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A Diamond Beats A Pair Of Hearts

Right-hand rings are the new assertion of female freedom. As soon as journalists start writing about adverting campaigns, you know the ads are working. In the United States right now, you can hardly open a magazine without reading about the" latest trend in jewellery" — the right-hand diamond ring.

According to these news items, economically independent women, like the ones seen on Sex and City1, are no longer waiting for a man to buy them a rock for the ring finger of their left hand. Married or not, they are buying their own diamonds, and wearing them on the right hand as a symbol of their independence. Sales of rings are indeed up, but not for all (and maybe none) of this should be traced to a new wave in feminist thinking.

In fact, the trend can be traced to September 2003, when the giant De Beers2 diamond company launched a massive advertising campaign across the US called" Women of the World, Raise Your Right Hand." According to the ads, which appear in top-end magazines such as Vogue, wearing a diamond on the right hand means you are independentand free.

Obviously, the idea is to get well-paid women to buy their own diamonds, something they traditionally do not do. But in recent months Sarah Jessica Parker3, from Sex and the City, has been spotted with monster-sized right-hand ring, as has newly separated Halle Berry.

The idea of using feminism to sell stuff to women is not new. Before cigarette advertising was banned, Virginia Slims4 tried, through advertising, to link smoking with female independence. It worked: more women took up the habit.

The De Deers campaign is also working. In a recent magazine article, writer Hermione Eyre announced the" beginning of a revolution" in the diamond trade, saying:" (The ads) mark the creation of the Me-ring, as brilliant and expensive as an engagement ring, only symbolizing independence, not alliance. It is a token of love from you to yourself."

The New York Times has also weighed in5, declaring the right-hand ring finger the" bling finger" " bling" being the name given to the oversized, shiny jewellery that rap6 stars wear).
Not everybody is impressed. Erika Katz, who runs a jewellery design business from her website, declares the right-hand ring campaign "so stupid", especially the line that says" Your Left Hand Says'We'. Your Right Hand Says'Me'." " I'm married. I never stopped being who I was because I got married," Ms Katz said.

But not everybody agrees. Women of the world are putting out their right hands, with credit cards attached. Maybe it proves only one thing: men can't tell these women what to do, but marketers certainly can.

练习题：

Ⅰ. Complete these sentences according to the passage:

1. to the news items, independent women like the ones seen on Sex and the City are waiting for a man to buy them a ring.

2. The idea is to get women to buy their own diamonds, something they do not do.

3. The ads the creation of the Me-Ring, as brilliant and expensive as an engagement ring, only independence, not.

4. The New York Times has also, declaring the right-hand ring finger the “bling finger”.

Ⅱ. True or False:

1. In the United States right now, you can find articles or ads about the right-hand diamond ring.

2. According to the ads, wearing a diamond means independent and free.

3. It is quite original to use feminism to sell stuff to women.

4. It is unanimously agreed that right-hand ring campaign is wise and brilliant.

5. Marketers can persuade women to purchase diamond more effectively than man can do.

参考答案

Ⅰ. 1. According / economically / no longer

2 . well-paid / traditionally

3. mark / symbolizing / alliance 4 . weighed in

Ⅱ. 1. T 2. F 3 . F 4 . F 5. T

参考译文

买个钻戒给自己

右手戴戒指是新的女性独立宣言。众所周知, 只要记者们开始报道某些广告战, 这些广告的目的就达到了。时下在美国, 你一翻开杂志就能看到“ 最新首饰时尚”—— 右手戴钻戒。

据这些新闻报道, 像电视剧《欲望城市》中的女人们一样, 经济独立的女性不再等待男人给她们买钻戒, 戴在左手的无名指上。无论有没有结婚, 她们自己买钻戒戴在右手, 以示独立。戒指的销量的确上升了, 但这不完全意味着新一轮的女权主义思潮又将抬头, 甚至完全没有这层意思。

事实上, 这一时尚始于2003 年9 月, 钻石巨头戴比尔斯公司在美国发起的一个名为“ 世界的女人, 举起你的右手”的广告大战。根据这个登在诸如《时尚》等一流杂志上的广告, 右手戴钻戒意味着你很独立和自由。

显然, 他们目的在于让高收入的妇女为自己购买钻戒, 而按传统习惯, 她们不会这样做。但最近几个月,《欲望城市》的主角沙拉· 杰西卡· 帕克被发现在右手戴了一个巨大的戒指, 刚刚离婚的哈利·贝瑞也是。

用女权主义的观念向女人兜售产品并不新鲜。香烟广告被禁以前, 维珍妮通过广告将吸烟和女性独立联系起来。这一招果然见效, 更多女性开始抽烟。

戴比尔斯的广告也奏效。最近, 在杂志上的一篇文章中, 作家赫尔迈厄尼· 爱尔宣布一场钻石贸易革命的开始。他说:“ 这一广告标志‘我的戒指’的产生, 这个戒指和结婚戒指一样华丽和昂贵, 只是它意味独立, 而非联姻。它是自己爱自己的信物。”

《纽约时报》也推波助澜, 称右手戴戒指的那只手指为“ 聚宝指”( bling 是用来形容说唱明星们佩戴的奢华珠宝) 。
并非每个人都为之所动。经营网上珠宝设计生意的伊瑞卡· 卡兹, 认为宣传右手戒指的特大型广告宣传活动“ 很愚蠢”, 尤其是那句“ 你的左手代表‘ 我们’, 右手代表‘ 我’”的广告词。她说:“ 我结婚了。但我从来没有因为结婚, 就变得不是自己了。”

并非所有的人都同意。全世界的妇女正伸出她们握着信用卡的右手。这也许只能证 明一件事: 男人们没法指使这些女人, 但销售商人可以。

阅读解释

1. 电视连续剧《欲望城市》, 拍摄于1998 年, 该剧在全球已热播多年, 片中的主要角色是纽约四名单身女性, 她们开放的价值观和道德观引起人们的极大争议。

2. 戴比尔斯公司是全球最大的钻石开采公司。自1888 年创立以来, De Beers 便成为钻石的代名词。50 年前“ 钻石恒远, 一颗永流传”( A diamond is forever. ) 的广告词就出自该公司。

3. 沙拉·杰西卡·帕克是《欲望城市》的女主角饰演者之一。哈利·贝瑞( Halle Berry)2002 年凭《死囚之舞》( Monster’s Ball) 获奥斯卡最佳女演员奖, 是第一位获此殊荣的黑人女影星。句中的separated 是指她刚刚与丈夫分居。

4. Virginia Slims 是Philip Morris Companies, Inc. 生产的一种香烟品牌, 是一种供女士抽的凉烟。

5. weigh in ( 在讨论或辩论时) 提出重要的或令人信服的意见, 自信地提出看法, 如: At that point, the chairman weighed in with a strong defense of company policy. ( 这时主席发言, 有理有据地维护了公司的政策。) 注意另外一个词组weigh on sb. /sth. , 它的意思是“ 使某人或某人的精神忧虑, 感到心情沉重”, 如: It’s been weighing on my mind for days whether to tell her or not. ( 我这几天心烦意乱, 不知道应不应该告诉她。)

6. rap 是拟声词。rap 作为名词最早的意思是“敲, 打”, 尤其是指快速地但用力不是很重的敲打。比喻意义为“严厉的批评或抱怨”, 还有“ 控诉”或“ 惩罚”的意思。根据这个意思派生出很多词组, 如: rap sheet( 公安部门的刑事犯登记表) ; rap and rend( 夺取,盗窃, 巧取豪夺)。这里是指一种音乐形式, 即“说唱乐”。