Weird. That was how Kelvin felt when he signed a prenuptial agreement years ago with his then girlfriend. According to the agreement, the ownership of the house would go to the wife if the couple divorced, because the wife’s parents had paid the down payment for the house.
In China, most people are unwilling to sign a prenuptial agreement, commonly known as “prenups”. But overseas Chinese are showing a different attitude. According to a recent survey, 70 percent of overseas Chinese participants, mainly living in the US, said it is necessary to sign prenups before tying the knot. The survey covering 1,084 people was conducted by a Los Angeles-based dating company “2RedBeans” through the company’s mobile app.
“It shows that the attitude of overseas Chinese toward marriage has been influenced by Western values over the past decade,” said a co-founder of 2RedBeans. In China, more often than not, a prenup is considered to indicate distrust between a couple and the lack of faith in marriage.
US family law attorneys, however, say that prenups have many advantages, from protecting the assets (资产) brought into the marriage by one party to saving the other party from debt. The rights and obligations related to marriage vary from state to state in the US. “So if you get married without drawing up your own terms and conditions, you are by default (默认) submitting to your state’s law,” Kelly Rickert who has gained popularity for sharing family court stories said in a TikTok video. “Prenups are especially important in a community property state such as California, where all assets and debts acquired after marriage shall be shared by both parties,” she said.
One of her recent clients was lucky to have a prenup which allowed her to keep her property separate from the debt of her late husband, who had run up “astronomical” amounts of medical bills before he died of COVID-19. “Had they not had a prenup stating that the debt be attributed to the party who acquired it, the medical debt would have been shared and she would have had to pay it.” Rickert said.
This might be one of the reasons why many overseas Chinese are attaching importance to prenups. Overseas Chinese living in North America are generally high-income earners and come from middle-class families, so they more easily accept prenups, especially those under 30 years old, who are more likely to value financial independence and consider prenups necessary.
1. What do we know about the survey?| A．The company TikTok carried out the survey. |
| B．One thousand people were surveyed through WeChat. |
| C．It was conducted among Chinese people living in the US. |
| D．Most people surveyed hold a favorable attitude towards prenups. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Neutral. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．To prove the importance of prenups. |
| B．To call for people’s attention to prenups. |
| C．To illustrate the damage caused by COVID- 19. |
| D．To demonstrate what will happen. |
| A．A Trend Among Chinese |
| B．The Pros and Cons of Prenups |
| C．Overseas Chinese Value Prenups |
| D．Different Attitudes Toward Marriage |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】In 2022, 61 companies in the United Kingdom (UK) took part in the world’s largest test of a four-day work week.
The pilot program, conducted in the UK, guided over 60 companies and almost 3, 000 workers through a six-month trial of a 4 day week, with no loss of pay for workers. Overall results show that almost every organization will stick to a 4-day week post-trial, with 91% definitely continuing or planning to continue, and a further 4% leaning towards continuing.
Companies rated their overall experience of the trials an average of 8. 5/10, with business productivity and business performance each scoring 7. 5/10. Profits rose by 35% over the trial periods when compared to similar periods from the previous year and hiring increased while absenteeism decreased.
Lead researcher, Professor Juliet Schor of Boston College observed an encouraging consistency in the data. “Results are largely steady across workplaces of varying sizes, showing it works for many types of organizations. There are also some interesting differences. We found that employees in non-profits and professional services had a larger average increase in time spent exercising, while those in construction enjoyed the largest reductions in burnout and sleep problems,” she said. Getting the carbon footprint down is also encouraging, with commuting (通勤) time falling by a half bour per week.
How did workers do more in less time? Some companies cut meetings, or made sure they were shorter. Others used technology to help workers get more done quickly. Some companies created a “focus time” so workers could work on just one thing without being interrupted.
In general, workers said the four-day work week left them feeling less tired. About 71% said they felt less “burnt out” with their new work hours, and 39% said they felt less stressed. On average, 73% of the workers were more satisfied with the time they spent working.
