2月5日午间英语新闻：过年“租女友”又火了！风险也来了

>Spring Festival fuels rise in 'rent-a-person' services, sparking safety concerns

过年“租女友”又火了！风险也来了

A recent investigation by Legal Daily into platforms like Xianyu, a popular online resale platform, uncovered a variety of services available for rent. These services range from "bridesmaids for rent" to "girlfriends for hire," and even individuals willing to impersonate parents or teachers.

最近，《法制日报》对咸鱼等热门二手交易平台的调查发现，平台上可见“伴娘出租”，“女友出租”甚至“冒充家长/老师”等各种人员租赁服务。

The "girlfriend for rent" service offers companionship for activities such as shopping, eating, watching movies, and even meeting the renter's parents to deflect family pressures to find a girlfriend or get married. Charges for this service vary based on specific situations, usually involving a down payment and a balance payment.

“出租女友”服务内容包括一起购物、吃饭、看电影等活动，甚至可以陪客户见家长，帮助其应付来自家庭的催婚压力。服务收费根据具体情况有所不同，通常包括首付款和尾款。

In Jiangsu province, a woman surnamed Liu works part-time as a girlfriend for rent. She outlined her services online, clarifying that she relies on gift money from the client's family as payment, usually ranging from 500 yuan ($70) to 800 yuan. Any excess is returned to the client, and the client covers transportation and other service-related costs. Clients can specify age, personality, university, major, occupation, marital status, and family details.

刘女士是一名位于江苏的兼职女友扮演者。她在平台上介绍自己的服务内容，客户家人给的红包就是报酬，价格在500元至800元之间，超出的部分会退给客户，车费和其他费用均由客户承担。客户可以指定扮演者的年龄、性格、大学及专业、工作、婚姻状态、家庭信息。

When questioned about potential physical contact to simulate a romantic relationship, Liu emphasized the importance of verbal interaction. She stated, "There is generally no physical contact when meeting parents, as elders prefer well-behaved individuals. However, if faced with difficult questions, I will seek assistance from the client."

在问及是否会通过身体接触来显示情侣关系时，刘女士说，多和客户言语互动就好。她说：“见父母的话一般不会有身体接触，父母长辈都喜欢乖一点的孩子，但当长辈询问一些不好回答的问题时，我会先看向客户寻求帮助。”

Interestingly, there appears to be lower demand for rented boyfriends compared to the demand for rented girlfriends as the Lunar New Year approaches.

有趣的是，随着春节临近，与租赁女友相比，租赁男友的生意则要惨淡一些。

Forming temporary relationships through online transactions can pose unforeseen risks. Some netizens recounted instances where rented bridesmaids failed to show up after receiving deposit money, highlighting potential dangers.

通过网上交易建立临时关系可能会带来无法预见的风险。有网友称，租的伴娘在收到定金后没有到场，这些案例暴露了这类服务潜在的风险。

Zhang Yuxia, a lawyer with Shanghai SUNHOLD Law Firm, explained that these services should be regulated under civil law as a form of labor employment relationship. However, the lack of written agreements may pose threats to personal security, and illegal activities such as prostitution could occur.

上海申浩律师事务所张玉霞律师认为，“租人”服务作为一种劳动雇佣关系应受到民事法律规范。然而，缺乏书面协议可能会对人身安全构成威胁，并可能发生卖淫等非法活动。

In response, Zhang called for stricter oversight and clearer guidelines to protect individuals from potential harm in these unconventional occupations. Additionally, Zhang emphasized the role of online platforms in regulating these services, urging intensified reviews of identity and related documents and swift actions in cases of criminal activity, including informing the police.

张玉霞呼吁应加强监督，制定更明确的指导方针，保护个人在此类非常规职业中免受潜在伤害。此外，张玉霞强调，网络服务平台应加强对该类服务的监管，审核双方的身份及相关材料，对于以此从事违法犯罪行为的人员迅速采取应对措施，并报公安机关处理。

>Videos of South Koreans Eating Fried Toothpicks Have Gone Viral. Health Officials Want Them to Stop

韩国流行吃“油炸牙签”？官方紧急喊停……

South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) issued a warning urging people to stop eating deep fried toothpicks. Videos of people preparing and eating the toothpicks have gone viral on TikTok and Instagram in recent months, and appear to be especially popular in South Korea.

韩国食品药品安全部发布警告，敦促人们停止食用油炸牙签。最近几个月，人们在TikTok和Instagram上制作和食用油炸牙签的视频在网上疯传，这一做法在韩国似乎特别受欢迎。

“This is not a product to eat!” South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety wrote in a post on X. “Their safety as food has not been verified!”

“这不是一种可食用产品！”韩国食品药品安全部在X上发帖称，“其作为食品的安全性尚未得到验证！”

In the videos appearing on social media, individuals can be seen frying toothpicks so that they appear similar to curly fries. But unlike the wooden toothpicks often found in the U.S., most toothpicks in South Korea are made of corn or potato starch mixed with sorbitol, a sweet sugar alcohol found naturally in various fruits. Because of this, they are biodegradable and dissolve in water. The toothpicks also often have green food coloring added to them and are frequently used in restaurants.

在社交媒体上广泛传播的视频中，可以看到人们将牙签油炸，使其看起来像卷曲的炸薯条。但与美国常见的木制牙签不同，韩国的大多数牙签是由玉米或土豆淀粉与山梨醇（sorbitol，一种天然存在于各种水果中的甜糖醇）混合制成的。因此它们具有生物可降解性，且可溶于水。这种牙签通常还添加了绿色食用色素，在餐馆中广泛使用。

“Mukbang” videos, which show content creators eating excessive amounts of strange or unusual foods, have grown extremely popular in South Korea in recent years. The emergence of fried toothpicks on social media is the latest example of “Mukbang” videos.

近年来，内容创作者食用大量奇怪或不寻常的食物的“吃播”视频在韩国非常流行。社交媒体上出现炸牙签就是“吃播”视频的最新潮流。

In 2018, the South Korean government attempted to impose regulations on these videos to prevent them from encouraging binge eating and harming public health.

2018年，韩国政府试图对这些视频实施监管，以防止它们鼓励暴饮暴食，损害公众健康。

重点单词：

sorbitol

英/ ˈsɔːbɪtɒl / 美/ ˈsɔːrbɪˌtɔːl; ˈsɔːrbɪˌtoʊl /

n.山梨醇；山梨糖醇