外國人最想和你聊的文化話題：剩男剩女

     When you are young your standards are set very high, however, as you age, you will have to lower your standards a bit and a bit and a bit.
     當你還年輕的時候，你的擇偶標準定得很高，但是隨著年紀的增長，你不得不一點點把標準降低。
     Because there is no love experience, the skills with the opposite sex are lacked. On the other hand, the degree of understanding of the opposite sex is also very low.
     因為沒有戀愛經(jīng)驗，故而缺乏跟異性交往的技巧。同時，這類女人對異性的了解度也相當?shù)汀?br />      Is it false to be the fascinating and brilliant "remainder"?
     漂亮有才的"剩女"，難道是一種錯？
     One of our reasons for staying single is that you can afford to wait for your true soul mate (if one even exists) to pop into the picture.
     單身理由之一，你可以等待，直到真正的心靈伴侶出現(xiàn)（如果存在的話）。
     You can take the time to casually wade through the barracudainfested waters of the dating pool and set your hook for the prize catch.
     面對遍布荊棘的婚姻之路，你可以耐下性子，放長線，釣大魚。
     You're single-a heat-seeking bachelor, committed to no one in particular, able to party like John Belushi and sleep until noon with no one underfoot to tell you to do otherwise. It's a great life, and why shouldn't it be?
     假設你是單身--一個熱衷艷遇的單身漢，那么你既不需要向誰負責，又可以像John Belushi那樣狂歡，還可以一覺睡到自然醒，太陽照到屁股也沒人管。多美妙的生活啊，難道不是么？
     It's sad to say, but too many guys get hitched for the wrong reasons, like they've reached a certain age, all of their friends are getting married, and they haven't been successful at dating and this woman is the first to show interest.
     很遺憾的是，有太多人因為錯誤的原因選擇結婚。比如說，到了某個年齡，或是朋友們都結了婚，又或是情場屢屢失意后終于碰上一個對自己表現(xiàn)出興趣的女人。
     Our No. 2 reason for staying single is that you can enjoy the opportunity of building your career without draining the tons of energy a permanent relationship entails.
     單身理由之二，你可以盡情打拼事業(yè)，無需為婚姻心力交瘁。
     You remain free to put in long hours, work on the weekends or do whatever else you have to do to be successful.
     你可以投入大把時間，在周末工作，或是做那些可以讓你有所成就的事情。
     This is especially true if you're working in any kind of timedemanding field, such as medicine, law or entrepreneurship.
     尤其當你的工作很費時間，例如從醫(yī)、從事法律工作或是做企業(yè)家，這一條就更加重要。
     A woman's experience could be turbulent, but the woman's state of mind absolutely must be simple.
     女人的經(jīng)歷可以滄桑，但女人的心態(tài)絕對要保有純真。
     The more obedient daughters are, the more often there is no perfect life, especially the marital problems. The more the parents involve in the children, the greater the chances of unhappiness are.
     越是聽話的女兒，往往越?jīng)]有完滿的人生，尤其是婚姻問題。父母參與越多，下一代不幸福的幾率越大。
     Marriage isn't love but the combination of other conditions. Though it's sharp, it's true.
     婚姻不單單意味著愛情，它是各種條件加減乘除后的產(chǎn)物。這話聽起來挺薄情，但事實的確如此。
     When you're single, the world is your oyster.
     如果你是單身，那么整個世界盡在掌握。
     You can pick up and go anywhere you want, do anything you want, any time you want.
     不論何時何地，你可以從心所欲。
     No one is in the background nagging at you to do chores, go shopping, or "grow up".
     沒人催著你干家務或去逛街，也沒人要你"別耍孩子氣"。
     You're absolutely free to hang out with your buddies, party until dawn and find plenty of time for your personal interests and hobbies.
     你可以盡情和弟兄們出去狂歡至天明，留出足夠的時間從事興趣愛好。
     Best of all, you have the luxury of being all by yourself, if you feel like it.
     最妙的是，你可以做你喜歡的自己。
     Staying single means not being forced into buying a 10,000-megawatt diamond ring (so your finace can impress her friends with the huge price tag) or any of the other bloodsucking financial drains that marriage entails, for that matter.
     堅持單身，意味著你不必硬著頭皮去買天價鉆石（以便你的未婚妻在朋友面前炫耀），也免得被婚姻慢慢榨干血汗錢。
     By staying single, you're not legally or financially obligated to anyone but yourself.
     堅持單身，在金錢和法律方面你只需對自己負責。
     But once you John Hancock the dotted line on that marriage contract, she has you by the balls forever.
     而一旦在那張白紙上簽下黑字，她這輩子就都靠你養(yǎng)了。
     Another reason for staying single is that being alone means peace and quiet.
     另一個單身理由是，你可以享受到寧靜。
     And, of course, there are no fights.
     此外，沒有爆發(fā)戰(zhàn)爭的危險。