1. Which of the following best describes the experiment?| A．Controversial. |
| B．Ambitious. |
| C．Eventful. |
| D．Successful. |
| A．It’s a one-sided move. |
| B．It’s what technology brings. |
| C．I’s environmentally friendly. |
| D．It’s unfit for big companies. |
| A．Working habits. |
| B．Joy at work. |
| C．Health management. |
| D．Business performance. |
| A．Monday-Friday Model Is Outdated |
| B．Good Health Is Good Business |
| C．4-Day Workweek Trial Finishes |
| D．4-Day Workweek Could Be Coming |
【推荐2】In an article entitled “Millions of Americans Have Lost Jobs in the Pandemic — And Robots and Al Are Replacing Them Faster Than Ever ”, the author Alana Semuels says, “The application of robots as a response to the coronavirus was rapid. They were suddenly cleaning floors at airports and taking people’s temperatures. Hospitals and universities used Sally, a salad — making robot created by tech company Chowbotics, to replace dining — hall employees; malls and stadiums bought Knightscope security — guard robots; companies that manufacture in — demand supplies turned to industrial robot supplier Yaskawa America to help increase production.”
As Semuels writes, “ Now, as automation lets companies do more with fewer people, successful companies don’t need as many workers. The most valuable company in the U. S. in 1964, AT&T had 758, 611 employees; while the most valuable company today, Apple, has around 137, 000 employees. Though today’s big companies make billions of dollars, they share that income with fewer employees, and more of their profit goes to shareholders.”
In a world where being an employee becomes increasingly less secure, the question you must ask yourself is, “What will be valued in the future when it comes to work?”
My belief is that a core skill set will be in high demand. That skill set is problem solving.
If you want to survive in an increasingly automated world, you must come to terms with the fact that problems will never go away. No matter how many times you find a solution to one problem, another one will appear. But, if you also understand that the process of solving problems is what makes you rich, you’ll welcome problems when they come into your life or when you see them in the lives of others. Once you start solving not only your own problems but also the problems of others, you become in high demand.
Today, I encourage you to begin looking at the world as one filled with possibilities of problems to be solved and profited from. Start with the simple question, “What’s my problem?” And work from there. Chances are that if you solve your own problems, you’ll begin to solve others’ problems too.
1. What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?| A．More work is done by robots. | B．Robots are good at ervice work. |
| C．Robots can do the work faster. | D．Humans are totally replaced by robots. |
| A．Companies make more money. | B．Fewer employees are needed. |
| C．Being an employee is more difficult. | D．More people benefit from technology |
| A．Ignore them wisely. | B．Avoid them at all costs. |
| C．Accept them willingly. | D．Predict them in advance. |
| A．To give a warning. | B．To offer a comment. |
| C．To draw a conclusion. | D．To make a suggestion. |
【推荐3】Emmoni Lopez used to take dance lessons while her older brothers wrestled – but it turned out that she liked wrestling better.
Her mom wasn’t surprised when Lopez told her she liked wrestling more than dance, and three years after Lopez took up the sport, she enjoys watching her daughter wrestle. Still, when a coach first asked Lopez to join his program, her mom hesitated– she never thought her daughter would want to be a wrestler.
Lopez is among a growing number of girls who are taking up wrestling. Officials with youth organizations in Chicago and the Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation (IKWF) said they’ve seen the number of girls participating in the sport take off in recent years.
In Lopez’s program, about half of the students participating in the organization’s free youth wrestling camp this summer are girls, coach Frankie Zepeda said.
Many of the girls Zepeda sees become interested in wrestling through their brothers, he said.
“They probably just learn to … fight back,” he said.
One of those was Yamilet Aguirre. She took up wrestling because she was bored just watching her brother wrestle, she said.
“I can have fun doing it,” she said. “And I can prove girls are just as strong as boys are.”
