近日，韩国城南市市政府扮演起“媒人”的角色——举办相亲活动，迫切希望促使年轻人走上婚姻和家庭的轨道。
?️小作业：
1. Which statement best encapsulates the outcomes of the matchmaking events held in Jinju and Gumi?
a. The events have significantly boosted local birthrates.
b. The majority of participants found lasting relationships.
c. There has been a modest number of couples formed as a result.
d. These events were primarily focused on individuals above 40 years of age.
2. According to researchers, what would be more effective than matchmaking in addressing the low fertility rate?
a. Having more entertainment venues.
b.Gender equality within families and reduced work hours.
c. Offering financial incentives for families.
d. Increasing the number of matchmaking events.
无注释原文：
Seeking Love, With Help From the City Government
From: The New York Times
The hotel ballroom was filled with pink balloons, the sound of love songs and 100 singles gathering for a night of wine, getting acquainted and — fingers crossed — romance.
Before Mia Kim knew it, five hours had flown by at the mixer for 50 men and 50 women, held in a city just outside Seoul. A bar after-party then lasted until 1 a.m. But Ms. Kim, 37, who works at a software firm near Seoul, said the night still “felt too short.”
Playing matchmaker was none other than the city government.
A growing number of cities across South Korea are sponsoring blind-dating events like these for singles, desperate to prod young adults onto a track for marriage and family as the country has recorded the world’s lowest fertility rate for three years in a row.
The cities say the problem is that young people just do not want to get married — or have the babies that would follow in a country where only 2 percent of births are outside marriage.
“A negative attitude toward marriage is continuing to spread in South Korean society,” said Shin Sang-jin, the mayor of Seongnam, the city next to Seoul that recently hosted the matchmaking event. “I think it’s the local governments’ role to create the conditions for people who do want to get married to find their partners.”
Many young South Koreans, though, say that the real obstacles to raising the birthrate are the staggering costs of child care, unaffordable homes, slim job prospects and crushing work hours — and that blind-dating events do little to address these issues. Women, in particular, say they have been discouraged by the prevalence of discrimination against working mothers.
Others say that by trying to play matchmaker, the government is being too intrusive in personal reproductive choices.
But the blind-dating events have proved popular. Seongnam received more than 1,000 applications for only 100 spots for its events this month. And participants have given the mixers rave reviews.
While the proportion of people getting married has declined worldwide, it has plummeted especially far in South Korea. There were six marriages per 1,000 people in the United States in 2021, compared with 3.8 per 1,000 people in South Korea.
Fewer births have come along with that statistic in South Korea. In 2022, the country’s fertility rate — the average number of children born to a woman of reproductive age — declined for the seventh straight year, to 0.78, prompting officials to scramble for ways to avert a population crisis. Policy experts say they have been insufficient, and some officials’ plans have backfired.
Even as the pool of South Koreans interested in having children shrinks, officials are expecting interest in government-sponsored matchmaking to endure. Seongnam, a city of about one million people, has allocated about $192,000 of its budget for such events, and plans to host several more this year.
“What we liked to see was the young people smiling and blushing and feeling excited,” said Kang Mi-jeong, the head of the city team tasked with addressing the low birthrate, which organized the event.
Cities in other countries with low birthrates, like China and Japan, have hosted such programs, too. In South Korea, many small cities have been sponsoring similar events for years, targeting people ages 27 to 39 who live or work in their communities.
The results have been mixed. Jinju, a southeastern city, has produced 11 couples throughout 12 years of hosting the events. In Gumi, an industrial city in central South Korea, 13 couples who met through the events have gotten married since 2016. In both cities, officials said they did not know how many children the event-matched couples have had.
The southern coastal town of Sacheon has been holding matchmaking events for the past three years. Though none has yielded any married couples, officials said not enough time had passed to produce successful matches.
Municipal matchmaking reached the greater Seoul area for the first time in Seongnam. Officials in Seoul said they were also considering hosting a blind-dating event. They had initially supported the proposal but were reviewing it because of widespread criticism on social media.
