英语听力—环球英语 632 I Want to Get Married

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Liz Waid.
Voice 2
And I'm Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Ola is a young woman living in Egypt. She is about 30 years old, and people have been telling her to get married. A man visits her house. He wants to marry Ola. Some people say that he is the perfect man. He looks beautiful, he has a good job, and he lives in the country of Italy. Ola believes that she may be in love with him. She may finally get married! But then she discovers a problem. The man is already married to an Italian woman! The man's mother explains that she wants him to take a second wife. Egyptian Islamic law permits² the man to have four wives. That way, the mother says, he will spend more time in Egypt. Ola is very angry! This is not what she expected at all! Ola and her mother throw the man out of their house.
Voice 2
This short story is from a television program called "I Want To Get Married." This show is based on a book. And the book is based on an internet blog by Ghada Abdul-Aal. She writes about her experiences as a young woman looking for a husband. On today's Spotlight we look at Abdul-Aal's writing and why it is so popular among young people.
Voice 1
In any culture, there are many traditions young people follow to get married. Traditionally³ in Egypt, everything a young man and woman need for their new marriage must be purchased before they get married. This means⁴ everything must be new, even things like clothes and furniture. It also means that the newly⁵ married young people must have a place to live - a house or apartment. Traditionally, the man pays for these things. Then, there is also the money for the big wedding parties and the wedding itself. For some people these things may cost more than 15 times the money they make in a year!
Voice 2
Many young people in Egypt just do not have the money to meet these traditional needs. Information from Egypt's Population Council⁶ shows that many young men are not employed. Housing⁷ prices are also currently⁸ very high in Egypt. And there are few houses available. These conditions make many young people in Egypt afraid of their futures⁹. Men may save their money until they have enough to marry. But this may take a few years.
Voice 1
Economic conditions cause some of these problems. But many people also blame women for this problem. They say that women are being too choosey about who they are going to marry. Women want to have a say in who they marry. And they are demanding better qualities in the men they agree to marry. Some people say these are new things that women are requiring.
Voice 2
Ghada Abdul-Aal is a medical professional¹⁰. She has earned a pharmacy¹¹ degree. And she is 31 years old and she is not married yet. This, she says, is a real problem. And it is a real problem many young people like her face. Abdul-Aal talked to Deborah Amos of NPR. She described the pressure on young people.
Voice 3
"Yes, the problem starts just after we graduate college. And it goes until you are 30. And 30 is like a death sentence for single women. That is especially true in my home town because it is small and conservative¹². And when you are 30, it is like people mark you as a failure, or pathetic¹³ or ugly or whatever."
Voice 2
And she says the pressure to get married begins even when girls are very young. She also talked to Magdi Abdelhadi from BBC¹⁴ News. Abdul-Aal said:
Voice 3
"They ask young girls here when they are three or four, who would you like to marry? They plant the idea that your only purpose in life is to get married. Even after she goes to school they tell her that a girl's only future is in her husband's home. So what happens when a girl for any reason cannot get married? Should she set fire to herself?"
Voice 1
Abdul-Aal began her blog in 2006. She used the blog to tell about her experiences finding¹⁵ a husband. Often her blog is very funny. She makes fun of herself and the situations she lives through. She says this is a very popular way of dealing¹⁶ with problems in Egypt. But the blog also deals with the very serious subject of finding a partner to marry - a person to share your life with.
Voice 2
One problem Abdul-Aal wrote about was the Egyptian tradition called "Gawaaz al-salonat." In this custom, a man comes to visit a woman at her home. The man, the woman, and both sets of parents meet for a short time. After this time, a woman answers if she will marry the man or not. Usually everyone wants the woman to accept the man very quickly - even if she does not necessarily¹⁷ like him. But Abdul-Aal thinks this is too short a time to make such a big decision. She told NPR,
Voice 3
"Sometimes, when you ask for more time, he will be angry. He will think 'Why do you need more time? Can you not see I am perfect? Can you not see I am great? What else do you need? I am God's gift to women. I am a man; I have an apartment; I have a job. How can you say no?'"
Voice 1
Women and men both see themselves in these experiences. In the television program "I Want To Get Married", the main character is Ola. Ola is a character based on Ghada. Ola is not just looking to get married. She also wants a GOOD husband. She wants a husband who will be a true partner and friend. Abdul-Aal told journalist Hadeel Al-Shalchi:
Voice 3
"If Ola's goal was just to get married, she would have accepted the first man to enter her life. But when she sees that he is not good, she refuses him and moves on. She is looking for someone who will help complete her life. Many women came up to me after I wrote the book. They see themselves in the main character."
Voice 2
The television program "I Want To Get Married" shows how women and men are finding their way through these new issues¹⁸ affecting marriage. It makes the point that women want to be involved in the marriage process. They do not just want their families to make the decision. They want to spend time with a man before they spend the rest of their lives together.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 permits   

