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Searching for love is no longer just a favorite subject for songs. It has also become a huge industry. Researchers say the online dating (约会，求偶) industry in the United States earned 649 million dollars in 2006. They expect this number to increase to more than 900 million dollars by 2011.

Researchers say that the industry has grown because traditional social ties in the United States have weakened, which can be reflected by the following two aspects. On the one hand, many young people leave their friends and family to find work in bigger cities. On the other hand, people work longer hours and have less time to meet new people. So they depend increasingly on technology. This helps explain the popularity of online dating. Some estimates say 120,000 marriages a year result from matches made on the Internet.

The dating industry has also been expanding in new and interesting ways. Many companies around the country offer personalized (个性化的) services for finding the perfect mate. For example, one online dating company in Virginia provides single people with advice on how to meet a person for the first time and make a good impression. These companies are answering a large demand by single people. They are willing to invest their time and money to find love with carefully planned methods, instead of leaving love to chance.

1、1. According to the researchers, searching for love in the US _____.

A、is no longer a subject of songs

B、is making online dating possible

C、is becoming a big industry

D、is increasing the number of dating company

学生答案：C

2、2. Why is online dating popular in the United States according to the passage?

A、The traditional social ties have weakened.

B、Young people are interested in trying new things.

C、There is good online dating service in the US.

D、Online dating is cheap and convenient.

学生答案：A

3、3. The passage says that today young people _____.

A、have more opportunities to meet new people

B、are moving to big cities with their families

C、are more and more dependent on technology

D、are spending more time online

学生答案：C

4、4. Many dating companies in the US _____.

A、offer services to meet a person’s particular needs

B、are expanding in interesting ways

C、have helped people find the perfect mate

D、attract single people by different activities

学生答案：A

5、5. What kind of advice did one dating company give to single people?

A、How to behave oneself and attract others.

B、How to react politely during the first meet.

C、How to make better use of online dating.

D、How to make a good impression for the first meet.

学生答案：D

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出自：大学英语（C）252

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