1、1 Recently there has been a great whooping and hollering (noisy argument) over (about) the diminished dignity and importance (status) of the American father.2 The poor (pitiful) wretch (fellow/ guy), so the argument goes (says), once the fountainhead of domestic authority, has abdicated (given up),
2、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, and in the movies.3 Because of Pops (fathers) deficiencies (deficient/, adj./ incompetence), we are told, the family is in bad shape (condition/
3、 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 result) we have Momism - the overbearing (bossy), overprotective, over-dominant mother who inflicts (impose/ bring about) all kinds of hideous psychic
4、 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/; dominate; scarf5 The charge, of course, is not a new one. It antedates (goes before) the republic. George Grenville, Minister to George III, is repor
5、ted 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 henpecked husbands to ban (prohibit) the stuff. (charge sb. with. sth.=accuse sb. of sth.)6 Every school child knows the result of this miscalcul
6、ation.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/ who) and some opinionated (stubborn) laymen have informed (told) us that the washing of dishes by husbands is not only a symbol of domestic serv
7、itude, it is undermining (destroying) Pop as a respected authority-figure (character) in the household (family). Hence (Therefore/ Thus) the deterioration 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 di
8、ssent (argument against it). (inform sb. of sth.)9 As a pioneer, indeed a missionary, dishwasher of some (about) fifteen years standing (on end/ continuously), 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
9、innings of the double-header on TV. The scientific (objective) jargon is just window dressing. (man-dominated-society)10 Experience has made it quite apparent (obvious) that (a successful) marriage calls for (needs) maturity and mutual sacrifice. Most of the marriages that fail, marriage counselors
10、tell us, fail because the partners lack such qualities (quality). Dishwashing, by general agreement, is a classic (typical) example of domestic drudgery, 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 th
11、an 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 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 a
12、fter such a repast (meal) the husband shuffle, like a dull (uninteresting) brute (beast), into the living (sitting) room to watch the Perils (Adventure) of 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
13、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 (case), as in so many, many others, the experts are wrong. I am not, of course, in a position (ready) to testify (prove) as to (about) my masculini
14、ty (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 has suffered in any measure (degree).13 My children seem, generally speaking (in general), under rather better discipline than the offsprin
15、g (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 never washed a dish in his life.14 Moreover (Furthermore), I must state (say) that my dishwashing duties have by no means been an unmitig
16、ated (thorough/ complete/ unavoidable) burden. My wife and I have spent many sociable (communicative) hours at the kitchen sink and, I doubt not, discovered some notable (outstanding) things about life and about each other in these nocturnal (at night) dialogues. sexy: slim-masculine; woman15 I am f
17、oursquare for (stand for/ support) womanly women and manly men. I believe that the world needs the qualities (virtues) of abstract and analytical thought, of imagination, creativity and compromise that are more clearly the attributes (characters) of the male as much as (and) it needs the practical,
18、pragmatic, intuitive, unitary, principled approach (method) of the female. I subscribe to (support) the view (concept) that the best (but certainly not the only) 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-a
19、nalysis; 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 believe in the sharing of as many of the more difficult and onerous domestic tasks as possible (especially since the wife often has some outsid
20、e 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 intelligent mutuality in marriage based on the assumption (belief) that women are not beasts of burden but fellow humans. (believe sb.=I t
21、hink 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 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
22、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 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
23、 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 dishes. If masculine dignity and authenticity hinge on (depend) washing or not washing dishes, the cause (argument) is lost. Indeed, it was
24、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 a specialist in American colonial history. He is also a frequent contributor to newspapers of articles dealing with contemporary affairs.
25、EXERCISES I. Reading ComprehensionAnswer the following questions or complete the following statements.1. According to the author, there has been great concern lately over _. A. the complete loss of fatherly authorityB. the decreasing number of American fathersC. the increasing number of American mot
26、hersD. diminished domestic authority of American fathers2. Pop in Paragraph 2 refers to _.A. the source of domestic authorityB. American fathersC. a comic figure on TV showsD. a cartoon figure in movies3. Which of the following is not related to Momism?A. Over-deficient. B. Overbearing. C. Overprote
27、ctive. 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. According to the author, dishwashing by husbands is regarded by some laymen as _.A. a symbol of domestic authority B. a help to family integrit
28、yC. an aid to marital relationship D. a source of juvenile delinquency6. What is the authors attitude towards male dishwashing?A. Positive. B. Negative. C. Neutral. D. Indifferent.7. According to marriage counselors, which of the following might lead to marriage failure?A. Lack of mutual sacrifice.
29、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 wife 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.
30、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 author states in the passage that dishwashingA. is no more than an absolute burdenB. has deprived males of many social hours with friendsC. h
31、elps 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 place 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 gov
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