今年春节，你被催婚了吗

你被催婚了吗？结婚到底有什么好处？

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. Which of the following best summarises the writer's overarching argument about the rise of singlehood?

A. It is a complex phenomenon with both liberating and detrimental consequences.

B. It is a clear indication of moral decay and a threat to Western civilisation.

C. It is a positive development, primarily resulting from greater female independence.

D. It is a temporary trend that will reverse as people realise the value of relationships.

无注释原文：

The rise of singlehood is reshaping the world

From: The Economist

For most of human history, coupling up was not merely a norm; it was a necessity. Before reliable contraception, women could not control their fertility, and most were far too poor to raise children alone. Hence the centuries-old convention that, whereas a tragic play or saga ends in death, a happy one ends in marriage.

So the speed with which the norm of marriage—indeed, of relationships of any sort—is being abandoned is startling. Throughout the rich world, singlehood is on the rise. Among Americans aged 25-34, the proportion living without a spouse or partner has doubled in five decades, to 50% for men and 41% for women. Since 2010, the share of people living alone has risen in 26 out of 30 rich countries. By The Economist's calculation, the world has at least 100m more single people today than if coupling rates were still as high as in 2017. A great relationship recession is under way.

For some, this is evidence of social and moral decay. As we report, many in the “pro-natalist” movement believe that the failure of the young to settle down and procreate threatens to end Western civilisation. For others, it is evidence of admirable self-reliance. Vogue, a fashion magazine, recently suggested that for cool, ambitious young women, having a boyfriend is not merely unnecessary but “embarrassing”.

In fact, the rise of singlehood is neither straightforwardly good nor bad. Among heterosexuals (about whom there is the most research) it is largely a consequence of something clearly benign: as barriers to women in the workplace have fallen, their choices have expanded. They are far more able than in the past to live alone if they choose, and face less social stigma for doing so. The more they can support themselves financially, the less likely they are to put up with an inadequate or abusive partner. This shift has saved countless women from awful relationships, and forced many men to treat their mates better if they want to stay together.

However, it has also had unhappy knock-on effects. Flying solo can be liberating, but it can also be lonely. Plenty of singletons say they are content to remain so, especially women. But surveys in various countries suggest that 60-73% would rather be in a relationship. A poll in America in 2019 found that, although 50% of singles were not actively looking for a partner, only 27% said this was because they enjoyed being single. Many have given up, either because they despair of finding a mate, or because they don't rate the mates on offer.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译，仅供参考

含注释全文：

The rise of singlehood is reshaping the world

From: The Economist

For most of human history, coupling up was not merely a norm; it was a necessity. Before reliable contraception, women could not control their fertility, and most were far too poor to raise children alone. Hence the centuries-old convention that, whereas a tragic play or saga ends in death, a happy one ends in marriage.

在人类历史的大部分时期，结成伴侣不仅是社会常态，更是一种现实必需。在可靠避孕手段出现之前，女性难以掌控生育，而绝大多数人也无力独自抚养子女。正因如此，数百年来逐渐形成一种叙事传统：悲剧多以死亡收场，圆满则往往止于婚姻。

norm /nɔːm/ 通常复数，表示“规范；行为标准”，英文解释为“standards of behaviour that are typical of or accepted within a particular group or society”，如：social/cultural norms 社会/文化规范。

📍the norm 表示“常态，正常行为”，英文解释为“a situation or type of behaviour that is expected and considered to be typical”举个🌰：One child per family is fast becoming the norm in some countries. 每个家庭一个孩子在一些国家正迅速普遍起来。

contraception /ˌkɑːn.trəˈsep.ʃən/ 表示“避孕（法）；节育（法）”，英文解释为“(the use of) any of various methods intended to prevent a woman becoming pregnant”举个🌰：They offer impartial advice on contraception. 他们提供公正客观的避孕建议。

fertility /fəˈtɪl.ə.ti/ 表示“富饶；丰产；生殖力；能生育性；可繁殖性”，英文解释为“the state of being fertile”如：a fertility symbol 生殖力的象征，declining fertility rates 下降的生育率，the fertility of the soil/land 土壤的肥沃；土地的丰饶，a god of fertility 丰收之神，fertility treatment (= medical help given to a person to help them have a baby) 不孕症治疗。

convention /kənˈven.ʃən/ 1）表示“大会；会议”，英文解释为“a large formal meeting of people who do a particular job or have a similar interest, or a large meeting for a political party”

