【原】网上寻真爱

"So, where did you guys meet?" “
所以，你们俩个是怎么认识的？”
New couples often face this question from eager friends who are keen to hear about the beginnings of their love story.
新伴侣常常从那些热衷于了解自己爱情始源的朋友那里听到这个问题。
Increasingly, the answer is "on the internet".
越来越多地，答案是“在网上”。
Online dating is a booming industry, worth an estimated 2.5 billion pounds across the world.
网上交友是一个蓬勃发展的行业，在世界范围内估值2.5亿英镑。
So what is it that is making so many of us turn to our computers to find love?
那么究竟是什么原因使得我们这么多人转向电脑去寻找爱情呢？
In the past, love may have blossomed in the workplace or in the pub
在过去，爱情可能会在工作场所或者酒吧萌芽，

and some brave individuals may even have agreed to be set up on a blind date.
一些大胆的单身人士甚至也许会同意被安排一场事先一无所知的相亲。
But nowadays, busy lifestyles and the popularity of online social networking have changed our attitudes towards romance.
但现如今，生活的忙碌和社交网络的流行已经改变了我们对浪漫韵事的态度。
Internet dating websites have become popular as a way of searching for the perfect mate.
线上交友网站作为寻找最佳伴侣的途径已经变得流行起来。
People who use the sites can search profiles of hundreds of single people,
使用这些网站的人们可以搜索到成百上千的单身人士档案，
and with just a few clicks can see instantly whether someone is attractive or not.
并且只需点击几下就可以了解到此人是否对自己有吸引力。
But are we becoming too dismissive of potential dates?
但我们是不是正变得对潜在约会对象太过漫不经心了呢？
Site users can make snap judgments based on people's profile pictures
网站用户可以基于对象的资料照片做出瞬间判断
and don't consider whether they may actually have real things in common.
而不考虑他们是否会有真正的共同点。
For this reason, some sites place more importance on personality tests rather than pictures to match users who may be compatible.
由于这个原因，一些网站把人格测试放在比照片更重要的位置来匹配可能般配的用户。
On one British site, single people complete a test of 250 questions
在一个英国网站上，单身人士需先完成一个包含250道题的测试，
before the site uses complex algorithms to select suitable partners.
然后网站据此使用复杂的计算规则为他们筛选合适的对象。
Of course, for some people, regardless of the technology,
当然，对另一些人来说，抛开技术因素不谈，
the whole process is distasteful - like 'shopping' for a partner.
这整个过程本身就令人不快——就像在选购一个伴侣。
But as the growth in the sector shows,
但是照该领域的蓬勃增长的趋势来看，
there are plenty of singletons who don't have time for such romantic ideas, and are more than happy to pay Cupid for a strike.
有大量的独身人士没有时间来寻觅浪漫的点子，他们十分愿意付钱给丘比特来放手一搏。