《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词4500》89 Seven Myths of Single Womanhood

　　Unit 89
Seven Myths of Single Womanhood
There is much confusion and concern over what it means to be a single lady. This is because most young women swallow enough of the singlehood lies to permeate¹ themselves with single sickness. It is hard not to believe these myths. They're fed to us everywhere, even from well-meaning people who try to be encouraging.
Myth 1. Singleness is lonely. This is simply not the case. The only singles who claim to be lonely are those who choose to be lonely. Perhaps if a young woman is living on her own, there is more room for this feeling to creep in. One of the reasons why singleness seems so daunting³ is because of the very term itself: Single. It conjures⁴ up the image of a lone² person, going through life with no companions. Yet being a single only applies to the lack of a marriage partner. To call yourself lonely when all you lack is one person in your life is foolish. There is a whole host of other people whose relationships can be just as meaningful as a marriage partner. The single life should only open up more opportunities for relationships to develop.
Myth 2. Singleness is a waiting period. This is partially⁵ true; but when made the main focus, it actually becomes devastating⁶. We've all heard about waiting for our ship to come in. it means that one of these days we're going to get a big break (marriage), and then life will be more meaningful after that (close companionship, children, etc.). I think this is more of an intellectual problem than anything else. The difference comes when we change our mode of thinking. Instead of thinking about waiting, why not think about doing? Your single years can be some of the best years of your life, so why not get busy today?
Myth3. If you're single, other people should feel badly for you. Why do people tend to be sympathetic toward singles? Because single people ask for it. There are few examples of truly contented⁷ singles. Even under a pretense⁸ of satisfaction, there lies a note of discontent and perhaps anger. Single women need to cultivate a proper attitude and choose to be cheerful.
Myth 4. The older you are, the less of a chance there is of getting arrived. Being younger definitely doesn't mean more qualified⁹. In fact e longer you wait, the more advantages you may have. The longer the wait until you are married, the greater chance to refute this myth!
Myth 5. Not ever having had a young man interested in you should be cause for concern. This myth is the root of why many women struggle with singleness. If they could have just one opportunity to turn down a date, the single life could be more bearable. Women who have never had a guy o much as look their way envy others who seem to have an endless supply of courtship partners. Think of this: romantic interest can be very disordered. So often what people call true love is only a passing fancy (no matter how long it may linger!) There are many men who seemingly have a romantic interest in a woman, when it is all really just an attraction. There are men who give attention to a woman so they can have their own ego¹⁰ flattered. Not all men are like this, but it happens more often than we think. Don't think all attention is meaningful.

1 permeate   

v.弥漫，遍布，散布；渗入，渗透

参考例句：

• Water will easily permeate a cotton dress.水很容易渗透棉布衣服。
• After a while it begins to permeate through your skin.过了一会，它会开始渗入你的皮肤。

2 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

3 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

4 conjures   

用魔术变出( conjure的第三人称单数 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现

参考例句：

• The word 'birthday' conjures up images of presents and parties. “生日”这个词使人想起礼物和聚会的情景。
• The name Sahara conjures up images of a desert of aridity. "撒哈拉"这个名字使人想起干旱的沙漠情景。

5 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

6 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

7 contented   

adj.满意的，安心的，知足的

参考例句：

• He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
• The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。

8 pretense   

n.矫饰，做作，借口

参考例句：

• You can't keep up the pretense any longer.你无法继续伪装下去了。
• Pretense invariably impresses only the pretender.弄虚作假欺骗不了真正的行家。

9 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

10 ego   

n.自我，自己，自尊

参考例句：

• He is absolute ego in all thing.在所有的事情上他都绝对自我。
• She has been on an ego trip since she sang on television.她上电视台唱过歌之后就一直自吹自擂。