we're what we do
not long ago, as if they had been infected with a virus (病毒), many people searched for dresses on taobao and shared a screenshot of the search result on social media. this trend came after a claim by a weibo user who has worked in online retail (在线零售): online shoppers whose searches for dresses turn up results priced below rmb 128 have been labeled the "low-priced crowd" by taobao, based on analysis of their browsing and purchasing history.
you probably shop online and already know that the stores try to make a profile of you as their customer. they keep track of your spending patterns and they predict how much you are going to spend.
to my surprise, people didn’t feel uneasy about this because internet platforms are measuring their habits and trying to make a profile of them. i noticed that the screenshots were often shared together with texts like "i'm a poor guy indeed" or "i'm the high-priced passenger." for some people, the screenshot — the label given by an internet platform — was an embodiment (体现) of their self-image. in consumer psychology (消费者心理学), there is this theory that consumption is an important way for people to express their self-image. but can these screenshots define their image? the answer may be not.
self-image is very complex. although we tend to "read" each other's clothes to gauge (测量，估计) wealth or social status, we know in our heart that we are more than what we wear. billionaires can wear torn and faded jeans and their oldest sneakers when riding the subway; while some people spend up to half of their income on clothes, shoes and hair for fear that their "image" might be under attack.
the peacock and the lion come to mind. biologists tell us that animals compete for status through displays of beauty or strength. as humans, we are a little more complicated in how we send signals and perhaps more aware that "image," especially online, is not reality.
we are more than what we buy and what we wear. bear these words of the famous philosopher jean-paul sartre: "we are what we do." a healthy self-image is best constructed through activities which are unrelated to consumption. sport, crafting (手工艺), reading, study and volunteering will bring satisfaction, self-worth and personal growth. compared with paying too much attention to what you wear, learning an instrument or reading a novel is a better investment in yourself.
1. have you seen people share search results of dresses on weibo or wechat recently? why do you think these people care so much about the search results?
2. what kind of person are you? do you often take part in psychological tests or personality tests? do you take these test results seriously? why or why not?
1. not long ago, as if they had been infected with a virus (病毒)①, many people searched for dresses on taobao and shared a screenshot of the search result on social media.
① as if在这个句子中引导了一个方式状语从句，从句中的谓语动词用了过去完成时，表示引导的内容并非事实。
在as if /as though引导的状语从句中，用虚拟语气的情况是比较多的。若表示与现在事实相反，谓语动词用一般过去时；若表示与过去事实相反，用过去完成时；表示将来的可能性不大，用would /should/might/ could + 动词原形。
e.g. they treat me as though i were a stranger.
e.g. he talks about rome as if he had been there before.
as if 从句有时也用陈述语气，这里的陈述语气是相对于虚拟语气而言的。即所表达的句子是真实的或极有可能发生或存在的事实时。
e.g. it looks as if it is going to rain.
e.g. the meat tastes as if it has already gone bad.
2. in consumer psychology, there is this theory that① consumption is an important way for people to express their self-image.
complete each sentence using one word from the box in its correct form. note that there is one word more than you need and you can use each word only once.
analysis purchasing predict surprise compete compared
1. weather ________ has never been a perfect science.
2. the report ________ the different types of home computers on the market.
3. you need to sit down and ________ why you feel so upset.
4. this product should be eaten on the day of ________.
5. he looked ________ to see cassie standing by the front door.
key: prediction compares/compared analyze purchase surprised
1. 令我颇感意外的是，他对我们提出的方案很感兴趣。(to sb.'s surprise)
1. much to my surprise, he was very interested in the plan we put forward.
2. he noticed a woman in black sitting in a coffee shop across the street.
3. they are well aware that the company has been having some problems recently.
choose the best answer.
1. according to the article, why do so many people care so much about the label given by taobao?
a. they believe the label is believable as it is based on big data.
b. they believe that the label can represent their self-image.
c. they want to show off their wealth on social media.
d. they want to hear other people's comments on the label.
2. what's the author's intention in writing this article?
a. to remind people to protect their personal information online.
b. to criticize those who care too much about their clothing.
c. to tell people that their image online is not real.
d. to stress that a person's image is not defined by what he/she wears.
3. according to the article, to build a healthy self-image, a person should ______.
① spend as much as possible on appearance
② maintain a perfect image online
③ pay more attention to real life
④ do more things that can improve themselves
a. ①② b. ①③ c. ②③ d. ③④
in your opinion, what should a healthy self-image be like? is there anything you can do to build a healthy self-image? share your ideas with your classmates.
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