《参考消息》2006年7月24日第8版：外来新娘改变台湾人口结构《基督教科学箴言报》2006年7月21日文章：跨境婚姻小镇Backstory: A town of foreign marriages
By Simon Montlake | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
SHIHDING, TAIWAN – From theb_______①street outside, Tsai Huang-jin's one-room noodle shop looks like any other no-nonsenseeatery[1]in this tiny village.
（1）But to the Vietnamese wives in this mountain town, it offers a taste of home: iced coffee blended with sweetened milk, chased by a steaming bowl of Vietnamese soup.It's where they go to relax and share stories of married life in Taiwan.
Over the past decade, 187 sons of Shihding (population: 7,800) have brought home a foreign bride, part of a wave of marriages that is reshaping Taiwan's demographics.__________________.（对于外埠新娘们来说，这不失为一个摆脱贫困的好办法。）
Last year, 1 in 5 marriages in Taiwan were to a foreigner. Most were to women from Mainland China, Vietnam, and other Southeast Asian countries who met their husbands through marriageb_______②.Dozens of agencies in Taiwan offer foreign tours for men to pick a bride. Since 1987, Taiwan has registered more than 370,000 marriages to foreigners.
（2）In recent decades, Taiwan's expanding economy has absorbed a female workforce that is increasingly educated and assertive[2].Women are delaying getting married - the average bride is 29 - and having fewer children.
As a result, fewer women want to marry into traditional families in rural towns like Shihding. Childless men are instead traveling overseas to find a bride who will keep house and bear children withoutc_______③.
Once in Taiwan, foreign brides must contend with culture shock, family politics, and social isolation, as well as homesickness. （3）Some struggle to send money home to their families, often rebuffed[3] by their husbands who control the purse strings.
（4）Friction between foreign brides and their extended families is common, particularly if they don't speak a common language.By one estimate, 40 percent of the marriages break down within five years.
NOTES:
[1]eatery n.餐馆，食堂
[2]assertive adj.断定的，过分自信的
[3]rebuff v.回绝
WORDS FOCUS:
与“marry”有关的词汇：
wedding（the ceremony at which people get married）婚礼
bride（the woman who is getting married）新娘
bridegroom/groom（the man who is getting married）新郎
the best man（a friend of the groom, who helps him and gives a speech）男傧相
bridesmaid（a woman or girl who helps the bride）女傧相
matron of honor（a married woman who helps the bride on her wedding day）首席伴娘（已婚）
reception（the meal after the wedding）婚礼后的宴会
honeymoon（the holiday that people go on after they get married）蜜月
hen night（BrE）/bridal shower（AmE）（a party before the wedding for the bride）婚礼前为新娘举行的聚会
stag night（BrE）/bachelor party（AmE）（a party before the wedding for the groom）婚礼前为新郎举行的聚会，只限男子，不带女伴
propose（to ask someone to marry you）求婚
get engaged（to formally aGREe to marry each other）订婚
试一试：
1．根据首字母提示和译文，填入适当单词：
①From theb_______street outside（从熙熙攘攘的大街上看）
②through marriageb_______（通过婚姻介绍所）
③keep house and bear children withoutc_______（心甘情愿操持家务和生儿育女）
参考答案：
①busy ②brokers ③complaint
2．翻译划线部分英文：
参考答案：
（1）但是，对于这个山区小镇里的越南妇女来说，这里有一种家的味道：混有甜牛奶的冰咖啡和热腾腾的越南汤都会让她们想起家乡。
（2）近几十年来，台湾不断发展的经济吸引了越来越多受过良好教育的自信女性加入到劳动力大军当中。
（3）有些人想寄点钱回家，经常会遭到执掌家庭财政大权的丈夫的断然拒绝。
（4）外埠新娘与她们嫁入的大家庭之间发生矛盾是非常普遍的事情，尤其是当他们语言不通的时候。
3．根据译文，写出句子：
参考译文：For the foreign brides, it’s a path out of poverty.（是不是您的翻译与原文相去甚远，这不奇怪，同一意思表达方式成千上万，只要您愿意尝试学习作者的用法，您就达到学习的目的了。）
外来新娘改变台湾人口结构
2023-01-07英汉翻译
