调查:更多美国人选择签订婚前协议

    Americans are taking a cautious（谨慎的小心的） approach to marriage and are seeking more prenuptial agreements before walking down the aisle¹.
    And it is not just the wealthy and famous who are looking to safeguard（捍卫） their assets when a marriage crumbles².
    More women and middle-class couples are opting³ for prenups, which can also include adultery clauses, protection of retirement⁴ benefits and even custody⁵ of the dog, according to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), which represents more than 1600 lawyers.
    "It's a planning tool. Given that half of marriages end in divorce（离婚） it makes sense to plan," said Marlene Eskind Moses, the president of the AAML.
    Nearly three quarters of members who responded to the AAML poll reported an increase in prenups in the last five years, and more than half said more women are seeking the legal agreements.
    Once thought of as only for the rich and famous, prenups are appealing to all income levels but for different reasons.
    "Sometimes it can be a prenuptial to protect against debt so that one is not responsible for debt their spouse⁶ accumulated before the marriage," Moses explained.
    The legal agreements can also include clauses on financial arrangements such as budgets and whether the couple will have separate bank accounts.
    More women are working now than in previous decades and they are earning higher salaries. Women comprised 46.8 percent of U.S. workers in 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor⁷ and that number is expected to rise to 46.9 percent in 2018.
    "In our historically male-dominated culture women didn't control money and now they need to plan as much as the men. More women have more assets these days and have more control over funds," said Moses, a family lawyer with 30 years of experience.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

2 crumbles   

酥皮水果甜点( crumble的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This cake crumbles too easily. 这种蛋糕太容易碎了。
• This bread crumbles ever so easily. 这种面包非常容易碎。

3 opting   

v.选择，挑选( opt的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• What courses are most students opting for? 多数学生选什么课程？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Wells doesn't rule out opting out and then re-signing with Houston. 威尔斯没有排除跳出合同再与火箭重签的可能。 来自互联网

4 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

5 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

6 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。