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经济学人:00后还网恋吗? | 外刊精读

独霸上海的妖怪  · 公众号  ·  · 2024-07-08 21:10

正文


写在前面

随着互联网的发展,越来越多的年轻人选择用社交媒体来寻找另一半。

网恋的弊端,大家早已有所耳闻,那么,网恋有哪些特殊的好处呢?

我们来看看《经济学人》的一篇报道。

外刊原文

文章比较长,我选了语言点比较丰富的几段进行精读分析。 全文会上传到小程序里,想要阅读的同学关注下方服务号,点击我的课程👉小程序👉外刊原文,即可查看原文。

同学们先独立阅读原文,读不懂的地方不要紧,后面会有详细讲解





This greater choice—plus the fact that digital connections are made only with mutual consent—makes the digital dating market far more efficient than the offline kind. For some, that is bad news. Because of the gulf in pickiness between the sexes, a few straight men are doomed never to get any matches at all. On Tantan, a Chinese app, men express interest in 60% of women they see, but women are interested in just 6% of men; this dynamic means that 5% of men never receive a match. In offline dating, with a much smaller pool of men to fish from, straight women are more likely to couple up with men who would not get a look-in online.


For most people, however, digital dating offers better outcomes. Research has found that marriages in America between people who meet online are likely to last longer; such couples profess to be happier than those who met offline. The whiff of moral panic surrounding dating apps is vastly overblown. Precious little evidence exists to show that opportunities online are encouraging infidelity. In America, divorce rates climbed until just before the advent of the internet, and have fallen since.



Online dating is a particular boon for those with very particular requirements. Jdate allows daters to filter out matches who would not consider converting to Judaism, for instance. A vastly bigger market has had dramatic results for same-sex daters in particular. In America, 70% of gay people meet their partners online. This searchable spectrum of sexual diversity is a boon: more people can find the intimacy they seek.



外刊精读


# 01
作者在对比线上与线下恋爱的差异时,提到线下恋爱的选择多得多。这一段作者就聊了聊选择多的积极和消极影响。

①This greater choice—plus the fact that digital connections are made only with mutual consent—makes the digital dating market far more efficient than the offline kind.

由于选择更多,再加上数字联系只有在双方同意的情况下才能建立起来,数字约会市场的效率远远高于线下。


  • 📒语篇分析:①句说明积极影响:效率高。代词this实现 上下文衔接。

  • 🎈语法法点睛:这句话的主干是:A—plus B—does sth. 指「A加上B做了某事」。

  • A = this greater choice
    B =  the fact that digital connections are made only with mutual consent
    B的核心词,这个事实,什么事实呢?后面that引导的同位语从句,补充说明the fact的具体内容。
    the fact that … 是一个非常高频的结构,大家直接当作固定搭配记忆,写作的时候也要学会使用。

    我们再来看两个《经济学人》的例句:
    The fact that barely a quarter of women work—a share that has seen a precipitous decline in the past decade—only makes matters worse.
    只有将近四分之一的女性参与劳动——过去十年这一比例还急剧下滑——只会使局面恶化。
    The fact that children from higher-income families tend to have higher standardized test scores and are likelier to receive private coaching suggests that the study may actually underestimate their admissions advantage.
    来自高收入家庭的孩子往往有更高的标准化考试成绩,并且更有可能接受私人辅导,这表明该研究实际上可能低估了他们的入学优势。
    以后我们想用一句话作主语,就可以用:The fact that... does sth.
    比如谈到AI好处,我们可以说:
    The fact that AI will become more intelligent than mankind will enable working adults to save much time and improve the living quality.
    AI将变得比人类更智能,这将使工作的人节省大量时间,提高生活质量。

  • plus 这里为介词,指「外加,再加上」。
    比如: There are numerous clubs, plus a casino. 有很多俱乐部,还有一个赌场。
    类似的表达有coupled with, along with, together with, as well as等等。

  • mutual [ˈmjuːtʃuəl] 为 形容词,指「相互的,彼此的」。mutual consent 便指「互相同意,双方同意」。
    再比如:
    mutual understanding 相互理解 mutual support 相互支持 mutual respect 相互尊重。
  • consent [kənˈsent] 这里是不可数名词,指「同意,允许」。
    我们来看两个美剧里的例子:

    My uncle has refused to give his consent.

