新奇事件簿 男人也有购物狂

A recent survey has found that one in 20 American adults buy things they may not even want or never need or use. In today’s world of consumerism, where we are constantly bombarded by ads, this is perhaps not surprising. What may raise an eyebrow¹ or two is a further finding in the study that men are just as likely as women to suffer from “compulsive buying”. Gone seem to be the days when women dragged their bored and fed-up-looking men around shopping malls. The new research from Stanford University has revealed that men are now just as avid² and compulsive shoppers as their female counterparts. Researcher Dr Lorrin Koram said that the numbers of men who indulge in unnecessary shopping sprees has rocketed: "That's the biggest surprise -- men engage in this behavior almost as commonly as women," he said.

最近一项调查发现，20名美国人中就有1人买了他们不想要，或者从来不需要，从来都不用的东西。在如今的消费主义时代，我们经常被各种广告轰炸，因此这并不奇怪。让人感到惊讶的是这项研究的另外一项发现，男人可能也像女人一样购物上瘾。女人拖着一脸不耐烦的男人逛商场的时代似乎成为过去了。来自斯坦福大学的这项最新研究发现，男人购物时可能也像女人那样贪婪和上瘾。研究员Lorrin Koram表示，放纵自己无节制地购买非必需品的男性数量剧增：“这是最让人惊讶的——男人冲动购物的情况几乎像女人一样普遍。”

This finding runs counter to the conventional and rather stereotyped³ view that compulsive buying is very much a "woman's disease." Dr. Koram said trends and figures may have been unfairly skewed as male obsessive⁴ shoppers used to be more reluctant than women to recognize that they have a problem and then come forward and admit it. He pointed⁵ out that: "Generally, in psychiatry⁶, men seek care less often than women…It's not 'manly⁷' to seek help." And help seems to be exactly what the doctor ordered for any compulsive shopper, who is usually not made any happier by his or her relentless⁸ buying. Dr Koram warned: "It's always important to encourage people who have these types of disorders⁹ to seek treatment." Many find themselves laden¹⁰ with debt and filled with shame and suicidal tendencies as they attempt to hide their addiction¹¹.

这项发现与传统的根深蒂固的观点背道而驰。人们一直以为冲动购物是女人特有的缺点。Koram博士表示，过去的趋势和数据可能被扭曲了，因为迷恋购物的男性通常不情愿承认这个问题。他指出：“总的来说，从精神层面来讲，与女人相比，男人更不愿意寻求呵护。寻求帮助显得没有男子气概。”很多冲动型购物者无节制地购物后并没有变得更开心，医生建议他们寻求帮助。Koram警告称：“我们鼓励有这种症状的人寻求治疗，这是非常重要的。”许多人负债累累，试图克制购物冲动，充满愧疚感，甚至有自杀倾向。

1 eyebrow   

n.眉毛，眉

参考例句：

• Her eyebrow is well penciled.她的眉毛画得很好。
• With an eyebrow raised,he seemed divided between surprise and amusement.他一只眉毛扬了扬，似乎既感到吃惊，又觉有趣。

2 avid   

adj.热心的；贪婪的；渴望的；劲头十足的

参考例句：

• He is rich,but he is still avid of more money.他很富有,但他还想贪图更多的钱。
• She was avid for praise from her coach.那女孩渴望得到教练的称赞。

3 stereotyped   

adj.(指形象、思想、人物等)模式化的

参考例句：

• There is a sameness about all these tales. They're so stereotyped -- all about talented scholars and lovely ladies. 这些书就是一套子，左不过是些才子佳人，最没趣儿。
• He is the stereotyped monster of the horror films and the adventure books, and an obvious (though not perhaps strictly scientific) link with our ancestral past. 它们是恐怖电影和惊险小说中的老一套的怪物，并且与我们的祖先有着明显的（虽然可能没有科学的）联系。

4 obsessive   

adj. 着迷的, 强迫性的, 分神的

参考例句：

• Some people are obsessive about cleanliness.有些人有洁癖。
• He's becoming more and more obsessive about punctuality.他对守时要求越来越过分了。

5 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

6 psychiatry   

n.精神病学，精神病疗法

参考例句：

• The study appeared in the Amercian science Journal of Psychiatry.这个研究发表在美国精神病学的杂志上。
• A physician is someone who specializes in psychiatry.精神病专家是专门从事精神病治疗的人。

7 manly   

adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地

参考例句：

• The boy walked with a confident manly stride.这男孩以自信的男人步伐行走。
• He set himself manly tasks and expected others to follow his example.他给自己定下了男子汉的任务，并希望别人效之。

8 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

9 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

11 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。