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国外离婚庆祝业生意红火
添加时间:2014-11-15 15:18:23 浏览次数: 作者:未知
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  • After finalising a painful divorce Wendy Lewis decided1 there was only one way to celebrate - by blasting her wedding dress with a machine gun.

    To get the job done the newly divorced American gathered her female friends - and the dress - and flew to Las Vegas, Nevada for a long weekend.

    Upon arrival in Vegas the trip to a shooting range was arranged by a small firm at the forefront of one of the city's fastest-growing business sectors2 - divorce party planning.

    And while what happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas, the planner in question, Glynda Rhodes, 51, is happy to take up the story.

    "Ms Lewis had never picked up a gun before, but she brought her wedding dress into the shooting range and hung it up," she says.

    Oh if you could have seen the look on her face when she was shooting at her dress. You could just feel that she was letting all that anger out."

    A long-established Vegas-based events planner, Ms Rhodes was historically more used to organising bachelor and bachelorette parties (stag and hen dos) for the hordes3 of young Americans who fly into the city for one last celebration of single life.

    Yet with more than half of marriages in the US now ending in divorce, including her own, Ms Rhodes started to receive a growing number of inquiries4 from people - both women and men - wishing to celebrate the end of their wedlock5.

    So in 2012 she launched a new company - The Divorce Party Planner - and the business has boomed ever since, a situation mirrored at similar firms in Vegas and across the US.

    In addition to the visits to shooting ranges, a popular option called "Glocked and Loaded", Ms Rhodes arranges for divorce parties to get entry to nightclubs, get tables at restaurants, play rounds of golf... or visit strip shows.

    She also organise6 skydives for people who want to "jump right back into being single".

    Some of Ms Rhodes' customers celebrate with a skydive Ms Rhodes says that the cost of the set packages - which also have names such as "Barely Survived", "Self Sufficient", and "I Got It All" - typically range from $1,000 to $4,800 (£600 to £3,000).

    However, prices can skyrocket if someone really, really wants to celebrate getting divorced...

    在结束了一段充满伤痛的婚姻之后,温迪·刘易斯(Wendy Lewis)打算采取一种特殊方式来庆祝——用机关枪打烂自己的婚纱。

    为了完成庆祝礼,刚离婚的美国女子温迪带着她的几名女性朋友——和婚纱——前往拉斯维加斯(Las Vegas)度过这个漫长的周末。

    刚到那里,这场射击之旅就已经被一家小公司安排好了,这家公司是离婚派对策划行业中的佼佼者。离婚派对策划是拉斯维加斯发展最快的行业之一。

    既然拉斯维加斯之旅会发生什么,想必要待在拉斯维加斯才知道,上述公司51岁的策划人格琳·达罗兹(Glynda Rhodes)很乐意给我们讲讲这个故事。

    “刘易斯女士之前从没拿过枪,但她还是把自己的婚纱带进了射击场,并挂了起来。”她说。

    “如果你看到她打完婚纱之后的表情,你就能体会到她那怒气全消的畅快心情了。”

    罗兹(Rhodes)女士多年来一直从事拉斯维加斯当地活动策划的工作。她过去常常在大群的单身男女青年间组织派对。这群涌入城市的美国青年都希望借此机会庆祝最后的单身生活。

    至今,美国人半数以上的婚姻都以离婚收场,这其中也包括罗兹女士本人。而她也开始收到越来越多人的询问,男女都有,这些人希望庆祝一下自己已经结束的婚姻。

    因此,2012年罗兹女士成立了一家公司——“离婚派对策划人”(The Divorce Party Planner)。公司业绩蒸蒸日上,同样的情况也发生在城里其他相同类型的公司,甚至在全美都有所体现。

    除了射击之旅,还有一个大受欢迎的选择——“Glocked and Loaded”。罗兹女士安排的派对项目有夜店狂欢、餐厅聚餐、打高尔夫……或者观看脱衣舞表演。

    针对那些想“重新跳进单身圈”的人,她还组织了跳伞活动。

    一些罗兹女士的客户正在用跳伞庆祝的顾客

    罗兹女士说,套餐分为“初步重生”(Barely Survived)“自我满足”(Self Sufficient)“得到一切”(I Got It All)等,花费从1000美元到4800美元不等(约600到3000英镑)。

    然而,如果有人非常非常迫切地想要庆祝离婚,价格就会猛涨了。

    'Free at last'

    For those of us who might wish to throw a more modest and sedate7 party to mark the end of a marriage, ordering a "divorce cake" could be the way forward.

