## Step 2 - Reading

Dating
You are going to read a text about a dating.

- Do assignment 1
- Do assignment 2

#### Assigment 1

A pick-up line is something a person says (usually a sentence) to make someone romantically interested in him or her, for example, “Hello beautiful.”
Break-up excuses are some common reasons for ending a relationship with someone.
Read the sentences. Is it a pick-up line or a break-up excuse?

- "I'm not ready for a serious relationship right now."
- "You deserve someone better."
- "Are your legs tired? Because you've been running through my mind all day long."
- "You're really great, I'm just an idiot."
- "Excuse me I have lost my phone number. Could I borrow yours?"
- "Hi. The voices in my head told me to come over and talk to you."
- "I just want to be friends."
- "What's your sign?"

#### Assignment 2

Read the questions, the text and make the exercise.

- What do these words from the text mean?
  - crush (noun)
  - bachelor
  - promiscuous
  - STD
  - chivalry
- How has dating changed since the late nineties, according to the author?
- Does the author think dating requires more courage nowadays.
- According to the author, why is speed dating important in China?
- How has western society changed, morally, for the author?
- “Chivalry is dead.” – what does this statement mean?

Dating Dating has come a long way. Prior to the late nineties, if you had a crush on a girl and school was out, you had to search through town in hopes of physically finding her. If you had her number, you could gather your guts and phone her on her family’s telephone line, but you’d have to get through her father (or mother) just to talk to her. Nowadays, teens exchange emoticon-filled messages on cell phones and social networking sites. Online, users post flattering photos (which probably conceal their major flaws) on their profile and flirt with other users on the site. It almost seems like some kids prefer communicating their emotions behind the protection of an electronic screen to talking face to face. Speed dating has also become more commonplace. These ultra-efficient events are arranged to give bachelors and bachelorettes the opportunity to meet as many eligible candidates as possible within a specific time. These events can be massive in countries like China, where a nationally imbalanced ratio of men to women has intensified the pressure to get married by the right age. More traditional approaches, such as posting personal ads in a newspaper’s classified section, are still around as well. Morally speaking, Western society seems to be becoming increasingly promiscuous. One-night stands and flings are becoming commonplace. Due to the rise of STDs, contraceptive use and medical testing has become increasingly important as well. An interesting question concerns the issue of chivalry: the custom from in the Middle Ages of treating women with honor by opening doors for them (commonly expressed by the “ladies first” mentality). Nowadays, people say chivalry is dead. That may be true, but the question remains: who killed it — men or women?