#119. Does different clothes influence the way people behave?
It seems that people do sometimes behave differently when they wear different clothes. For example, a well-dressed man seldom spits at random, a woman in glorious dresses is more likely to talk in a gentle tone, and a clean dressed child seems quiet than others. It might be explained that different dresses give people different self-images, and most people subconsciously behave according to their own self-images. Equally sensible is another factor, that is, all too often people regard a person differently according to his/her dresses. Therefore, people might behave differently when they wear different clothes because they are treated differently.
Also, appropriate dresses do help a lot in certain circumstances. It is not difficult to imagine that a doctor with a casual suit instead of his/her formal one will certainly make his/her patients nervous, for doctors in working hours are always supposed to be in white suits. An applicant in his/her first interview will be naturally accompanied with great mental tension. If he/she was well-dressed, by "well" we do not mean expensively or gloriously, we mean "neatly", he/ she would appear more self-confident and or even be self-confident in deed.
However, merely a suit in itself can contribute little. In fact, people's behaviors inevitably reflect their nature. A poor gentleman dressed in rags is still a gentleman. He knows the essential principles that a civilized individual must observe, he knows fundamental moral disciplines which an educated individual must follow. A parvenu on the other hand, will finally find out the fact that his exorbitantly dear dresses is of no use to make himself a gentleman, and he even eventually fail to make him look like a gentleman. Maybe those are right who said it takes at least three generations to cultivate a gentleman.
In a word, I do not believe that clothes can essentially make people different, even though they might sometimes seemingly do.
119. 不同的着装对人们的行为有影响吗？
看起来人们有时候确实因为着装不同而有不同的举止。例如，一个穿着体面的男士很少会随意吐痰，一位衣着华丽的女士更有可能以温和的语气说话，而一名穿得干净的儿童好象也比其他孩子安静。也许可以这样解释：不同的着装给予人们不同的自我形象，而大多数人潜意识里都是按照他们的自我形象来行事。同样合理的有另外一个因素，那就是，大多数时候，人们对一个人的看法随着他或她的衣着而有所不同。因此，人们身着不同服装的时候可能表现不同，是因为他们受到的待遇不同。
除此以外，得体的着装在某些情况下确实帮助很大。不难想象，一位身穿休闲装而非正式着装的医生肯定会让他的病人感觉紧张不安，因为在工作时间的医生总是理应穿着白色套装。一位参加首次面试的应聘者很自然地会伴随着巨大的精神紧张。如果他或她穿着得体，所谓“得体”，我们不是说很昂贵或是很华丽，我们的意思是“整洁”，他或她将表现得更为自信，或者甚至是确实很自信。
但是，仅仅一套衣服本身并不能起太大作用。事实上，人们的行为不可避免地反映出他们特定的本性。衣衫褴褛的穷苦绅士依旧是一位绅士。他了解一个文明人必须遵守的基本原则，他知道一个有教养人士必须遵循的根本的道德修养。而另一方面，一个暴发户终究将发现这样一个事实，他过分昂贵的衣着并不能使他成为一位绅士，而且最后他甚至不能使自己看起来像个绅士。也许那些说三代培养一位绅士的人是正确的。
总之，我不相信衣服能从本质上使人不同，即使有时候也许看似如此。
- at random 随意地
- moral ［ˈmɔrəl］ adj. 道德的
- glorious ［ˈglɔ:riəs］ adj. 华丽的
- discipline ［ˈdisiplin］ n. 修养
- self-image ［ˌselfˈimidʒ］ n. 自我形象
- parvenu ［ˈpa:vəˌnu:］ n. 暴发户
- sensible ［ˈsensəbl］ adj. 合理的
- exorbitantly ［igˈzɔ:bitəntli］ adv. 过分地
- all too 极，非常
- cultivate ［ˈkʌltəˌveit］ v. 培养
- accompany ［əˈkʌmpəni］ v. 伴随
- seemingly ［ˈsi:miŋli］adv. 表面上，看似地
- contribute ［kənˈtribju:t］ v. 起作用