许可( permit的名词复数 )； 许可证； 执照

参考例句：

• The building permits are granted by the City Building Department. 建筑许可证由城建局签发。
• This task permits (of) no delay. 这项任务不允许有任何耽搁。

3 traditionally   

adv.传说地；传统地

参考例句：

• Traditionally,people clean the house before the Spring Festival.传统上，人们在春节前打扫房子。
• Medicine is traditionally the first of the Nobel prizes awarded each year.根据传统，医学奖是诺贝尔奖每年颁发的第一个奖项。

4 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

5 newly   

adv.新近，最近；重新，再度；以新的方式

参考例句：

• Have you reviewed for this newly published novel?你给这本新出版的小说写书评了吗？
• It is a newly planted tree and it has not established yet.这是一颗新栽的树，还没有扎下根来。

6 council   

n.理事会，委员会，议事机构

参考例句：

• The town council passed a law forbidding the distribution of handbills.市议会通过法律，禁止散发传单。
• The city council has declared for improving the public bus system.市议会宣布同意改进公共汽车系统。

7 housing   

n.房屋，住宅；住房建筑；外壳，外罩

参考例句：

• Do you think our housing sales will turn around during this year?你认为今年我们的住宅销路会好转吗？
• The housing sales have been turning down since the summer.入夏以来，房屋的销售量日趋减少。

8 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

9 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。

10 professional   

adj.专业的；职业的；n.专业人员；职业运动员

参考例句：

• He is a professional tennis player.他是一名职业网球运动员。
• I need a professional to sort out my finances.我需要专业人士为我管理财务。

11 pharmacy   

n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品

参考例句：

• She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。

12 conservative   

adj.保守的，守旧的；n.保守的人，保守派

参考例句：

• He is a conservative member of the church.他是一个守旧教会教友。
• The young man is very conservative.这个年轻人很守旧。

13 pathetic   

adj.悲哀的，可怜的，感伤的，不足的，差强人意的

参考例句：

• The animal gave a pathetic little whimper.这只动物低声哀叫，令人怜悯。
• I refused to go along with their pathetic charade.我拒不跟他们摆出那副可悲的装模作样的姿态。

14 BBC   

abbr.（=British Broadcasting Corporation）英国广播公司

参考例句：

• She works for the BBC.她为英国广播公司工作。
• The BBC was founded in 1922.英国广播公司建于1922年。

15 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

16 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。

17 necessarily   

adv.必要地，必需地；必定地，必然地

参考例句：

• More work does not necessarily call for more men.增加工作量不一定就要增添人员。
• A voter must necessarily be no younger than eighteen.选民必须在18岁以上。

18 issues   

（水等的）流出( issue的名词复数 )； 出口； 放出； （特别重要或大众关注的）问题

参考例句：

• Let's start with the more easily addressable issues. 我们先从较容易处理的问题着手。
• Employment and taxation are the bread-and-butter issues of politics. 就业和征税是很重要的政治问题。