A. PULL B. PRESSURE C. PRESS D. PUSHREAD THE PASSAGE AND CHOOSE A, B,...

Câu 28: A. Pull B. pressure C. press D. pushRead the passage and Choose A, B, C or D that best answers the question about the passage fromquestion 29 to 32.Marriage nowadays is a choice people make on their own, but this has not always been the case insociety. Thousands of years ago, the average lifespan was shorter than it is today. A man usually lived untilhe was about 40 years old, while women died even sooner because of childbirth. There were many warsand illnesses, and people had to protect themselves by having more children while they were still young.The parents lived through their children.Marriage was not so much a romantic love story but a business transaction, or deal. Most marriageswere arranged between parents while their children were still very young. It was the custom that the fathersmade the decision on whom their children were going to marry. The mothers had little say in it since theyrarely made any decisions outside the household. The fathers would meet to arrange the wedding date andthe money given for the bride on her wedding date. The more money and land a girl had, the more chancesshe had to marry well. Therefore, it was important that her father choose the bridegroom very well.Usually, it was someone who came from a good family or who was rich too. It was very unlikely thatpeople married outside their social class. A few well-off and rich merchants got to marry poorernoblewomen and became King’s business advisors. In a way, poor peasants had an easier choice as it wasless important whom they married.The practice of arranged marriage is still common in some countries in the Middle East, such asIndia or Pakistan. Here, social classes are still strongly divided and very well-kept. Often, however,arranged marriages are a sign that people do not want to let go of the past, which gives them comfort andsecurity in an ever-changing world. (Adapted from Longman Essence Reading, Vol. 2)