Some marriages seem to collapse so suddenly that you’d need a crystal ball to predict their demise (灭亡). In other cases, though, the seeds of marital (1) are not only easier to see but they may be planted even before the honeymoon bills come (2) . According to UCLA psychologist Thomas Bradbury, Ph. D., the way a newlywed (3) when his or her spouse is facing a personal problem is a surprisingly good window into their marital future.
Bradbury and Lauri Pasch, Ph. D., invited 57 couples, all married less than six months, to discuss a difficulty that each partner was having. While some couples proved to be superstars at providing emotional support, others were (4) inept (笨拙的).
Two years later, nine of the couples had already (5) and five other marriages were intact but hanging by a thread. These 14 couples, it turned out, had been far less likely to provide support to one another as newlyweds than the other 43 couples whose marriages were (6) . Bradbury thinks a couple’s (7) to help each other through tough times is what often blossoms into full-fledged marital discord—and (8) divorce.
All of which suggests an obvious antidote to the sky-high divorce rate: if couples can learn how to provide emotional support before they marry, they (9) a better chance of staying together. The trouble, Bradbury says, is that couples who go for premarital (10) —where they can learn such skills—tend to be the ones with a lesser risk for marital problems in the first place.
A. thriving B. comments C. inability D. regretfully E. committing
F. dissolution G. stand H. intends I. due J. reacts
K. ultimately L. durable M. split N. regularly O. counseling

Another major shift in the model for Internet commerce concerns the technology available for marketing. Until recently, Internet marketing activities have focused on strategies to "pull" customers into sites. In the past year, however, software companies have developed tools that allow companies to "push" information directly out to consumers, transmitting marketing messages directly to targeted customers. Most notably, the Pointcast Network uses a screen saver to deliver a continually updated stream of news and advertisements to subscribers’ computer monitors. Subscribers can customize the information they want to receive and proceed directly to a company’s Web site. Companies such as Virtual Vineyards are already starting to use similar technologies to push messages to customers about special sales, product offering, or other events. But push technology has earned the contempt of many Web users. Online culture thinks highly of the notion that the information flowing onto the screen comes there by specific request. Once commercial promotion begins to fill the screen uninvited, the distinction between the Web and television fades. That’s a prospect that horrifies Net purists.But it is hardly inevitable that companies on the Web will need to resort to push strategies to make money. The examples of Virtual Vineyards, Amazon.com, and other pioneers show that a Web site selling the right kind of products with the right mix of interactivity, hospitality, and security will attract online customers. And the cost of computing power continues to free fall, which is a good sign for any enterprise setting up shop in silicon. People looking back 5 or 10 years from now may well wonder why so few companies took the online plunge.