扎克伯格为妻子立像引热议

近日，Meta公司首席执行官马克·扎克伯格（Mark Zuckerberg）在Instagram上晒出了一座为妻子量身定制的巨型雕像，引发热议。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. What does Isabelle Morley imply about the possible intentions behind Zuckerberg's gift?

A) It was a spontaneous gesture of love.

B) It was a typical expression of affection among wealthy couples.

C) It may have been intended to manipulate or elicit a specific reaction.

D) It was a misunderstood attempt to impress others.

2. What underlying concern does Morley raise about extravagant gifts in relationships?

A) They often lead to financial difficulties.

B) They are usually given with ulterior motives.

C) They can create an imbalance of power in the relationship.

D) They rarely reflect true emotions.

A) The psychological implications of such lavish gifts in relationships.

B) The artistic value of the statue.

C) The public's reaction to the gift. D) The couple's overall relationship dynamics.

无注释原文：

Mark Zuckerberg got his wife a 7-foot statue of herself. A couples therapist said such a lavish gift might be a red flag.

From: Business Insider

Mark Zuckerberg seems to be on a mission to be crowned the internet's favorite "wife guy."

On Tuesday, Meta's CEO revealed a gift he'd given his college sweetheart and wife of 12 years, Priscilla Chan: a 7-foot sculpture of her.

"Bringing back the Roman tradition of making sculptures of your wife," Zuckerberg joked in the caption of an Instagram post that shows Chan, sipping from a mug, posing next to the towering turquoise-and-silver statue.

Since the couple's wedding anniversary is in May and Chan's birthday is in February, the gift doesn't appear to be occasion-based.

Commenters on the Instagram post appear divided on whether the gesture — the work of NYC-based contemporary artist Daniel Arsham — is sweet or cringe-worthy.

But Isabelle Morley, a Massachusetts-based clinical psychologist who specializes in couples therapy, told Business Insider that such a lavish gift might be a red flag.

Context is everything when it comes to extravagant gifts

Off the bat, Morley said expensive gifts may not hold the same weight among the uber-wealthy.

Works by Arsham go for upwards of $29,000 on some online marketplaces. Forbes reported Zuckerberg had a net worth of over $169 billion on August 15.

But no matter the size of the giver's bank account, Morley always likes to ask: "What was the purpose of this gift?"

For those who come from less affluent backgrounds and have worked hard to be financially stable, an extravagant gift could be a way to show their progress without expecting much in return, Morley said.

But, Morley added, extravagant gifts can sometimes also be an attempt to manipulate the receiver or elicit a specific reaction from them.

"Some people use those gifts to repair after bad behavior or even abusive behavior, which I'm not saying the statue is, but that's always something you've got to be aware of," she added.

For people on the receiving end of a big present, Morley encourages exploring some key questions: Is it for an anniversary? Is there an expectation about how they should react?

"Was this, 'I did something wrong, I'm going to make up for it by giving you something shiny to make you forget about it?'" she added.

In Zuckerberg's case, Morley said the biggest red flag would be "if he commissioned this and spent God knows how much money and expected a certain reaction or response."

Sharing such a lavish gift on social media is another potential warning sign

Some people in relationships can be quick to post and praise their spouses online, Morley said.

Zuckerberg posted a photo of the statue to Instagram, where he has 14.5 million followers — sharing the gift with a wide audience.

Morley wonders why.

"Was it really just to show his deep love and gratitude for her and who she is, and who she's been in his life?" Morley said. "Or was it to make him look good to other people and to get a certain affectionate response from her."

Morley said she's particularly mindful of couples who feel "the need to show that kind of affection publicly" on highly curated social media platforms. She cited some research she's read that suggests such displays could indicate the couples are less happy in real life.

"Was this a huge statue because Mark really wanted a huge statue? Or was this because Priscilla was like, 'You know what? I love art. I would love a gigantic piece inspired by Roman architecture," Morley said.

As to whether the gift is sweet or cringey, the only person whose opinion matters is Chan, Morley said.

It seems like the statue has gotten Chan's seal of approval.

She commented on Zuckerberg's post, "The more of me the better?" with a red heart emoji, to which her husband responded, "Always" with another red heart emoji.

"If she thinks it's sweet, it's sweet," Morley said.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Mark Zuckerberg got his wife a 7-foot statue of herself. A couples therapist said such a lavish gift might be a red flag.

From: Business Insider

Mark Zuckerberg seems to be on a mission to be crowned the internet's favorite "wife guy."

