《中英對照讀新聞》Most Europeans want two kids but… 多數歐洲人想生兩個孩子，但是…

◎陳成良

Most European couples would on average like at least two children but end up having only one because of worries about financial costs, a European Union study showed.

一份歐洲聯盟的研究指出，多數歐洲夫婦平均想生至少2個孩子，但顧慮到財務開銷，最後只生1個。

The study, funded by the EU Commission and based on data from 30,000 people in 14 European countries, said that more than half of all those questioned-male or female-wanted to have two or more children.

這份由歐盟執委會資助、根據14個歐洲國家3萬人的資料所進行的研究指出，所有受訪的人（男性或女性）當中，逾半數表示希望生2個或更多孩子。

But it said many stopped after one child because they did not want to see a decline in their standard of living. Couples desiring more than two children lived in Cyprus and Poland as well as Finland,Estonia, Lithuania, Hungary and the Netherlands.

但報告說，許多人生下1個孩子後就不再生，因為他們不希望生活水準因而降低。想生2個以上小孩的夫婦住在塞浦路斯、波蘭，以及芬蘭、愛沙尼亞、立陶宛、匈牙利與荷蘭等國。

But the report said people in Germany, Italy,Austria and Belgium and the Czech Republic were happy with just one child. In fact, in Germany and the Netherlands, a large number of people did not want children at all.

不過這份報告說，德國、義大利、奧地利、比利時及捷克等國民眾對只生1個孩子已心滿意足。事實上，在德國和荷蘭有很多人根本不想生孩子。

The study said that the declining importance attached to marriage and the rise in divorce rates did not necessarily translate into fewer births.

這份報告指出，婚姻的重要性逐漸降低，以及離婚率上升，不見得會導致出生率降低。

新聞辭典

average：平均、平均數。An average of two students are absent each day.（每天平均有兩個學生缺席。）文中on average是片語，「平均而言」。above average ，一般水準之上，below average，一般水準之下。

divorce：名詞，離婚。 Their marriage ended in divorce.（他們的婚姻以離婚收場。）divorce也可當及物動詞，用法如：Mr. Hill divorced his wife at the age of 70. （希爾先生70歲時與妻子離婚。）

attach：使依附、使附屬（+to）。This hospital is attached to the medical college nearby. （這家醫院附屬附近的那所醫學院。）