共用题干 第一篇

Trying to Find a Partner

One of the most striking findings of a recent poll in the UK is that of the people
Interviewed,one in two believes that it is becoming more difficult to meet someone to start a
family with.
Why are many finding it increasingly difficult to start and sustain intimate relationships?
Does modern life really make it harder to fall in love?Or are we making it harder for
ourselves?
It is certainly the case today that contemporary couples benefit in different ways from
relationships.Women no longer rely upon partners for economic security or status.A man
doesn"t expect his spouse to be in sole charge of running his household and raising his
children.
But perhaps the knowledge that we can live perlectly well without a partnership means
that it takes much more to persuade people to abandon their independence.
In theory,finding a partner should be much simpler these days.Only a few generations
ago, your choice of soulmate（心上人）was constrained（限制）by geography, social
convention and family tradition.Although it was never explicit,many marriages were
essentially arranged.
Now those barriers have been broken down.You can approach a builder or a brain
surgeon in any bar in any city on any given evening.When the world is your oyster（牡
砺）,you surely have a better chance of finding a pearl.
But it seems that the old conventions have been replaced by an even tighter constraint:
the tyranny of choice.
The expectations of partners are inflated（提高）to an unmanageable degree: good
looks,impressive salary,kind to grandmother,and right socks.There is no room for error
in the first impression.
We think that a relationship can be perfect.If it isn"t,it is disposable.We work to
protect ourselves against future heartache and don"t put in the hard emotional labor needed
to build a strong relationship.Of course,this is complicated by realities.The cost of
housing and child-rearing creates pressure to have a stable income and career before a life
partnership. The word"sustain"(paragraph 2)could be best replaced by