内容正文:
2023年高考英语必考题型终极预测(最新名校模拟题)
专题02 阅读理解
(2023·山西临汾·统考二模)Imagine you bought a new shirt and did not intend to buy a new jacket,however,you suppose that the new shirt makes the old jacket look worn. You weaken and buy a new jacket, new trousers,even new shoes.Before you realize it,you have a whole new wardrobe.And maybe an empty bank account.
This is called the Diderot Effect. Denis Diderot,a well-known French philosopher,was the co-founder and writer of Encyclopedia. However,he was too badly off to afford a dowry(嫁妆)for his daughter. His only valuable possessions were books. Hearing of Diderot’s financial troubles,Catherine the Great,the Empress of Russia, offered to buy his library at a high price. Shortly after this lucky sale,Diderot acquired a new dressing gown(长袍)which had a huge effect on his life. As he wrote in the article in 1769, the new dressing gown made his other belongings seem old and unattractive. Thus, he began replacing them.
According to many social scientists,it resulted from a psychological need for our possessions to go together and to reflect our self-image. In1988, anthropologist Grant McCracken coined the term “the Diderot Effect” to describe this need and its influence on consumerism.
Marketers utilize this need by displaying products in what McCracken calls Diderot Unities. An example is the Swedish furniture company IKEA, whose marketing uses two kinds of Diderot Unities in its shops, website and catalogue. One is dividing items like lamps and rugs into various furniture “families”. The other is displaying items in fully furnished rooms. Shops count on all of these to create the Diderot Effect, making the buyer want the entire package.
We may occasionally give in to the Diderot Effect,but knowing it exists can help us resist it so we don’t regret our purchases. Before buying something, ask yourself, is it necessary? Then, buy items that match what you already have. And remind yourself that a new chair won’t transform your bedroom into a sho