导读：当今社会，婚前同居情况越来越普遍，如何看待这一现象也成为许多人关心的话题。而有关专家表示，同居有利有弊，孰轻孰重，要仔细掂量。
The number of unmarried cohabiting couples in the US increased more than 17 fold between 1960 and 2010, according to a recent US Census Bureau report。
根据美国人口普查局最近的一份报告，从1960年到2010年美国未婚同居的情侣增加超过17倍。
The benefits of cohabitation are obvious: It provides economies of scale as two can live more cheaply than one. It also encourages economic specialization by allowing individuals to focus on their unique skills while leaving other duties to their spouse。
同居的好处是显而易见的：两个人生活成本更加便宜，它提供了规模经济效应;同时两个人生活有利于经济分工，允许个人关注自身独特的技能，其余的事情留给另一半。
A recent study conducted by the online rental site Rent.com of 1,000 cohabiting individuals in the US, found that 32 percent said living together helped them determine if their partner was “the one”。
根据在线租赁网站Rent.com最近的一项对美国1000名同居的者调查，,发现32%的人表示生活在一起帮助他们确定对方是否是自己“命中注定的一个人”。
The cohabitation rate is also on the rise among young Chinese. Author and relationship expert Marshall Miller believes cohabiting allows people to get to the “nitty-gritty” of the relationship before committing to marriage. “Cohabitation is a lot like turning the TV to your favorite channel — and then leaving it on 24/7”， he says. “You’re bound to see some stuff you don’t like much。”
与美国情况类似，同居率在中国年轻人中也在上升。作者和人际关系专家马歇尔·米勒认为同居可以让人们在走进婚姻之前解读恋爱的“本质”。“同居很像打开电视调到你最喜欢的频道，然后一周二十四小时的轮流播放”，他说。“你一定会看到一些你不喜欢的东西。”
According to a 2013 sociological study cited in The Atlantic, 74 percent of cohabiting women are “completely committed” to their partner, while only 59 percent of men said the same. This represents a large divide in expectations among cohabitants, which can often lead to relationship problems later on。
根据美国《大西洋月刊》引自2013年的一项社会学研究，称74%的同居女性对伴侣“全心投入”，而只有59%的男性表示会这样去做。这代表着同居的男女之间对彼此的期待存在着巨大的分歧，这往往导致之后的感情会出现问题。
In order to bridge this gap, experts encourage couples to discuss their expectations with each other and ensure they have similar ideas about their relationship before taking any big steps。
为了缩小这一落差，专家鼓励情侣们在感情取得实质性跨越之前，应互相讨论他们对彼此的期望，并确保他们对双方的感情有类似的想法。
This shows cohabitation doesn’t necessarily work for everyone and there are many ways different people like to progress and evolve in their relationship。
综上所述，婚前同居并非适用于所有人，人们也会选择不同方式来为感情加温。
