2009/07/09

Free wedding for quitting smoking 戒菸成功 結婚免錢

A charity in the Saudi capital Riyadh has come up with a novel incentive to encourage young men to quit smoking-an all-expenses-paid wedding. Hundreds of men have expressed interest in the anti-smoking drive.

沙烏地阿拉伯首都利雅德的一個慈善團體,提出一種新奇的方法鼓勵年輕人戒菸:所有開銷都付清的婚禮。數百名男性已表示有興趣參加這個戒菸活動。

Banners in Riyadh are advertising the campaign slogan: "Kicking the habit is on you, and marriage is on us." The charity Purity says participants will complete a seven-day course to quit smoking. The name of the grand prize winner will be decided in a draw on 6 August. Twenty runners-up will get free furniture.

利雅德的旗幟上,都是此一活動的廣告標語:「戒菸靠你自己,結婚靠我們。」慈善團體「純潔」表示,參與者都將完成7天的戒菸課程。首獎贏家將於8月6日抽籤決定。20名亞軍可獲免費家具。

In much of the Arab world, the groom alone bears the cost of a wedding. The high expense for a wedding means that Arab men often put off marriage until they have saved enough money to take a bride.

在阿拉伯世界大部分地區,新郎必須獨力承擔結婚開銷。由於婚禮花費高昂,阿拉伯男子常常延後婚姻,等到存夠錢才能迎娶新娘。

Some in Saudi Arabia have criticised the campaign, suggesting it might devalue what they consider a holy union, while others called the concept sexist. But a spokesman for the charity said the aim was to create a smoke-free family.

一些沙烏地阿拉伯人批評這項活動,認為此舉可能降低他們視之為神聖結合的價值,也有人認為這個概念有性別歧視。不過該慈善團體的發言人說,活動目的是要創造無菸家庭。

It is estimated about a quarter of Saudi Arabia’s 27.6 million residents smoke.

據估計,沙烏地阿拉伯2760萬人口中,有4分之1吸菸。

新聞辭典

novel :形容詞,新奇的。例句:Keeping a sheep in the garden is a novel way of keeping the grass short!(在花園裡養羊,是讓草長不長的新奇方法!)

kick the habit:片語,戒除惡習。例句:She used to be a heavy smoker but she kicked the habit last year.(她以前是老菸槍,不過去年戒了。)

put off :片語,延後。例句:The meeting has been put off for a week.(會議已經延後一週了。)

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