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       2020考研学子们，在备考公共课英语科目时，别忘记关注下考研英语经济学人杂志中的文章!因为英语试卷中的阅读理解文章，有些可能会节选自经济学人中的内容。下面，北京文都考研网为帮助考生提升英语水平，整理出英语经济学人:韩国KTV文化之转变，供考生参考。

2020考研英语经济学人:韩国KTV文化之转变

Karaoke with colleagues is no longer compulsory in South Korea

在韩国，和同事一起唱卡拉OK不再是强制规定

But singing with friends, or even alone, is on the rise

越来越多的人选择和朋友一起唱或独自歌唱

After-work gatherings in South Korea used to follow a pattern. After a boozy dinner and several rounds of beer and soju, a local spirit, the party would decamp to a dingy basement and squeeze onto faded upholstery in an airless room with a karaoke machine.

过去，韩国人的下班聚会常常遵循着一种模式。即一群人在喝上几轮啤酒和烧酒(一种当地烈酒)的酩酊大醉的晚餐后，会来到一个昏暗的地下KTV，并挤在一间装潢褪色、通风不良、配有卡拉OK设备的房间里。

There, employees would be pressed into accompanying the boss on the tambourine as he howled his favourite ballads and forced to offer their own renditions, before being allowed to stumble home in the early hours.

在那里，老板尽情地唱着自己喜欢的歌曲，而员工们则被迫敲着手鼓为老板伴奏，直到凌晨才得以跌跌撞撞地回家。

Karaoke parlours, imported from Japan in the early 1990s and originally intended as entertainment for teenagers and families, did brisk business with drunk office workers.

上世纪90年代初从日本引进卡拉OK歌厅最初是为青少年和家庭提供娱乐的场所，但不曾想到醉酒的白领一族得以让其生意兴隆。

No more. Changing work patterns and social tastes are pushing noraebang (“singing rooms”, as they are known in South Korea) out of business. The government recently restricted the working week to 52 hours, cutting the scope for late-night gallivanting.

这种情况将不再发生。不断变化的工作模式和社会品味正在让 noraebang(韩国人对“歌厅”的称呼)失去市场。政府最近将每周工作时间的限值设为了52小时，这减少深夜活动的空间。

Growing awareness among employers of sexual harassment and other bad behaviour in the dark basements means that more and more dinners wrap up early, or conversation is continued over non-alcoholic drinks at late-night coffee shops. It is slowly becoming more acceptable for employees to say no to group activities after work and spend their spare time alone or with friends.

越来越多的雇主意识到了昏暗的地下室里所存在的性骚扰或其他不良行为，因此越来越多的公司聚餐选择提早结束，或是在结束后转移至深夜咖啡馆里，一边喝着不含酒精的饮料、一边继续交谈着。员工们慢慢开始对下班后的集体活动说“不”了，可以在下班后的空余时间选择独处或和朋友一起度过。

Industry analysts expect the decline in the number of noraebang, which has been accelerating for a couple of years, to speed up. Nearly 33,000 of them survive (down from a peak of more than 35,000 in 2011). But more than 1,400 shut in 2018, and 650 went during the first quarter of this year alone.

行业分析人士预计，noraebang(在过去几年间一直在加速下降)的数量将会加速下降。其数量已从2011年高峰时期的3.5万家降至如今的3.3万家了。不过，2018年就有1400多家关了门，而今年仅第一季度就有650家关了门。卡

Similar trends are afoot in Japan, the home of karaoke, where desperate owners have reportedly resorted to renting out their unused parlours as temporary offices during the daytime.

拉OK的发源地日本也出现了类似的趋势，据报道，一些绝望的卡拉OK店主会在白天将店面作为临时办公场所出租。

Karaoke is not dying. South Koreans are relieved that their careers no longer hinge on jangling a tambourine for their tone-deaf bosses. But many still like to use their newly won spare time for singing.

卡拉OK并不会就此消亡。让韩国人感到宽慰的是，他们的职业生涯不再依赖于为五音不全的老板敲鼓伴奏了。但许多人仍然喜欢利用如今拥有的空余时间去唱歌。

Places aimed at groups are shutting down, but “coin noraebang” for individuals and couples are becoming popular with teenagers, students in their 20s and older single professionals.

虽然面向团体的KTV场所正在减少，但面向个人和情侣的“投币式 noraebang”受到了青少年、二十来岁的学生和年龄大点的单身职场人士的欢迎。

Unlike old-school karaoke parlours, they tend to be above ground, well lit and colourfully decorated. Rather than pay hourly rates of between 15,000 and 20,000 won ($12-17), users can sing individual songs for as little as 500 won.

不同于老式的KTV，新式KTV往往位于地上，有着充足的光线和多彩的装饰。收费不再是按小时收取1.5万-2万韩元(约合12-17美元)了，人们只需花上500韩元就可以唱一首歌。

Kim, a 24-year-old conscript from Seoul, says it is a good way to kill time on his own. “I love singing but I’m not very good at it, so practising alone also makes it less embarrassing when I’m with my friends.”

今年24岁、从首尔应征入伍的 Kim 说，这是他消磨时光的好办法。“我喜欢唱歌但不太会唱，所以独自练习也能让我在和朋友们一起唱时不那么尴尬。”

 

【词汇】

boozy ['bʊzi] adj. 嗜酒的;酩酊的

parlour ['pɑːlə] n. 客厅;会客室;雅座

gallivant ['gælɪvænt] vi. 闲逛;与异性闲荡

harassment [hə'ræsmənt] n. 骚扰;烦恼

desperate ['dɛspərət] adj. 不顾一切的;令人绝望的;极度渴望的

       以上是北京文都考研网分享的——“2020考研英语经济学人:韩国KTV文化之转变”，希望对2020考研者在复习英语上面有所帮助!祝2020考研凯旋归来!

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