2）表示“（国家或首脑间的）公约，协定，协议”，英文解释为“an official agreement between countries or leaders”如：the Geneva convention 日内瓦公约。

3）表示“传统；（尤指社会）习俗，常规，惯例”，英文解释为“a usual or accepted way of behaving, especially in social situations, often following an old way of thinking or a custom in one particular society”举个🌰：They defied/flouted/broke with convention by giving up their jobs and becoming self-sufficient. 他们离经叛道，放弃了工作，开始过自给自足的生活。

saga /ˈsɑːɡə/ 1）表示“（通常指负面的）系列事件，一长串事件”，英文解释为“a long complicated series of related, usually negative, events”举个🌰：It was just another episode in the ongoing saga of their marriage problems. 这只是他们层出不穷的婚姻问题中的又一个插曲。

2）表示“长篇故事”，英文解释为“a long story about past events over a long period of time”

So the speed with which the norm of marriage—indeed, of relationships of any sort—is being abandoned is startling. Throughout the rich world, singlehood is on the rise. Among Americans aged 25-34, the proportion living without a spouse or partner has doubled in five decades, to 50% for men and 41% for women. Since 2010, the share of people living alone has risen in 26 out of 30 rich countries. By The Economist's calculation, the world has at least 100m more single people today than if coupling rates were still as high as in 2017. A great relationship recession is under way.

因此，当婚姻乃至各种亲密关系的既有范式以惊人速度受到摒弃时，其变化之剧烈尤为引人注目。富裕国家的单身化趋势持续上升：在美国，25至34岁人群中无配偶或伴侣同住的比例在五十年间翻倍，男性达50%，女性为41%。自2010年以来，30个发达国家中有26个国家的独居人口占比上升。据《经济学人》测算，若婚恋率仍维持在2017年的水平，当今全球单身人口至少会减少一亿。一场“关系衰退”正在展开。

startling /ˈstɑː.təlɪŋ/ 表示“惊人的；令人震惊的”，英文解释为“surprising and sometimes worrying”如：startling results 令人震惊的结果。

proportion /prəˈpɔː.ʃən/ 1）表示“比率，比例”，英文解释为“the number, amount, or level of one thing when compared to another”举个🌰：The proportion of women to men at my college was about one to eight. 我所在大学的男女比例大约为8：1。

2）表示“部分；份额”，英文解释为“the number or amount of a group or part of something when compared to the whole”举个🌰：Children make up a large proportion of the world's population. 孩子占世界人口的很大一部分。

3）表示“（某物各个组成部分或一物与另一物之间的）相称，协调，均衡，匀称”，英文解释为“the correct or most attractive relationship between the size of different parts of the same thing or between one thing and another”举个🌰：Your legs are very much in proportion to (= the right size for) the rest of your body. 你的腿和你身体的其他部位比例非常协调。

recession /rɪˈseʃ.ən/ 表示“（经济）衰退期”，英文解释为“a period when the economy of a country is not successful and conditions for business are bad”

📍这个词来自拉丁语“recessio”，意味着“后退”。在经济学中，表示经济活动减缓，通常伴随着生产下降、就业减少。近义词：downturn（下降），同根词：recede（后退），常用短语：enter a recession（进入衰退期）

For some, this is evidence of social and moral decay. As we report, many in the “pro-natalist” movement believe that the failure of the young to settle down and procreate threatens to end Western civilisation. For others, it is evidence of admirable self-reliance. Vogue, a fashion magazine, recently suggested that for cool, ambitious young women, having a boyfriend is not merely unnecessary but “embarrassing”.

