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Why Men Are Dropping Out Of The Workforce; What Is A Metaverse?

COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. You made it to Friday, and you already know Friday`s rock.

Now, this is a last show of 2022, and one thing making it extra special is that you helped write it. See if you can find your word that you sent me

via social media sprinkled somewhere within.

I`m Coy. This is CNN 10. Let`s finish this week`s strong.

We start with news on the economy, specifically the labor force. Employers need workers and that`s good news. There`s nearly two job openings for

every job seeker. The shortage of workers in the United States has many employers ready to fight to retain talent. This is especially good for

previously untapped labor populations where traditionally it was difficult to get a job.
 

untapped [ʌnˋtæpt] adj. 未利用的，未开发的

And it also seems particularly good news for job-seeking women. The last jobs report revealed that 62 percent of the job gains last month went to

women, narrowing the gap in labor force participation rate between men and women.

New data this week shows that middle-aged men ages 35 to 44 have been slow to rejoin labor force recently the participation rate for men ages to 30 to

44 is lower than it was before the pandemic. Economists say there are many reasons the male labor force participation rate is down, including changing

needs and interests in the post-pandemic world.

We`ll hear more now from CNN reporter Vanessa Yurkevich who has reported extensively on the labor market.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID SHNITZLER, AT-HOME DAD: Good morning, Winston. Let`s start the day.

YURKEVICH (voice over): It`s a typical day in the Shnitzler household. Seventeen month old Winston is up and parents David and Allison (ph) are

getting ready for work. Winston is fed, there`s some play, and then the morning good-byes.

ALLISON SHNITZLER, FAMILY PHYSICIAN: Bye-bye.

D. SHNITZLER: Say bye-bye.

YURKEVICH: They`re off to work.
 

off [ɔf] adj. 离去的

A. SHNITZLER: Bye-bye. Have a good day.

YURKEVICH: Allison, a family physician, and David, an insurance underwriter, now an at-home dad.
 

underwriter [ˋʌndɚ͵raɪtɚ] n. 核保师(Underwriter) 是保险业内的一个重要角色，他们的工作范围包括：替保险公司评估承保的风险考虑是否接纳客人的投保申请，核对客人投保时提供的数据是否齐全。

D. SCHNITZLER: Caring for Winston, tending to the house, playing with him, all of that comes first.

YURKEVICH: Last year the Schnitzler`s made a significant life change.

D. SCHNITZLER: We made that decision to have me stay home.

YURKEVICH: David quit his job to take care of Winston full time so Allison could continue her career.

D. SCHNITZLER: We`re happy with the roles that we`re in. It`s phenomenal.
 

phenomenal [fəˋnɑmən!] adj. 不寻常的; 非凡的；杰出的; extraordinary; outstanding

YURKEVICH: And in recent months, more men ages 30 to 44 have been dropping out of the workforce according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The labor force participation rate for men in that age group is lower than it was pre-pandemic.

RICHARD V. REEVES, SENOR FELLOW, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: I don`t think it`s a secret that many of us rethought our whole work life balance, what were

we doing, who`s raising the kids, how do we want our family to work? That`s a question that a lot of families have been asking themselves.

YURKEVICH: And more women in recent months ages 30 to 44 are participating in the labor force and at a higher rate than pre- pandemic according to

Labor Department data. And they`re moving into more male dominated industries.

REEVES: The fears of a she-cession turned out largely to be unfounded. Women are returning to the labor market. It`s becoming increasingly common

to see women, for example, having project management roles or generally management positions within construction.

YURKEVICH: Women like Ava Sedaghat.

AVA SEDAGHAT, PROJECT ENGINEER: I knew I wanted to work in construction management.

YURKEVICH: Sedaghat joined the construction industry two years ago as a project engineer. Today, women make up just 14 percent of the construction

industry, but it`s the highest on record.

SEDAGHAT: I think it was definitely intimidating. My only knowledge of the construction industry was that it was pretty heavy and male dominated. But

the more that I started working in the industry and the more people I came into contact with, I think I realized pretty quickly on that there`s a

place for everyone in construction.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Ten-second trivia:

The term "metaverse" was coined by:

A science fiction writer, the founder of Facebook, a programmer at Google, or a college professor?

In 1992, the term metaverse was coined by sci-fi writer Neal Stephenson.
 

metaverse 元宇宙

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: Ever since its inception, the metaverse has had many people flummoxed, even flabbergasted. Is it simply like a video game or could it
 

ever since 从...以来

inception [ɪnˋsɛpʃən] n. 开始，开端

flummoxed [ˋflʌməkst] adj. 困惑的

flabbergasted [ˋflæbɚgæstɪd] adj.【口】大吃一惊的，目瞪口呆的

evolve actually into a common way of life?

