ThE sPaCe Of EdP2

    Today my cousin paid my a visit. She is a techinician working in an electronics factory. She has been very unhappy recently because of a quarrel with her boss. It all started when she was denied a chance to go abroad for a training course. By qualification she was the ideal choice-a college degree, a working knowledge of English and generally acknowledged as very good in her field. But the finial choice fell on a young man inferior to her in every respect. Naturally she was very upset and wanted to know why. Her boss who in fact quite liked her told her quite candidly. "We did think of sending you but decided against it because you are a girl." The answer infuriated her all the more and she accused him of sex descrimination. The best explanation she could get out of him was that it would not be "convenient" for a girl to be on her own in a foreign country as there was only one vacancy. Not convenient for whom? For herself? She didn't mind. For her fellow trainees? That's sheer nonsense. For her boss? How and in what way?

    Poor girl, I quite sympathize with her, but that women are at a disadvantage is a reality she'll have to face. I told her that our form master was telling us only the other day that girls shouldn't aim too high in choosing their future speciality or choosing a university. Certain subjects and certain departments are almost closed to them. They'll have to have 10 or more marks than the boys in order to be accepted.

    "And it's not only the colleges and universities," Mum explained with anger."All organizations and work units are equally bad in sex discrimination when taking in new employees. One's sex is more important than one's other qualities, it seems. Some department  take in women just as if they are forced to buy some inferior goods. The bargaining that goes on just makes me sick. Your want to buy a carton of hig-grade cigarettes? Very well, you must buy three packs of the cheap brand as well. So if you want to assign one girl to our department, you must give us two boys as well. It's really disgusting!"

    "I don't blame them really," said Dad. "However good a girl is, when she marries, trouble begins. First there is this long maternity leave. Then there'll be constant leaves because there will always be this or that wrong with her darling baby. Even when she works she will be constantly thinking of her darling child or knitting for him or her. And she becomes petty too, breaking into tears at the slightest provocation and quarrelling with others over trifles".

    This naturally brought a barrage of protests and condemnations from the two women in the room who almost tore him to pieces. In the end it was Granny who came to his rescue. "Well, a woman's place is at home, as I always say. And what do you want to go abroad for, child? Think of all the dangers! How can girls cope with them? I think your leader were quite right in not letting you go."

    "Oh granny, you don't know anything at all! You are still living in the old world. It seems our future lies in the future generation," my cousin said pointedly to Dad, referring to me. Actually she is only ten years older than me.

    Equality of the sexes is certainly a very complicated problem. Just having equal rights to vote and equal pay for equal work have not solved the problem, not by a long shot.

 

 

 

NOTES

 

come on... it's something 得了，肯定有什么事情

wash up 洗碗

bath the baby 给孩子洗澡

What a life! 这是什么样的生活啊！（多么乏味的生活。）

have cocktails at a new discotheque 在一家新开的迪斯科舞会喝鸡尾酒

an electronics factory 一家电子工厂

she was denied a chance to go abroad for a training course 他被剥夺了一次去国外进修的机会

a working knowledge of English 能应用英语

generally acknowledged as very good in her field 在她的领域里，大家公认她很出色

the final choice fell on a young man inferior to her in every respect  最后被选上的是一个各方面都不如她的男青年

candidly 坦率地

decided against it 否定了它（原来的决定）

infuriated her all the more 更加使她愤怒

sex discrimination 性别歧视

at a disadvantage 处于不利的地位

in choosing their future speciality 在选择他们的未来专业时

The bargain that goes on just makes me sick 他们所进行的交易让我觉得恶心

a carton of high-grade cigarettes 一条高级烟

maternity leave 产假

she becomes petty too, breaking into tears at the slightest provocation and quarreling with others over trifles 她也变得心胸狭窄了，常常因一些小事哭鼻子，为了鸡毛蒜皮的事而与他人争吵

a barrage of protests and condemnation (引起)一连串的抗议和谴责

tore him to pieces （几乎）把他批驳得体无完肤

come to his rescue 帮他一把

pointedly 尖锐地

not by a long shot 距离解决问题差得远呢

 

PHRASES

take...for a walk

meet...at the station

pay...a vist

be inferior to

decide against

accuse sb. of

be on one's own

sympathize with

quarrel with sb. over sth.

tear sb. to pieces

 

RELATED WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS

the female role

sex object

role of the mother(father)

bear a child

childbearing 分娩

do the chores

the oppressed sex

sex discrimination

be discriminated against

be treated equally

receive equal treatment

to treat men and women alike

overt(covert) discrimination

go out of their home

take up a career

career woman

be economically independent

the economic basis for equality

hold up half the sky

the Suffrage Movement

be written in to law

have equal rights with...

have difficulty in...

job assignment

helping professions

be promoted to a higher positon

be promising

be faced with the problem of

be less(more) capable than

be inferior(superior) in intelligence

underpaid

be paid less than

be overloaded

share the burden(housework)

have some(no) say in the family

be male-dominated

male chauvinism 大男子主义

feminist 男女平等主义者

Women's Liberation Movement  妇女解放运动

All-China Women's Federation 中国妇女联合会

 

 

RELATED PICTURE

 

diploma

under one's arm

be plainly dressed 穿着简洁

short-sleeved shirt 短袖衬衫

checked fabric 格子花纹布

report for duty

look timid, fresh from the university

sit back

hold one's head up

in a Chinese tunic suit

contemptuous

a waste-paper basket

 

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LANGUAGE DIVICES

 

As I see it...

It seems quite clear to me that...

I'd like to point out that...

Do you think it's right to say...

As far as I'm able to judge...

I'm sorry, but could you explain what you mean by...

I wonder if you could explain about... in more detail?