單身人士越來越多 但這卻是件好事
The 21st century is the age of living single.
21世紀是單身人士的年代。Today, the number of single adults in the U.S.-and many other nations around the world-is unprecedented. And the numbers don't just say people are staying single longer before settling down. More are staying single for life. A 2014 Pew Report estimates that by the time today's young adults reach the age of 50, about one in four of them will have never married.
如今，美國及世界各地其他國家的單身人士數量前所未有。這些數字並非說明在安家立業之前，人們的單身生活會更久。越來越多的人單身是爲了享受生活。2014年，一項皮尤報告估計：當如今的年輕人活到50歲時，他們中約四分之一的人沒有結過婚。The ascendancy of single living has left some in a panic. US News & World Report, for example, cautioned that Americans think the country's moral values are bad and getting worse, and one of the top reasons for their concern is the large number of people remaining single.
單身生活的優勢讓某些人感到恐慌。比如，美國新聞和世界報道提醒道：美國人認爲他們國家的道德價值觀不正，而且還越來越糟，而這一擔心的最主要原因是因爲一大批人都保持單身。
But instead of fretting, maybe we should celebrate. Don't rush into choosing a mate just because it's Valentine's Day.
但是不要擔心，或許我們應該慶祝這一現狀。千萬不要因爲情人節即將來臨就急匆匆的找個對象。
I'm a social scientist, and I've spent the past two decades researching and writing about single people. I've found that the rise of single living is a boon to our cities and towns and communities, our relatives and friends and neighbors. This trend has the chance to redefine the traditional meaning-and confines-of home, family and community.
我是位社會科學家，過去20年，我一直都在研究單身人士，並進行寫作。我發現，單身人士越來越多是對我們城市、城鎮、社區、親戚、朋友、鄰居的一種恩惠。這一趨勢可能會重新定義家、家庭和社區的傳統意義，併爲這些概念界定界限。Ties That Bind
綁定人們的紐帶For years, communities across the country have been organized by clusters of nuclear families living in suburban homes. But there are some signs that this arrangement isn't working out so well.
多年來，全國的社區都由一羣生活在郊區的核心家庭組成。但有些跡象卻表明這一安排並沒有帶來多好的效果。These houses are often too isolating-too far from work and from one another. According to a national survey ongoing since 1974, Americans have never been less likely to be friends with their neighbors than they are now, with neighborliness lowest in the suburbs.
這些家庭通常都十分孤立--遠離自己的辦公地點，遠離彼此。一項自1974年就開始進行的全國調查顯示，美國人與自己的鄰居成爲朋友的可能性達史上最低，而在郊區，與鄰居成爲朋友更不可能。But studies have also shown that single people are bucking those trends. For example, they are more likely than married people to encourage, help and socialize with their friends and neighbors. They are also more likely to visit, support, advise and stay in touch with their siblings and parents. In fact, people who live alone are often the life of their cities and towns. They tend to participate in more civic groups and public events, enroll in more art and music classes, and go out to dinner more often than people who live with others.
但一些研究也表明：單身人士正在抵制這些趨勢。比如，相比已婚人士，他們更容易鼓勵、幫助自己的朋友和鄰居，與他們來往。他們也更可能拜訪、支持、建議和聯繫自己的兄弟姐妹及父母。事實上，獨自生活的人士通常都住在城市和城鎮。相比已經成家的人士，他們往往能加入更多的公民團體，參與更多的公衆事件，報名更多的藝術音樂課程，出去吃飯的次數也更爲頻繁。
