購物時的“姓氏效應”

　　外國有研究說，姓氏字母在字母表中位置靠后的人，購物時做決定往往很迅速，并把這種現象叫做“姓氏效應”。估計這種情況在中國就不適用了吧。

　　According to a new study, people whose surnames start with letters late in the alphabet may be the fastest to buy. What could possibly explain this weird phenomenon, which the study authors dubbed "the last-name effect"? The research didn't provide a definitive reason, but the authors offer an intriguing theory.

　　一項新的研究顯示，姓氏首字母在字母表中位置越靠后的人在購物時做決定越快。研究人員將這種現象叫做“姓氏效應”。至于為什么會有這樣奇怪的現象，該研究沒有提供明確的解釋，不過研究人員給出了一個比較有趣的理論。

　　Since America's obsession with alphabetical order often forces the Z's to the back of the line in childhood, they suffer. They were always the last to get lunch in the cafeteria — sorry, Young, the other kids bought all the chocolate milk again — and had to beg for the teacher's attention from the back of the classroom. So later in life, when the Z's — and even onetime Z's who became A's through marriage — see an item they really like for sale or are offered a deal, they jump on it, afraid that supplies won't last.

　　因為美國人一直熱衷于按照字母順序排隊，所以姓氏字母靠后的人從小就開始遭受排在隊尾的境遇。中午吃飯的時候，他們總是排在最后，輪到他們的時候，巧克力奶都賣光了；坐在教室后排的他們還得想辦法吸引老師的注意。所以，長大以后，當這些總是排在隊尾的人看到他們喜歡的東西或者合適的交易，他們會立馬出手，生怕晚了就沒了。