国外媒体:"七年之痒"容易过 "十二年之痒"是难关

Forget the seven-year itch¹, the real test comes at TWELVE years

Seven-years has traditionally been the time when love and affection give way to disillusion² and disappointment.

But couples who manage to survive the seven-year itch would be wise not to get complacent³.

The biggest threat to modern marriages actually comes from the 12-year itch, research has revealed.

The majority of couples who divorce have now spent more than a decade together before going their separate ways.

And they are increasingly likely to cite 'growing apart' or 'falling out of love' as the cause of their split.

There has been a four-fold increase in couples breaking up for these reasons in the last two years, amid increasing financial strain on families.

But infidelity is still responsible for more than a quarter of divorces. The seven-year itch - or the theory that adultery becomes impossible to resist after seven years - got its name from the 1950s film starring Marilyn Monroe.

The study by the Grant Thornton accountancy group, which was based on a survey of 90 of the country's biggest family law firms, echoed figures released last year which showed that marriages are most likely to fall apart around the 12-year mark.

Sally Longworth, of Grant Thornton's Forensic⁴ and Investigation⁵ Services, said: 'This rather dispels⁶ the age-old myth about marriages failing after seven years.

'It is impossible to put any scientific reasoning on why certain marriages succeed and others fail.'

传统观点认为，“七年”是婚姻的一个坎，结婚到了这个年头，爱情渐渐变淡，取而代之的是幻想的破灭和失望。

但成功度过“七年之痒”的夫妇不要沾沾自喜。

一项研究表明，现代婚姻的最大威胁其实是十二年之痒。

现在很多人都是在结婚十几年后分道扬镳。

而至于离婚的原因，越来越多的人说是因为两人的感情“渐渐疏远”或“不再相爱”。

随着家庭经济压力的增大，在过去两年中因为这些原因分手的夫妇的数量增加了四倍。

然而，仍有四分之一的夫妇因为伴侣不忠而离婚。“七年之痒”的说法源于20世纪50年代玛丽莲?梦露主演的一部电影，描述夫妻在结婚七年后开始禁不住外面的诱惑。

这项由英国格兰特·桑顿会计事务所开展的研究基于对英国规模最大的90家家庭律师事务所开展的一项调查，调查结果与去年的差不多，发现婚姻到了十二个年头最容易出问题。

格兰特·桑顿会计事务所法庭和调查服务部的萨莉?朗沃斯说：“这在一定程度上打破了多年来有关七年之痒的‘魔咒’。”

“要从科学上解释婚姻的成功与失败是不可能的。”

1 itch   

n.痒，渴望，疥癣；vi.发痒，渴望

参考例句：

• Shylock has an itch for money.夏洛克渴望发财。
• He had an itch on his back.他背部发痒。

2 disillusion   

vt.使不再抱幻想，使理想破灭

参考例句：

• Do not say anything to disillusion them.别说什么叫他们泄气的话。
• I'd hate to be the one to disillusion him.我不愿意成为那个让他幻想破灭的人。

3 complacent   

adj.自满的；自鸣得意的

参考例句：

• We must not become complacent the moment we have some success.我们决不能一见成绩就自满起来。
• She was complacent about her achievements.她对自己的成绩沾沾自喜。

4 forensic   

adj.法庭的，雄辩的

参考例句：

• The report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence.该报告包括他对法庭证据的诠释。
• The judge concluded the proceeding on 10:30 Am after one hour of forensic debate.经过近一个小时的法庭辩论后，法官于10时30分宣布休庭。

5 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

6 dispels   

v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• This landmark case dispels the absolute finality of this dreaded disease. 这个划时代的病例终于改观了这可怕疾病的绝对结局。 来自辞典例句
• Charles's experience--and that of all other researchers I have met--dispels many myths about water buffaloes. 查尔斯以及我所见到的其他研究人员的经验破除了关于水牛的许多奇谈。 来自辞典例句