马克·扎克伯格（Mark Zuckerberg）似乎正努力成为互联网上的“模范丈夫”。

crown /kraʊn/ 作动词，1）表示“为…加冕”，英文解释为“to put a crown on the head of a new king or queen as a sign of royal power”举个🌰：Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1952. 伊丽莎白女王于1952年加冕。

2）表示“（尤指通过增添成就、成功等）使圆满，使完美”，英文解释为“to make sth complete or perfect, especially by adding an achievement, a success, etc.”举个🌰：The award of the Nobel Prize has crowned a glorious career in physics. 荣获诺贝尔奖使其物理学研究的辉煌事业达到了顶点。

作名词，表示“王冠，皇冠；冕”，英文解释为“a circular decoration for the head, usually made of gold and jewels (= precious stones), and worn by a king or queen at official ceremonies”

📍crowning /ˈkraʊ.nɪŋ/ 表示“（事件，成就）最伟大的，最重要的”，英文解释为“A crowning event or achievement is the best or most important one.”如：the crowning achievement of her long career 她漫长职业生涯的最高成就。

favorite/favourite可以作为名词，指“最有希望获胜的人（或动物）；比赛中最被看好的人（或动物）”，英文解释为“the person or animal most people expect to win a race or competition”，举个🌰：Brazil are favourites to win this year's World Cup. 巴西队是今年世界杯赛的夺冠热门。

📍也可以表示“受宠的人；受偏爱的人”，英文解释为：a person who is treated with special kindness by someone in authority. 如：the teacher's favourite 老师的宠儿。

wife guy是一种网络文化中出现的术语，通常用来形容那些在社交媒体或公共场合频繁夸赞和炫耀自己妻子的人。这类人往往以高度公开的方式展示对妻子的爱和忠诚，常常让人感觉有些夸张或做作。这个表达最初是用于带有调侃意味的，指那些在网络上过度展示自己婚姻美满的人，试图以此获取公众的好感或关注。

On Tuesday, Meta's CEO revealed a gift he'd given his college sweetheart and wife of 12 years, Priscilla Chan: a 7-foot sculpture of her.

周二，Meta公司首席执行官扎克伯格在Instagram上发布了一张照片，展示了他送给大学时期的恋人、结婚12年的妻子普莉希拉·陈（Priscilla Chan）的礼物——她的7英尺高雕像。

sculpture /ˈskʌlp.tʃər/ 表示“雕塑，雕刻；塑像，雕塑品，雕刻品”，英文解释为“the art of forming solid objects that represent a thing, person, idea, etc. out of a material such as wood, clay, metal, or stone, or an object made in this way”

"Bringing back the Roman tradition of making sculptures of your wife," Zuckerberg joked in the caption of an Instagram post that shows Chan, sipping from a mug, posing next to the towering turquoise-and-silver statue.

“重现罗马时期为妻子制作雕像的传统，”扎克伯格在帖子中开玩笑地写道。照片中，普莉希拉·陈站在这座青绿色和银色的巨型雕像旁，拿着杯子喝水。

caption /ˈkæp.ʃən/ 可以作动词，也可以作名词，表示“（图片或卡通的）说明文字”，英文解释为“A caption is the words printed underneath a picture or cartoon which explain what it is about.”如：a captioned photograph 一幅带有文字说明的照片，举个🌰：The local paper featured me standing on a stepladder with a caption, "He climbs the ladder to success." 当地的报纸刊登了一幅我站在梯子上的特写，下面写着：“他登上了成功之梯。”

sip /sɪp/ 作名词，表示“一小口（饮料）”，英文解释为“a very small amount of a drink that you take into your mouth”如：to have/take a sip of water 喝一小口水。

作动词，表示“呷，啜”，英文解释为“to drink, taking only a very small amount at a time”举个🌰：This tea is very hot, so sip it carefully. 这茶很烫，喝的时候小心点。

mug /mʌɡ/ 表示“（盛热饮用的）大杯子”，英文解释为“a large cup with straight sides used for hot drinks”举个🌰：I made myself a large mug of cocoa (= enough to fill a mug) and went to bed. 我为自己冲了一大杯可可饮料，然后钻进了被窝。

towering /ˈtaʊə.rɪŋ/ 1）表示“高耸的”，英文解释为“very high and making people feel respect”如：the towering walls of the Acropolis 雅典卫城高耸的城墙。

2）表示“杰出的，卓越的”，英文解释为“very great”如：a towering figure in the art world 艺术界的杰出人物。

turquoise /ˈtɜː.kwɔɪz/ 作形容词，表示“青绿色的”，英文解释为“bluish-green in colour”如：the clear turquoise water of the bay 海湾清澈碧绿的海水；也可直接作名词，表示“青绿色”，英文解释为“a bluish-green colour”或者表示“绿松石”，英文解释为“a bluish-green semi-precious stone that is often used in jewellery”

Since the couple's wedding anniversary is in May and Chan's birthday is in February, the gift doesn't appear to be occasion-based.

