Economic crisis complicates sex lives of young Venezuelans

 Economic crisis complicates sex lives of young Venezuelans

經濟危機使委內瑞拉年輕人的性生活更麻煩

【摘要2020.9.10.自由】◎孫宇青

In the Central University of Venezuela, it is not uncommon to see young student couples making out behind a palm tree.

在委內瑞拉中央大學內，年輕學生情侶躲在棕櫚樹後親熱的場面並不罕見。

Such public displays of affection are not to the taste of John Alvarez, 20, and Amanda Aquino, 19.

20歲的約翰．阿瓦雷茲和19歲的阿曼達‧阿奇諾，並不熱中於這種公開表現愛情的方式。

In two years of dating, John and Amanda have never paid for a room at a hotel. That is because a room in Caracas costs $10 for six hours, an exorbitant price in a country where the average salary is just $6 a month.

交往2年來，約翰和阿曼達從未花錢上飯店開房間，因為在卡拉卡斯訂一個房間，6小時收費10美元；在這個平均月薪僅6美元的國家，這個價格很奢侈。

As for 37-year-old Jhoanna, when she is looking for a partner on the Tinder app, she asks about the "capacity" of would-be lovers.

對於37歲的喬安娜，當她在手機交友軟體Tinder找伴時，她會問那些潛在對象的「口袋深度」。

She has got used to paying half the cost of any date she goes on, an unusual habit in a country where men are generally expected to pick up the tab.（AFP）

她已習慣去約會時出一半的費用，這在通常期待由男性付錢的國家是一項不尋常的習慣。

新聞辭典

exorbitant：形容詞，（價格、要求）過高的。例句：While this is a cozy apartment, the rent is too exorbitant.（雖然這間公寓很舒適，但租金太高了。）

capacity：名詞，能力；容量。例句：The task seems to be beyond his capacity.（這項任務似乎超出他的能力。）

tab：名詞，費用。例句：It is generous of you to pick the tab of our dinner.（你真慷慨，幫我們付了晚餐錢。）