“I don’t think it would help at all to solve the shrinking birthrate,” said Jeon Seolhee, 27, a graduate student near Seoul. “For young women,” Ms. Jeon continued, “the concern is that having children would interrupt their careers.” She herself has a boyfriend, she said, but has not decided whether she wants children.
Some young South Koreans have also dismissed the project as contrived and intrusive. “It feels a bit artificial,” said Park Soomin, 30, who works at a media company in Incheon, another city outside Seoul. “It’s weird that the government is trying to intervene in personal relationships.”
Researchers who have studied South Korea’s population decline say that reduced work hours, family-friendly work culture and gender equality within the family would be more effective than matchmaking in addressing the causes of the low fertility rate, according to Jung Jae Hoon, a professor of social welfare at Seoul Women’s University.
单词：
年轻人不结婚怎么办？韩国地方政府举办相亲活动
Seeking Love, With Help From the City Government
acquaint
acquainted /əˈkweɪn.tɪd/ 表示“相识的;认识的;熟悉的”
fingers crossed
?“fingers crossed”是一个常用的英语短语，表示希望、期望或祝愿某事能够顺利发生或达到预期的结果。字面意思是“交叉手指”，通常人们会交叉中指和食指来表示希望或祝愿。
?cross your fingers表示“祈求好运;希望，但愿”
mixer /ˈmɪk.sər/ 表示“（旨在让人们相互认识的）舞会，晚会”，
a good/bad mixer表示“善于/不善于交际的人”，
举个?：You get to know lots of people at college if you're a good mixer. 如果你善于交际，在大学里会认识许多人。
matchmaker /ˈmætʃˌmeɪ.kər/ 表示“媒人，红娘”
blind-dating
字面意思“盲约”，即“相亲”（
prod /prɒd/ 1）表示“激励，促使，敦促”，
举个?：He gets things done, but only after I've prodded him into doing them. 他把事情做完了，不过是在我的督促下他才这么做的。
2）表示“（用手指、尖物等）刺，捅;戳”
举个?：She prodded the cake with her fork to see if it was cooked. 她用叉子戳了戳蛋糕看是不是做好了。
fertility /fəˈtɪl.ə.ti/ 表示“富饶；丰产；生殖力；能生育性；可繁殖性”
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。
in a row表示“接连地；连续地”
举个?：She's been voted Best Actress three years in a row. 她已经连续3年当选为最佳女演员。
?类似的：
straight可以作形容词也可以作副词，表示“连续的，不间断的”
举个?：They had been working for 16 hours straight. 他们已经一连工作了16个小时。
staggering表示“令人震惊的”，
slim通常指人苗条的，纤细的；
也可以表示“微薄的；不足的；少的；小的”，
如：
a slim chance of success 成功的可能性不大、
a slim lead 微弱的领先优势，
举个?：They only have a slim chance of winning (= it's unlikely that they will win). 他们获胜的机会微乎其微。
prevalence /ˈprev.əl.əns/ 表示“流行，盛行；普遍，广泛”
如：the prevalence of smoking among teenagers 青少年吸烟的普遍性。
intrusive
表示“打搅的；侵入的；闯入的；侵扰的；烦扰的”
reproductive
表示“生殖；生育；繁殖”
rave /reɪv/ 表示“狂热褒评的，大加赞扬的，捧上天的”
举个?：The show has received rave reviews/notices in all the papers. 这场演出受到所有报纸的高度评价/吸引了所有报纸的注意并得到热情洋溢的报道。
proportion
1）表示“比率，比例”
2）表示“部分；份额”
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”，
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。
plummet /ˈplʌmɪt/ 表示“（数量、比率、价格）暴跌”
举个?：In Tokyo share prices have plummeted for the sixth successive day. 在东京，股价已经是连续第6天暴跌了。
