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  3. Twenty years ago a debate erupted about whether there were specific "Asian values" . But a more intriguing, if less noticed, arg

Twenty years ago a debate erupted about whether there were specific "Asian values" . But a more intriguing, if less noticed, arg

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问题    Twenty years ago a debate erupted about whether there were specific "Asian values" . But a more intriguing, if less noticed, argument was that traditional family values were stronger in Asia than in America and Europe, and this partly accounted for Asia’s economic success. In the words of Lee Kuan Yew, former prime minister of Singapore, the Asian family encouraged "scholarship and hard work and thrift" .
   His claim appears persuasive. In most of Asia, marriage is widespread and illegitimacy almost unknown. In contrast, half of marriages in some Western countries end in divorce, and half of all children are born outside wedlock. Yet marriage is changing fast in Asia. The changes are different from those that took place in the West in the second half of the 20th century. What’s happening in Asia is a flight from marriage.
   Marriage rates are falling partly because people are postponing getting married. Marriage ages have risen all over the world, but the increase is particularly marked in Asia. People there now marry even later than they do in the West. The mean age of marriage in the richest places of Asia has risen sharply in the past few decades.
   A lot of Asians are not marrying later. They are not marrying at all. Almost a third of Japanese women in their early 30s are unmarried; probably half of those will always be.
   Women are retreating from marriage as they go into the workplace. That’s partly because, for a woman, being both employed and married is tough in Asia. Women there are the primary caregivers for husbands, children and, often, for ageing parents; and even when in full-time employment, they are expected to continue to play this role. Not surprisingly, Asian women have an unusually pessimistic view of marriage.
   At the same time as employment makes marriage tougher for women, it offers them an alternative. More women are financially independent, so more of them can pursue a single life that may appeal more than the drudgery of a traditional marriage.
   The flight from marriage is also creating social problems. Compared with the West, Asian countries have invested less in pensions and other forms of social protection, on the assumption that the family will look after ageing or ill relatives. That can no longer be taken for granted. The decline of marriage is also contributing to the collapse in the birth rate. That is beginning to cause huge demographic problems, as populations age with startling speed. Also, marriage socializes men: it is associated with less criminal behavior. Less marriage might mean more crime.

Asian women tend to retreat from marriage partly because____.
选项 A、they have to look after all the family members if married
B、it is extremely difficult to balance family and work
C、they are eager to get ahead in the workplace
D、they are reluctant to share earnings with family members
答案B
解析 细节题。本题就亚洲女性逃避婚姻的原因进行提问，根据题干中的关键词Asian women tend to retreat from marriage定位至文章第五、六段。第五段第一句指出，女性进入职场的同时也从婚姻中撤出(retreating from marriage)，接着第二句指出，部分原因在于既要工作又要维持婚姻对于亚洲女性而言会非常艰辛(being both employed and married is tough in Asia)。第三句对此加以解释在亚洲，丈夫、孩子甚至年迈的父母主要都由女人来照顾，即便女性拥有全职工作，人们也会期待她们继续充当这一角色。这种艰难的处境使得亚洲女性对于婚姻的看法格外悲观，因此不愿结婚。所以，是家庭与工作的双重压力使女性对步人婚姻殿堂形成了心理上的障碍，故B项正确。
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