    At one bakery in Florida, Elite8 Cake Creations in Cooper City, near Miami, they are now getting three to four requests for divorce cakes each month.

    Owner Beatriz Otero, says she once made a cake for a male client who asked for it in the shape of a golf bag, with a sign on it that read "free at last, going golfing".

    Most requests, however, are for a picture of a bride dragging a groom9 by the leg, with a sign that says "take him to the trash".

    Other cakes may feature grooms10 being eaten by an alligator11, or dismembered in a Jacuzzi.

    Ms Otero says: "For one of my customers we did her wedding cake, then five years later we were doing her divorce cake.

    "Relationships are hard. My way of helping12 them is making a sour situation a little bit sweeter."

    An Elite Cake Creations' divorce cake for 10 people typically costs about $70, with the customer being able to choose from more than 150 different flavour and fillings combinations.

    'Acknowledging loss'

    While entrepreneurial small firms across the US are happily making money from the increase in the number of people celebrating a divorce, why has the phenomenon grown so strongly in recent years? And is it a good thing?

    As its name suggests, Divorce Hotel checks couples into hotels so they can agree their divorce terms Psychologist Robin13 Deutsch, director of the Centre of Excellence14 for Children, Families and the Law, at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology15, says it is a development which should be welcomed.

    "The growth of the divorce [celebration] industry speaks to the fact that people want to acknowledge loss through ritual," she says.

    "Many people find release through it - I had one couple in my office who said their vows16 backwards17.

    "I think it gives them a sense of hope and closure, it's a positive thing.

    "People do what they feel they need to do to move on. What they do, what kind of ritual they have, that's their choice."

    “终于自由了”

    对于那些希望用较为安静的方式纪念婚姻结束的人来说,订做“离婚蛋糕”是一种备受推崇的方式。

    佛罗里达州(Florida)的库珀市(Cooper)有一家名叫“精英蛋糕”(Elite Cake Creations)的面包店,就位于迈阿密(Miami)附近,这家店现在每个月会接到3—4个离婚蛋糕订单。

    店长比阿特丽丝·奥特罗(Beatriz Otero)说道,她曾为一位女性顾客做了一个高尔夫球袋形状的蛋糕,上面还写着“终于自由了,打高尔夫去”。

    而大部分顾客则要求蛋糕上有新娘拖拽新郎腿的图案,就好像在说“把他丢进垃圾桶里”。

    还有一些蛋糕很有特色,比如新郎被短吻鳄吃掉、新郎被肢解在浴缸里等。

    奥特罗女士说:“有一位顾客,我们为她做了结婚蛋糕,而五年后为她做离婚蛋糕的又是我们。

    “走到这一步都不容易。我能做的就是帮助他们在辛酸中加入一丁点的甜蜜。”

    “精英蛋糕”店的离婚蛋糕是10人份,通常大约花费70美元。顾客可以在150种不同的口味和馅料组合中自由选择。

    “承认婚姻失败”

    遍布全美的创业公司纷纷从不断增加的庆祝离婚的人口中赚到钱,可是,为何近些年来离婚势头愈演愈烈?这是一种好的现象吗?

    “儿童、家庭和法律卓越中心”(the Centre of Excellence for Children, Families and the Law)主任,麻省专业心理学学院的专家罗宾·卢伊奇(Robin Deutch)认为,这只是一种应该得到认可的发展前景。

    “离婚(庆祝)业的蓬勃发展反映了一个现实,人们希望通过用仪式承认婚姻的失败。”她说。

    “很多人都从中获得了解脱。——我有过一位合法的配偶,但那都是过去的事了。

    “我认为这给了他们希望和婚姻终结的如释重负感。这是一件积极的事情。

    “人们做着自己认为需要做的事情。无论做什么,采用怎样的方式,这都是他们的选择。”

    Hotel weekends

    In the Netherlands, one company is hoping to help more couples celebrate their divorce - together.

    The business in question is called Divorce Hotel, and here is how it works.

    For a flat fee of about 4,000 euros ($5,000; £3,000), couples going through a divorce check into a hotel on a Friday. They then meet with a solicitor18 who acts as a mediator19 over the weekend, before checking out on Sunday - divorced.

