《经济学人》报道天价彩礼

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🤔️小作业：

1. Which of the following best describes the relative value of a 380,000 yuan bride price in different provinces?

A. It is close to the norm in all provinces mentioned.

B. It is slightly higher than average in Guangdong but low for Fujian.

C. It is excessively high in Guangdong and still unusually large for Fujian.

D. It aligns with the capped maximum in most areas including Gansu.

无注释原文：

Bride prices are surging in China

From: The Economist

Marriage in China can be mercenary. “Is 380,000 yuan a lot for a bride price?” a woman in Guangdong asks on a social-media site. She is thinking of getting married, and wants to know how much her fiancé's family should pay for her hand. The sum she is suggesting, equivalent to nearly $53,000, is more than seven times her annual wage. Thousands reply; many say she should demand more. “Sis, life is your own, don't wrong yourself, at least ask for 888,800,” says one.

In many countries the custom of paying a “bride price” has faded as people have become richer. Not in China, where the practice remains deeply entrenched. In some parts of the country bride prices are an endowment passed by the groom's parents to the newlyweds. In others, it is a compensation paid entirely to the bride's family. In both cases, the amounts involved are going up.

The median bride price for marriages in the countryside doubled in real terms between 2005 and 2020, according to a recent paper by Yifeng Wan of Johns Hopkins University. Prices in urban areas are rising, too. A bride price of 380,000 yuan would indeed be steep in Guangdong province, where the median was about 42,000 yuan when last estimated. But it would look a bit less outrageous in neighbouring Fujian, where 115,000 yuan is the norm.

Since 2019 China has routinely called for efforts to tackle the problem. Yet little progress has been made. Village officials often avoid interfering, out of respect for local custom and for fear of getting caught between bickering families. Various places have introduced caps, but these are sometimes high: 50,000-80,000 yuan in parts of Gansu province, for example.

The desperation of some men for a bride is a big obstacle to change. There is a huge imbalance of the sexes: by 2027 China will have 119 men for every 100 women in peak marrying-age groups.

Some Chinese argue that bride prices commodify women. In recent weeks men and women have been fighting online over a case involving a man convicted of raping his fiancée after his family made a betrothal gift of 100,000 yuan: some dinosaurs say that accepting such sums implies consent to sex. But many Chinese are coolly pragmatic about demands for cash. “Money is the foundation of everything,” writes one woman on Weibo, a social-media site: “You might not care about it in your heart, but if the other side doesn't even want to give it, that's a problem.”

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注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Bride prices are surging in China

From: The Economist

Marriage in China can be mercenary. “Is 380,000 yuan a lot for a bride price?” a woman in Guangdong asks on a social-media site. She is thinking of getting married, and wants to know how much her fiancé's family should pay for her hand. The sum she is suggesting, equivalent to nearly $53,000, is more than seven times her annual wage. Thousands reply; many say she should demand more. “Sis, life is your own, don't wrong yourself, at least ask for 888,800,” says one.

中国的婚姻，有时充满铜臭味。广东一位女子在社交媒体上发帖问：“38万元的彩礼算多吗？”她正打算结婚，想知道男方家庭应为她出多少彩礼。这笔折合约5.3万美元的彩礼，相当于她年薪的七倍有余。帖子引发热议，数千人留言支持她“要得更多”。“姐妹，人生是你自己的，别委屈自己，起码要个88万8千8！”有人评论道。

mercenary /ˈmɜː.sən.ri/ 表示“唯利是图的，贪财的”，英文解释为“interested only in the amount of money that you can get from a situation”举个🌰：He had some mercenary scheme to marry a wealthy widow. 他有个贪财的计划，想娶个有钱的寡妇。

表示“聘礼，彩礼”，英文解释为“money, property, or services given by a bridegroom to the kinsmen of his bride”

equivalent /ɪˈkwɪv.əl.ənt/ 1）作形容词，表示“（价值、数量、意义、重要性等）相等的，相同的”，英文解释为“equal in value, amount, meaning, importance, etc.”举个🌰：Eight kilometres is roughly equivalent to five miles. 八公里约等于五英里。

2）作名词，表示“相等的东西；等量；对应词”，英文解释为“a thing, amount, word, etc. that is equivalent to sth else”

In many countries the custom of paying a “bride price” has faded as people have become richer. Not in China, where the practice remains deeply entrenched. In some parts of the country bride prices are an endowment passed by the groom's parents to the newlyweds. In others, it is a compensation paid entirely to the bride's family. In both cases, the amounts involved are going up.

