63 that about the same proportion of today’s young adults will eventually marry.

The timing of marriage has varied 64 over the past century. In 1995 the average age of women in the United States at the time of their first marriage was 25. The average age of men was about 27. Men and women in the United States marry for the first time at an average of five years later than people did in the 1950s. 65 ， young adults of the 1950s married younger than did any previous 66 in U.S. history. Today ’ s later age of marriage is 67 the age of marriage between 1890 and 1940. Moreover ， a greater proportion of the population was married （ 95 percent ） during the 1950s than at any time before 68 . Experts do not agree on why the “ marriage rush ” of the late 1940s and 1950s occurred ， but most social scientists believe it represented a 69 to the return of peaceful life and prosperity after 15 years of severe economic 70 and war.

56. A. rate B. ratio C. percentage D. poll

57. A. potentially B. intentionally C. randomly D. substantially

58. A. not any longer B. no more C. no longer D. not any more

59. A. A proportion B. The proportion C. The number D. A number

60. A. declined B. deteriorated C. deduced D. demolished

61. A. past B. passing C. throughout D. through

62. A. period B. level C. point D. respect

63. A. project B. plan C. promise D. propose

64. A. unexpectedly B. irregularly C. flexibly D. consistently

65. A. Besides B. However C. Whereas D. Nevertheless

66. A. descendants B. ascendants C. population D. generation

67. A. according to B. in line with C. based on D. caused by

68. A. and after B. or after C. or since D. ever since

69. A. refusal B. realization C. response D. reality

70. A. repression B. aggression C. restriction D. depression

Part Ⅴ Error Detection （ 5 minutes ， 5points ）

Directions ： In this section ， there are ten sentences. Each sentence has four underlined words or phrases marked A ， B ， C and D. Identify the part of the sentence that is incorrect. Mark the corresponding letter with a single bar across the square brackets on your machine-scoring ANSWER SHEET.

71. It is an accepted custom for guests to take their gifts to the wedding reception when the

A B C

couple invited them to attend.

D

72. Some international students use a cassette recorder to make tapes of their classes so that they

A B C

can repeat the lectures again.

D

73. Despite of diligent efforts to promote domestic production during the war years ， the

A

Continental Army had to rely primarily on captures and imports for much of its military

B C D

hardware and even for clothing.