英国年轻人短信传情成时尚

 Text messages 'changing relationships'

    Mobile phone text messages are changing the way people approach romantic relationships， according to a survey published in the British newspaper The Times.

    More than half of mobile phone users aged¹ 18 to 24 have sent or received an invitation to a date via text message， while a similar number have exchanged sexually-explicit messages， the study by the London School of Economics showed.

    Just fifty-three per cent agreed that sending a flirtatious² message to someone while in a relationship was a form of cheating.

    "It acts as a kind of subliminal³ zone， an exclusive forum⁴ where the normal social rules are suspended，" said Kate Fox， director of the Social Issues Research Centre.

    "People often say things in texts which they would never say in 'real life'."

    "When it comes to dating， a text gives you that chance to compose your thoughts， rather than having to speak spontaneously in a phone call with that person，" she said.

    The survey also found that 54 percent of women under 25 used their mobile phone in public to deter⁵ people from approaching them.

    British mobile phone users send an average of 3.6 text messages and make 2.8 phone calls a day. Fifty-one percent of the 16，500 respondents sent at least six text messages a day but only 15 percent made six or more mobile phone calls in a day.

    （Agencies）

    Vocabulary：

    text message： 短信

    subliminal： 潜意识的

    英国《泰晤士报》公布的一项调查结果显示，手机短信正在改变人们谈情说爱的方式。

    这项由伦敦经济学院所做的调查表明，在18至24岁的手机用户中，一半以上的人通过手机短信发出或收到约会邀请，同时，另有一半多的人发过色情短信。

    而仅有53％的人认为背着恋人给其他人发挑逗短信是对情侣不忠的一种表现。

    社会事务研究中心主任凯特。福克斯说：“手机短信好比一个潜意识地带，在这个特殊的区域里，正常的社会法则都不起作用了。”

    “人们常会在短信里说那些他们在‘现实生活’中永远不可能说的话。”

    她说：“说到约会，发短信可以让你整理好想要表达的意思，不像在打电话时只能临时发挥。”

    同时，调查发现，在25岁以下的女性中，有54％在公共场所使用手机是为了防止别人靠近她们。

    英国的手机用户平均每天发3.6条短信，打2.8个手机电话。在16500名调查对象中，有51％的人一天至少发六条短信，而只有15％的人在一天内用手机打六个或更多电话

1 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

2 flirtatious   

adj.爱调情的，调情的，卖俏的

参考例句：

• a flirtatious young woman 卖弄风情的年轻女子
• Her flirtatious manners are intended to attract. 她的轻浮举止是想引人注意。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 subliminal   

adj.下意识的，潜意识的；太弱或太快以至于难以觉察的

参考例句：

• Maybe they're getting it on a subliminal level.也许他们会在潜意识里这么以为。
• The soft sell approach gets to consumers in a subliminal way.软广告通过潜意识的作用来影响消费者。

4 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

5 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。