  • consent 也可作动词,介词搭配为 consent to (do) sth
    比如: He reluctantly consented to his daughter's marriage. 他勉强同意了女儿的婚事。
  • far 这里为副词,常用来 修饰比较级,表示「…得多」。
    文中
    far more efficient 即「高效得多」。
    类似的表达还有:much more ..., a lot more ...,  way more ...,a great deal more ..., vastly more 等等
  • kind 这里指「种,类」。
    文中
    the offline kind 就相当于 the offline dating market ,指「线下的那种」。
    我们在写作中可以用 the … kind 来避免重复。
    再比如《经济学人》一篇关于国际贸易的文章有这样一句话:
    For a Time economic contagion seemed more threatening than the pathological kind .
    经济传染病的威胁一度似乎比真正的疾病还要大。
    我们联系「网购」话题造个句:
    Online shopping is indeed more convenient than the high-street kind and yet it comes with greater carbon footprint from packaging, transportation and delivery of the goods.
    举个例子,网上购物比线下购物更方便,但网购过程中的包装、长途运输和派送也造成了更大的碳排放。 [写作推荐]



②For some, that is bad news. ③Because of the gulf in pickiness between the sexes, a few straight men are doomed never to get any matches at all.
对有些人来说,这是个坏消息。由于两性在挑剔程度上的巨大差异,一些直男注定永远不会在网上得到配对。


  • 📒语篇分析:②句说明消极影响:效率高对一些人不利。代词that实现句间衔接。 ③句解释②句原因:一些直男找不到对象。
  • some 这里为代词,指 some people 有些人。
  • bad news 字面意思是「坏消息」,用来表示某事对某人不利。
    相反,
    good news 表示某事对某人有利。
  • 比如《经济学人》一篇关于苹果手机的文章,标题就是:
    Bad news for Apple. Good news for humanity 苹果的坏消息,人类的好消息。
  • gulf 这个词非常地道,我们在 邯郸初中男生事件,英文媒体用了这些词 也讲过,带大家复习一下:
    gulf 本来是「海湾」的意思,可以引申为抽象意义上的「鸿沟,巨大差距」,可以替换我们熟悉的gap。
    the gulf in sth 指「...方面的差距」。
    the gulf between A and B 便指「A与B之间的的差距」。
    close / narrow the gulf between A and B 即「缩小A与B之间的差距」。
  • 「拉大差距」怎么说呢?除了widen,我们还可使用一个更形象的小词:
    yawn 本来是指「打哈欠」,打哈欠时嘴会慢慢张大,因此yawn也可指「变大」。
    「贫富差距日益拉大」就可以说:
    A gulf between the rich and the poor yawns.
    There is a yawning gulf between the rich and the poor. [写作推荐]
    与gulf类似的表达还有gap, divide, chasm等等,都表示「差距」。

  • pick 作动词,指「挑选」, pickiness 为名词形式,指「挑剔」。
    picky 为形容词形式,指「挑剔的,难伺候的」 (liking only particular things and difficult to please)
    美剧《老友记》里也出现过这个词:
    choosy 也可表示「挑剔的,精挑细选的」 (careful in choosing; difficult to please)
    比如:
    She’s very choosy about clothes. 她对衣服十分讲究。
  • doom 作名词时,指「厄运,死亡」 (something very bad that is going to happen, or the fact that it is going to happen)
  • doom 作动词时,指「使…注定失败 / 死亡 / 毁灭」 (to make sb / sth certain to fail, suffer, die, etc)
  • doom 常以被动形式出现: be doomed to (do) sth 指「注定会...」。
    比如《纽约时报》一篇关于全球经济的文章有这样一句话:
    Growth that relies on only government or household consumption is doomed to fai l, especially at a time of rising inflation and high debt.
    仅依赖政府或家庭消费的经济增长注定会失败,尤其是在通胀上升和债务高企的情况下。
    近义的表达有
    be fated to do sth be destined to do sth
    看美剧的时候还经常遇见一个表达
    You are doomed. 指「你完蛋了」。

    那句「你惨啦,你坠入爱河了」就可以翻译成: You fall in love! Oh, you are doomed.😄
  • match 这里是名词,指「相配的人」。
    比如:
    Jo and Ian are a perfect match for each other. 乔和伊恩真是天设的一对,地配的一双。
  • 关于 match 还有一个地道句型: A is no match for B. A完全比不上B。
    比如:在...方面,机器完全比不上人类,我们可以说:
    When it comes to sth / In terms of sth, machines are no match for humans.
    我在电影《爱情神话》的台词里也遇见过这个表达:

    Not today. I'm no match for you.



