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英闻天下——567 Rent a Boyfriend Back Home

时间:2013-04-23 05:41来源:互联网 提供网友:jpstudy   字体: [ ]
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    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

   Who to bring back home for the Spring Festival dinner? That's the question many single urbanites struggle with before they head back home for the Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on February 10th this year.

 
  As young people go home for family reunions, their parents, especially those in small towns and rural areas, frequently try to talk them into, even pressure them to get married as soon as possible.
 
  There is a traditional Chinese saying, "bu-xiao-you-san, wu-hou-wei-da," which literally1 means that there are three kinds of filial ingratitude2 towards one's parents, with the worst one being not to get married and have a child.
 
  So to deal with the insistent3 parents, some single people find a simple solution -renting a girlfriend or boyfriend to go back home with. This year microblogs, online shopping sites and group-buying websites are all gearing up to meet the demand of those who are looking for the right co-actor. Jonathan Alpart takes a closer look.
 
  Search for "renting a boyfriend to go home " on taobao.com, China's largest online shopping website, plenty of online stores will surface offering fake boyfriends or girlfriends for rent who can accompany the buyer back home during Spring Festival.
 
  A 28-year-old man surnamed Sun is one of those who will be a temporary boyfriend for a price. The ex-marketing manager of a company in Beijing is now running an online store offering various escorting services ranging from listening to his clients' worries, accompanying them shopping or going to parties, and acting4 as the client's boyfriend to meet the parents.
 
  "I asked for 300 yuan a day for 'meeting the parents service'. My job include helping5 with the household chores, chatting with the parents and visiting relatives. I might charge additional fees for extra demands."
 
  Sun says he got his inspiration for the business from his own experience of being urged to marry. This year, he started to advertise the service two months ago and expects brisk business during the Spring Festival. He promises that there is no safety issue involved whatsoever6:
 
  "The clients shouldn't have any safety concerns. I believe that there is an increasing market for the business, and I'm going to do it long term. I'm also worried that I may get cheated or run into danger. After all, it is me who have to travel to a new place together with a stranger."
 
  To assure customers of his sincerity7, Sun usually arrange face-to-face meetings in a public place and show them his ID card. He will also request the potential client to produce an ID.
 
  Sun says he will turn down the deal if the two don't look like a good match after seeing the customer and talking to her. He says if he himself is not convinced, neither will the client's parents.
 
  Though the "fake beau" rental8 business is flourishing as the Spring Festival approaches it is also prompting fierce debate online.
 
  Let's first hear from those who are for it:
 
  "I see nothing wrong with renting a boyfriend to go home and have dinners with the parents during the Spring Festival. The girl is doing this simply to make her parents happy, albeit9 for a short period of time."
 
  "You know what, I might start to think about that. This way, I can be free of the babbling10 of my parents, and avoid the blind dates arranged by my parents during the Spring Festival."
 
  But there are many who are strongly against the idea:
 
  "Finding a life-long partner is a serious issue and I don't think it appropriate to rent a lover just for the sake of comforting the parents. Being single is not a shame. We should be honest with ourselves and our parents."
 
  "It's an interesting idea, but I don't think it will work. The parent will see that no chemistry exists between the couple."
 
  "Is it safe to bring a stranger home? What if he takes advantage of the situation? Three hundred yuan a day, plus transportation and accommodation fees, that's also a lot of money to put down on something that is a lie."
 
  Meanwhile, no parents seem to like the idea:
 
  "Renting a temporary boyfriend or girlfriend to please the parents? It is cheating. I would rather my child come home alone and be honest to me."
 
  "I heard of that but I don't like it at all. True, we are eager to see our adult children have lifetime partners and settle down as early as possible, but we don't want to give them too much pressure. They are living in a society which is more competitive and diversified11. As parents, we simply want them to be happy."
 
  According to Beijing Normal University Associate Professor of psychology12 Lin Xiuyun, some people use these services because they are lonely.
 
  Lin says people should have a positive attitude about being single and he says the upcoming Spring Festival can be an opportunity to reflect on what one wants from a relationship.
 
  For his part, Hu Xue, a lawyer in Shanghai stresses that such a service is not protected by law:
 
  "The so-called 'human rental' contract is legally null. So even an agreement has been reached by the two parties, it's invalid13. Young people should think carefully about the consequences before acting upon that. "
 
  For CRI, I'm Jonathan Alpart.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 literally 28Wzv     
adv.照字面意义,逐字地;确实
参考例句:
  • He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
  • Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候,她不走到真正要昏厥了,决不肯坐下来。
2 ingratitude O4TyG     
n.忘恩负义
参考例句:
  • Tim's parents were rather hurt by his ingratitude.蒂姆的父母对他的忘恩负义很痛心。
  • His friends were shocked by his ingratitude to his parents.他对父母不孝,令他的朋友们大为吃惊。
3 insistent s6ZxC     
adj.迫切的,坚持的
参考例句:
  • There was an insistent knock on my door.我听到一阵急促的敲门声。
  • He is most insistent on this point.他在这点上很坚持。
4 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
5 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
6 whatsoever Beqz8i     
adv.(用于否定句中以加强语气)任何;pron.无论什么
参考例句:
  • There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
  • All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样,你就怎样对人。
7 sincerity zyZwY     
n.真诚,诚意;真实
参考例句:
  • His sincerity added much more authority to the story.他的真诚更增加了故事的说服力。
  • He tried hard to satisfy me of his sincerity.他竭力让我了解他的诚意。
8 rental cBezh     
n.租赁,出租,出租业
参考例句:
  • The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
  • We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。
9 albeit axiz0     
conj.即使;纵使;虽然
参考例句:
  • Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的,但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
  • Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次,但他并没有气馁。
10 babbling babbling     
n.胡说,婴儿发出的咿哑声adj.胡说的v.喋喋不休( babble的现在分词 );作潺潺声(如流水);含糊不清地说话;泄漏秘密
参考例句:
  • I could hear the sound of a babbling brook. 我听得见小溪潺潺的流水声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Infamy was babbling around her in the public market-place. 在公共市场上,她周围泛滥着对她丑行的种种议论。 来自英汉文学 - 红字
11 diversified eumz2W     
adj.多样化的,多种经营的v.使多样化,多样化( diversify的过去式和过去分词 );进入新的商业领域
参考例句:
  • The college biology department has diversified by adding new courses in biotechnology. 该学院生物系通过增加生物技术方面的新课程而变得多样化。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Take grain as the key link, develop a diversified economy and ensure an all-round development. 以粮为纲,多种经营,全面发展。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
12 psychology U0Wze     
n.心理,心理学,心理状态
参考例句:
  • She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
  • He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。
13 invalid V4Oxh     
n.病人,伤残人;adj.有病的,伤残的;无效的
参考例句:
  • He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
  • A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。
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TAG标签:   英语听力  英闻天下
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