標(biāo)題

• More and More People Dine Alone
• 越來越多人選擇一個人吃飯

正文

Marian Bechtel sits at West Palm Beach's Bar Louie counter by herself, quietly reading her e-book as she waits for her salad.

瑪麗安貝克特爾獨自一人坐在 West Palm Beach's Louie 酒吧的吧臺上，安靜地閱讀電子書，等待她點的沙拉。

What is she reading? None of your business! Lunch is Bechtel's 'me' time. And like more Americans, she's not alone.A new report found 46 percent of meals areeaten alone in America.

你問她在讀什么？這和你沒關(guān)系！吃午飯的時候是貝克特爾的私人時間，一個新的報告表明，在美國有46%的人像她一樣喜歡一個人吃飯。

More than half (53 percent) have breakfast alone and nearly half (46 percent) have lunch by themselves.Only at dinnertime are we eating together anymore, 74percent, according to statistics from the report.

據(jù)統(tǒng)計：超過一半的人（53%）一個人吃早餐，接近一半的人（46%）一個人吃午餐，只有在吃晚餐的時候有74%的較多的人愿意和其他人一起進餐。

'I prefer to go out and be out. Alone, but together, you know?' Bechtel said, looking up from her book.Bechtel, who works in downtown West Palm（棕櫚樹） Beach, has lunch with coworkers sometimes, but like many of us, too often works through lunch at her desk.

“你知道嗎，我更喜歡一個人外出而不是和其他人一起”貝克特爾說，將目光從書中移開。她在西棕櫚灘的市中心工作，她有時候會和同事一起吃飯，但是和我們大多數(shù)人一樣，她也經(jīng)常因為工作太多就直接在辦公桌上吃午餐。

A lunchtime escape allows her to keep a boss from tapping her on the shoulder. She returns to work feeling energized.'Today, I just wanted some time to myself,' she said.

在吃午飯的私人時間可以避免受到老板的打擾，然后又能滿血復(fù)活繼續(xù)開始下午的工作，“今天，我只想要有一些我自己的時間”她說。

Just two seats over, Andrew Mazoleny, a local videographer, is finishing his lunch at the bar.He likes that he can sit and check his phone in peace or chat up the barkeeper with whom he's on a first-name basis if he wants to have a little interaction（交流）.

在只相隔兩個位置的座位，安德魯馬佐里尼就坐在那里，他是當(dāng)?shù)氐碾娨曚浵裰谱魅?，剛在酒吧吃完里午餐。他喜歡坐在這里安靜地看會手機，或者和隨叫隨到的酒保聊會天。

'I reflect on how my day's gone and think about the rest of the week,' he said. 'It's a chance for self-reflection. You return to work recharged and with a plan.'

“我會回想今天是怎么度過的，在想一下下周有什么安排。”他說“這是一個很好的自我反省的機會，當(dāng)你再回到工作的時候又會充滿精神，而且不是漫無目的的工作”

That freedom to choose is one reason more people like to eat alone.There was a time when people may have felt awkward about asking for a table for one, but those days are over.

很多人喜歡一個人吃飯其中有一個原因就是“自由”，曾經(jīng)會因為一個人坐一桌吃飯而尷尬的日子已經(jīng)一去不復(fù)返了。

Now, we have our smartphones to keep us company at the table.'It doesn't feel as alone as it may have before all the advances in technology,' said Laurie Demeritt, whose company provided the statistics for the report.

現(xiàn)在我們吃飯的時候有手機陪伴“現(xiàn)在一個人吃飯不會像以前沒手機那樣那么孤獨了”Laurie Demeritt 說，就是她所在的公司提供的所有數(shù)據(jù)。

生詞

• Palm/pɑ?m/ n. 手掌；棕櫚樹；掌狀物
• energize /?en?rd?a?z/ vt. 激勵；使活躍；