这份礼物似乎并非为纪念特别的日子而准备，因为这对夫妇的结婚纪念日在五月，而普莉希拉·陈的生日在二月。

occasion /əˈkeɪ.ʒən/ 1）表示“时机，机会；原因，理由”，英文解释为“an opportunity or reason for doing something or for something to happen”举个🌰：An occasion may arise when you can use your knowledge of French. 可能有机会让你用用法语。

2）表示“特殊场合；重大活动；盛会”，英文解释为“a special or formal event”举个🌰：At the wedding he sang a song specially written for the occasion. 婚礼上，他演唱了一首专门为这次婚礼创作的歌曲。

Commenters on the Instagram post appear divided on whether the gesture — the work of NYC-based contemporary artist Daniel Arsham — is sweet or cringe-worthy.

这座雕像出自纽约当代艺术家丹尼尔·阿尔沙姆（Daniel Arsham）之手。Instagram上的评论者对这份礼物褒贬不一——有些人觉得很甜蜜，而有些人则认为有些尴尬。

cringeworthy /ˈkrɪndʒˌwɜː.ði/ 表示“令人非常难堪的”，英文解释为“making you feel very embarrassed”举个🌰：His attempt at an apology was cringeworthy. 他试图道歉的样子非常令人难堪。

But Isabelle Morley, a Massachusetts-based clinical psychologist who specializes in couples therapy, told Business Insider that such a lavish gift might be a red flag.

但是，马萨诸塞州专攻夫妻治疗的临床心理学家伊莎贝尔·莫莉（Isabelle Morley）告诉《商业内幕》（Business Insider），如此奢侈的礼物可能是一个危险信号。

lavish /ˈlæv.ɪʃ/ 表示“大量的；使人印象深刻的；昂贵的；慷慨的，大方的”，英文解释为“large, impressive, or expensive”，如：a royal palace on a lavish scale 庞大的皇宫，a lavish lifestyle 奢侈的生活方式，举个🌰：The food was lavish. 食物很丰盛。

red flag /ˌred ˈflæɡ/ 表示“危险信号；（用作危险信号的）示警红旗”，英文解释为“a flag used as a sign of danger”举个🌰：You're not allowed to swim when the red flag is flying. 示警红旗升起的时候不允许游泳。

Context is everything when it comes to extravagant gifts 赠送奢侈礼物的背景至关重要

Off the bat, Morley said expensive gifts may not hold the same weight among the uber-wealthy.

莫莉指出，对于超级富豪来说，奢侈礼物的象征意义可能与普通人不同。

extravagant /ɪkˈstrævəɡənt/ 1）表示“无节制的；过分的；放肆的；不切实际的”，英文解释为“very extreme or impressive but not reasonable or practical”

2）表示“奢侈的；挥霍的；铺张浪费的”，英文解释为“spending a lot more money or using a lot more of sth than you can afford or than is necessary”

表示“立刻，马上”，相当于“immediately”举个🌰：You can't expect to be accepted in a new town right off the bat. 你不能期望刚到一个新的城镇就立刻被人们接受。

off the bat 意思是“立刻”或“从一开始”。它起源于棒球运动，指的是球被球棒击中后立即发生的事情。用在句子里时，表达的意思是某件事从一开始或一上来就发生了。

uber- /uː.bər-/ 表示“（用于名词前）极度的，超级的，极好的，极成功的”，英文解释为“used before nouns to mean "extreme" or "extremely good or successful"”如：uber-model 超级模特。

Works by Arsham go for upwards of $29,000 on some online marketplaces. Forbes reported Zuckerberg had a net worth of over $169 billion on August 15.

阿尔沙姆的作品在部分网络市场上的售价超过2.9万美元。据《福布斯》（Forbes）报道，截至8月15日，扎克伯格的净资产已超过1690亿美元。

But no matter the size of the giver's bank account, Morley always likes to ask: "What was the purpose of this gift?"