围绕这一趋势，社会评价呈现明显分化。悲观者将其视为社会与伦理秩序松动的信号；正如报道所述，不少生育主义者认为，年轻世代不愿安定与生育，或将动摇西方文明的根基。乐观者则将其解读为个体自立与自主意识的体现。时尚杂志《Vogue》甚至调侃，对部分志向远大的年轻女性而言，拥有男友不仅并非必需，反而可能“令人尴尬”。

decay /dɪˈkeɪ/ 表示“（放射性物质的）衰变”，英文解释为“the process by which a radioactive substance changes to a different form, producing radiation”或者表示“腐蚀；衰败，衰弱”，英文解释为“the process of decaying”如：environmental / industrial / moral / urban decay 环境恶化/工业衰退 / 道德沦丧 / 城市衰落。

表示“鼓励提高人口出生率的；多生育主义者”，英文解释为“relating to the idea that it is important to have children in order to increase the number of people in a country, especially the number of people who are not immigrants (= people who have come to a different country in order to live there permanently)”

procreate /ˈprəʊ.kri.eɪt/ 表示“生殖，生育”，英文解释为“to produce young”举个🌰：Early marriage and procreation are no longer discouraged there. 早婚早育在那里不再遭到反对了。

In fact, the rise of singlehood is neither straightforwardly good nor bad. Among heterosexuals (about whom there is the most research) it is largely a consequence of something clearly benign: as barriers to women in the workplace have fallen, their choices have expanded. They are far more able than in the past to live alone if they choose, and face less social stigma for doing so. The more they can support themselves financially, the less likely they are to put up with an inadequate or abusive partner. This shift has saved countless women from awful relationships, and forced many men to treat their mates better if they want to stay together.

事实上，单身人口的上升并非简单的利弊之分。尤其在研究最为充分的异性恋群体中，这一变化很大程度上源于女性处境的改善：随着职场壁垒逐步降低，人生选择显著拓展。女性比以往更有条件自主决定是否独立生活，且承受的社会压力明显减轻。财务自立能力越强，对不平等或伤害性关系的容忍度便越低。这样的结构性转变，使无数女性得以摆脱不良关系，也促使许多想要维持伴侣关系的男性更好地对待自己的伴侣。

heterosexual /ˌhet.ər.əˈsek.ʃu.əl/ 表示“异性恋者”，英文解释为“a person who is sexually attracted to people of the opposite sex”

stigma /ˈstɪɡ.mə/ 表示“耻辱；（尤指不公正的）恶名”，英文解释为“a strong feeling of disapproval that most people in a society have about something, especially when this is unfair”举个🌰：There is no longer any stigma to being divorced. 离婚不再是什么耻辱的事了。

However, it has also had unhappy knock-on effects. Flying solo can be liberating, but it can also be lonely. Plenty of singletons say they are content to remain so, especially women. But surveys in various countries suggest that 60-73% would rather be in a relationship. A poll in America in 2019 found that, although 50% of singles were not actively looking for a partner, only 27% said this was because they enjoyed being single. Many have given up, either because they despair of finding a mate, or because they don't rate the mates on offer.

然而，任何社会转向都难免伴随代价。独自生活固然带来自由，却也常与孤独相伴。尽管不少单身者——尤其是女性——表示安于现状，但多国调查显示，仍有60%至73%的受访者更倾向于建立亲密关系。美国2019年的一项民调亦发现，虽然半数单身者并未积极寻觅伴侣，但真正因享受单身而作出这一选择的仅占27%。更多人选择停止寻找，或因对前景感到失望，或因难以认同现有的择偶选项。

表示“连锁反应”，英文解释为“When an event or situation has a knock-on effect, it causes other events or situations, but not directly.”举个🌰：If one or two trains run late, it has a knock-on effect on the entire rail service. 如果有一两列火车晚点，会进而影响整个铁路系统。

liberating /ˈlɪb.ər.eɪ.tɪŋ/ 表示“令人感到自由的；令人畅快的；令人自由自在的”，英文解释为“making you feel free and able to behave as you like”举个🌰：Taking all your clothes off can be a very liberating experience. 脱掉所有衣服能让你感到非常自由自在。

singleton /ˈsɪŋ.ɡəl.tən/ 表示“独身之人，单身人士”，英文解释为“a man or woman who does not have a romantic or sexual partner”

- 词汇盘点 -

- 词汇助记 By AI -

LearnAndRecord

2015年2月8日

2026年2月23日

第4034天

每天持续行动学外语