"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 was 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 (嫁妆). 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. 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 minting the home
D. independent while the wife is dependent
A few common misconceptions. Beauty is only skin-deep. One’’s physical assets and liabilities don’’t count all that much in a managerial career. A woman should always try to look her best. Over the last 30 years, social scientists have conducted more than 1,000 studies of how we react to beautiful and not-so-beautiful people. The virtually unanimous conclusion: Looks do matter, more than most of us realize. The data suggest, for example, that physically attractive individuals are more likely to be treated well by their parents, sought out as friends, and pursued romantically. With the possible exception of women seeking managerial jobs, they are also more likely to be hired, paid well, and promoted. Un-American, you say, unfair and extremely unbelievable Once again, the scientists have caught us mouthing pieties (虔诚) while acting just the contrary. Their typical experiment works something like this. They give each member of a group-college students, perhaps, or teachers or corporate personnel managers a piece of paper relating an individual’’s accomplishments. Attached to the paper is a photograph. While the papers all say exactly the same thing the pictures are different. Some show a strikingly attractive person, some an average-looking character, and some an unusually unattractive human being. Group members are asked to rate the individual on certain attributes, anything from personal warmth to the likelihood that he or she will be promoted. Almost invariably, the better looking the person in the picture, the higher the person is rated. In the phrase, borrowed from Salppho, that the social scientists use to sum up the common perception, what is beautiful is good. In business, however, good looks cut both ways for women, and deeper than for men. A Utah State University professor, who is an authority on the subject, explains: In terms of their careers, the impact of physical attractiveness on males is only modest. But its potential impact on females can be tremendous, making its easier, for example, for the more attractive to get jobs where they are in the public eye. On another note, though, there is enough literature now for us to conclude that attractive women who aspire to managerial positions do not get on as well as women who may be less attractive. According to the passage, people often wrongly believe that in pursuing a career as manager ______.
A. a person’s property or debts do not matter much
B. a person’s outward appearance is not a critical qualification
C. women should always dress fashionably
D. women should not only be attractive but also high-minded