Reading. Read the text and fill in the gaps (1–6) with the phrases (A–G). There is one phrase that you do not need to use. (Прочитайте текст и заполните пропуски 1–6 фразами A–G. Одна фраза лишняя.)
The CHANGING FACE of the British Family. The traditional nuclear family of 1960s Britain consisted of a married male breadwinner and female carer living in a household with their children. This is now a thing of the past.
Since the sixties, a dramatic change in the structure of family life has taken place in the UK. Marriage rates have been declining 1) ... . Divorce rates have increased dramatically in the last four decades. There are also more and more couples 2) ... . Single parents are no longer the exception and women have started giving birth to fewer children later on in life. The result is that it is becoming increasingly rare to find the nuclear family structure in 21st century Britain. Indeed, researchers agree that by 2020 it will be very difficult to talk about the 'typical British family' 3) ... .
While many people worry about the 'breakdown' of the family, others propose another way of looking at things. These people suggest that families are not falling apart. Rather, the future of the family is stronger than ever in the UK. Families may live apart 4) ... . Surveys show that family members who live apart still turn to each other 5) ... . And families are still responsible for most of the socialising which occurs in British life. Also, it is conversations between family members 6) ... .
In other words, the change that the family has undergone in the last few decades is not so much a breakdown. It is a reinvention. Families in the UK are still highly valued and will continue to be so in the future.
A but the emotional support and commitment between family members remains just as strong as ever
B because there will be so many different types
C so in fact relationships between family members are improving
D for support when important life events occur
E which accounts for a large percentage of telephone usage in the UK
F and the age at which people marry has been increasing
G who have chosen not to marry
Подбираем фразу по смыслу и грамматике соседних слов.
- Marriage rates have been declining ... — «Количество браков падает» → F: «и возраст вступления в брак растёт» (продолжение мысли о браке).
- more and more couples ... — «всё больше пар, которые решили не вступать в брак» → G (who относится к couples).
- it will be very difficult to talk about the 'typical British family' ... — «потому что будет так много разных типов» → B.
- Families may live apart ... — «Семьи могут жить раздельно, но эмоциональная поддержка и привязанность остаются такими же сильными» → A (контраст but).
- family members who live apart still turn to each other ... — «обращаются друг к другу за поддержкой, когда происходят важные события» → D.
- it is conversations between family members ... — «разговоры между членами семьи, на которые приходится большая доля телефонного трафика» → E (which — относится ко всему сказанному).
Лишняя фраза — C (по смыслу не вписывается: нигде в тексте не говорится, что отношения улучшаются).
