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  3. Over the past two decades, teenage childbearing in the United States—as measured by the number of births to teenagers—has decrea

Over the past two decades, teenage childbearing in the United States—as measured by the number of births to teenagers—has decrea

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问题     Over the past two decades, teenage childbearing in the United States—as measured by the number of births to teenagers—has decreased considerably. The number of teen births declined 19% between 1970 and 1990 from 656 000 to 533 000. This downward trend, however, masks the fact that births to married and to unmarried teens have been moving in opposite directions. Births to married teens declined by 62% from 457 000 in 1970 to 173 000 in 1990, while births to unmarried teens over this period increased by 80% from 200 000 to 361 000. As a consequence of these divergent ends, the proportion of teen births to unmarried women rose from 30 to 68% between 1970 and 1990.
    Americans generally are not dispassionate about teenage out-of wedlock childbearing. For some, concerns are rooted mainly in moral or religious beliefs. Others are troubled because single parenthood seems to trigger the onset of difficult social and economic circumstances. Indeed, a long line of academic research has documented strong associations between nonmarital teenage childbearing and low levels of completec schooling, earnings, and family income, increased likelihoods of being poor or on welfare, and future marital instability.
    First marriage behavior is one dimension of a single teenage woman’s future lift circumstances whose connection to childbearing has not been explored in depth. The objective of this study is to help fill this gap in the literature. It seems reasonable to hypothesize that out-of-wedlock childbearing influences a woman’s likelihood of marriage. Whether or not they were born outside of marriage children may be perceived by prospective husbands as a financial and emotional burden; they also may limit a woman s ability to search for a marriage partner or possibly reduce her interest in finding such a partner, especially in light of rules governing eligibility for AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children). In so far as social stigma is associated with "illegitimacy", the presence of such children may be expected to diminish an unwed mother’s marriage prospects. On the other hand, the presence of children might increase a woman s desirability to prospective husbands who are attracted by instant parenthood, or by parenthood of noninfant children or of their own biological children. Also, an unwed mother interested in attracting a husband might be willing to go to greater lengths to find a spouse or to make herself attractive as a spouse, thereby increasing her likelihood of marriage. Insofar as some of these mechanisms suggest a negative effect of out-of-wedlock childbearing on marriage, while others suggest a positive effect. The overall effect is very much an empirical issue. (424 words)
Over the past two decades, teenage childbearing in the United States experienced a downward trend, and births to unmarried teens between 1970 and 1990______.
选项 A、declined greatly
B、increased slightly
C、declined slightly
D、increased greatly
答案D
解析 参考第一段，已婚少女生育率从1970—1990由457 000减少到173 000，下降了62％；而未婚少女生育率则由200 000增加到361 000，上升了80％。未婚少女生育率比例由30％上升了68％。
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