?类似的表达「暴跌」的词有：tank，sink，plunge和slump
prompt
1）表示“（计算机屏幕上的）提示符（显示计算机已经准备好接受指令）”
2）表示“（给演员的）提词，提白”
3）作动词，表示“促使；导致；激起”
4）作动词，表示“（尤指）给（演员）提词”
举个?：I forgot my line and had to be prompted. 我忘词了，只好让人提词。
scramble
作名词，表示“争抢；抢占；争夺”，
举个? There was a mad scramble for the best seats. 人们不顾一切地抢占最好的座位。
作动词：
1）表示“艰难地（或仓促地）完成”
2）表示“仓促行动”
举个?：He threw back the covers and scrambled out of bed. 他掀开被子，急忙下了床。
3）表示“争夺”，
举个?：More than three million fans are expected to scramble for tickets. 预计会有三百万以上的歌迷抢购门票。
avert /əˈvɜːt/
1）表示“防止，避免”
如：to avert a crisis/conflict/famine 避免危机/冲突/饥荒。
2）表示“转移（目光、想法等）；把…转（向别处）”
举个?：I averted my gaze/eyes while he dressed. 他穿衣服的时候我把目光转向一边。
?词源和词根：来自拉丁语的"avertare"，"a-"是"离开"的意思，"vertere"是"转向"的意思。派生词：avertable, aversion，常用短语：avert one's eyes 避开视线。
backfire
表示“事与愿违，（计划或行动）发生意外，产生事与愿违的结果”
举个?：The company's new policy backfired when a number of employees threatened to quit. 公司的新政策事与愿违，有好几名员工威胁说要辞职。
blush /blʌʃ/ 表示“（通常因尴尬而）脸红”
举个?：I always blush when I speak in public. 当众讲话时我总是脸红。
yield /jiːld/ 1）表示“出产（作物）；产生（收益、效益等）；提供”
举个?：Higher-rate deposit accounts yield good returns. 高利率的存款会产生丰厚的收益。
2）表示“（常指被迫）放弃，让出”
举个?：Despite renewed pressure to give up the occupied territory, they will not yield. 尽管有新的压力要求放弃被占领的土地，他们就是不愿屈服。
municipal /mjuːˈnɪs.ɪ.pəl/ 表示“市政的；市立的”
如：municipal authorities 市政当局。
dismiss
1）表示“对…不予理会，摒弃，（从头脑中）去除”
2）表示“解雇；免职；开除”
She claims she was unfairly dismissed from her post. 她声称自己被无理免职。
artificial /ˌɑː.tɪˈfɪʃ.əl/
1）表示“人造的，人工的；仿造的”
如：clothes made of artificial fibres 人造纤维面料的服装。
2）表示“虚假的，不真诚的;矫揉造作的”，英文解释为“not sincere”
举个?：Their cheerfulness seemed rather strained and artificial. 他们的高兴表情看上去非常做作虚伪。
intervene /ˌɪn.təˈviːn/
1）表示“干预，介入”
举个?：She might have been killed if the neighbours hadn't intervened. 要不是邻居介入，她可能会没命了。
2）表示“插话”
举个?：He intervened and told me to stop it. 他插话，不让我再说下去。
3）表示“干扰”
举个?：The boat arrived on Friday mornings unless bad weather intervened. 除非受到恶劣天气的干扰，船于星期五上午到达。
- 词汇盘点 -
acquaint、 fingers crossed、 mixer、 matchmaker、 blind-dating、 prod、 fertility、 in a row、 staggering、 slim、 prevalence、 intrusive、 reproductive、 rave、 proportion、 plummet、 prompt、 scramble、 avert、 backfire、 shrink、 blush、 yield、 municipal、 dismiss、 artificial、 intervene
- 词汇助记 By ChatGPT -
At a municipal mixer, acquaintances kept their fingers crossed for Jane, entering blind-dating. The matchmaker prodded her about fertility, given its staggering prevalence. Hoping for natural reproductive success over artificial methods, Jane was shocked by the intrusive questions. But when the mixer tried to intervene, prompt action backfired. Attendance plummeted, the proportion of successes shrank, and organizers, with a dismissive blush, scrambled to avert further blunders.
- END -
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