研究生英语阅读教程基础级2版课本11.docx

1、研究生英语阅读教程基础级2版课本11READING SELECTION AA Case ( reason) for (against) Male DishwashingBy Page Smithfemalea case (reason) for sth.a case against sth.1 Recently there has been a great whooping and hollering (noisy argument) over (about) the diminished dignity and importance (status) of the American fath

2、er.2 The poor (pitiful) wretch (fellow/ guy), so the argument goes (says), once the fountainhead of domestic authority, has abdicated (given up), leaving (give/ let) the important child-raising duties to the wife. Pop (father) has become a comic figure (character), ridiculed in cartoons, on TV shows

3、, and in the movies.3 Because of Pops (fathers) deficiencies (deficient/, adj./ incompetence), we are told, the family is in bad shape (condition/ come down in the world), the children (are) undisciplined, the atmosphere of the home (is) anxious and insecure.4 As a corollary (Consequently/ As a resu

4、lt) we have Momism - the overbearing (bossy), overprotective, over-dominant mother who inflicts (impose/ bring about) all kinds of hideous psychic scars on her offspring (children) while Pop watches TV or sulks in a corner afraid to dispute (argue) the authority of his spouse. mother/ mom/ mum/; dom

5、inate; scarf5 The charge, of course, is not a new one. It antedates (goes before) the republic. George Grenville, Minister to George III, is reported to have pushed the tea tax on the grounds (for the reasons of) that American wives were so addicted to tea drinking that they would never permit their

6、 henpecked husbands to ban (prohibit) the stuff. (charge sb. with. sth.=accuse sb. of sth.)6 Every school child knows the result of this miscalculation.7 Be that as it may (In fact), the symbol of the diminished domestic male has come to be dishwashing. Sociologists (or psychologists, I forget which

7、/ who) and some opinionated (stubborn) laymen have informed (told) us that the washing of dishes by husbands is not only a symbol of domestic servitude, it is undermining (destroying) Pop as a respected authority-figure (character) in the household (family). Hence (Therefore/ Thus) the deterioration

8、 of the family, hence juvenile delinquency, hence the decline of the republic, etc. All because Pop washed the dishes.8 Well, I wish to enter a dissent (argument against it). (inform sb. of sth.)9 As a pioneer, indeed a missionary, dishwasher of some (about) fifteen years standing (on end/ continuou

9、sly), I can identify (recognize) the source of this propaganda at once. It proceeds (go from) from lazy males who dont want to miss the first few innings of the double-header on TV. The scientific (objective) jargon is just window dressing. (man-dominated-society)10 Experience has made it quite appa

10、rent (obvious) that (a successful) marriage calls for (needs) maturity and mutual sacrifice. Most of the marriages that fail, marriage counselors tell us, fail because the partners lack such qualities (quality). Dishwashing, by general agreement, is a classic (typical) example of domestic drudgery,

11、a dreary and almost continuous chore. It is, therefore, an excellent task for husband and wife to share as a symbol of marital mutuality rather than distaff dominance.11 Every meal that a wife cooks and serves her husband is, if it is prepared with imagination and skill, a genuinely creative act- a

12、minor (small) work of art - the meal itself is a kind of love feast, an offering of the wifes devotion (love). Now do our experts recommend that after such a repast (meal) the husband shuffle, like a dull (uninteresting) brute (beast), into the living (sitting) room to watch the Perils (Adventure) o

13、f Pauline or to read the comic section (part) of the daily paper while (at the same time) the wife retreats (withdraw) to the depressing disorder of a pillaged (robbed) kitchen, of greasy plates and crusty pots? Is this their prescription for a successful and happy marriage?12 No, in this instance (

14、case), as in so many, many others, the experts are wrong. I am not, of course, in a position （ready） to testify as to (about) my masculinity (manliness) or lack of it, but I do know that I am no less masculine as a result of fifteen years of dishwashing. Nor have I observed that parental authority h

15、as suffered in any measure (degree).13 My children seem, generally speaking (in general), under rather better discipline than the offspring (children) of a former professional football player in the neighborhood who is hairy as a gorilla, spends all his domestic hours gaping at (watching) TV and has

16、 never washed a dish in his life.14 Moreover (Furthermore), I must state (say) that my dishwashing duties have by no means been an unmitigated (thorough/ complete/ unavoidable) burden. My wife and I have spent many sociable (communicative) hours at the kitchen sink and, I doubt not, discovered some

