Two thirds of the singles looking for love in Britain turned to the Internet last year, according to figures made in public yesterday. Special sites offer introductions to smokers, to Roman Catholics, tall people, beautiful people, frequent flyers and vegans (素食者). Technology has brought about a great change in the dating game.
A survey by Parship, a British branch of Europe’s largest dating service with more than 1.5 million members, says that 65 percent of the 5.4 million Britons looking for a relationship used online dating services last year.
A spokeswoman for Relate, the relationship advisor, confirmed that a figure of two third feel it all right. “Doing it online allows people quite a lot of privacy, because they can do a bit of quiet research and look around from the fort of their own home. You don’t have to meet a middleman or go to an actual dating agency office, which takes a lot of courage,” she said.
There are more than 100 independent online dating agencies in Britain. Parship says that 50 percent of single people believe they will meet a suitable partner through the Internet, up from 35 percent six months ago.
Mary Balfour, the founder, says that the Internet has changed the dating industry pletely. “It’s like a return to old-fashioned love letters,” she said. “You don’t base your initial judgment on how someone looks or what his or her figure is like. You e-mail or talk before you actually see each other. Everybody you know who is single these days has at least had a good look at a dating website, introduction agency or personal ad. They have to, because all the old matchmaking institutions have gone. People work harder, settle down later and live more isolated lives. They’re much more likely to end the day with a DVD and a can of beer than by going to a village dance.”
【小题1】Singles in Britain can look for love online mainly because of .A．ParshipB．the help of go-betweensC．technologyD．the revolution of dating game【小题2】About Britons tried to find love online last year according to this passage.A．1.5 millionB．3.5 millionC．5.4 millionD．65 million【小题3】For those who want to look for love online, they .A．don’t need to do any research at allB．have to meet first before they can e-mail each otherC．don’t have to find a go-between.D．must go to an actual dating agency office first【小题4】From this passage we can infer that .A．not all single people believe the Internet can help them find their partnersB．looking for love online needs a lot of courageC．old-fashioned love letters bee popular againD．single people don’t like to look for their partners online.C
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(答案→)C
解析：文章介绍网上婚姻介绍所越来越流行，三分之二的英国单身者在2005年通过互联网寻找意中人。互联网已经让传统的约会形式发生了革命。文章介绍了网上交友的好处。
【小题1】细节题：从第一段的句子：Technology has brought about a great change in the dating game.可知因为科技的原因英国的单身汉可以到网上寻找意中人，选C
【小题2】计算题：从第二段的句子：says that 65 percent of the 5.4 million Britons looking for a relationship used online dating services last year.可知5.4million其中的65%是3.5 million，选B
【小题3】细节题：从第三段的句子：You don’t have to meet a middleman or go to an actual dating agency office, which takes a lot of courage,” she said.可知在网上交友不需要找中间人，选C
【小题4】细节题：从第四段的句子：Parship says that 50 percent of single people believe they will meet a suitable partner through the Internet, up from 35 percent six months ago. 可知有一半的人相信在网上可以找到自己的爱人。选A。