❷Do you like to beautify photos?

By Jill Walker/巩宗强（译）

◆语篇导读

随着手机功能的日益强大，人们将它作为通信工具的同时，也喜欢上了其美颜、滤镜的功能。美颜、滤镜似乎已成为许多人自拍的必备“神器”，不过修图过度会让人产生一些不真实的想法。当你在真实与虚幻的自我间犹豫时，会如何抉择呢？

Before we upload a photo of ourselves tosocial media,we'll use an App to smooth our skin,make our eyes look bigger,and give us longereyelashesand fuller lips.With a couple of taps on our mobile phone,we can get a quick fix and show the “best” version of ourselves to the world.

However,the problem is,when we simply rework our shortcomings away,we're also changing the way we look at ourselves.Last month,researchers from the US'Boston University School of Medicine published an article.“These Apps allow one to change his or her look in minutes and follow an unreal standard of beauty,”the article reads.The researchers also warned that such Apps areblurringthe lines between the reality and dream.

In the past,people may have compared their looks to those of celebrities.But for today's young people,beauty standards are most likely to be set by what they see on social media.“Now you've got this dailycomparisonof your real self to thisintentionalor unintentional fake self that you show on social media,”Renee Engeln,a professor at Northwestern University in the US,toldthe HuffPost.Engeln further pointed out that when people spend too much time making such comparisons,they may become “beauty sick” and find it difficult to accept what they actually look like.“Because between you and the world is a mirror,the mirror travels with you everywhere.You can't seem to put it down,”she toldThe Washington Post.

So when we look in a real mirror,we shouldn’t think to ourselves,“Do I look as good as myself in thefilteredphotos?” Instead,we should think, “I feel good,I have my health.”

◆词语积淀

social media社交媒体

eyelash/΄aɪlæʃ/n.睫毛

blur/blзː(r)/v.（使）变得模糊不清

comparison/kəm΄pærɪsn/n.比较

intentional/ɪn΄tenʃənl/adj.有意的

filter/΄fɪltə(r)/v.过滤；渗入

◆典句赏析

1.These Apps allow one to change his or her look in minutes and follow an unreal standard of beauty.这些应用程序几分钟内就能改变一个人的外表，让人追求一种不切实际的美。

allow sb.to do sth.是固定搭配，意为“允许某人做某事”。allow(doing)sth.意为“允许（做）某事”。allow sb.sth.意为“给予某人某物（侧重指钱或时间）”或“让某人有（拥有或带有）某物”。

【即时尝试】我们的父母不允许我们每天晚上看电视。

2.In the past,people may have compared their looks to those of celebrities.在过去，人们或许会将自己的相貌与名人的进行比较。

介词短语in the past意为“在过去”，是指过去某个时间的标志性短语；表示“把……与……相比较”用compare...to.../with...都可以，但如果表示“把……比作……”通常用compare...to...。

【即时尝试】他把这个漂亮的女孩比作一朵鲜花。

3.Engeln further pointed out that when people spend too much time making such comparisons...恩格尔恩进一步指出，当人们花费过多时间进行此类比较时……

point out是固定词组，意为“说及；指出”；spend+时间/金钱 (in)doing/on sth.是固定搭配，意为“花费时间或金钱做某事”，主语是人。如果用take表示“某人花费时间做某事”，则用固定搭配It takes sb.some time to do sth.。

【即时尝试】他们花了五年时间来建造这座桥。

（答案见第63页）

译文助读

我们在社交媒体上晒照之前，都会用一种应用程序来磨皮，放大双眼，加长睫毛，丰满唇形。我们只需在手机上轻点几下，便能快速修图，向全世界展现“最好”的自己。

然而，这么做的问题在于，当我们简单地用修图去掉自身瑕疵的同时，也改变了看待自己的方式。上个月，来自美国波士顿大学医学院的研究人员发表了一篇文章。“这些应用程序几分钟内就能改变一个人的外表，让人追求一种不切实际的美。”该文章写道。研究人员也发出警告称这类应用程序模糊了现实与虚拟的界限。

在过去，人们或许会将自己的相貌与名人的进行比较。但对如今的年轻人而言，审美标准大多数来自在社交媒体上看到的形象。“如今你每天都会将真实的自我，与在社交媒体上有意无意地展示出的虚假形象进行比较。”美国西北大学教授蕾妮·恩格尔恩在接受《赫芬顿邮报》采访时如此表示。恩格尔恩进一步指出，当人们花费过多时间进行此类比较时，他们或许会患上“美容病”，甚至很难接受自己真实的外貌。“因为横亘在你与世界之间的是一面镜子，它如影随形，无处不在，你根本无法放下。”她在接受《华盛顿邮报》采访时如此说道。

所以当我们在照一面真实的镜子时，我们不能问自己：“我看起来和美颜照片里的一样好看吗？”而是要这么想：“我觉得我很好，我有一种健康美。”