VOA慢速英语2009-AMERICAN MOSAIC - Recession Cuts Into Valentine'

HOST:

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

I'm Doug Johnson. This week, a special Valentine's Day program about love in hard economic times.

(MUSIC: "My Funny Valentine")

HOST:

Love is in the air this weekend as Americans celebrate Valentine's Day on Saturday, February fourteenth. For people who are still looking for their true love, there are several resources for finding a partner. Online dating services and dating experts are just two ways that the search for love has turned into a big industry. Barbara Klein has more.

(MUSIC: "Looking for Love")

BARBARA KLEIN:

Searching for love is no longer just a favorite subject for songs. It has also become a huge industry. Researchers say the online dating industry in the United States earned six hundred and forty-nine million dollars in two thousand six. They expect this number to increase to more than nine hundred million dollars by two thousand eleven.

(MUSIC: "Love For Sale")

Experts say that the industry has grown because traditional social ties in the United States have weakened. Many young people leave behind a close community of friends and family to find work in bigger cities. People work longer hours, so they have less time to meet new people. So they depend increasingly on technology.
　
A woman in Ohio looks at a dating Web site

This helps explain the popularity of online dating. Some estimates say one hundred twenty thousand marriages a year result from matches made on the Internet.

The dating industry has also been expanding in new and interesting ways. Many companies around the country offer personalized services for finding the perfect mate. These companies are answering a large demand by single people. They are willing to invest their time and money to find love with carefully planned methods, instead of leaving love to chance.

For example, AskRomeo is a company in Reston, Virginia. It provides single people with advice on how to meet a person for the first time and make a good impression.

Also in Virginia, the company True Life Partners provides a more costly² and detailed³ dating service. The company's owner, Stephanie Rockey, says her customers are busy professionals who do not have time to search for their life partner. Customers hire Miz Rockey's team of trained experts to help them find people they will like based on detailed information they provide about themselves.

The company says it is a team of professional personal recruiters who help couples meet. But this level of attention comes at a high price. Men pay thousands of dollars for the service. But women get to take part at no cost.

There are lots of other costs linked to dating. And we wondered how the economic recession has affected⁴ dating in the United States. So here is Doug Johnson with more.

(MUSIC: "I'm Yours")

HOST:

It appears that love still succeeds, even in times of economic crisis. The online dating Web sites Match.com and PerfectMatch.com both say that their membership numbers have increased greatly since the recession worsened in September. Match.com announced last year that the month of November showed the strongest increase in paid members in seven years.

Last year, PerfectMatch.com also reported that its memberships increased by forty-seven percent compared to earlier months in the year. And, the Web site says memberships this January were up thirty percent from the month before. A relationship expert on Perfectmatch.com says that dealing⁵ with bad news is hard when a person is alone. So, people spend more time online to find friends with common values and goals.

Online dating may have increased, but many single people have had to change their real-life dating activities to save money. For example, couples might choose to meet at a free museum instead of spending money on theater tickets or dance clubs. Jason Levergood in Washington, D.C. has a better idea than eating out at costly restaurants. He and his date meet at the grocery store and decide what meal they want to make. Then they buy the food and spend their evening together cooking and relaxing at home.

(MUSIC: "Glory of True Love")

People might be saving money on dates. But experts say lovers will still spend money on Valentine's Day. Faith Lapidus has more.

FAITH LAPIDUS:

The National Retail⁶ Federation⁷ says Americans will spend about one hundred dollars per person on flowers, chocolates, jewelry⁸ and other gifts. This is twenty dollars less than last year. The National Retail Federation says total spending for Valentine's Day goods this year is expected to reach more than fourteen billion dollars.

(MUSIC: "At Last")
　
Mary Pugh is a justice of the peace in Connecticut

Some activities this Valentine's Day are meant to save money. For example, in Norwalk, Connecticut, Justice of the Peace Mary Pugh is offering a free group marriage ceremony.

Judge Pugh told the local newspaper that she thinks the hard economic times are helping⁹ people realize what really is important in life. She said people are spending more time with family and friends and learning they do not need a lot of money to be with the ones they love.

The judge also said if the event is successful she may offer it again, next Valentine's Day.

(MUSIC: "Chapel¹⁰ of Love")
　
Carlos Sanchez and Jennifer Avilla at New York City's new Marriage Bureau

Another place people might want to consider getting married this Valentine's Day, or any other time, is the beautiful new Manhattan Marriage Bureau in New York City.

City officials opened the new twelve million dollar space last month. It has two chapels¹¹ where marriage ceremonies are held. It has a store that sells flowers, rings and other wedding necessities. It has dressing¹² rooms for the brides. And it has beautiful artwork from the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

The New York City government hopes its new Marriage Bureau will compete with Las Vegas, Nevada as a place people will want to run away to for their wedding.

(MUSIC: "Night and Day")

HOST:

I'm Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today. It was written by Dana Demange and Caty Weaver¹³, who also was the producer.

Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC, VOA's radio magazine in Special English.

1 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。

2 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

3 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

6 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

7 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

8 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

9 helping   

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。

10 chapel   

n.小教堂，殡仪馆

参考例句：

• The nimble hero,skipped into a chapel that stood near.敏捷的英雄跳进近旁的一座小教堂里。
• She was on the peak that Sunday afternoon when she played in chapel.那个星期天的下午，她在小教堂的演出，可以说是登峰造极。

11 chapels   

n.小教堂， （医院、监狱等的）附属礼拜堂( chapel的名词复数 )；（在小教堂和附属礼拜堂举行的）礼拜仪式

参考例句：

• Both castles had their own chapels too, which was incredible to see. 两个城堡都有自己的礼拜堂，非常华美。 来自互联网
• It has an ambulatory and seven chapels. 它有一条走廊和七个小教堂。 来自互联网

12 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

13 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。