Conspicuous consumption refers to the practice of buying some things not because they are ________ or because they are ________ but because we hope they will make us ________ as a particular sort of person. They are intended to show that we are ________ than others, or have better ________. Expensive brand-name goods can serve this purpose, and are often wanted precisely because they are ________.A. expensive B. stand out C. richerD. comfy E. essential F. taste

本题考察对“炫耀性消费”（conspicuous consumption）的理解。根据定义，这种消费行为并非出于物品的实用性或必需性，而是为了彰显身份、地位或品味。我们需要将六个选项（A. expensive, B. stand out, C. richer, D. comfy, E. essential, F. taste）填入句子中，使语义连贯。

1. 第一空： “not because they are _” 表明这里需要一个词表示“必需的”。结合选项，E. essential 最合适，表示“不是因为它们是必需的”。
2. 第二空： “or because they are _” 需要一个词表示“舒适的”。D. comfy 符合语境，表示“也不是因为它们舒适”。
3. 第三空： “but because we hope they will make us _” 需要一个词表示“脱颖而出”。B. stand out 表示“突出”，符合“希望这些物品能让我们显得与众不同”。
4. 第四空： “show that we are _ than others” 需要一个词表示“更富有”。C. richer 表示“更富有的”，符合“炫耀性消费”的核心目的。
5. 第五空： “or have better...” 后接“Expensive brand-name goods can serve this purpose, and are often wanted precisely because they are _.” 这里需要一个词表示“昂贵的”。A. expensive 表明这些商品因昂贵而被追求。
6. 第六空： “...or have better...” 需要一个词表示“品味”。F. taste 表示“品味”，与“better”搭配，表示“更好的品味”。

综上，填入后的句子为：
“Conspicuous consumption refers to the practice of buying some things not because they are essential, or because they are comfy, but because we hope they will make us stand out as a particular sort of person. They are intended to show that we are richer than others, or have better taste. Expensive brand-name goods can serve this purpose, and are often wanted precisely because they are expensive.”

最终答案：

1. essential
2. comfy
3. stand out
4. richer
5. taste
6. expensive

答案：E, D, B, C, F, A