17、notable (outstanding) things about life and about each other in these nocturnal (at night) dialogues. sexy: slim-masculine; woman15 I am foursquare for (stand for/ support) womanly women and manly men. I believe that the world needs the qualities (virtues) of abstract and analytical thought, of imag

18、ination, creativity and compromise that are more clearly the attributes (characters) of the male as much as (and) it needs the practical, pragmatic, intuitive, unitary, principled approach (method) of the female. I subscribe to (support) the view (concept) that the best (but certainly not the only)

19、place for the woman is in the home. But then, of course, I like the home and do not view (consider) this as a sentence to jail. (analyze-analysis; win-win situation) (intuition: instinct)16 In (At) the home, and within the rough division of labor that is traditional between husband and wife, I belie

20、ve in the sharing of as many of the more difficult and onerous domestic tasks as possible (especially since the wife often has some outside job as tiring and tiresome as her husbands) just as I believe in sharing the not infrequent delights (happiness) of home. I believe, in short (in brief), in an

21、intelligent mutuality in marriage based on the assumption (belief) that women are not beasts of burden but fellow humans. (believe sb.=I think what you say is true; believe in sth.=behold such belief; basis)17 If the husband is the stronger character in the family, he will exercise the authority of

22、the household. If he is not, all the brag and bluster in the world will not make him more than the nominal （honorable）head.18 If the wife is the stronger partner, she will dominate the life of the family, although if she is cunning (clever) she may manage to (try) give her husband the illusion that

23、he is in charge. So has it ever been and so will it continue to be. (be in charge of sth.)19 The inner masculinity of the American male is doubtless threatened today just as, in many areas of our society, the essential femininity of our women is threatened. But the threat doesnt come from washing di

24、shes. If masculine dignity and authenticity hinge on (depend) washing or not washing dishes, the cause (argument) is lost. Indeed, it was never worth fighting for (975 words); (inner city; be worth doing/ be worthy of doing)ABOUT THE AUTHOR Page Smith (1917?) is a university professor of history and

25、 a specialist in American colonial history. He is also a frequent contributor to newspapers of articles dealing with contemporary affairs.EXERCISES I. Reading ComprehensionAnswer the following questions or complete the following statements.1. According to the author, there has been great concern lat

26、ely over _. A. the complete loss of fatherly authorityB. the decreasing number of American fathersC. the increasing number of American mothersD. diminished domestic authority of American fathers2. Pop in Paragraph 2 refers to _.A. the source of domestic authorityB. American fathersC. a comic figure

27、on TV showsD. a cartoon figure in movies3. Which of the following is not related to Momism?A. Over-deficient. B. Overbearing. C. Overprotective. D. Over dominant.4. The word antedate in Paragraph 5 most probably means _.A. to fall behind B. to come before C. to act against D. to coexist with5. Accor

28、ding to the author, dishwashing by husbands is regarded by some laymen as _.A. a symbol of domestic authority B. a help to family integrityC. an aid to marital relationship D. a source of juvenile delinquency6. What is the authors attitude towards male dishwashing?A. Positive. B. Negative. C. Neutra

29、l. D. Indifferent.7. According to marriage counselors, which of the following might lead to marriage failure?A. Lack of mutual sacrifice. B. Share of domestic drudgery.C. Dishwashing by males. D. Domestic dominance.8. Which of the following is NOT true according to the author?A. Every meal that a wi

30、fe elaborately cooks can be appreciated as a work of art.B. Every meal that a wife serves a husband is the offering of the wifes devotion.C. A successful and happy marriage does not depend on who does dishes.D. Doing dishes harms a mans essential masculinity or his authority in the family.9. The aut

31、hor states in the passage that dishwashingA. is no more than an absolute burdenB. has deprived males of many social hours with friendsC. helps to keep their marital life in good shapeD. makes his children better disciplined than before10. The author agrees with the view that _.A. the one and only pl

32、ace for the woman is in the homeB. the traditional division of labor between men and women is biased against womenC. the world needs qualities of males more than those of femalesD. washing dishes or not has nothing to do with masculinity or femininityII. VocabularyA. Choose the best word from the four choices to complete each of the following sentences.1. If it continues to _ its responsibilities then the British government must act immedia