2023-05-24期考研英语杂志英文外刊|老年人的约会习惯夕阳爱人
The dating habits of old people：Love elderly
Ageing singles are turning to new ways to find a partner
【1】The man, who must be in his 70s, says he has money, even a pension and a house. The similarly-aged woman looks unimpressed. Across a phone connection they are sizing each other up. But the host senses a lack of interest and, with the tap of a button, the connection is cut.
【2】This is a typical scene from the popular live-streams featuring old people looking for love. The set-up is generally the same: elderly singles can flick through different “rooms” on their phones, checking out other prospects. If one catches their eye, they can request to join the room. A host plays the role of doorman, matchmaker and bouncer. When two people hit it off, contact details are exchanged and the host receives a fee. The spectacledraws a crowd. One host has upwards of 500,000 followers.
【3】Live-streams are one of many new ways old people are trying to find love. Data from Baidu, an online-search giant, suggests that more than half of the 100m registered users of Pair, a dating app, are 50 or older. Another app, called Middle-Aged and Elderly Life, was launched in 2019 and has grown in popularity. That same year the founder of Baihe, China’s largest dating service, left the company to start Leisure Island, a social network for the elderly that has dating features.
【4】Demand for such products is being driven by an increase in the elderly population. Nearly 210m Chinese people are 65 or over, up from around 160m five years ago. The average life expectancy in China is up, too, rising from just under 73 in 2005 to almost 78 today. There isn’t much recent data on how many of the country’s oldies are single. But a survey published in 2015 by the China Research Centre on Ageing showed that over a quarter of people 60 and over were either single, separated or widowed. According to a survey from 2014 by Renmin University, nearly 10% of old people live alone. Traditional attitudes towards old people remarrying and potential opposition from children do not help.
【5】The live-streams have evolved from dating shows, which are still quite popular and provide insight into the pragmatic approach taken by old singles. On “Not Too Late After All”, one such show, contestants ask pointed questions of potential partners, such as whether they have a pension, a house or any children. Some want to know more about a match’s health or previous relationships. In a clip that went viral, a 78-year-old man said he was looking for a servant.
【6】“Not Too Late After All” receives, on average, 80 applications a day, according to a producer. For those who do not make the cut or are not as tech savvy as Deng, there are still other ways to find a mate. Some urban green spaces are known for their matchmaking corners, where parents try to set up their children and old people put up posters introducing themselves. But finding love in old age is no walk in the park.
①短语
1.原文：But the host senses a lack of interest and, with the tap of a button, the connection is cut.词典：a lack of 缺乏，缺少
例句：She suffers from a lack of confidence.
她深受缺乏自信心之苦。
2.原文：elderly singles can flick through different “rooms” on their phones
词典：flick through 浏览；（快速）翻阅
例句：I"ve only had time to flick through your report but it seems to be fine.
我的时间不多，只是草草翻阅了一下你的报告，但似乎还不错。
3.原文：If one catches their eye, they can request to join the room.
词典：catch one’s eye 吸引……的目光，引人注意
例句：A sudden movement caught my eye.
突然的一动引起了我的注意。
4.原文：When two people hit it off, contact details are exchanged and the host receives a fee.
词典：hit off 适合；将……打掉
例句：We hit it off straight away.
我们一见如故。
5.原文：was launched in 2019 and has grown in popularity.
词典：grow in popularity 越来越受欢迎
例句：Despite some utility resistance to rooftop solar, it continues to grow in popularity.
尽管一些公用事业反对屋顶太阳能安装，它仍然在一片欢迎中快速普及。
6.原文：The average life expectancy in China is up, too
词典：average life expectancy 平均期望寿命；平均寿命预期值；人均预期寿命
例句：The average life expectancy was 40.
平均期望寿命曾是40岁。
7.原文：The live-streams have evolved from dating shows
词典：evolve from 由……进化
例句：Some people believe that human beings evolve from apes.
有些人认为人是由猿猴演变而来的。
8.原文：In a clip that went viral, a 78-year-old man said he was looking for a servant.
词典：go viral 疯狂传播；像病毒般扩散；走红
例句：Pay walls make it difficult for news to go viral.
付费权限只能让新闻难以传开。
9.原文：For those who do not make the cut or are not as tech savvy as Deng
词典：make the cut 达到标准，打折扣
例句：Everyone was sure he could never make the cut, but he did.
没人相信他能做到，他做到了。
10.原文：But finding love in old age is no walk in the park.
词典：no walk in the park 并非易事
例句：That said, getting along with our colleagues is no walk in the park, and this tension can influence our performance.
尽管如此，跟同事相处可不像公园漫步那般惬意，而这种紧张关系会影响我们的工作表现。
②长难句
原文：That same year the founder of Baihe, China’s largest dating service, left the company to start Leisure Island, a social network for the elderly that has dating features.
分析：在这个句子当中，the founder of Baihe是句子的主语，China’s largest dating service是Baihe的同位语，起到解释说明的作用，left是谓词，宾语是the company，后面的to start Leisure Island部分是目的状语；a social network...部分是Leisure Island的同位语，起到解释说明的作用。
译文：同年，中国最大的交友网站百合网（Baihe）创始人离开公司，创办了闲趣岛（Leisure Island），这是一个具有约会功能的老年人社交软件。
原文：The live-streams have evolved from dating shows, which are still quite popular and provide insight into the pragmatic approach taken by old singles.
分析：在这个句子当中，句子的主语是The live-streams，谓语部分是have evolved from，宾语是dating shows。which引导定语从句，从句中主语是which，代指的是前面的dating shows，从句中有两个并列动作，一个是系动词are，表语是still quite popular，一个是谓语动词provide，宾语是insight，into the pragmatic approach taken by old singles是宾语补足语。
译文：网络直播是从相亲节目演变而来的，相亲节目当今依旧很受欢迎，可以让人们了解到单身老人的务实态度。
③写作技巧
But finding love in old age is no walk in the park.
但寻找夕阳爱情可绝非易事。
“a walk in the park”在英文当中除了表面意思“在公园散步”以外，还有“轻松，容易”的意思。而在这里的“no walk in the park”则是表示“并非易事”。所以，在英语中，我们可以用a walk in the park来代替easy。而其他表示“容易”的俚语还有许多。
例句：
It’s a piece of cake.
小菜一碟
It’s a breeze.
非常容易
It"s child"s play.
小孩子的把戏
④背景知识
《缘来不晚》是专为资深单身人士打造的大型相亲交友节目。
百合网是一个中国线上约会服务网站。于2005年5月由田范江成立于北京，使用芝麻信用数据作为服务。2015年11月20日在新三板挂牌上市。2015年12月7日宣布和世纪佳缘合并。2017年9月完成合并，并正式更名为百合佳缘。
⑤段落大意
【1】背景引入：直播片段映射当今老年人寻爱现象
【2】经典场景：老年人在直播“房间”内寻求爱情
【3】与时俱进：直播成为老年人新的追爱方式之一
【4】原因剖析：老龄人口增加等因素推动需求产生
【5】万象丛生：各种寻爱条件花样多多
【6】缘来不晚：追求夕阳爱情或许没那么简单
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