然而，无论送礼者多么富有，莫莉总是喜欢问：“这份礼物的初衷是什么？”

For those who come from less affluent backgrounds and have worked hard to be financially stable, an extravagant gift could be a way to show their progress without expecting much in return, Morley said.

莫莉说，对于那些出身不太富裕、通过努力才实现经济稳定的人来说，奢侈的礼物可以是他们展示成就的一种方式，而并不期待太多回报。

affluent /ˈæf.lu.ənt/ 表示“富裕的；富足的”，英文解释为“having a lot of money or owning a lot of things”如：affluent nations/neighbourhoods 富有国家/富人区。

But, Morley added, extravagant gifts can sometimes also be an attempt to manipulate the receiver or elicit a specific reaction from them.

然而，莫莉也指出，奢侈礼物有时也可能是试图操控对方或期待特定反应的手段。

manipulate /məˈnɪp.jə.leɪt/ 1）表示“操纵，控制”，英文解释为“to control something or someone to your advantage, often unfairly or dishonestly”举个🌰：Throughout her career she has very successfully manipulated the media. 她在整个职业生涯中非常成功地控制了媒体。

2）表示“（用手）操纵，控制”，英文解释为“to control something using the hands”举个🌰：The wheelchair is designed so that it is easy to manipulate. 轮椅设计得很容易用手控制。

类似的还有一个词rig.

📍rig表示“（采取不正当的手段）操纵；对…做手脚”，英文解释为“to arrange dishonestly for the result of something, for example an election, to be changed”举个🌰：He said the election had been rigged. 他说选举被人操纵了。

📍此前，在故意改低女生成绩 东京医科大学被曝操控男女录取比例一文中，纽约时报的标题就用了rig这个词：Japanese Medical School Accused of Rigging Admissions to Keep Women Out. 操纵录取结果 rig admissions.

elicit /iˈlɪs.ɪt/ 表示“引出，探出，诱出（尤指信息或反应）”，英文解释为“to get or produce something, especially information or a reaction”举个🌰：Have you managed to elicit a response from them yet? 你设法探到他们的反应了吗？

📍此前Jasper对着每个镜头道歉文中出现的表达：These children tell their parents those things that will elicit praise and hide the parts of their lives that won't. 这些孩子会告诉父母那些可以赢得赞扬的事情，隐瞒自己生活中不会受到赞赏的事情。

"Some people use those gifts to repair after bad behavior or even abusive behavior, which I'm not saying the statue is, but that's always something you've got to be aware of," she added.

她补充说：“有些人利用这些礼物来弥补自己的过错，甚至是虐待行为，虽然我并不是说这座雕像就属于这种情况，但这始终是需要注意的。”

For people on the receiving end of a big present, Morley encourages exploring some key questions: Is it for an anniversary? Is there an expectation about how they should react?

对于收到这种大礼的人，莫莉建议反思几个问题：是周年纪念礼物吗？他们是否对自己的反应有所期待？

"Was this, 'I did something wrong, I'm going to make up for it by giving you something shiny to make you forget about it?'" she added.

她补充说：“是不是因为‘我做错了什么，所以要用一些昂贵的东西来弥补，让你忘记这件事’？”

In Zuckerberg's case, Morley said the biggest red flag would be "if he commissioned this and spent God knows how much money and expected a certain reaction or response."

在扎克伯格的例子中，莫莉表示，最大的危险信号是“如果他花费巨资定制了这座雕像，并期待得到某种特定的反应或回应。”

commission /kəˈmɪʃ.ən/ 1）作名词，表示“（负责调查问题真相或原因的）委员会”，英文解释为“a group of people who have been formally chosen to discover information about a problem or examine the reasons why the problem exists”如：a commission on alcohol abuse/racial tension 酗酒问题/种族间紧张关系调查委员会。

2）作动词，表示“委任（或任命）…为军官”，英文解释为“to give someone the official authority to be an officer in the armed forces”举个🌰：She was commissioned in 2024. 她于2024年被任命为军官。

3）作动词，表示“（正式地）安排…做，委托…做”，英文解释为“to formally choose someone to do a special piece of work, or to formally ask for a special piece of work from someone”举个🌰：She's commissioned an artist to paint her portrait. 她请了一位艺术家为她画肖像。

4）in commission表示“（机器、军舰等）在使用中的，在服役的”，英文解释为“If something, such as a machine or a military ship, is in commission it is working and ready for use.”这个含义也可以直接将commission当作动词用，相当于to put (a ship) in commission. 举个🌰：The ship was commissioned in 2024. 该舰于2024年服役。

5）out of commission 表示“（机器、军舰等）坏了的，不可使用的，退役的”，英文解释为“If something, such as a machine or a military ship, is out of commission it is broken or not available to be used.”

