專家解析大學(xué)英語(yǔ)四級(jí)考試歷年閱讀真題(二)

　　Passage Two

　　I don’t ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again. There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what it’s like to work in a field dominated by men. I was never very good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting. What I do find interesting is the origin of the universe, the shape of space-time and the nature of black holes.

　　At 19, when I began studying astrophysics, it did not bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom. But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me. My every achievement—jobs, research papers, awards—was viewed through the lens of gender (性別) politics. So were my failures. Sometimes, when I was pushed into an argument on left brain versus (相對(duì)于) right brain, or nature versus nurture (培育), I would instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind.

　　Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would eventually become my reply to any and all provocations: I don’t talk about that anymore. It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 and to realize that I didn’t want to deal with gender issues. Why should curing sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I don’t study sociology or political theory.

　　Today I research and teach at Barnard, a women’s college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how may of the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45. I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children. And I don’t dismiss those concerns. Still, I don’t tell them “war” stories. Instead, I have given them this: the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments. And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science. And that’s a sight worth talking about.

　　62. Why doesn’t the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?

　　A) She feels unhappy working in male-dominated fields.

　　B) She is fed up with the issue of gender discrimination.

　　C) She is not good at telling stories of the kind.

　　D) She finds space research more important.(B)

　　63. From Paragraph 2, we can infer that people would attribute the author’s failures to ________.

　　A) the very fact that she is a woman

　　B) her involvement in gender politics

　　C) her over-confidence as a female astrophysicist

　　D) the burden she bears in a male-dominated society(A)

　　64. What did the author constantly fight against while doing her Ph.D. and post-doctoral research?

　　A) Lack of confidence in succeeding in space science.

　　B) Unfair accusations from both inside and outside her circle.

　　C) People’s stereotyped attitude toward female scientists.

　　D) Widespread misconceptions about nature and nurtured.(C)

　　65. Why does the author feel great satisfaction when talking about her class?

　　A) Female students no longer have to bother about gender issues.

　　B) Her students’ performance has brought back her confidence.

　　C) Her female students can do just as well as male students.

　　D) More female students are pursuing science than before.(D)

　　66. What does the image the author presents to her students suggest?

　　A) Women students needn’t have the concerns of her generation.

　　B) Women have more barriers on their way to academic success.

　　C) Women can balance a career in science and having a family.

　　D) Women now have fewer problems pursuing a science career.

　　這是一篇與性別歧視有關(guān)的文章，講的是女性應(yīng)該如何面對(duì)性別歧視的問(wèn)題。作者以第一人稱的形式，以親身的經(jīng)歷來(lái)說(shuō)明女性在面對(duì)性別歧視時(shí)應(yīng)該采取不屑一顧的態(tài)度。

　　全文一共四個(gè)大段，開(kāi)篇為I don’t ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again，以“again”一詞造成懸疑，引起讀者對(duì)原因的探究，而后整個(gè)第一段敘述了相對(duì)于這一again的上一次作者面對(duì)性別問(wèn)題時(shí)的態(tài)度;并解釋了原因是興趣不在于此(I never found them interesting)。

　　第二段開(kāi)始初步為“again”釋疑，敘述了作者從最初對(duì)性別問(wèn)題的超然態(tài)度(it did not bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom)轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)榉e極捍衛(wèi)女性利益態(tài)度(I would instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind)的過(guò)程。

　　第三段進(jìn)一步為“again”釋疑，敘述作者重又悟出應(yīng)回歸超然態(tài)度的心理經(jīng)歷。從Why should curing sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I don’t study sociology or political theory這一問(wèn)一答可以看出，雖然多年過(guò)去，但作者用以對(duì)付性別問(wèn)題這一心理重?fù)?dān)的利器依然是興趣(don’t study sociology or political theory)。

　　最后一段敘述了作者重歸超然態(tài)度后如何教導(dǎo)學(xué)生正確地面對(duì)性別問(wèn)題。在有些學(xué)生因性別問(wèn)題(如何在科學(xué)研究和生兒育女間的愿望之間做出選擇)而憂慮時(shí)，作者以身言教(heavily pregnant doing physics experiments)，告訴學(xué)生們應(yīng)該忘記性別問(wèn)題。作者的表率起了作用，像她們的老師一樣，學(xué)生們把精力完全放在了興趣上面(45 women driven by a love of science)。

　　文章的內(nèi)容雖然涉及了社會(huì)問(wèn)題，但切入角度是主觀第一人稱，語(yǔ)言修辭上更為接近散文(essay)的風(fēng)格，所以相對(duì)于議論文、說(shuō)明文較容易理解。

　　相關(guān)鏈接：專家解析大學(xué)英語(yǔ)四級(jí)考試歷年閱讀真題(一)
　　　　　　　
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