年底的时候节日特别多，比如圣诞节、元旦、春节、情人节等等。这时候我们往往会送礼物给家人、朋友和恋人。其实要想把礼物送好，也是一门学问。
Tips for successful gift giving
by Jacopo Prisco
Good gift giving is an art. The perfect present can lift a mood or improve a relationship. It can repair a wrongdoing, or simply remind a loved one that you care.
relationship /rɪˈleɪʃ(ə)nʃɪp/ n. 关系、亲密关系
wrongdoing /ˈrɒŋˌduːɪŋ/ n. 错事、做错事
simply /ˈsɪmpli/ adv. 仅仅
loved one 爱人、亲人
"Humans are an incredibly social species and one of the things that set us apart is forming and maintaining relationships with others. Gift giving around holidays, birthdays, graduations or weddings is a great opportunity to reinforce those relationships," said Daniel Farrelly, a psychologist at the University of Worcester.
incredibly /ɪnˈkredəbli/ adv. 非常、极其
species /ˈspiːʃiːz/ n. 物种（单数和复数都是species）
set someone apart 使某人与众不同
maintain /meɪnˈteɪn/ v. 维持、保持
graduation /ˌɡrædʒuˈeɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 毕业、毕业典礼（由graduate加后缀-ion变成名词）
wedding /ˈwedɪŋ/ n. 婚礼
opportunity /ˌɒpəˈtjuːnəti/ n. 机会
reinforce /ˌriːɪnˈfɔːs/ v. 增强、加强
psychologist /saɪˈkɒlədʒɪst/ n. 心理学家（由psychology加上表示人的后缀-ist）
Whatever the occasion, gift giving is a social ritual that requires careful thought and consideration. So are there a set of rules to follow? We spoke to some experts to help us craft a simple guide to gifting.
ritual /ˈrɪtʃuəl/ n. 习惯做法、老规矩
consideration /kənˌsɪdəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 考虑周到
craft /krɑːft/ v. 精心制作
gift /ɡɪft/ v. 送礼物
First, don't add a small gift to a big gift. When we receive gifts in a bundle, we tend to unconsciously average out their value, so a small gift tacked（固定） onto a big one will hurt the latter's impact.
bundle /ˈbʌnd(ə)l/ n. 一捆、一批
tend /tend/ v. 倾向于
unconsciously /ʌnˈkɒnʃəsli/ adv. 不知不觉地、无意识地
average out 计算平均值
the latter /ˈlætə(r)/ 后者
impact /ˈɪmpækt/ n. 影响
This is called the "Presenter's Paradox," first exposed in a 2012 study of the same name, where participants were offered either an iPod by itself or an iPod with a free download for one song. When asked how much they would pay for it, those offered the iPod with the cheap download valued it 20% less than those without. Conversely（相反）, participants asked to choose which option they would gift, overwhelmingly went with the one that included the download, demonstrating that when it comes to gift giving we fail to grasp that sometimes less is more.
presenter /prɪˈzentə(r)/ n. 送礼物的人
paradox /ˈpærədɒks/ n. 悖论
expose /ɪkˈspəʊz/ v. 揭露、揭示
participant /pɑːˈtɪsɪp(ə)nt/ n. 参与者
value /ˈvæljuː/ v. 估价
overwhelmingly /ˌəʊvəˈwelmɪŋli/ adv. 压倒性地、占绝对优势地
demonstrate /ˈdemənstreɪt/ v. 展示、展现
grasp /ɡrɑːsp/ v. 理解、领会
Second, gift experiences rather than things. A brand new iPhone becomes old fast. But a dream vacation or seeing your favorite artist in concert will give you memories that last forever. "Experiences often have more thought gone into them, and they create more vivid memories. We might remember the tablet that a friend or a loved one has bought us, but not as much as a two-week holiday to Florida – the memories and the emotional attachment to experiences are greater than to physical objects," explained Farrelly.
brand new 全新的
vivid /ˈvɪvɪd/ adj. 生动的、鲜明的
tablet /ˈtæblət/ n. 平板电脑
Florida /ˈflɒrɪdə/ n. 佛罗里达（美国东南部的州）
emotional /ɪˈməʊʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adj. 情感的（由emotion加后缀-al变成形容词）
attachment /əˈtætʃmənt/ n. 眷恋
physical /ˈfɪzɪk(ə)l/ adj. 看得见摸得着的
object /ˈɒbdʒɪkt/ n. 物品
That, in a nutshell, is why you should consider an experience over a physical object. It's an idea supported by psychologist Thomas Gilovich, whose research shows that money spent on doing provides more enduring happiness than money spent on having.
in a nutshell /ˈnʌtʃel/ 简而言之
enduring /ɪnˈdʒʊərɪŋ/ adj. 持久的
Lastly, think like the receiver. Let's put it very simply: buy things that your receiver would buy for themselves. That might seem obvious, but it happens far less than we'd like. People tend to use gifts as jokes, encouragements to change one's ways, or to signal something about themselves rather than providing utility or happiness to the receiver.
lastly /ˈlɑːstli/ adv. 最后一点
receiver /rɪˈsiːvə(r)/ n. 接收者（由receive加上表示人的后缀-er）
put /pʊt/ v. 用词语表达
simply /ˈsɪmpli/ adv. 简单地
encouragement /ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒmənt/ n. 鼓励（由encourage加后缀-ment变成名词）
signal /ˈsɪɡn(ə)l/ v. 发信号
utility /juːˈtɪləti/ n. 有用、实用
But if all else fails, remember there's a reason why we say that it's the thought that counts. "Don't forget why you are giving gifts. Most people don't want lots of money spent on them – they just want you to think about them, and that can be done in lots of easy ways," said Farrelly.
if all else fails 如果所有计划都失败了
count /kaʊnt/ v. 重要、有意义
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