Sharing such a lavish gift on social media is another potential warning sign 在社交媒体上分享如此奢侈的礼物是另一个潜在的危险信号

Some people in relationships can be quick to post and praise their spouses online, Morley said.

莫莉指出，有些人可能会迅速在网上发布和赞美自己的伴侣。

Zuckerberg posted a photo of the statue to Instagram, where he has 14.5 million followers — sharing the gift with a wide audience.

扎克伯格在Instagram上发布了这座雕像的照片，他在该平台上拥有1450万粉丝，这使得这份礼物获得了广泛关注。

Morley wonders why.

莫莉对此感到好奇。

"Was it really just to show his deep love and gratitude for her and who she is, and who she's been in his life?" Morley said. "Or was it to make him look good to other people and to get a certain affectionate response from her."

“这真的是为了向她表达自己对她及其作为妻子的深深爱意和感激之情吗？”莫莉说。“抑或是为了让自己在别人面前有面子，并从她那里得到某种亲切的回应？”

affectionate /əˈfek.ʃən.ət/ 表示“表示爱的；充满深情的；有感情的”，英文解释为“showing feelings of liking or love”如：an affectionate kiss 深情的一吻。

Morley said she's particularly mindful of couples who feel "the need to show that kind of affection publicly" on highly curated social media platforms. She cited some research she's read that suggests such displays could indicate the couples are less happy in real life.

莫莉说，她特别留意那些觉得“有必要在精心包装的社交媒体平台上秀恩爱”的情侣。她引用了她读过的一些研究，这些研究表明，这种秀恩爱可能表明两人在现实生活中并不那么幸福。

curate /ˈkjʊə.rət/ 作动词，表示“操持（收藏品或展品的）展出；组织（音乐节的）演出；策划（展览等）”，英文解释为“to be in charge of selecting and caring for objects to be shown in a museum or to form part of a collection of art, an exhibition, etc.”举个🌰：She curated a recent exhibition of Indian artwork. 她最近策划了一个印度艺术展。

curated在这里指的是经过精心选择和管理的内容，通常是为了展示或传递特定信息或形象。具体到社交媒体平台上，highly curated social media platforms意味着那些内容经过严格筛选和编辑，通常是为了展示一种完美、理想化的形象，而不一定反映现实生活的全部真相。

"Was this a huge statue because Mark really wanted a huge statue? Or was this because Priscilla was like, 'You know what? I love art. I would love a gigantic piece inspired by Roman architecture," Morley said.

“这座巨型雕像，是因为扎克伯格真的想要它吗？还是因为普莉希拉·陈说，‘你知道吗？我喜欢艺术。我想要一座受罗马建筑启发的巨型雕像，”莫莉说。

gigantic /ˌdʒaɪˈɡæn.tɪk/ 表示“巨大的，庞大的”，英文解释为“extremely large”如：a gigantic statue 巨大的雕像。

As to whether the gift is sweet or cringey, the only person whose opinion matters is Chan, Morley said.

莫莉说，至于这份礼物是甜蜜还是令人尴尬，普莉希拉·陈说了算。

cringey /ˈkrɪn.dʒi/ 表示“非常令人尴尬的”，英文解释为“very embarrassing”举个🌰：It was a bit cringey when he got her name wrong. 他把她的名字弄错时真是有点尴尬。

It seems like the statue has gotten Chan's seal of approval.

这座雕像似乎已经得到了普莉希拉·陈的认可。

表示“官方批准，正式批准”，英文解释为“a statement or sign that someone in an important position approves of something”举个🌰：The mayor has given the proposal her seal of approval. 市长已经批准了这项建议。

She commented on Zuckerberg's post, "The more of me the better?" with a red heart emoji, to which her husband responded, "Always" with another red heart emoji.

她在扎克伯格的帖子上评论说：“越多的我越好？”并配上一个红心表情符号，而扎克伯格回复道“永远”，同样配上了红心表情符号。

"If she thinks it's sweet, it's sweet," Morley said.

莫莉说：“如果她觉得这很甜蜜，那就是甜蜜吧。”

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