经济危机难挡美国人购书欲望

During tough economic times when US consumers are trying to cut back the indulgence they can't seem to live without is books.

Three-quarters of adults questioned in an online poll said they would sacrifice holidays, dining out, going to the movies and even shopping sprees but they could not resist buying books.

Dining out came in a far second with only 11 percent of Americans naming it their top indulgence, followed by shopping at 7 percent, vacations at four and movies, which was chosen by only 3 percent of Americans.

"The recession highlighted the downside of greed, indulgence and giving in to temptation, but we noticed a shift back to life's simplest pleasures," said Michelle Renaud, a senior manager at Harlequin Enterprises Limited, which conducted the poll.

The survey of 3,000 people tried to determine what tempts people to spend their money, how they react to temptation and how far they would go when tempted.

Sex was a main temptation for 50 percent of men, while for 56 percent of women food topped the list. The sexes also differed in their approach to straying. Half of men thought it was harmless to lust after someone other than their partner, compared to 33 percent of women.

"Our survey also revealed that one in four women (20 percent) and, shockingly, almost half of the men (43 percent) surveyed have been tempted to hook up with their friend's significant other," according to the survey.

The sluggish economy and high unemployment also seem to have increased competition and temptation in the workplace. Forty-eight percent of people admitted they had sneaked a look at a co-worker's pay slip. Fifteen percent of men and 10 percent of woman also said they had sabotaged a colleague.

"It is very surprising the number of people who admitted they had done that," Renaud said in an interview, adding that she believed it was due to the competitive job market.

An equal number of men and 8 percent of women admitted to taking credit for someone else's work.

"We are so information obsessed right now that we are constantly trying to find out more, even if it is about our significant other or our colleagues at work," said Renaud.
在眼下的经济困难时期，美国消费者正努力削减各项非必需开支，但他们却似乎无法割舍买书这项消费。

在一项在线调查中，四分之三的受访成年人说他们可以牺牲度假、出去吃饭、看电影甚至购物，但却无法抵制买书的欲望。

外出用餐位居第二，只有11%的美国人认为其最不能割舍，远落后于购书；购物位列其后，有7%的人称其无法割舍，度假和看电影分别为4%和3%。

开展该调查的禾林有限公司的高级经理米歇尔．雷纳德说：“经济衰退凸显出人们贪婪、放纵和经不住诱惑的缺点，但我们注意到在这样的时期人们开始重拾生活中一些最简单的乐趣。”

这项共有三千人参与的调查旨在弄清什么东西诱使人们花钱，人们如何应对诱惑，以及在受到诱惑时的出格程度。

50%的男性认为性是一个主要的诱惑，56%的女性认为食物是最大的诱惑。男性和女性对于出轨的态度也有所不同，一半的男性认为对伴侣以外的其他女性有非分之想无伤大雅，而只有33%的女性这么认为。

调查报告称：“该调查还显示，四分之一的（20%）受访女性曾经不住诱惑和朋友的另一半发生不正当关系，而竟有近一半（43%）的男性曾这样做过。”

此外，不景气的经济状况和高失业率似乎也加剧了工作场所的竞争和诱惑。48%的人承认他们曾偷看过同事的工资单。15%的男性和10%的女性称他们曾陷害过某个同事。

雷纳德在一项访谈中说：“没想到有这么多人承认自己曾经做过这种事。”她认为这是竞争激烈的就业市场造成的。

另有15%的男性和8%的女性承认他们曾抢过别人的功劳。

雷纳德说：“现在的人们过度关注信息，以至于我们不断地想要获取更多信息，即使它们关乎我们的另一半或我们的同事。”

Vocabulary:

shopping spree: 大采购，大量购物

stray: (of a person who is married or in a relationship) to have a sexual relationship with somebody who is not your usual partner（已婚者或有固定关系者）有外遇；在别处拈花惹草

hook up with sb.: to become romantically or sexually involved with someone 与某人发生恋爱或性关系

sluggish: displaying little movement or activity; slow; inactive （经济）萧条的

sabotage: to damage, destroy or spoil something deliberately to prevent an enemy from using it or to protest about something（为防止敌方利用或为表示抗议而）蓄意破坏，阴谋破坏

take credit for:抢功劳；争夺名利