美国国家公共电台 NPR Hooking Up Gets Easier To Do In Saudi Arabia

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

In Saudi Arabia, there are rules about how to interact with people of the opposite sex, which can make dating sort of hard or impossible. That could be changing, though. Here's NPR's Jackie Northam.

JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE¹: The White Foam² Cafe in Riyadh is a cheery little place with wooden tables and chairs. It has a good reputation for its fair trade coffees and vegan desserts. It's also well-known for something else.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: This is one of the really famous dating places here. I dated my fiance lot here.

NORTHAM: This 29-year-old smiles as she remembers the time. She's wearing stylish³ shoes and an abaya, a floor-length cloak. But her thick, flowing hair is not covered. She doesn't want us to use her name for fear her family would find out.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Before, it was kind of a taboo⁴ to be seen with a man who's not your relative.

NORTHAM: She says that doesn't mean people didn't date, but they had to be careful and devise ways to meet. A man would write his phone number on a piece of paper and drop it on the ground near a woman he's interested in. It could get more aggressive, though. This woman recalls several times when a car filled with young Saudi men would pull up next to hers.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: And then they would just, like, ask you to open the window. If you don't open, they would go to the driver and fight with him until they force you to take the number. What the hell? You expect me to call you? But they just do that.

NORTHAM: She says it's so much easier now. Many women are in the workforce⁵. There's more mixing between genders⁶. Indeed, as she sips⁷ her French press coffee, a young man sitting at the table behind her moves over to talk to three young women sitting at another table.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: I've seen girls who are proactive, and if they like a guy, they would go to him. And that's happening a lot right now. Girls are becoming more powerful.

NORTHAM: Others are unsettled by it. A few days later, we spoke⁸ to a young man in a different area of Riyadh. He also doesn't want us to use his name. His family would be angry with him for talking to the foreign press.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: I'm sort of weirded out that girls are more active in pursuing men. You know, I've been catcalled, believe it or not.

NORTHAM: The 26-year-old is wearing a thobe, a long, white gown. He says he's a traditionalist. He's never had a girlfriend. His friends tell him he's old-fashioned.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Girls are encouraging me to get into the dating scene, which is - wow. You know, that's something out of a episode of "Girls" on HBO or something like that, you know. That's not something that happens in Riyadh.

NORTHAM: Riyadh is a famously conservative city. We traveled to a place a little less strict.

(SOUNDBITE OF WAVES)

NORTHAM: Waves roll in from the Red Sea and splash against the corniche here in the western port city of Jiddah. This is where young people will stroll along the waterfront at day's end. Jiddah is a laid-back city with vibrant⁹ arts and culture. We met up with 23-year-old Khulood in a cafe. She says she's active on the dating scene. She asked that we don't use her last name just in case her parents find out.

KHULOOD: You can't tell your parents that you're dating someone. It's fine to tell your friends, but not your parents. So always keep it a secret.

NORTHAM: Khulood says she uses Tinder, the dating app. Instead of a photo of herself, she used a picture she painted. Deema Najim, a 21-year-old student and a budding filmmaker, is horrified¹⁰ by the idea of using Tinder.

DEEMA NAJIM: Hell no. (Laughter) No, no, no, no, no, no. I'm really sorry. Like, no offense¹¹ for anyone, but most of them are players. If I'm going to date, I'm going to seek for someone who's serious.

NORTHAM: Which just goes to show you, it may be more acceptable now, but dating in Saudi Arabia can be just as confounding and complicated as anywhere else in the world. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Jiddah.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 foam   

v./n.泡沫，起泡沫

参考例句：

• The glass of beer was mostly foam.这杯啤酒大部分是泡沫。
• The surface of the water is full of foam.水面都是泡沫。

3 stylish   

adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的

参考例句：

• He's a stylish dresser.他是个穿着很有格调的人。
• What stylish women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world.巴黎女性时装往往会引导世界时装潮流。

4 taboo   

n.禁忌，禁止接近，禁止使用；adj.禁忌的；v.禁忌，禁制，禁止

参考例句：

• The rude words are taboo in ordinary conversation.这些粗野的字眼在日常谈话中是禁忌的。
• Is there a taboo against sex before marriage in your society?在你们的社会里，婚前的性行为犯禁吗？

5 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

6 genders   

n.性某些语言的（阳性、阴性和中性，不同的性有不同的词尾等）( gender的名词复数 )；性别；某些语言的（名词、代词和形容词）性的区分

参考例句：

• There are three genders in German: masculine, feminine and neuter. 德语中有叁性：阳性、阴性和中性。 来自辞典例句
• Japan was fourth among the genders of foreign students. 日本在二十个留美学生输送地中列第四位。 来自互联网

7 sips   

n.小口喝，一小口的量( sip的名词复数 )v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• You must administer them slowly, allowing the child to swallow between sips. 你应慢慢给药，使小儿在吸吮之间有充分的时间吞咽。 来自辞典例句
• Emission standards applicable to preexisting stationary sources appear in state implementation plans (SIPs). 在《州实施计划》中出现了固定污染的排放标准。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

10 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

11 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。