中國網(wǎng)站品牌欄目（頻道）
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 An image of Japanese in dating. In search of Mr. or Mrs. Right, dozens of Japanese are attending a newly launched school in Tokyo that aims to turn them into marriage material.
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In search of Mr. or Mrs. Right, dozens of Japanese are attending a newly launched school in Tokyo that aims to turn them into marriage material. The Infini school offers various classes for wannabe brides and grooms at a time when many people in Japan are either shunning the institution of marriage or are finding it very difficult to hook up with a partner. The school, which is open to men and women, teaches students how to talk, walk and present themselves elegantly in a bid to capture the hearts and minds of prospective partners and their parents, who are often a major obstacle to successful unions. Infini, which opened last month, now has about 30 female students. An almost equal number of males has signed up, but those who actually turn up to class are much fewer than their female counterparts. "I had never even thought that my boyfriend's mother could play such a big role in my relationship, but now I've realized I need to start thinking seriously about how to impress my futurein-laws," said Kozue Sugawara, 29, who joined the school after her previous marriage plans failed. With women wielding increased economic clout and changing social attitudes toward marriage, more Japanese in their 20s and 30s are single than ever before. Government statistics show nearly two-thirds of women under the age of 34 are unmarried, despite some 3,800 firms in Japan offering match-making services. The average age of the school's female students is 30 years. "Before, people would find it easy to get married because families and society would connect them in some way, sometimes pushing them to get married. But nowadays, people have too many choices and cannot seem to make up their minds," said Etsuko Satake, principal of the Infini marriage prep school. Instructors provide critiques about students' dress, posture and even details such as how they cross their legs or get out of a car. Men and women are taught different skills, which range from how to set a table well to how to be more emotionally expressive. Students also simulate dates, during which their instructors grade their performance and point out what they did wrong. The school charges an annual fee of 200,000 yen ($2,217) for unlimited access to its classes. (Read by Renee Haines. Renee Haines is a multimedia journalist at the China Daily Web site.) (Agencies) |
日本東京新開辦的一所結(jié)婚學(xué)校正受到很多單身男女們的追捧，這所學(xué)校的目的是把他們打造成“良夫賢妻”。 眼下很多日本人逃避婚姻，或覺得很難找到另一半。而這所Infini學(xué)校則專門為想結(jié)婚的男女們提供各種課程。 該校招收男女學(xué)員，主要教授學(xué)員如何使自己言行、舉止、儀態(tài)得體，以贏得對方及其父母的好感。在日本，父母的意見在男女雙方的關(guān)系中起到很大的作用。 Infini學(xué)校于上月開課，目前約有30名女學(xué)員。報(bào)名的男學(xué)員也差不多有30人，但來上課的男學(xué)員數(shù)量比女學(xué)員少得多。 29歲的田梢菅原在幾次結(jié)婚計(jì)劃失敗后上了Infini學(xué)校。她說：“我之前從沒想過男朋友的媽媽會在我們兩人的關(guān)系中起那么大作用，現(xiàn)在我才意識到我要開始認(rèn)真考慮如何打動男方家人了。” 隨著女性經(jīng)濟(jì)地位的提高和社會對婚姻觀念的轉(zhuǎn)變，日本20多歲和30多歲的單身男女比過去任何時(shí)候都要多。 政府統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)據(jù)顯示，日本34歲以下的女性中，有三分之二的人未婚，盡管日本有大約3800家婚介服務(wù)公司。 該校女學(xué)員的平均年齡為30歲。 Infini結(jié)婚預(yù)備學(xué)校校長佐竹悅子說：“過去，人們覺得結(jié)婚并不難，因?yàn)榧彝ズ蜕鐣偸窍敕皆O(shè)法為他們牽線搭橋，有時(shí)還會逼婚。但現(xiàn)在，人們的選擇太多，很多人似乎難以下決心。” 學(xué)校的指導(dǎo)老師會對學(xué)員的穿著、姿態(tài)，甚至如何交叉雙腿，如何下車等細(xì)節(jié)問題提出建議。男女學(xué)員學(xué)習(xí)的課程不同，從如何擺桌子到如何更好地表達(dá)情感等的一系列方面。 指導(dǎo)老師還讓學(xué)員們模擬約會場景，在此過程中對學(xué)生的表現(xiàn)進(jìn)行打分，并指出不足。 學(xué)校的學(xué)費(fèi)為每年20萬日元（合2217美元），上課次數(shù)不限。 相關(guān)閱讀 數(shù)學(xué)家發(fā)明求婚公式 算出最佳求婚時(shí)間 （中國日報(bào)網(wǎng)英語點(diǎn)津 Julie 編輯蔡姍姍） |
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Vocabulary: hook up with：take in marriage（結(jié)婚，與某人來往） in-law：a relative by marriage（姻親，親家） clout：pull; strong influence（影響力，勢力） |
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