By Jerilyn Watson Broadcast: February 14, 2010. Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. I’m Steve Ember. And I’m Faith Lapidus. February fourteenth is Valentine’s Day. So this is a good time to play some love songs as we explore the subject of dating. VOICE ONE: Valentine’s Day is a special time for love. Millions of people will receive flowers, chocolate or some other gifts. Others might get just a phone call or an electronic message from someone they care about. Still others would be happy just to have someone special in their life on Valentine’s Day. VOICE TWO: Traditionally, there are many ways for people to meet. Some meet at work. Others meet by chance. Still others look for help from services that bring people together. Friends and family members might offer to help. They might plan a blind date. This is a meeting between two people who have never seen each other before. A lot of people try to improve their chances by looking in places where people with similar interests go, such as a place of religion, a bookstore, health club and sports team where men and women play together. VOICE THREE: Internet dating services had been growing sharply through the end of 2009. But people do no always tell the truth about themselves online. And they do not exactly tell about their age, for example, they might offer an old picture instead. People who meet through computer services may not have to give their full name or e-mail address at first. Relationships that begin over the Internet do sometimes lead to marriage. Yet there is a risk anytime strangers meet. It could be a danger, or simply an unpleasant surprise. A young woman in Washington D.C was angry after seeing a date she met over the Internet. In his picture , he looked twenty-five or thirty years old. In reality, she said, he was old enough to be her father. 72. The topic of the VOA broadcast program is probably________. A. Valentine’s Day B. how to make friends in daily life. C. dating between men and women D. how to keep your marriage. 73. In VOICE TWO, which of the following ways of dating is NOT mentioned by the speaker in the text? A. Meeting by chance or at work B. Meeting with the help of media C. Meeting with the help of the services D. Meeting with the help of friends and family 74.The speaker think Internet dating may be a risk, danger, or simply unpleasant surprise because___________. A. people can’t know each other’s real name B. people can’t know each other’s address C. the computer don’t give their full name or e-mail address at first D. people don’t always tell the truth about themselves online. 75.From the text, we can infer that the speaker is likely to _______dating online. A. appreciate B. hate C. suggest D. hold a negative attitude |