④On Tantan, a Chinese app, men express interest in 60% of women they see, but women are interested in just 6% of men; this dynamic means that 5% of men never receive a match. ⑤In offline dating, with a much smaller pool of men to fish from, straight women are more likely to couple up with men who would not get a look-in online.
在中国的应用“探探”上,男性对他们看到的60%的女性表示感兴趣,但女性只对6%的男性感兴趣。这种差异意味着有5%的男性从未获得过任何匹配。 在线下约会中,可选男性的数量要少得多,直女因而更有可能与那些在网上没机会被选中的男性牵手。

  • 📒语篇分析:④句以交友app探探的数据为例支撑③句。 ⑤句与线下约会对比,②③句的观点。
  • dynamic [daɪˈnæmɪk] 作名词时,指「动态,人或事物相互作用的方式」。
    dynamic 常用复数形式,比如:
    the dynamics of the family 家庭动态。
  • pool 是一个很地道的小词,相当于中文里的「库,池」。
    比如:
    a talent pool / a pool of talents 人才库 a labour pool 备用劳动力 a candidate pool 候选池
    《纽约时报》一篇关于三孩政策的文章就用到了这个词:
    The labor pool is shrinking and the population is graying , threatening the industrial strategy that China has used for decades to emerge from poverty to become an economic powerhouse.
    劳动力储备正在减少,人口正在老龄化,中国几十年来用于摆脱贫困、成为经济强国的产业政策受到了威胁。

  • a pool of sb 是一个...的池子,指「一批可用的人员,备用人员」。

    《经济学人》一篇关于双语人才的文章有这样一句话:

    Just as universal maths education creates a big pool of potential engineers, widespread language teaching does the same for business executives, diplomats, soldiers and spies.
    正如数学教育的普及培养出了一大批未来的工程师,普及语言教育也能培养出企业高管,外交官,士兵和间谍。

  • pool 还可作动词,指「共用,聚拢」,想象一下把所有东西聚拢在一个池子里的样子。
    我们常说的「集思广益」便可用
    pool ideas 来表达。

  • fish 这里可不是「鱼」的意思,而是作动词,表示「搜寻,摸找」 (to search for something in a bag, pocket etc)
    比如:
    She fished around in her purse and pulled out a photo. 她在包里摸索出一张照片。
    我在美剧《爱情生活》里也遇见过这个词:

    Are you really fishing for compliments right now.

  • couple up with sb / sth couple 是「伴侣」的意思,couple up with sb / sth 变身动词短语,指「与…配对」。
    类似结构词组还有:gang up with sb, team up with sb, pair up with sb。

  • get / have a look-in 是一个词组,指「有参与的机会,有成功的希望」 (to have a chance to take part in or succeed in something) ,常用在否定句中。
    比如:
    She talks so much that nobody else can get a look-in. 她老是滔滔不绝,别人谁也插不上嘴。
    再比如《经济学人》一篇关于家族企业的文章有这样一句话:
    In America 70% of family firms fold or get sold before the second generation gets a look-in.
    在美国,70%的家族企业在第二代有机会接手之前就已经倒闭或出售。


我们把这段话连 起来再 默读 一遍,注意尽量一遍读完, 不要回读


This greater choice—plus the fact that digital connections are made only with mutual consent—makes the digital dating market far more efficient than the offline kind. For some, that is bad news. Because of the gulf in pickiness between the sexes, a few straight men are doomed never to get any matches at all. On Tantan, a Chinese app, men express interest in 60% of women they see, but women are interested in just 6% of men; this dynamic means that 5% of men never receive a match. In offline dating, with a much smaller pool of men to fish from, straight women are more likely to couple up with men who would not get a look-in online.

由于选择更多,再加上数字联系只有在双方同意的情况下才能建立起来,数字约会市场的效率远远高于线下。对有些人来说,这是个坏消息。由于两性在挑剔程度上的巨大差异,一些直男注定永远不会在网上得到配对。在中国的应用“探探”上,男性对他们看到的60%的女性表示感兴趣,但女性只对6%的男性感兴趣。这种差异意味着有5%的男性从未获得过任何匹配。在线下约会中,可选男性的数量要少得多,直女因而更有可能与那些在网上没机会被选中的男性牵手。





# 02

接下来的两段作者开始阐述线上约会的优点。这一段说明优点一:婚姻更幸福、更持久。


①For most people, however, digital dating offers better outcomes.②Research has found that marriages in America between people who meet online are likely to last longer; such couples profess to be happier than those who met offline.
然而,对于大多数人来说,数字约会能带来更好的结果。研究发现,在美国,相识于网络的人们缔结的婚姻可能会更持久;这些伴侣自称比那些在线下相识的人更幸福。

