《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词3500》Unit46:我们这个时代的购物狂

　　Unit 46
Shopaholics of Our Times
In trying to keep up with the Jones, many people buy more than they can really afford. For some who purchase many items they neither need or use, however, there is more than merely trying to keep up with the Jones going on. These people have a compulsive shopping disorder¹, addicted² to going to malls and buying things they really don't need. They spend a lot of time juggling³ accounts and bills to be able to continue to shop for more things and lie to others about the amount of shopping done and the amount of money spent.
Compulsive shopping is the uncontrollable desire to purchase items. In a society that celebrates spending and credit, this behavior is usually looked upon as a joke rather than a serious problem. Shopaholics are often viewed as merely being financially irresponsible and therefore left on their own with no support in dealing⁴ with their problem.
Studies indicate that as many as 1 in 12 people in the US suffer from shopaholism with 80%-90% of those suffering from it being women. The typical compulsive buyer is a woman in her early to mid-30s who has a number of credit cards and whose family earns a low to middle income.
The shopaholism can have devastating⁵ effects. It often leads to financial problems, such as overspending and can also create mental and emotional difficulties. Mental health professionals do not consider compulsive shopping an "addiction⁶" due to the fact that there is no physical dependency as you would find with drugs or alcohol.
Compulsive shopping typically occurs in a continuing viscous⁷ cycle. It's usually set off by depression or some other emotional distress⁸ such as boredom⁹, disappointment, anger or fear. When these emotions come, they set off an impulse for crazy shopping which gives a sense of relief. When they reach a depressed¹⁰ state, they're extremely susceptible¹¹ to advertising¹² and will buy anything that they feel will make them more attractive, powerful or secure. Following the purchase, however, there is a letdown usually followed by guilt¹³ over the wasted money or increasing debt. This guilt and stress leads to another round of depression, which begins the compulsive shopping cycle all over again.
Treatment for shopaholism can be more complex than treating a physical addiction like drugs or alcohol. While there are a number of steps a compulsive shopper can take on their own to help reduce their shopping to normal levels, ultimately professional psychological help is needed to overcome the problem.

1 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

2 addicted   

adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的

参考例句：

• He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
• She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。

3 juggling   

n. 欺骗, 杂耍(=jugglery) adj. 欺骗的, 欺诈的 动词juggle的现在分词

参考例句：

• He was charged with some dishonest juggling with the accounts. 他被指控用欺骗手段窜改账目。
• The accountant went to prison for juggling his firm's accounts. 会计因涂改公司的帐目而入狱。

4 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

5 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

6 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。

7 viscous   

adj.粘滞的，粘性的

参考例句：

• Gases are much less viscous than liquids.气体的粘滞性大大小于液体。
• The mud is too viscous.You must have all the agitators run.泥浆太稠，你们得让所有的搅拌机都开着。

8 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

9 boredom   

n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊

参考例句：

• Unemployment can drive you mad with boredom.失业会让你无聊得发疯。
• A walkman can relieve the boredom of running.跑步时带着随身听就不那么乏味了。

10 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

11 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

12 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

13 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。