In the metaverse, you can virtually be transported from your couch to a classroom, from a living room to a work luncheon. You could walk alongside
 

luncheon [ˋlʌntʃən] n. 午餐，（正式的）午餐会

a hippopotamus on safari or wear a spinny hat and get rambunctious with friends at a concert by Bieber, Drake in the weekend, and you wouldn`t even
 

rambunctious [ræmˋbʌŋkʃəs ] adj.【美】【口】粗暴的；喧闹的

have to leave your room.

While this technology is catching up with fantasy, it`s still being built and is constantly evolving.

CNN reporter Anna Stewart has more from Dubai.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORESPONDENT: Remember this movie?

The concept of a virtual universe is rooted in science fiction and for years, it`s been just that fiction. But now, technology is beginning to
 

root [rut] v. 根源在于，来源于[（+in）]

catch up, bringing the idea of the metaverse to reality.

It`s home to concerts, expensive digital real estate and hugely popular games. But what exactly is the metaverse? What does it do, and why should

you care?

Let`s break it down.

NEAL STEPHENSON, AUTHOR, SNOW CRASH: It means a virtual environment.

STEWART: This is Neal Stephenson. He came up with a term metaverse back in 1992. For his book "Snow Crash".

Back to you Neal.

STEPHENSON: Where large numbers of people can get together and interact with each other, not as they are but through avatars, which are kind of the
 

avatar [ˈævəˌtɑr] n.【電腦】（术语）指在虚拟现实中互动地呈现一个人

three-dimensional representations.

STEWART: For so long, our experiences with the Internet have been 2D, it`s been something we look at. But the metaverse gives users the sense of being

transported into the Internet like this.

Oh hi.

ANDREW BOSWORTH, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, META: Hello.

STEWART: Meet Andrew Bosworth, also known as Boz. He works at Meta, formerly named Facebook.

Great.

Do we shake hands? How does this work?

BOSWORTH: We can do a high five.

STEWART: This is Horizon Workrooms, the company`s foothold in the metaverse. It`s just one of the many ways into the metaverse that are
 

foothold [ˋfʊt͵hold] n. 据点，立足点

currently available.

In these virtual worlds, you can play games, do business and dance with strangers that turn into friends, except that this friend could be on the

other side of the world.

BOSWORTH: Is it as good as being together? No, and it probably never will be, but it`s the next best thing.

STEWART: This all sounds exciting, until you realize that the technology for building this new iteration of the Internet is -- well, still being

built.

For now, it`s this place where you can be whoever you want and immerse your virtual self into this alternative world that pushes past physical

barriers, to collaborate and interact with other virtual avatars, objects and environments.

As promising as it all may sound, we still have a long way to go before we`re living like this.
 

promising [ˋprɑmɪsɪŋ] adj. 有前途的，大有可为的

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE: Then for today`s 10 out of 10, a viral reunion viewed more than 10 million times. Baby Kucheza struggled to breathe after Mama Mahale gave an

emergency C-section birth at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas. Fortunately, doctors saved Baby Kucheza, a sweet, adorable little

chimpanzee. Well, after being separated for two days during recovery, take a look at the moment that mama realized her baby was back, reaching for

her.

You can feel the relief. Mama swooping her baby up cuddling her safely in her arms. That is love.
 

swoop [swup] v. 攫取，抓去[（+up/off/away）]

cuddle [ˋkʌd!] v. 抚爱地拥抱；亲热地搂住

As I mentioned earlier this is our last show of the year. So special shout out to Mrs. Barnes` class at Hopewell Middle School in Milton, Georgia.

Also a special shout out to our small but mighty CNN team, Jackie, Maya, Nadir and Jeremy. They work so hard -- care so hard to make this the best

10 minutes in news for you.

And I speak for all of us when I say thank you for all the love you`ve shown. We love learning and growing with you, being unified, inspired and

uplifted by the stories we share. We`re going to miss this while we`re on a break for the holidays. We`re back January 9th and we wish you many

blessings and a happy holidays.

Let`s finish this year strong so we can take boundless energy into 2023. We leave you now with some of the powerful images of the places, people and
 

boundless [ˋbaʊndlɪs] adj. 无穷的，无限的

stories we learned about together. I`m Coy Wire and it`s been a blessing to spend 2022 with you.

END