许多国家因生活水平提高，彩礼这一习俗已逐渐式微，但中国并非如此，反而仍根深蒂固。有些地区，彩礼是男方父母赠予新人的财产；有些地区，彩礼则直接作为补偿给到女方家庭。无论哪种形式，彩礼金额都在不断攀升。

fade /feɪd/ 作动词，表示“（使）褪色；（使）变暗；（使）衰弱”，英文解释为“to (cause to) lose colour, brightness, or strength gradually”举个🌰：If you hang your clothes out in the bright sun, they will fade. 衣服挂在光线强的地方晾晒会褪色。

在理发行业，“fade”指渐变式发型，通常用于描述极短或几乎剃光的发型，其中头发的长度从顶部到底部（通常是耳朵以下，包括两鬓和颈后）逐渐变短，最后接近或完全剃光。Fade发型可以进一步分为多种类型，包括低fade，中fade和高fade，这取决于fade开始的位置。

entrenched /ɪnˈtrentʃt/ 表示“牢固确立的；根深蒂固的；积重难返的”，英文解释为“Entrenched ideas are so fixed or have existed for so long that they cannot be changed.”举个🌰：It's very difficult to change attitudes that have become so deeply entrenched over the years. 改变多年以来形成的根深蒂固的旧看法是很困难的。

🎬电影《别让我走》（Never Let Me Go）中的台词提到：The tide is with the entrenched mindset, with values that are still unexamined 他们固步自封 抱残守缺 坚守着未经证实的价值观。

1）表示“天赋；天资；才能”，英文解释为“something that you have from birth, often a quality”举个🌰：There are tests that can establish a baby's genetic endowment. 有些测试可以测定婴儿的基因特性。

2）表示“捐款；捐赠；资助”，英文解释为“money that is given to a school, a college or another institution to provide it with an income; the act of giving this money”

bridegroom /ˈbraɪd.ɡrʊm/ = groom 表示“新郎；即将（或刚）结婚的男子”，英文解释为“a man who is about to get married or has just got married”

bride /braɪd/ 表示“新娘；即将（或刚）结婚的女子”，英文解释为“a woman who is about to get married or has just got married”

newlywed /ˈnjuː.li.wed/ 表示“新婚者”，英文解释为“someone who has recently married”举个🌰：The hotel has a special discount rate for newlyweds. 这家宾馆为新婚夫妇提供特别优惠。

compensation /ˌkɒm.penˈseɪ.ʃən/ 1）表示“补偿（或赔偿）物；（尤指）赔偿金，补偿金；赔偿”，英文解释为“If something is some compensation for something bad that has happened, it makes you feel better.”举个🌰：He gained some compensation for her earlier defeat by winning the final open class. 他通过赢得公开赛的决赛获得了对先前失利的一些补偿。

2）表示“报酬（雇员获得的金钱和其他福利的总和）”，英文解释为“the combination of money and other benefits (= rewards) that an employee receives for doing their job”举个🌰：Annual compensation for our executives includes salary and bonus under our incentive plan. 我们的高级管理人员获得的年度报酬包括工资以及按奖励计划发放的奖金。

The median bride price for marriages in the countryside doubled in real terms between 2005 and 2020, according to a recent paper by Yifeng Wan of Johns Hopkins University. Prices in urban areas are rising, too. A bride price of 380,000 yuan would indeed be steep in Guangdong province, where the median was about 42,000 yuan when last estimated. But it would look a bit less outrageous in neighbouring Fujian, where 115,000 yuan is the norm.

据约翰斯·霍普金斯大学的万一丰（Yifeng Wan，音译）近期一篇论文称，2005年至2020年间，中国农村婚姻的彩礼中位数翻了一番。城市地区的彩礼也在上涨。38万元的彩礼在广东确实算高，那里上次估算的中位数为约4.2万元。但在邻省福建，11.5万元是普遍标准，相比之下，38万元就显得没那么夸张。

median /ˈmiː.di.ən/ 表示“中位数”，英文解释为“the value that is the middle one in a set of values arranged in order of size”

表示“实际地，真实地，事实上”，英文解释为“after considering things that affect what a number or amount really means, such as the effect of rising prices”举个🌰：Average earnings rose 5 percent in real terms after deducting income tax. 在扣除收入所得税等项之后，平均收入实际增加了5%。

steep /stiːp/ 1）表示“（上升或下降）急剧的，大起大落的”，英文解释为“A steep rise or fall is one that goes very quickly from low to high or from high to low.”举个🌰：There has been a steep increase/rise in prices. 物价飞涨。

2）表示“（斜坡）陡的，陡峭的”，英文解释为“(of a slope) rising or falling at a sharp angle”如：a steep slope 陡坡。

3）表示“（尤指价格）过高的，高得离谱的”，英文解释为“(especially of prices) too much, or more than is reasonable”举个🌰：We enjoyed our meal at the restaurant, but the bill was a bit steep. 我们喜欢这家餐厅的饭菜，但价格高得有点儿离谱了。

outrageous /ˌaʊtˈreɪ.dʒəs/ 1）表示“骇人的；无耻的；无法接受的”，英文解释为“shocking and morally unacceptable”举个🌰：The judge criticized the "outrageous greed" of some of the bankers. 法官批评有些银行家“无耻贪婪”。

2）表示“（因反常或怪异）吓人的，惊人的，令人震惊的”，英文解释为“used to describe something or someone that is shocking because they are unusual or strange”如：outrageous clothes/behaviour 奇装异服/怪异的举止。

Since 2019 China has routinely called for efforts to tackle the problem. Yet little progress has been made. Village officials often avoid interfering, out of respect for local custom and for fear of getting caught between bickering families. Various places have introduced caps, but these are sometimes high: 50,000-80,000 yuan in parts of Gansu province, for example.

自2019年起，中国就持续呼吁整治高额彩礼问题，但成效有限。许多村干部碍于乡俗、也为避免在家庭矛盾中左右为难，往往选择回避。有些地区虽设定了彩礼上限，但限额本身就不低，比如甘肃部分地区的标准为5万至8万元。

interfere /ˌɪn.təˈfɪər/ 表示“干涉，干预”，英文解释为“to involve yourself in a situation when your involvement is not wanted or is not helpful”举个🌰：It's their problem and I'm not going to interfere. 那是他们的问题，我不想干预。

bickering /ˈbɪk.ə.rɪŋ/ 表示“（为琐事）争论不休的”，英文解释为“often arguing about things that are not important”举个🌰：Spending three hours in a car with two bickering kids is no fun. 和两个争吵不休的孩子在车里待三个小时可不是什么好玩的事。

cap /kæp/ 可以作名词，也可以作动词，1）表示“对（收费或花费）定限额，限制；限额收取（或支出）”，英文解释为“to limit the amount of money that can be charged for sth or spent on sth”如：a capped mortgage 限额按揭，举个🌰：Our mortgage is capped at 8.75 percent for five years. 我们的按揭贷款5年期的利率上限为8.75%。

2）表示“成为…的结尾；使达到高潮；结束”，英文解释为“If someone says that a good or bad event caps a series of events, they mean it is the final event in the series, and the other events were also good or bad.” 举个🌰：He capped a memorable season by becoming champion of champions. 他以成为冠军中的冠军的方式结束了这个难忘的赛季。

3）作名词，表示“（有帽舌的）帽子，制服帽；（防水的）帽”，英文解释为“a soft flat hat that has a curved part sticking out at the front, often worn as part of a uniform”

The desperation of some men for a bride is a big obstacle to change. There is a huge imbalance of the sexes: by 2027 China will have 119 men for every 100 women in peak marrying-age groups.

改变彩礼陋习的一大阻力在于部分男性对婚姻的迫切需求。到2027年，中国适婚年龄段人口的性别比例将达到每100名女性对应119名男性，男女失衡情况严峻。

Some Chinese argue that bride prices commodify women. In recent weeks men and women have been fighting online over a case involving a man convicted of raping his fiancée after his family made a betrothal gift of 100,000 yuan: some dinosaurs say that accepting such sums implies consent to sex. But many Chinese are coolly pragmatic about demands for cash. “Money is the foundation of everything,” writes one woman on Weibo, a social-media site: “You might not care about it in your heart, but if the other side doesn't even want to give it, that's a problem.”

有些人指出，彩礼有将女性商品化之嫌。最近，网络上男女就一桩案件争论不休：一名男子花10万元彩礼后强奸了未婚妻，被法院定罪。有些人提出荒谬观点，称收了彩礼就等于默许性关系。但许多人对金钱的态度十分现实。有网友在微博上写道：“钱是一切的基础。你心里或许不在乎，但如果对方连这一点都不愿意给，那确实是个问题。”

commodify /kəˈmɒd.ɪ.faɪ/ 表示“（使）商品化”，英文解释为“to treat or consider something as a commodity (= a product that can be bought and sold)”如：an attempt to commodify the world's fresh water 将世界上的淡水都商品化的尝试。

convict /kənˈvɪkt/ 表示“证明…有罪；定罪；宣判…有罪”，英文解释为“If someone is convicted of a crime, they are found guilty of that crime in a court of law.”举个🌰：There was insufficient evidence to convict him. 没有足够的证据证明他有罪。

betrothal /bɪˈtrəʊ.ðəl/ 表示“婚约；订婚”，英文解释为“a formal promise to marry someone”举个🌰：The ring had become a requisite element of betrothal. 戒指已经成为订婚的必要元素。

dinosaur /ˈdaɪ.nə.sɔːr/ 1）表示“恐龙”，英文解释为“a type of reptile that became extinct about 65,000,000 years ago. There were many different types of dinosaur, some of which were extremely large.”

2）表示“老古董（指过时的人或物）”，英文解释为“an old-fashioned person or thing that people no longer consider to be useful”举个🌰：This computer's a dinosaur, isn't it? 这种计算机有点过时了，不是吗？

pragmatic /præɡˈmæt.ɪk/ 作形容词，表示“讲究实际的，重实效的；实用主义的”，英文解释为“solving problems in a sensible way that suits the conditions that really exist now, rather than obeying fixed theories, ideas, or rules”举个🌰：In business, the pragmatic approach to problems is often more successful than an idealistic one. 在商业活动中，解决问题用实际的方法往往比空想更有成效。

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