"Family" is of course an elastic word. And in different countries it has different meanings. Butwhen British people say that their society is based on family life, they are thinking of "family"in itsnarrow, peculiarly European sense of mother, father and children living together in their own houseas an economic and social unit. Thus, every British marriage indicates the beginning of a new and in-dependent family--hence the tremendous importance of marriage in British life. For both man andwoman, marriage means leaving one’s parents and starting one’s own life. The man’s first duty willthen be to his wife, and the wife’s to her husband. He will be entirely responsible for her financialsupport, and she for the running of the new home. Their children will be their common responsibilityand their alone. Neither the wife’s parents nor the husband’s, nor their brothers or sisters, aunts oruncles, have any right to interfere with them-they are their own masters.
Readers of novels likeJane 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 tofind a suitable husband for their daughter, preferably a rich one, and by skillful encouragement tolead him eventually to ask their permission to marry her. Until that time, the girl was protected andmaintained in the parents' home, and the financial relief of getting rid of her could be seen in theirgiving the newly married pair a sum of money called a dowry (嫁妆). It is very different today.Most girls of today get a job when they leave school and become financially independent before theirmarriage. This has had two results. A girl chooses her own husband, and she gets no dowry. Everycoin has two sides; independence for girls is no exception. But it may be a good thing for all of thegirls, as their social status are much higher and they are no longer the subordinate(部下，下级) oftheir parents and husbands.
46. 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.
47. For an English family, the husband’s duty is________
[A]supporting the family while the wife is working out
[B]defending the family while the wife is running the home
[C]providing financial support while the wife is running the home
[D]independent while his wife is also independent
48. Everything is decided in a family________
[A]by the couple
[B]with the help of their parents
[C]by brothers and sisters
[D]with the help of aunts and uncles
49. What is TRUE conceming the book Pride and Prejudice?
[A]It is the best book on marriage.
[B]It is a handbook on marriage.
[C]It gives some idea of English social life in the past.
[D]It provides a lot of information of former-time wealthy families.
50. With regard to marriage in Britain, present-day girls differ from former-time girls in________
[A]the right family
[B]more parental support
[C]choosing husbands
[D]social position
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