2019年06月四级第1套仔细阅读 Passage 1 原文翻译及答案解析

In the classic marriage vow (誓约), couples promise to stay together in sickness and in health. But a new study finds that the risk of divorce among older couples rises when the wife-not the husband—becomes seriously ill.

在经典的婚姻誓约中，夫妻承诺无论疾病还是健康都相伴相守。但一项新研究发现，当妻子（而非丈夫）患上重病时，老年夫妻的离婚风险会上升。

"Married women diagnosed with a serious health condition may find themselves struggling with the impact of their disease while also experiencing the stress of divorce," said researcher Amelia Karraker.

研究人员阿米莉亚·卡拉克表示：“被诊断出患有严重健康状况的已婚女性，可能既要应对疾病的影响，又要承受离婚的压力。”

Karraker and co-author Kenzie Latham analyzed 20 years of data on 2,717 marriages from a study conducted by Indiana University since 1992. At the time of the first interview, at least one of the partners was over the age of 50.

卡拉克和合著者肯齐·莱瑟姆分析了印第安纳大学自1992年以来进行的一项研究中2,717桩婚姻的20年数据。在首次访谈时，至少有一方伴侣年龄超过50岁。

The researchers examined how the onset (发生) of four serious physical illnesses affected marriages. They found that, overall, 31 % of marriages ended in divorce over the period studied. The incidence of new chronic (慢性的) illness onset increased over time as will, with more husbands than wives developing serious health problems.

研究人员考察了四种严重身体疾病的发生如何影响婚姻。他们发现，在研究期间，总体上有31%的婚姻以离婚告终。新慢性疾病的发病率也随着时间推移而增加，而且丈夫患上严重健康问题的情况比妻子更多。

"We found that women are doubly vulnerable to marital break-up in the face of illness," Karraker said. "They're more likely to be widowed, and if they're the ones who become ill, they're more likely to get divorced."

卡拉克说：“我们发现，面对疾病，女性在婚姻破裂方面面临双重脆弱性。她们更可能丧偶，而且如果是她们自己患病，她们也更可能离婚。”

While the study didn't assess why divorce is more likely when wives but not husbands become seriously ill, Karraker offers a few possible reasons. "Gender norms and social expectations about caregiving may make it more difficult for men to provide care to sick spouses," Karraker said. "And because of the imbalance in marriage markets, especially in older ages, divorced men have more choices among prospective partners than divorced women."

虽然这项研究没有评估为什么当妻子（而非丈夫）患上重病时离婚更可能，但卡拉克提出了几个可能的原因。卡拉克说：“性别规范和社会对照顾的期望可能使男性更难照顾患病的配偶。而且由于婚姻市场的不平衡，特别是在老年时期，离婚男性在潜在伴侣中的选择比离婚女性更多。”

Given the increasing concern about health care costs for the aging population, Karraker believes policymakers should be aware of the relationship between disease and risk of divorce.

鉴于对老龄化人口医疗保健成本的日益关注，卡拉克认为政策制定者应意识到疾病与离婚风险之间的关系。

"Offering support services to spouses caring for their other halves may reduce marital stress and prevent divorce at older ages," she said. "But it's also important to recognize that the pressure to divorce may be health-related and that sick ex-wives may need additional care and services to prevent worsening health and increased health costs."

她说：“为照顾配偶的伴侣提供支持服务，可能减轻婚姻压力并防止老年离婚。但同样重要的是要认识到，离婚的压力可能与健康有关，患病的前妻可能需要额外的护理和服务，以防止健康状况恶化和医疗费用增加。”