情人节愿望调查

 　今年情人节，大多数单身者最想要的礼物不是贺卡、鲜花和巧克力，而是一段特别的经历。尽管经济停滞不前，多数追求浪漫的人在这一天仍然不会少花钱，甚至会花得比去年更多。 

　　一项新的民意调查发现，近半数单身者和离婚人士认为情人节是向某人表白的好机会，但也有数量相近的单身人士表示对过节丝毫没有压力。 

　　开展这一在线调查的是约会网站eHarmony，该网站的社会心理学家吉安?冈萨加说：“人们确实对体验更感兴趣，而非物质礼物。” 

　　“你和某人的共同经历越多，就能创造更多的回忆，拥有更多共同的过去，这有助于让两人的感情关系更亲密。” 

　　他补充道，与物质礼物不同，一段经历，无论是郊游、度假还是一顿特别的晚餐，尤其是一起做两人都感兴趣的事情，才是情侣间独一无二的礼物。 

　　不过，在接受调查的730位单身人士中，并非每个人都会花很多心思庆祝情人节。约三分之一的男性和女性认为这个节日太商业化。 

　　今年情人节，预计美国消费者将人均消费126美元，比2011年上涨8.5%。情人节是全年最大的送礼节日之一，全日总消费有望达到176亿美元。 

　　传统礼物将占据花销的大部分。约20%的人会为情人买珠宝，珠宝消费有望超过41亿美元。贺卡也将成为受欢迎的爱情象征物，有17.3%的人选择了贺卡。 

　　糖果和鲜花依然很受欢迎，有近三分之一的人将选择糖果和鲜花。还有数量相近的人晚上会出去玩，好好消费一下。 

　　据美国零售联合会称，不仅仅配偶、伴侣和爱人将收到情人节礼物，宠物主人也会在情人节为他们毛茸茸的朋友花费4.52美元。 

　　尽管很多人热切期盼情人节的到来，有些单身者却害怕过这个节，不过也有些单身者保持乐观。70%的单身者称自己甚至会在情人节进行第一次约会或者相亲。 

　　Forget cards, flowers and chocolates, most singles want a special experience rather than a gift for Valentine's Day and although the economy is stagnating¹, most romantics will spend as much, or more, on the day this year than last. 

　　Nearly half of single and divorced people questioned in a new poll said they view the day as an opportunity to show someone how much they care but a similar number without a significant other don't feel any pressure to celebrate Cupid's big day. 

　　"People are really interested in experience gifts, rather than object gifts," said Gian Gonzaga, a social psychologist with the dating website eHarmony, which conducted the online survey. 

　　"The more you have experiences with someone, the more you are able to build memories and share histories that help to make the relationship more intimate." 

　　Unlike material gifts, he added, an experience, whether it is an outing, a vacation or a special meal, is something unique to the couple, especially if it reflects both people's interests. 

　　But not everyone questioned in the poll of 730 singles is making a fuss about Valentine's Day. About a third of men and women think the holiday is just too commercial. 

　　US consumers are expected to spend about $126 each this year for Valentine's Day, an increase of 8.5 percent from 2011. Total spending for the day, which is one of the biggest gift-giving holidays of the year, is expected to reach $17.6 billion.

　　Traditional gifts will make up most of the outlay². About 20 percent of people will buy jewelry³ for their Valentine with the price tag for bling expected to exceed $4.1 billion. Gift cards are also primed to be a popular token of affection with 17.3 percent of people choosing them. 

　　Candy and flowers are still popular with nearly a third of people expected to opt⁴ for them and a similar number will dig deep into their pockets for an evening out. 

　　Spouses⁵, partners and sweethearts will not be the only ones receiving presents. Pet owners will dispense⁶ about $4.52 for their furry⁷ friends for Valentine's Day, according to the NRF(National Retail⁸ Federation). 

　　Although Valentine's Day is eagerly anticipated by many, some singles dread⁹ the day while others remain optimistic. Seventy percent of singles said they would even go out on a first or blind date on Valentine's Day. 

　　Vocabulary: 

　　stagnate: 萧条，停滞，失去活力 

　　outlay: （钱、精力等的）花费 

　　bling: 大又亮的璀璨珠宝 

　　prime: 使准备好

1 stagnating   

v.停滞，不流动，不发展( stagnate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I feel I'm stagnating in this job. 我觉得，干这份工作我没有长进。
• ITT was stagnating when Geneen became the chief executive officer in 1959. 1959年吉宁出任行政总负责人时，国际电话电报公司正处于不景气时期。 来自辞典例句

2 outlay   

n.费用，经费，支出；v.花费

参考例句：

• There was very little outlay on new machinery.添置新机器的开支微乎其微。
• The outlay seems to bear no relation to the object aimed at.这费用似乎和预期目的完全不相称。

3 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

4 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

5 spouses   

n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。 来自辞典例句
• An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。 来自辞典例句

6 dispense   

vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施

参考例句：

• Let us dispense the food.咱们来分发这食物。
• The charity has been given a large sum of money to dispense as it sees fit.这个慈善机构获得一大笔钱，可自行适当分配。

7 furry   

adj.毛皮的；似毛皮的；毛皮制的

参考例句：

• This furry material will make a warm coat for the winter.这件毛皮料在冬天会是一件保暖的大衣。
• Mugsy is a big furry brown dog,who wiggles when she is happy.马格斯是一只棕色大长毛狗，当她高兴得时候她会摇尾巴。

8 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

9 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。