从圣诞礼物窥见TA对你的感情

 　　They say a picture paints a thousand words – and the same applies to gifts. As you shop for Christmas presents for your partner, unconscious feelings and motivations drive your choices.

　　俗话说，一幅画胜过千言万语。礼物亦然。你为另一半挑选的圣诞礼物，暴露了你潜意识下的选择。

　　That means the gift you receive gives you clues about what your partner’s thinking.

　　同样，当TA送你礼物时，你也多少能读出对方的内心。

　　One study which looked at present giving between partners over a 10-year period of their relationship, showed that in the first few years the gifts were rated as being highly in tune¹ with what the receiver actually wanted. Sadly for many couples, the longer they were together, the less meaningful gifts became.

　　一项针对伴侣间10年来互送礼物的研究显示，最初几年，双方均对收到的礼物赞不绝口。然而，日子过久了，送礼的心意也淡了。

　　从圣诞礼物窥见TA对你的感情

　　Whether you’re a new couple or an established one, presents are one part of the puzzle to your emotional connection. So if you find one of these favourites under the Christmas tree here is what it reveals:

　　不管你和TA是新婚鸳鸯，还是老夫老妻，一谈到送礼与感情，多半是一头雾水。如果圣诞节你也收到以下礼物，这就是它揭示的情感密码：

　　Expensive, sophisticated jewellery like an elegant pearl or diamond pendant

　　昂贵精美的珠宝，比如一串优雅的珍珠或钻石挂饰

　　This partner reveals a very traditional and quite serious side to their personality. They take you seriously and it’s unlikely you ever feel neglected. You probably find they’re steady and responsible by nature.

　　收到此礼，说明对方观念传统，生性严谨。TA很重视这段感情，因此你无需担心遭到冷落。这样的人，生性稳重，做事负责。

　　They think carefully about investing their time and energy. They’ve thought carefully about you and they want to invest that time and energy. They might expect you both to fulfil traditional roles – so be aware of this if you have a non-traditional streak².

　　在决定在一个人身上投入时间和精力之前他们都会思虑再三。他们已经对你进行了仔细考察，并愿意在你身上倾注大量的时间与精力。不过，TA所期待的也是一场传统的二人关系，所以，可别把你心中的“小怪兽”放出来哟。

　　Aftershave/male grooming³ products

　　须后水/男士护理产品

　　This is significant of a relationship that’s still in the full flush sexual chemistry. It reveals she is attracted to him and expects a full on relationship. It can signal that she’s sexually confident, too, and wants her needs met.

　　这说明两人正处于热恋期。女方深深地迷恋着男方，希望让彼此的关系进一步“升温”。女方“性”致满满，期待与对方更加亲密。

　　Naming a star or dedicating a tree to you in a framed certificate

　　以你的名字命名星星或送你一棵树

　　This gift shows just how much of an incurable⁴ romantic your partner is. They probably put you on a pedestal. You can really count on this partner. This choice of an eternally lasting⁵ gift reveals a deep need to show just how important their love for you is. They’re likely to make frequent romantic gestures.

　　送你这份大礼，对方一定是个浪漫到骨子里的人。你就是TA的全世界，TA一定对你忠贞不二。这份礼物，代表了永恒，也说明TA渴望展示对你深挚的爱。这样的人，时常会制造浪漫的惊喜。

　　However, this partner might find it hard to face conflict. True romantics tend to sweep issues under the carpet.

　　不过，一旦面临矛盾，TA或许会不知所措，毕竟浪漫主义者习惯活在美好的幻想中。

　　An unexpected pet such as a puppy, kitten, tropical fish or anything requiring a lot of love and care

　　一份需要爱与呵护的意外之喜，比如小狗、小猫、热带鱼等

　　Who doesn’t love a cute little puppy, kitten or exotic tropical fish? But if you haven’t asked for one, this potentially displays ignorance about you from your partner.

　　萌萌的小狗、小猫，或者热带鱼，可谓人见人爱。不过，若另一半在你没有主动要求的情况下送了你这么个意外之喜，那就只能说TA不太懂你了。

　　After all, you have a busy life and no time to care for a pet. They probably have an impulsive⁶ streak, making snap decisions across your relationship.

　　想想看，平时工作繁忙，哪有时间去照看小动物呢？这说明，你的TA行事鲁莽，做决定时常常头脑发热。

　　Tickets to see something you love like your favourite band, show or celebrity⁷

　　你最爱的演唱会、戏剧或明星见面会门票

　　This partner is enthusiastic about your relationship. Their gift reveals how much they care about what you like. They want to show you a good time and they try hard.

　　TA对这份感情挺上心，很关注你的喜好。对方常常想方设法哄你开心。

　　Beware if you don’t share the same level of thoughtfulness in your gift to them – this type of partner will take it hard.

　　然而，你在准备礼物时，也要百分百地上心，否则对方会大失所望。

　　A cuddly⁸ toy, such as a fluffy⁹ puppy, teddy bear or even something from a movie like Frozen

　　玩偶、绒毛狗、泰迪熊或者《冰雪奇缘》中的人物公仔

　　This partner is forever youthful but may be a bit immature¹⁰. They’re affectionate and lovable. They can be quite playful in your relationship and make small romantic gestures.

　　送你上述礼物，说明TA童心未泯，像个长不大的小孩。TA温柔体贴，讨人喜爱，与你相处时，常常插科打诨，不时制造浪漫之喜。

　　Watch out for the fact this partner may also be the type who needs lots of attention and fussing over.

　　当然，你也得时时宠着这个“老小孩”。

　　Vocabulary

　　streak: 性情，气质

　　pedestal: （尤指作为偶像崇拜的）显要地位

1 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

2 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

3 grooming   

n. 修饰, 美容，（动物）梳理毛发

参考例句：

• You should always pay attention to personal grooming. 你应随时注意个人仪容。
• We watched two apes grooming each other. 我们看两只猩猩在互相理毛。

4 incurable   

adj.不能医治的，不能矫正的，无救的；n.不治的病人，无救的人

参考例句：

• All three babies were born with an incurable heart condition.三个婴儿都有不可治瘉的先天性心脏病。
• He has an incurable and widespread nepotism.他们有不可救药的，到处蔓延的裙带主义。

5 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

6 impulsive   

adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的

参考例句：

• She is impulsive in her actions.她的行为常出于冲动。
• He was neither an impulsive nor an emotional man,but a very honest and sincere one.他不是个一冲动就鲁莽行事的人，也不多愁善感.他为人十分正直、诚恳。

7 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

8 cuddly   

adj.抱着很舒服的，可爱的

参考例句：

• The beautiful crib from Mom and Dad is so cuddly.爸爸妈妈送的漂亮婴儿床真舒服。
• You can't call a hedgehog cuddly.你不能说刺猬逗人喜爱。

9 fluffy   

adj.有绒毛的，空洞的

参考例句：

• Newly hatched chicks are like fluffy balls.刚孵出的小鸡像绒毛球。
• The steamed bread is very fluffy.馒头很暄。

10 immature   

adj.未成熟的，发育未全的，未充分发展的

参考例句：

• Tony seemed very shallow and immature.托尼看起来好像很肤浅，不夠成熟。
• The birds were in immature plumage.这些鸟儿羽翅未全。