    The company is brainchild of former marketing20 man turned entrepreneur Jim Halfens, who thinks that going through a divorce should be quick, and not too expensive.

    He came up with the idea after seeing a friend go through a tough divorce, and after time working for a legal firm.

    Rather than owning hotels, Divorce Hotel has partnered up with six such establishments across the Netherlands, and one in New York. Mr Halfens now plans to expand to other countries.

    "We are convinced that when couples decide to divorce they want to do it in a positive and decent way, not fight for years," he says.

    After signing the divorce papers on the Sunday, Mr Halfens - who claims that the company has a 95% success rate - says that many couples drink champagne21 together to celebrate.

    Yet for those divorces which are significantly more acrimonious22, there is always the option of ultimately shooting up your wedding dress or tuxedo23 in Las Vegas.

    旅馆周末

    在荷兰,有一家公司能够帮助离婚后的夫妻二人共同举行庆祝。

    上面介绍的这个公司叫“离婚旅馆”(Divorce Hotel),它的工作流程如下:

    花费大约4000欧元(约5000美元;3000英镑),离婚夫妇就可以在周五凭借离婚证进入旅馆。然后他们会见到一位律师,也就是此次周末活动的调解人,一直到周日结账退房前。

    这家公司是吉姆·哈尔芬斯(Jim Halfens)智慧的结晶,他曾经做过营销,现在已经转型成创业者。在他看来,离婚庆祝的进程应该快速,同时还不能太贵。

    在目睹了一位朋友痛苦艰难的离婚历程后,吉姆突发奇想,有了这个主意。然后他又在一家法律公司干了一段时间。

    “离婚旅馆”不仅仅是酒店而已,它已经和6家相同的机构结为同盟,遍布全荷兰,其中还有一家在纽约。目前,哈尔芬斯先生正筹备着在其他国家开分店。

    “我们确信,当一对夫妻打算离婚时,彼此都想采取一种积极又得体的方式,而不是长年累月的不停争执。”他说。

    这位声称公司有95%成功率的哈尔芬斯先生说道,周日签订了离婚协议之后,很多夫妻还一起用香槟来庆祝。

    不过,对那些为离婚争执得不可开交的夫妻来说,他们还是可以选择去拉斯维加斯的射击场打穿自己的婚纱或燕尾服。

     10级    双语 


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    1 decided [dɪˈsaɪdɪd] lvqzZd   第7级
    adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
    参考例句:
    • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents. 这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
    • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting. 英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
    2 sectors ['sektəs] 218ffb34fa5fb6bc1691e90cd45ad627   第7级
    n.部门( sector的名词复数 );领域;防御地区;扇形
    参考例句:
    • Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    3 hordes ['hɔ:dz] 8694e53bd6abdd0ad8c42fc6ee70f06f   第10级
    n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 );部落
    参考例句:
    • There are always hordes of tourists here in the summer. 夏天这里总有成群结队的游客。
    • Hordes of journalists jostled for position outside the conference hall. 大群记者在会堂外争抢位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    4 inquiries [inˈkwaiəriz] 86a54c7f2b27c02acf9fcb16a31c4b57   第7级
    n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 );疑问;探究;打听
    参考例句:
    • He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释,等候进一步调查。
    • I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    5 wedlock [ˈwedlɒk] XgJyY   第11级
    n.婚姻,已婚状态
    参考例句:
    • My wife likes our wedlock. 我妻子喜欢我们的婚姻生活。
    • The Fawleys were not made for wedlock. 范立家的人就跟结婚没有缘。
    6 organise ['ɔ:gənaɪz] organise   第8级
    vt.组织,安排,筹办
    参考例句:
    • He has the ability to organise. 他很有组织才能。
    • It's my job to organise all the ceremonial events. 由我来组织所有的仪式。
    7 sedate [sɪˈdeɪt] dDfzH   第10级
    adj.沉着的,镇静的,安静的
    参考例句:
    • After the accident, the doctor gave her some pills to sedate her. 事故发生后,医生让她服了些药片使她镇静下来。
    • We spent a sedate evening at home. 我们在家里过了一个恬静的夜晚。
    8 elite [eɪˈli:t] CqzxN   第7级
    n.精英阶层;实力集团;adj.杰出的,卓越的
    参考例句:
    • The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy. 政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
    • We have a political elite in this country. 我们国家有一群政治精英。
    9 groom [gru:m] 0fHxW   第8级
    vt.给(马、狗等)梳毛,照料,使...整洁
