Houson: Sometimes I think that successful marriages are
an endangered societal species. It seems as though every time I turn around,
another couple I know is getting divorced. It’ s a shame because marriage is
very important. I believe that if people put more effort into making their
marriages work, there would be fewer divorces. Marriage takes certain qualities
to make it a success, such as responsibility and a sense of humor. If partners
all understand this, more happy marriages will be maintained.Wendy:
One thing I think that is important to successful marriage is that
you should not always think of yourself. My husband and I have stayed happily
for about ten years. He makes me want to do things for him because of his
generous nature. I know there are many times he would rather be reading,
relaxing, or working on the car, but he only does something for himself when all
the household chores are done and the kids have been taken care of. In return, I
bake him all his favorite home-made cakes and cookies and try to go out of my
way to do special things for him. I feel very fortunate to have married
him.Catherine: My husband is my best friend, with whom I
share most of my thought. We find it easy to talk about most things, so we don’t
have many secrets from each other. When my mother makes him upset, he tells me
about it. Things like that are easier to deal with when they’re out in the open
than when they’re kept inside. Thus, we have a very open, comfortable
relationship.Arlene: I feel sorry for what my divorced
friends have lost. No matter how earnestly the former spouses try to "keep in
touch", no matter how generous the visiting privileges for the parent who does
not win custody of the children, the continuity of their lives has been broken.
The years they spent together have been cut off from the rest of their lives;
they are an isolated memory, no more integral to their past than a
snapshot.Rolly: The very first trick to a happy marriage is
to be a person of yourself who does not imagine a husband is necessary to make
you magically complete. Successful partnerships are not between those who cannot
live without each other, but between those who can live with each other. There
is no room even in daydreams for the stupid idea that there is on earth only one
mate intended for another. Now match each of the persons to the
appropriate statement. Note: there are two extra statements.
Statements
[A] Being unselfish is very important to make a marriage work.
[B] Becoming a person of independence and pride leads to successful
marriage.
[C] Being able to communicate makes our marriage happy.
[D] Life for divorced people will be incomplete.
[E] Marriage is the result of extended love. [F] Divorce
results from a lack of responsibility. [G] More efforts from the
couple can keep marriage a success.