Learning English

Gone are the days you had to rely only on luck to find your soulmate. It's not so difficult. Here are a few suggestions to help you in your search. Read the article and do some exercises to check how well you understood it.

To do

Read this article about dating, then answer the question: What's the best way to find out if you have chemistry with someone? The answer is at the bottom of the article.

Read the text and complete the activity

Part 1
These days, it's common to go online if you're looking for love. You can sign up to a reputable dating website, get full access to their database and find the right person by browsing though hundreds - if not thousands - of profiles. Is that too much trouble for you? You could try one of the dating sites which try to match people with similar interests. You fill in a questionnaire - some have as many as 400 questions - and then it's over to an algorithm to play Cupid. It'll tell you who you're compatible enough with to have a chance of finding love.

But algorithms might not stop you being a victim of a 'catfish'. These are criminals who create a fake profile, featuring a good-looking mature widower, or perhaps a young sassy woman, whose apparent eagerness to express their undying love for you is just a cover to gain your trust - and get your money.

Part 2
New niche websites increase your chances of finding someone who thinks the same way you do. There are dating sites for people of similar religious beliefs, for pet lovers, for sci-fi fans, gardeners, and... the list is endless. There is also one which made the headlines recently for… well, for probably destroying marriages rather than arranging them. Ashley Madison is a dating site for people looking for an extra-marital affair. The site was hacked - and details of more than 33 million accounts were leaked. Red faces all around!

Part 3
If you're always on the move, apps like Tinder are an option. It's so popular that hand movements on the application design are becoming part of informal language. Expressions like 'swipe right' can be used when you like someone's appearance or 'swipe left' when you don't. It's said to have 50 million active users. Critics - and some of its fans - say its primary use is as a casual sex app because it finds potential matches based on how near the person is to you. 

Part 4
What? Pictures alone are not enough for you to make a choice? Don't despair, there's still hope for you. Try speed dating! Some companies organise singles nights and singles parties to get people looking for love together. The idea is said to have come from a rabbi who wanted to help single Jewish people to get married. And it's so clever: daters get to meet each other for just three to five minutes: long enough to see is if there is any chemistry, but not long enough to be embarrassed if there's no attraction. A 2005 study at the University of Pennsylvania of speed dating events found that most people make up their mind about their date in the first three seconds of a three-minute meeting. Don't blink - you might miss finding the love of your life!

Part 5
Still not convinced you can find love this way? You're such a romantic, aren't you - algorithms and agencies don't impress you, and you don't fall in love in three seconds. How about trusting your friends to find you a mate? It's like the old idea of courtship at play from the 19th century writer Jane Austen's novels. Your friends know your likes and dislikes, so they're perfectly placed to set up a blind date for you. They might throw a party to allow you and your potential partner to check each other out - or just have you both round for dinner.

In China, blind dates are sometimes set up by young people's relatives, who meet in local parks to exchange ideas and do some matchmaking. So, if you live in Shanghai and your best photos and CV are nowhere to be found at home, they could be in the hands of your spouse-hunting grandparents - and you might end up on a date just to please them, rather than to please yourself.

Part 6
Well, there is a saying: "If you want something done properly, do it yourself." So, if you want to find love, maybe you should just stop expecting others to do it for you and go out there. Many people find their future partner in college, in the office or just … well, going to a nightclub and flirting. Love might be something you find when you are ready for it. If you are not open to a relationship, if you are such a fussy person that your ideal partner has to be perfect in every way, there is no way you'll find a date.   

The answer to our question:
The best way to find out if you have chemistry with somebody is to meet them in person rather than looking at a picture or exchanging messages online.

To do

Now have a go at this activity, to check how much of the article you understood.

End of Session 3

Did you do well in the quiz? If not, come back later and try again. In Session 4 you'll hear a conversation between the owner of the Dodgy Dating Agency - and a very unhappy client...