  • 📒语篇分析:①句总说digital dating对大部分人有利好。 ②句引用研究结果说明网恋的第一个优点:婚姻更幸福、持久。

  • last 作动词,指「持续」一段时间。

  • profess to do sth 指「自称...,声称... 」 (to say that you do, are etc something, especially when it is not really true ) ,但不一定是事实。

  • 比如《经济学人》一篇关于动物保护的文章有这样一句话:
    But in an age when so many people profess to be animal-lovers, a remarkable number behave in ways that suggest the opposite.
    但在如今这样一个几乎人人都自诩是动物爱好者的时代,却有很多人在做着相反的事情。




The whiff of moral panic surrounding dating apps is vastly overblown.
约会应用引发的些微道德恐慌被极大地夸大了。


  • 📒语篇分析:③句驳斥大众观点:网恋软件带来的道德恐慌被夸大了。
  • whiff [wɪf] 本来是「气味」的意思, a / the whiff of sth 喻指「一点,轻微的迹象」 (a slight sign that something dangerous, exciting etc might happen)
    比如:
    The whiff of danger filled her with excitement. 这稍微的危险让她感到很刺激。
    再比如《纽约时报》一篇关于艺术产业的文章有这样一句话:
    The art business has always had a whiff of the scam about it, for the simple reason that the objects it sells, sometimes for many millions of dollars, have no objective value.
    艺术品行业总是有一丝欺诈的意味,原因很简单——售出的艺术品有时价值数百万美元,其实没有实际价值。

    Because I'm getting a strong whiff of elephant.
  • moral panic 指「道德恐慌」,指网恋app给人们在道德层面带来的恐慌感,因为线上的可选对象比线下多得多,一个人也可以通过app同时与多人恋爱,事情暴露的几率要比现实恋爱中的小很多,自然让人们感觉出轨和脚踏几只船的现象会增加。

  • surround 为动词,本义是「围绕,环绕」,引申为「与…密切相关」 (to be closely related to a situation or event) ,常用现在分词作后置定语: surrounding sth 表示「与…有关的」。
    文中 surrounding dating apps 便是一个 现在分词短语作后置定语 ,修饰 moral panic,指 「与网恋软件有关的//道德恐慌」。
  • vastly 是个程度副词,指「非常,极度」,相当于 greatly, hugely, extremely。
    举两个外刊里的例子:
    Vastly more young Chinese people are enrolling in higher education, marrying later and having children later.
    越来越多的中国年轻人正在接受高等教育,晚婚晚育。
    America’s vastly expensive elections favour political machines: another reason to re-examine campaign finance.
    美国总统选举由于耗资巨大,因此更依赖政治机器:这是重新审视竞选筹款的另一个原因。
  • overblown [ˌəʊvərˈbləʊn] 为形容词,由over和blown构成,被吹得过大的,指「夸张的,过分渲染的」 (made to seem greater or more impressive than something really is)

  • sth is vastly overblown. 指「某事被严重夸大」。
    这个句型可以直接背下来用在写作中,比如:
    有些人现在还认为气候变化的影响言过其实。

    Some are still clinging to the belief that the influence of climate change is vastly overblown. [写作推荐]



④Precious little evidence exists to show that opportunities online are encouraging infidelity.
鲜有证据表明网上约会的机会会助长不忠行为。


  • 📒语篇分析:④句指出关于网恋助长不忠行为的证据极少。③④句 反面论证②句观点。
  • 🎈语法点睛:这句话涉及一个很重要的语法点: 定语后置
    ④句的主干为主谓结构:
    Precious little evidence (主语)// exists(谓语).
  • 最后的 to show that opportunities online are encouraging infidelity 其实 是一个 不定式短语作后置定语 ,修饰主语 evidence。
  • 因此,这句话的正常语序是:
    Precious little evidence (to show that opportunities online are encouraging infidelity) // exists.
    为什么作者把它放在句尾呢?大家注意,英文句子要遵循「 尾重原则 」,不能头重脚轻,因此为了使句子结构更加平衡,常常需要调整语序。
    这里作者就把这个较长的不定式短语放在了句尾,以保持句子平衡。
    我们再来看个例子:
    《经济学人》一篇关于公筷的文章有这样一句话:
    Stories abound in Chinese media of people catching the coronavirus after sharing a meal.
    中国媒体上关于人们在聚餐后感染新冠肺炎的故事比比皆是。
    我们一般熟悉的结构是stories of sth 关于...的故事,但由于这里定语of sth太⻓,为了保持平衡,作者将其后置于句尾,将这句话还原为一般语序即:Stories of people catching the coronavirus after sharing a meal // abound // in Chinese media.
    abound 是一个不及物动词,sth abounds 指「某事物大量存在」。
    定语后置这个语法点在考研、雅思等考试里都出现过很多次,大家要能够识别、读懂。
  • precious little / few 强调「极少,几乎没有」
    比如: I’d love to take more exercise but the pinch is that there’s precious little time to spare. 我非常愿意多锻炼,但问题是我抽不出多少时间。