Though girls have competed on high school wrestling teams in Illinois for years, coaches and female wrestlers said there weren’t many participating a decade ago.
“It’s really picked up over the last few years,” said Jim Considine, president of the IKWF.
Between the 2015-16 and 2017-18 seasons, the number of girls registered with IKWF grew from 363 to 503, and more of the organization’s events are featuring a girls-only division. Girls and boys wrestle together during the season through IKWF, but there’s a girls-only championship at the end of the year.
And by adding female wrestling programs, colleges are giving girls and young women another option.
“Female wrestling isn’t something unacceptable anymore,” Considine said. “Things have happened so quickly. Ten years ago, you’d never have dreamed of doing this.”
1. What has helped her take up wrestling, in Yamilet Aguirre’s case?| A．Her wish to be stronger than boys. |
| B．Her awareness to protect girls. |
| C．Her parents’ expectations. |
| D．The experience of watching wrestling competitions. |
| A．challenge | B．chance |
| C．choice | D．change |
| A．Its popularity in college is declining. |
| B．It’s still unacceptable in many people’s eyes. |
| C．It has been accepted by colleges. |
| D．College girls like it less than dancing. |
| A．A Female Sport Event |
| B．Not Just for Boys |
| C．The Great Sports Personality |
| D．Make Way for Male Wrestlers |
About a year ago，NASA offered $125 ,000 to Anjan Contractor， a 3-D technology expert，to build a device（设备）that would allow astronauts to make pizza on demand． The mechanical engineer promised that his invention would produce pies in large quantities that looked， tasted and even smelled like pizza made in common ovens．
Late last year， the engineer presented a video of his first prototype（原型）that begins by creating a single slice of dough（面团）that is cooked and printed at the same time．Then comes the tomato “sauce” — a mix of tomato powder，oil and water and finally，a protein slice that resembles cheese．While the video doesn’t show the baking process，the inventor says that once the pizza is printed，it can be ready to be consumed in 7 seconds．
While the pie in the video looks delicious enough to attract any pizza lover，Anjan Contractor is far from ready for astronauts．That’s because he still has to find a solution to make the food container in the printer last for 30 years．Though that may sound unrealistic，actually it is not．
Anjan Contractor believes that the only way that is possible is that the water is removed from all the ingredients（配料）and then they are reduced to the powder form．This，as you can imagine，will not be so easy．But，while the printer may not be ready for space，it certainly looks ready enough for people on earth．Hopefully，NASA and Contractor will consider selling it to those not fortunate enough to go to Mars！
1. Why does the author mention the things that astronauts in space cannot do？
| A．To ask us not to take common things for granted． |
| B．To show they live a difficult life there． |
| C．To show their life is boring in space． |
| D．To introduce the topic of the text． |
| A．create some new type of 3-D printer |
| B．attract more companies to work for NASA |
| C．help astronauts in space enjoy fresh pizza one day |
| D．produce pizza in large quantities to earn great profits |
| A．he has no money left to go on with his research |
| B．the pizza doesn’t seem appetizing to pizza lovers |
| C．he has no way to make pizza that can last for thirty years |
| D．he cannot make the food container last for decades |
| A．NASA is trying its best to help astronauts eat better |
| B．Astronauts may soon be able to enjoy steaming hot pizza |
| C．NASA is working on making pizza for common people |
| D．A 3-D pizza printer has been used to make pizza |
【推荐2】Not very long ago, the question would have seemed absurd. Now it is on the lips of respected scientists; MPs (议员) are beginning to talk of “a war on sugar,” and even England’s chief medical officer has said sugar may have to be, like the old enemy tobacco, taxed in order to protect the nation’s health.
There came a time in the evolution of public attitudes to smoking, when the doctors had been shouting for long enough that the public was broadly aware of the risks and the only question left for Government was: what should we do about it?
