断题。根据第二段Research shows that people tend to seek out relationships with—and eventually marry — partners who have similar defining characteristics, such as age, political orientation, religion, education, and income.人们倾向于寻找具有相似定义特征的伴侣。接着作者引入了一个研究来表明自己的观点。以此判断出这篇文章的主要目的是证明我们被熟悉的事物所吸引。故选B项。