Changes in Marriage

① There are several factors that influenced women during the Victorian（維多利亞的）age to marry. Many of them were a result of lack of choice. First we need to deal with education to understand why women married. Women were left uneducated in many areas of life. They had no control over their education and were only taught about domestic duties. Starting at a young age, they were taught that a woman should get married and have children. They were born, raised and educated to become wives and nothing else. A woman was not expected to work unless she was in the lower class and had no choice.

② The development from Victorian marriage to modern marriage was a slow process. In the 1960s, women began to exercise their power and freedom more publicly. Women began to marry for happiness. Women began to work more and more outside of the home, and during the war time when their husbands left to war, they were asked to take on more jobs that their husbands had left behind.

③ Beginning in the 1840s, a series of laws were passed that began to allow women in marriage to have a bit more control. In 1839 the Infant and Child Custody（監護）Act allowed women to take custody of their children under the age of seven if divorced or separated. In 1857, ordinary divorce was established in England through the Divorce Act. In 1870, the Married Women’s Property Act allowed for women to keep their earnings and even inherit personal properties and money. Slowly but surely, women were gaining control over themselves, their children and their possessions.

④ Divorce, unlike during the Victorian period, is a lot more acceptable. Now when a couple gets a divorce, the woman is more likely to get the custody of her children than the man. Divorce is now seen as a way to get out of marriage as a result of any type of unhappiness.

⑤ Women these days have a lot more control over their marriages than they used to. A woman is free to marry who she wants for the most part. She can choose to be married as well as have a career. If a woman is unable to have kids, there are many ways that would help her. Even choosing not to have kids is not looked down upon as it used to be.

Task 1 

16. Paragraph ①（ ）

17. Paragraph ②（ ）

18. Paragraph ③（ ）

19. Paragraph ④（ ）

20. Paragraph ⑤（ ）

 

Task 2

21. In Victorian age, a woman couldn’t work outside because of .

22. Women were taught to become wives from .

23. More women began to work outside of home during .

24. Slowly, women get more control over .

25. Modern women can freely choose to have .

 

A: Laws about marriage

B: Influences of marriage

C: Slow changes in marriage

D: More control over marriage

E: No choice about marriage

F: Divorce in modern marriage

A: no kids

B: no choice

C: lower class

D: a young age

E: the war time

F: their belongings    

When the screen gets lifted, dogs will not be surprised to see three treats.（ ）

• A、True

• B、False

• C、Not Given 

After the Civil War, there was a great demand in Britain for（ ）

• A、southern money

• B、signatures of George Washington and Ben Franklin

• C、southern manuscripts and letters

• D、Civil War battle plans