Some believe we are now at the same point in our attitudes to sugar. Others—largely but not only representatives of the food and drink industry—say the entire debate has been skewed (歪曲) by those who spread stories deliberately to make people nervous.
More or less everyone agrees that eating too much sugar is bad for you. There is also no doubt obesity is a growing problem which is putting a significant, avoidable burden on the NHS by increasing the rates of diabetes, heart disease and other long-term conditions.
But to what extent is sugar—rather than saturated fats, or salt, carbohydrates or proteins, or any of the other devils of modern diets—the cause of obesity and how much should we worry about it?
Yesterday, hopes of achieving anything resembling clarity (清楚) from the World Health Organisation (WHO) were confused once again, which, widely expected to reduce the recommended sugar intake by a half in new draft guidance, instead said it would continue to recommend that sugar make up no more than 10 percent of the energy we consume, while adding that cutting this to five percent would have “additional benefits”. The decision will now go out to public consultation.
Simon Capewell, professor of the University of Liverpool, said that he suspected “dirty work” on the part of food and drinks companies might lie behind the WHO’s less than resounding message.
“The food industry say Government has no business interfering (介入) in families, we must protect personal choice,” Professor Capewell said. “We say there is no personal choice. At the moment, mother can walk into a supermarket with a choice of four tomato soups—with three, or four, or five teaspoons of sugar in them. She has a choice of thousands of ready meals—with five, or six, or even nine teaspoons of sugar in.”
1. By referring to smoking the author indicates that .| A．sugar has just turned out to be as harmful as smoking |
| B．it is not easy for authorities to restrict or ban something |
| C．it is easy for people to see bad effects of something |
| D．people must see the disadvantages of sugar immediately |
| A．it thinks the danger of sugar to health is overemphasized |
| B．it finds it safe to take in as much sugar as people do now |
| C．it believes certain amount of intake of sugar does us good |
| D．it has been put under pressure by food and drinks companies |
| A．remain objective | B．stand by those against it |
| C．believe it harmless | D．hold the view of “wait-and-see” |
| A．Is sugar the new evil? | B．How much sugar do you take daily? |
| C．Is sugar to be taxed? | D．How much do you know about sugar? |
【推荐3】When it comes to the most refreshing Chinese YouTube figure of 2019, most people think of Li Ziqi, a Chinese vlogger whose videos focus on the beautiful scenery and the rural life in the Chinese countryside. With more than 7.5 million subscribers on YouTube, Li also has more than 1.9 million likes, and close to 3 million followers on her Facebook page. Experts from China claim that Li Ziqi is a better advocate for Chinese culture than the country's state media.
Li's fans think it is the spirit of craftsmanship behind her works that makes Li's video clips attractive. She strictly follows the authentic traditional steps and procedures in making traditional Chinese food and handicrafts. such as peach flower wine and silk. Sometimes she spends several months producing one of the videos.
Li Ziqi's videos are rather unique. Most of the videos have English titles to ensure better recommendations by the algorithms（计算程序）. In fact, most of her videos that are produced in a professional and delicate way involve very little speaking at all. Instead, they focus on the visual aspects, and the natural sounds of the landscape. Li's videos convey a more universal message. People can enjoy these videos with little or no background or knowledge about the country. Therefore, Li's videos can be enjoyed by many with different language backgrounds.
1. What can we learn about Li Zigi's video clips?| A．They promote the sales of Chinese food and handicrafts. |
| B．They present the culture of life in urban areas of China. |
| C．There are images and natural sounds in her videos rather than language work. |
| D．They are false rather than honest records of local life in China in her fans' view. |
| A．Positive | B．Negative |
| C．Neutral | D．Vague |
| A．To provide guidance on cooking and making traditional handicrafts. |
| B．To suggest a way of attracting more followers on YouTube. |
| C．To give an example of how to gain worldwide popularity with short videos. |
| D．To introduce Li Zigi's unique tricks of attracting audience. |
