高中英語閱讀練習題
Polygamy is a funny thing―funny ha ha,as well as peculiar.One thinks of the 19th-century Mormon leader,Brigham Young,with his 55 wives (in those days,they said,women married Young).Devout (虔敬的) Mormons hold that a message from God told Young to go ahead and start collecting wives.Skeptics (懷疑者),of course,say that there was something else to this.In any case,it proved to be an efficient means of enabling Mormons to outnumber skeptics.And in fairness,some of his wives were elderly women whom he married out of kindness and not because he was attracted to them.
I find it very curious that Western countries,despite how much they pride themselves for their liberalism (人文自由主義) about what willing adults do with one another,have been slow to permit willing adults to marry each other at a rate more than one at a time.
What business is it of the states how many people I marry?And by the way,if one can enter into a common law marriage by living with someone for seven years,can one enter into a common law polygamy by living with two?I'd love to see that test case.
But what would it really be like to have multiple spouses?Most men I've asked answer immediately with a knowing smile.And those are the intelligent ones.Their minds immediately create an image something like a sexual (性的) version (看法) of a Hong Kong Sunday lunch,with many dishes to taste.
In truth,the idea scares me.I spend half my waking hours trying to deal with my childish consciousness to the civilized state known as marriage.It's only by total luck I can hold on to any of my natural state-of-nature qualities—watching violent movies,eating bad food,and acting poorly,the way that men can act poorly when free from the control of women.What if I were outnumbered?
Then there's the spectre (幻影,魔鬼) of a double settlement (解決) if the woman leaves.Modern marriage might be a raw deal for women,but it can be hell (地獄) on men when women leave.Little wonder that men,who write the laws,discourage polygamy.But then again,Mark Twain might have been right; maybe it was just the mother-in-law jokes.
11.What does the word "polygamy" most probably mean in the first sentence?
A.Funny stories.
B.Interesting events.
C.Having more than one wife at the same time.
D.Organizing a social act.
12.According to the passage,which one of the following statements is true?
A.In the 19th century,polygamy was considered a regular practice.
B.Young's wives were all very beautiful and attractive.
C.Polygamy began in the 1800s.
D.Some people think that polygamy is a good idea.