VOA标准英语2012--South Korea Tries New Approach to Reduce Suicides
时间：2018-12-16 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2012年(十月)
South Korea Tries New Approach to Reduce Suicides
It only took a single generation for the country to go from an impoverished 1 nation to one of the world’s top economies. It is a fast-paced society, where people have a hard time slowing down. Some observers say this rapid development is leaving many South Koreans feeling isolated 2 and depressed 3.
Kim Hyun-chung, a psychiatrist 4 at the National Medical Center in Seoul, says more than half of her patients have suicidal thoughts.
“We’re just growing just too fast and people don’t have time to adjust to it," she explains. "We are an Asian cultural society but now we are more globalized. Its westernized and I don’t think people have had the time to adjust to the big changes.”
The biggest change, Kim says is family structure. No longer do multiple generations live under one roof. She says the traditional support systems are disappearing.
“More parents are working, mother father, they’re both, working families. More focused toward competition, earning the money all of that. I think we’re more focused to that than the quality of life,” Kim says.
She adds that senior citizens make up the largest demographic of Koreans who take their own lives. But suicide is still a leading cause of death for young adults, high school and even middle school students.
Over the past five years, at least 100 Koreans have leaped off Seoul’s Map Bridge into the Han River. Around half of those jumpers lost their lives. Now Seoul City is trying to turn this suicide spot into what it calls the bridge of life.
“If we would have only installed walls, it would have stopped people from jumping, but instead we want to change their minds about suicide,” says Lee Ducky, who oversees 5 Han River bridges for the Seoul City government.
Along the bridge’s sidewalk are inspirational slogans that say things like be happy, how’s everything going and have you eaten yet? There are also pictures of babies on the railing and at the center of the bridge is a brass 6 statue of an old man consoling a young person. Seoul hopes these installments 7 will make people think again before taking the next step.
But psychiatrist Kim Hyun-chung is not so sure how effective these will be.
“I think it's just a stop gap measure, it’s only temporary," she notes, "it can’t be the only way to solve this problem. I think it would help, just to an extent, not too much”
Kim adds that if someone really wants to end their life, there are plenty of other bridges across the Han River.
- the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
- They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
- Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。
- When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
- His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。
- He went to a psychiatrist about his compulsive gambling.他去看精神科医生治疗不能自拔的赌瘾。
- The psychiatrist corrected him gently.精神病医师彬彬有礼地纠正他。
- She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网
- Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
- Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
- The first two installments were pretty close together in 1980. 第一次和节二次提款隔得很近，都是在1980年提的。
- You have an installments sales contract. 你已经订立了一份分期付款的买卖契约了。