    参考例句:
    • His father was a groom. 他父亲曾是个马夫。
    • George was already being groomed for the top job. 为承担这份高级工作,乔治已在接受专门的培训。
    10 grooms [ɡrumz] b9d1c7c7945e283fe11c0f1d27513083   第8级
    n.新郎( groom的名词复数 );马夫v.照料或梳洗(马等)( groom的第三人称单数 );使做好准备;训练;(给动物)擦洗
    参考例句:
    • Plender end Wilcox became joint grooms of the chambers. 普伦德和威尔科克斯成为共同的贴身侍从。 来自辞典例句
    • Egypt: Families, rather than grooms, propose to the bride. 埃及:在埃及,由新郎的家人,而不是新郎本人,向新娘求婚。 来自互联网
    11 alligator [ˈælɪgeɪtə(r)] XVgza   第11级
    n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼)
    参考例句:
    • She wandered off to play with her toy alligator. 她开始玩鳄鱼玩具。
    • Alligator skin is five times more costlier than leather. 鳄鱼皮比通常的皮革要贵5倍。
    12 helping [ˈhelpɪŋ] 2rGzDc   第7级
    n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
    参考例句:
    • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
    • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来,他们在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
    13 robin [ˈrɒbɪn] Oj7zme   第10级
    n.知更鸟,红襟鸟
    参考例句:
    • The robin is the messenger of spring. 知更鸟是报春的使者。
    • We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin. 我们看见了一只知更鸟,知道春天要到了。
    14 excellence [ˈeksələns] ZnhxM   第8级
    n.优秀,杰出,(pl.)优点,美德
    参考例句:
    • His art has reached a high degree of excellence. 他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
    • My performance is far below excellence. 我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。
    15 psychology [saɪˈkɒlədʒi] U0Wze   第7级
    n.心理,心理学,心理状态
    参考例句:
    • She has a background in child psychology. 她受过儿童心理学的教育。
    • He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge. 他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。
    16 vows [vaʊz] c151b5e18ba22514580d36a5dcb013e5   第7级
    誓言( vow的名词复数 ); 郑重宣布,许愿
    参考例句:
    • Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
    • The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。
    17 backwards [ˈbækwədz] BP9ya   第8级
    adv.往回地,向原处,倒,相反,前后倒置地
    参考例句:
    • He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards. 他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
    • All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready. 姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。
    18 solicitor [səˈlɪsɪtə(r)] vFBzb   第8级
    n.初级律师,事务律师
    参考例句:
    • The solicitor's advice gave me food for thought. 律师的指点值得我深思。
    • The solicitor moved for an adjournment of the case. 律师请求将这个案件的诉讼延期。
    19 mediator [ˈmi:dieɪtə(r)] uCkxk   第9级
    n.调解人,中介人
    参考例句:
    • He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
    • He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。
    20 marketing [ˈmɑ:kɪtɪŋ] Boez7e   第8级
    n.行销,在市场的买卖,买东西
    参考例句:
    • They are developing marketing network. 他们正在发展销售网络。
    • He often goes marketing. 他经常去市场做生意。
    21 champagne [ʃæmˈpeɪn] iwBzh3   第7级
    n.香槟酒;微黄色
    参考例句:
    • There were two glasses of champagne on the tray. 托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
    • They sat there swilling champagne. 他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。
    22 acrimonious [ˌækrɪˈməʊniəs] HyMzM   第10级
    adj.严厉的,辛辣的,刻毒的
    参考例句:
    • He had an acrimonious quarrel with his girlfriend yesterday. 昨天他跟他的女朋友激烈争吵了一番。
    • His parents went through an acrimonious divorce. 他的父母在激烈吵吵闹闹中离了婚。
    23 tuxedo [tʌkˈsi:dəʊ] WKCzh   第12级
    n.礼服,无尾礼服
    参考例句:
    • Well, you have your own tuxedo. 噢,你有自己的燕尾服。
    • Have I told you how amazing you look in this tuxedo? 我告诉过你穿这件燕尾服看起来很棒吗?

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