[ti:Meet Someone Special by Covering Up Your Face+++参加假面速配约会遇见特别的人] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.20]Speed dating is an efficient way for single people hoping to find romance [00:07.96]to meet a number of other single people at once. [00:12.60]People who attend a speed dating event [00:16.76]go on several short dates in the same night. [00:21.72]At the end of the night, they let the organizers know [00:26.48]if they met someone they would like to see again. [00:31.16]The organizers then help the daters get in contact with each other. [00:36.68]The problem with this kind of event, however, [00:40.88]is that the people with the best looking faces and bodies [00:46.12]are often the most popular. [00:49.24]But one speed dating company in Japan is working to change that. [00:56.00]It wants to prove that people can connect emotionally [01:00.84]without seeing each other's faces clearly. [01:05.36]The company is called Def Anniversary. [01:09.68]It thinks that people trying to find a partner [01:13.88]should think more about personality than appearance. [01:18.80]The singles are required to wear surgical masks, [01:24.00]which cover the lower part of the face. [01:28.12]Kei Matsumura is the head of Def Anniversary. S [01:33.80]he said the singles attending her events [01:37.48]should get to know each other's personality first [01:41.24]instead of judging a person only on his or her appearance. [01:47.56]One opinion survey found that nearly half of single people [01:52.48]between the ages of 25 and 36 in Japan want to be married. [02:01.80]They say they just have not met the right person yet. [02:07.48]Those questioned say there are not very many ways [02:11.48]to meet new people outside of work. [02:15.40]That is why speed dating events are popular. [02:20.72]Chiharu Tsukahara is one speed dater. [02:25.52]She said she was able to learn more about her possible dates [02:30.52]because her face was covered. [02:34.68]"Generally, facial features influence our first impression, [02:40.80]but here, personality matters," she said. [02:45.28]Yasumasa Kishi is another speed dater. [02:50.88]He liked Def Anniversary's masked dating event. [02:55.72]"Because I was not being judged on my appearance, [03:00.48]I think I was able to be more outgoing with the women," he said. [03:06.52]Research from Japan's health ministry [03:09.60]said the marriage rate nationwide [03:12.48]has dropped by 50 percent since 1975. [03:19.12]Maybe the masked dating will make a difference. [03:23.84]I'm Dan Friedell. [03:25.48]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM