文章结合相关统计数据，讲述了美国当下独自用餐成普遍现象的现状，并通过两位受访者的经历，分析了人们喜欢独自用餐的原因，如享受独处时光、拥有自主选择权、科技让独处不再孤单等。
Marian Bechtel sits at West Palm Beach’s Bar Louie counter by herself, quietly reading her e-book as she waits for her salad. What is she reading? None of your business! Lunch is Bechtel’s “me” time. And like more Americans, she’s not alone.
玛丽安·贝克特尔独自坐在西棕榈滩路易酒吧的吧台前，一边等待上沙拉，一边安静地阅读她的电子书。她在读什么？不关你的事！午餐时间是贝克特尔的“自我时光”。和越来越多的美国人一样，她并非独自一人这样。
A new report found 46 percent of meals are eaten alone in America. More than half(53 percent) have breakfast alone and nearly half(46 percent) have lunch by themselves. Only at dinnertime are we eating together anymore，74 percent，according to statistics from the report.
一份新报告发现，在美国，46%的餐食是独自享用的。超过一半（53%）的人独自吃早餐，近一半（46%）的人独自吃午餐。根据报告中的统计数据，只有在晚餐时间，我们才会一起用餐，比例为74%。
“I prefer to go out and be out. Alone，but together，you know？”Bechtel said，looking up from her book. Bechtel，who works in downtown West Palm Beach，has lunch with coworkers sometimes，but like many of us，too often works through lunch at her desk. A lunchtime escape allows her to keep a boss from tapping her on the shoulder. She returns to work feeling energized. “Today，I just wanted some time to myself，”she said.
“我宁愿出去，在外面待着。独自一人，但又和别人在一起，你懂吧？”贝克特尔从书本上抬起头说道。贝克特尔在西棕榈滩市中心工作，她有时会和同事一起吃午餐，但和我们许多人一样，她经常在办公桌前边工作边吃午餐。午餐时间的短暂逃离能让她避免老板拍她的肩膀。她回到工作岗位时感觉精力充沛。“今天，我只是想有一些属于自己的时间，”她说。
Just two seats over，Andrew Mazoleny，a local videographer，is finishing his lunch at the bar. He likes that he can sit and check his phone in peace or chat up the barkeeper with whom he's on a first-name basis if he wants to have a little interaction(交流). “I reflect on how my day's gone and think about the rest of the week,” he said. “It's a chance for self-reflection, You return to work recharged and with a plan.”
就在相隔两个座位的地方，当地摄像师安德鲁·马佐莱尼正在吧台前吃完午餐。他喜欢自己能安静地坐着查看手机，或者如果想进行一点交流，他可以和那位与他以名字相称的酒保聊聊天。“我会回顾这一天过得如何，并思考这一周剩下时间的安排，”他说，“这是一个自我反思的机会。你带着计划、精神饱满地回到工作岗位。”
That freedom to choose is one reason more people like to eat alone. There was a time when people may have felt awkward about asking for a table for one，but those days are over. Now，we have our smartphones to keep us company at the table. “It doesn't feel as alone as it may have before all the advances in technology,” said Laurie Demerit， whose company provided the statistics for the report.
选择独自用餐的这种自由是越来越多人喜欢独自用餐的一个原因。曾经有一段时间，人们可能会因要一张单人餐桌而感到尴尬，但那些日子已经一去不复返了。现在，我们有智能手机在餐桌旁陪伴着我们。“由于科技的进步，现在独自用餐不会像以前那样感觉那么孤单了，”为这份报告提供统计数据的劳里·德梅里特说道。
一、重点词汇
1. counter /ˈkaʊntə(r)/ n. 柜台
2. quietly /ˈkwaɪətli/ adv. 安静地
3. e-book /ˈiː bʊk/ n. 电子书
4. salad /ˈsæləd/ n. 沙拉
5. report /rɪˈpɔːt/ n. 报告
6. percent /pəˈsent/ n. 百分比
7. downtown /ˌdaʊnˈtaʊn/ n. 市中心；adj. 市中心的
8. coworker /ˈkəʊ wɜːkə(r)/ n. 同事
9. escape /ɪˈskeɪp/ v./n. 逃离；逃避
10. boss /bɒs/ n. 老板
11. tap /tæp/ v. 轻拍
12. shoulder /ˈʃəʊldə(r)/ n. 肩膀
13. energized /ˈenədʒaɪzd/ adj. 精力充沛的
14. videographer /ˌvɪdiˈɒɡrəfə(r)/ n. 摄像师
15. peace /piːs/ n. 和平；安静
16. chat /tʃæt/ v./n. 聊天
17. barkeeper /ˈbɑːkiːpə(r)/ n. 酒保
18. reflect /rɪˈflekt/ v. 反思；反映
19. recharge /ˌriːˈtʃɑːdʒ/ v. 充电；恢复精力
20. awkward /ˈɔːkwəd/ adj. 尴尬的
二、重点短语与固定搭配
1. by oneself 独自地
2. wait for 等待
3. according to 根据
4. look up 抬头看；查阅
5. work through lunch 边工作边吃午餐
6. keep sb. from doing sth. 阻止某人做某事
7. feel like 想要
8. finish doing sth. 完成做某事
9. think about 思考；考虑
10. the rest of 剩余的
11. choose to do sth. 选择做某事
12. ask for 要求；请求
13. keep sb. company 陪伴某人
14. provide sth. for sb. 为某人提供某物
15. at the bar 在吧台
16. have breakfast/lunch/dinner 吃早餐/午餐/晚餐
17. none of your business 与你无关
18. tap sb. on the shoulder 轻拍某人肩膀；突然打扰某人
19. feel energized 感到精力充沛
20. in peace 平静地；安宁地
21. chat up 与…… 闲聊
22. on a first-name basis 直呼其名；关系熟络
23. reflect on 反思；回想
24. the advances in technology 科技的进步
