日"口罩相亲"杜绝外貌党

 　　当我们还停留在看脸的世界，花痴地说着“你那么好看，说什么都是对的”的时候，日本单身族已经走上了寻找“灵魂伴侣”的道路。东京一家婚恋公司日前推出“口罩相亲”活动，参与男女必须戴上大号医用口罩，以便了解彼此的“内在”，而非只看“颜值”。

　　Looks aren't everything. At least, that's what one Japanese dating service is trying to prove - by requiring participants in speed dating sessions to wear white surgical¹ masks.

　　颜值非一切。至少，一家日本婚恋服务公司正力图通过要求参与速配活动的人带上白色医用口罩，来证明这件事。

　　"In order to achieve marriage, it is important to provide chances to know a partner's personality and values in the early stages," said Kei Matsumura, head of Tokyo dating service Def Anniversary.

　　婚恋机构Def Annivesary株式会社的社长松村佳依认为，“为了步入婚姻，在相识初期，提供机会了解伴侣的性格和价值观很重要。”

　　口罩相亲

　　"We chose surgical masks as an essential tool for that."

　　“我们选择把医用口罩作为这样做的一个必要工具。”

　　White surgical masks covering most of the face are common sights in Japan, where people don them to avoid catching² diseases, keep out pollen³ and, sometimes, just to keep their faces warm. Some women also opt⁴ for a mask on days when they haven't worn makeup⁵.

　　在日本，用白色医用口罩遮挡脸的大部分是很常见的景象，人们戴口罩是为了避免感染疾病、阻挡花粉，有时仅仅是为了脸部保暖。有些女性也在素颜的时候选择戴口罩。

　　"Since I wasn't judged by my appearance, I think I was able to be more outgoing with women," said 28-year-old Yasumasu Kishi at a weekend speed dating event for 19 men and 18 women.

　　28岁的岸康增参加了一场19位男士、18位女士参与的周末速配活动，他说：“因为不以长相作判断标准，我想我能在女性面前更开朗。”

　　Dating services are booming in Japan as young people shy from tying the knot. The marriage rate has plunged⁶ by 50 percent over the last 40 years, from 10.1 per thousand in 1975 to 5.1 per thousand in 2014, according to a Health Ministry⁷ survey.

　　因为年轻人对于结婚这件事很害羞，使得婚恋服务在日本相当繁荣。根据日本卫生部的调查，在过去40年里，日本的结婚率下降了50%多，1975年的结婚率为1.01%，到2014年为0.51%。

　　Young people brought up in the digital era find face-to-face encounters daunting⁸ in ultra-polite Japan, while long work hours add still another hurdle⁹. These make konkatsu - active "marriage seeking activity" - often the only option.

　　数字时代下长大的年轻人发现，在日本这个非常有礼貌的国家，面对面的接触让他们胆怯，而长时间的工作又为此设置了一个障碍。这让“猎婚”——定期参加“征婚活动”常常成为唯一的选择。

　　"I think I was able to find out more about their inner selves and not just judge them by their looks," said Chiharu Tsukahara, a 28-year-old office worker.

　　28岁的白领冢原千春称，“我想我能够更了解他们的内在，而不是仅仅以貌取人。”

　　"In this event, personality matters. I quite liked that," she added as she prepared to leave with Kishi and two friends for another date. This time, masks were optional.

　　“在这场活动中，性格真的很重要。我非常喜欢这点。”她还表示准备与岸和两位朋友参加下次约会。这次活动，口罩不是强制的。

1 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。

2 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

3 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

4 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

5 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

6 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

8 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

9 hurdle   

n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛

参考例句：

• The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍，所以我必须要作好准备。
• She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。