现在单身的年轻人越来越多，其中有相当一部分不打算谈恋爱。这个现象在我国、欧美和日韩都不同程度地存在，其背后的原因是什么呢？
Why young people are not dating
by Sophie Jeong
Kim Joon-hyup recently went on his first date in three years. But the 24-year-old student wasn't looking for a girlfriend, he was completing a college assignment.
date /deɪt/ n./v. 约会
assignment /əˈsaɪnmənt/ n. 作业
From picking the right partner to coping with breakups, the "Gender and Culture" course at Seoul's Sejong University teaches students the various aspects of dating, love and sex. The class is particularly popular for its dating assignment, in which students are paired with random partners to go on four-hour-long dates.
partner /ˈpɑːtnə(r)/ n. 伙伴、伴侣
cope /kəʊp/ v. 成功应对
breakup /ˈbreɪkʌp/ n. 分手（由break和up组成）
gender /ˈdʒendə(r)/ n. 性别
Seoul /səʊl/ n. 首尔（韩国首都）
aspect /ˈæspekt/ n. 方面
pair /peə(r)/ v. 配对、成对
random /ˈrændəm/ adj. 随机的、任意选取的
Such classes may be necessary. In 2018, a majority of South Koreans aged 20-44 were single and only 26% of the unmarried men and 32% of unmarried women in that age group were in relationships, according to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. Among those who were not dating, 51% of men and 64% of women said they were choosing to remain single.
majority /məˈdʒɒrəti/ n. 大多数（由major加后缀-ity变成名词）
single /ˈsɪŋɡ(ə)l/ adj. 单身的
unmarried /ʌnˈmærɪd/ adj. 没结婚的（由married加上表示否定的前缀un-）
relationship /rɪˈleɪʃ(ə)nʃɪp/ n. 关系（这里指恋爱关系）
institute /ˈɪnstɪtjuːt/ n. 学院、研究所
affair /əˈfeə(r)/ n. 事务
A growing number of South Koreans are shunning romantic relationships amid economic hardships and societal problems. In a 2019 survey by recruitment firm JobKorea, only one in 10 students due to graduate this year had found full-time employment.
shun /ʃʌn/ v. 回避、避开
romantic /rəʊˈmæntɪk/ adj. 浪漫的、爱情的
amid /əˈmɪd/ prep. 在…当中
economic /ˌekəˈnɒmɪk/ adj. 经济的（由economy加后缀-ic变成形容词）
hardship /ˈhɑːdʃɪp/ n. 困难、艰难
societal /səˈsaɪət(ə)l/ adj. 社会的
survey /ˈsɜːveɪ/ n. 问卷调查
recruitment /rɪˈkruːtmənt/ n. 招聘、招募（由recruit加后缀-ment变成名词）
due /djuː/ adj. 预期的、预计的
graduate /ˈɡrædʒueɪt/ v. 毕业
full-time 全职的
While they struggle to find jobs, many young South Koreans say they lack the time, money or emotional capacity to go on dates. Due to the highly-competitive nature of the job market, many young people spend their free time in cram schools to earn extra certificates or professional skills that might give them the edge in interviews with prospective bosses.
struggle /ˈstrʌɡ(ə)l/ v. 努力克服困难
lack /læk/ v. 缺少
emotional /ɪˈməʊʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adj. 情感的、情绪的（由emotion加后缀-al变成形容词）
capacity /kəˈpæsəti/ n. 容量（emotional capacity指情绪方面的容忍限度）
highly /ˈhaɪli/ adv. 高度地（由high加后缀-ly变成副词）
competitive /kəmˈpetɪtɪv/ adj. 竞争的
nature /ˈneɪtʃə(r)/ n. 本质、实质
cram /kræm/ n. 考前拼命复习
certificate /səˈtɪfɪkət/ n. 证书
professional /prəˈfeʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adj. 职业的（由profession加后缀-al变成形容词）
edge /edʒ/ n. 竞争优势
interview /ˈɪntəvjuː/ n. 面试
prospective /prəˈspektɪv/ adj. 有可能的、有希望的
Dating can also be expensive. Matchmaking company Duo estimated the average cost per date is 7.22 an hour would have to work 7.6 hours to pay for a single date. "Because it's hard to get a job, there is no money to spare," said Kim, who works part time at weekends at a riding stables.
matchmaking /ˈmætʃˌmeɪkɪŋ/ n. 介绍对象
estimate /ˈestɪmeɪt/ v. 估计、估算
minimum /ˈmɪnɪməm/ adj. 最小的、最少的（minimum wage就是最低工资）
single /ˈsɪŋɡ(ə)l/ adj. 单个的（表示强调）
spare /speə(r)/ v. 留出、省出
part time 兼职地
riding /ˈraɪdɪŋ/ n. 骑马、马术
stable /ˈsteɪb(ə)l/ n. 马厩
Bae Jeong-weon, instructor of the course, said this is the perception she hopes to change through her dating assignments, in which students are restricted to spending less than $9 per date. "Many students think it takes money to date," she said. "But when they actually do this assignment, they realize that if they think creatively, there are many ways to have a good time without spending too much money."
instructor /ɪnˈstrʌktə(r)/ n. 教师、教员
perception /pəˈsepʃ(ə)n/ n. 观念、看法
restrict /rɪˈstrɪkt/ v. 限制
creatively /kriːˈeɪtɪvli/ adv. 创造性地（由creative加后缀-ly变成副词）
Money isn't the only issue facing students on Bae's course. They often cite news stories about sex crimes, voyeurism（偷窥） and gender discrimination, all of which have become major societal issues in South Korea.
face /feɪs/ v. 使面对
cite /saɪt/ v. 引用、提到
discrimination /dɪˌskrɪmɪˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 歧视
major /ˈmeɪdʒə(r)/ adj. 重大的
"The goal of the class is to understand differences among people, especially between men and women, and how to form good relationships and become good people by considering and respecting others," Bae said. "I think understanding each other is crucial as we work together to create a better and happier world."
form /fɔːm/ v. 形成、建立
consider /kənˈsɪdə(r)/ v. 顾及、体谅
crucial /ˈkruːʃ(ə)l/ adj. 至关重要的
Kim agreed. "By taking the class, I was able to think from women's perspectives and gain an objective understanding about the other gender," he said.
perspective /pəˈspektɪv/ n. （看问题的）角度
objective /əbˈdʒektɪv/ adj. 客观的
（如果您发现某些行的最后一个单词被分成两半了，请把您使用的浏览器升级到最新版本就能正常显示了。）
网友评论