    Precious little evidence exists to show that ... 表示「鲜有证据表明...」。这个句式大家积累下来,可用于引出反对的观点。
    [写作推荐]

  • encourage 后面跟好事,就是「鼓励」,跟坏事,就是「助长」,非常灵活的一个小词,大家要学会使用。
    再来看个《经济学人》里的例子:
    Cheap, calorie-dense food has abolished starvation in the rich world, but it also encourages diabetes.
    廉价、高热量的食物帮助富裕国家消除了饥饿,但也助长了糖尿病。 [写作推荐]
  • infidelity [ˌɪnfɪˈdeləti] 指夫妻或情侣之间的「不忠行为,背叛」。
    marital infidelity 指「对婚姻的不忠」,也就是「婚内出轨」。
  • fidelity 是反义词,指「忠诚,忠贞」。




⑤In America, divorce rates climbed until just before the advent of the internet, and have fallen since .
在美国,互联网出现之前离婚率一直在攀升,之后便开始下降。


  • 📒语篇分析:⑤句用数据论证,以美国离婚率的变化为网恋正名,说明它反而能促进婚姻幸福,从正面论证②句观点。

  • climb 指「上升,升高」 (to increase in number, amount, or level)
    同样表示「上升,升高」的词还有 increase, rise, go up, mount, escalate等。

  • the advent of sth / sb 指「…的出现,...的到来」。

    类似的表达还有 the arrival of sth, the appearance of sth, the emergence of sth 等等,这些词都可以用在科技类的话题里。

    比如《科学美国人》一篇关于新媒体的文章有这样一句话:
    With the advent of social media, of smartphones, you effectively have an incredibly powerful information network where people are able to take pictures and take videos of the events.
    随着社交媒体和智能手机的出现,你实际上拥有了一个非常强大的信息网络,人们可以用网络拍摄各种活动的照片和视频。 [写作推荐]
  • since 这里为副词,指「自那以后,此后」。既可以放在句中,也可以放在句尾。
    比如: The song topped the charts in 1957 and has
    since become a rock and roll classic. 这首歌于1957年登上排行榜榜首,此后成为摇滚经典。
    I haven't seen him since.

我们把这段话连 起来再 默读 一遍,注意尽量一遍读完, 不要回读


For most people, however, digital dating offers better outcomes. Research has found that marriages in America between people who meet online are likely to last longer; such couples profess to be happier than those who met offline. The whiff of moral panic surrounding dating apps is vastly overblown. Precious little evidence exists to show that opportunities online are encouraging infidelity. In America, divorce rates climbed until just before the advent of the internet, and have fallen since.

然而,对于大多数人来说,数字约会能带来更好的结果。研究发现,在美国,相识于网络的人们缔结的婚姻可能会更持久;这些伴侣自称比那些在线下相识的人更幸福。约会应用引发的些微道德恐慌被极大地夸大了。鲜有证据表明网上约会的机会会助长不忠行为。在美国,互联网出现之前离婚率一直在攀升,之后便开始下降。



# 03

第七段说明网恋的好处二。


①Online dating is a particular boon for those with very particular requirements.

在线约会尤其为那些有非常特定的要求的人提供了便利。


  • 📒语篇分析:①句为中心句,指出网恋的第二个好处:尤其有利于有特定需求人群。
  • boon 是「益处,福音」 (something that is very helpful and makes life easier for you) 的意思。
    be a boon for / to sb 指「对某人来说是一个福音,对某人有利」。
    比如:
    The bus service is a real boon to / for people in the village. 公共汽车服务对村里的人来说是一大方便。
  • 它还有一个小伙伴: bane ,表示「祸根,灾星」。
    两个词连起来: sth is both a boon and a bane 常用来表达「某事有利 有弊,某事物既是福,又是祸」。
    《经济学人》一篇关于医保的文章便以此为标题:

    比如谈到电子产品,我们可以这样说:
    Screens in various shapes and sizes have proved both a boon and a bane.







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