《中英對照讀新聞》In speed-dating, size really matters -survey 調查：在快速約會，大小真的很重要

◎鄭寺音

Walk tall-it’s the short cut to success at speed-dating. In what is billed as the first study of its kind, two academics at a British university found there is no short cut to true love.

走路時挺直腰桿，這是快速約會成功的捷徑。在號稱是同類型之先的研究中，一個英國大學的兩名學者發現，真愛無捷徑。

They calculated that for every inch taller a man is than his speed-dating rivals, the number of women who want to meet him goes up by about five percent.

他們推測，男性身高比快速約會的敵手每高一英寸，女性想要跟他們會面的比率，就會增加約5％。

Reducing the magical chemistry of love at first sight to a set of complicated equations, researchers Michele Belot and Marco Francesconi analysed the choices made by 1,800 men and 1,800 women at 84 speed-dating events across Britain.

把一見鍾情的神奇化學作用，轉為一組複雜的方程式，研究人員碧羅與法蘭西斯科尼分析1800名男性與1800名女性，在英國各地84次快速約會中所做的選擇。

Each hopeful pays about 20 pounds and has just three minutes to convince a possible partner of the opposite sex.

每個候選人付20英鎊，只有3分鐘，說服一名異性當他的伴侶。

The conclusion of the University of Essex study was blunt and to the point： "Women prefer men who are young and tall, while men are more attracted to women who are young and thin."

這份艾塞克斯大學的研究結論，直截了當且一針見血：「女性偏好年輕高大的男性，男性則較受年輕纖瘦的女性吸引。」

But, in the unforgiving numbers game of love, age is crucial. Each extra year, in comparison with others in the speed-dating group, reduces a man’s chance of finding a partner by four percent. For women it is five percent.

但在愛情遊戲的無情數字中，年齡卻是至關重要。與快速約會族群中的其他人相比，男性每多一歲，找到伴侶的機會就會降低4％，女性則降低5％。

新聞辭典

walk tall 挺直腰桿，表現自信。

例句：You’d have more chance of success if you’d stand tall.如果你挺直腰桿，表現自信，你會有更多機會成功。

go up 增加。

例句：The average cost of a new house has gone up by 5% to £76500.新房子的平均價格上漲了5％，來到7萬6500英鎊。

reduce to 使變為。

例句：The fire reduced the paintings to ashes.大火將這些畫作燒成了灰燼。