1989年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语试题

Section I Close Test

For each numbered blank in the following passage there are four choices labeled ［A］, ［B］, ［C］ and ［D］. Choose the best one and put your choice in the ANSWER SHEET. Read the whole passage before making your choice. (10 points)

①One day drought may be a thing of the past at least in coastal cities. ②Vast areas of desert throughout the world may for the first time   1   and provide millions of hectares of land where now nothing grows.

③By the end of this century this may not be mere   2  . ④Scientists are already looking into the possibility of using some of the available ice in the Arctic and Antarctic. ⑤In these regions there are vast ice-caps formed by snow that has fallen over the past 50,000 years. ⑥Layer   3   layer of deep snow means that, when melted, the snow water would be pure, not salty as sea-ice would be. ⑦There is so much   4   pure water here that it would need only a fraction of it to turn much of the desert or poorly irrigated parts of the world into rich farmland. ⑧And what useful packages it would come in! ⑨It should be possible to cut off a bit of ice and transport it! ⑩Alternatively perhaps a passing iceberg could be   5  . 11They are always breaking away from the main caps and floating around, pushed by currents, until they eventually melt and are wasted.

12Many icebergs are, of course, far too small to be towed   6   distance, and would melt before they reached a country that needed them anywhere. 13It would be necessary to locate one that was   7   and that was big enough to provide a good supply of ice when it reached us. 14Engineers think that an iceberg up to seven miles long and one and a half miles wide could be transported if the tug pulling it was as big as a supertanker! 15Even then they would cover only twenty miles every day. 16However,  8   the iceberg was at its destination, more that 7,000 million cubic metres of water could be taken from it! 17That would probably be more than enough for any medium-sized city even in the hottest summer! 18But no doubt a use could be found for it. 19  9  , scientist say, there would not be too much wastage in such a journey. 20The larger the iceberg, the slower it melts, even if it is towed through the tropics. 21This is because when the sun has a bigger area to warm   10  , less heat actually gets into the iceberg. 22The vast frozen centre would be unaffected. [394 words]

1. ［A］ come to life      ［B］ come into existence

［C］ come into activity     ［D］ come round

2. ［A］ speculation ［B］ imagination  ［C］ computation  ［D］ expectation

3. ［A］ above  ［B］ of   ［C］ upon    ［D］ over

4. ［A］ essential  ［B］ potential  ［C］ claimable   ［D］ obtainable

5. ［A］ seized  ［B］ snatched  ［C］ grabbed   ［D］ captured

6. ［A］ much  ［B］ any   ［C］ some    ［D］ certain

7. ［A］ manageable ［B］ manipulative ［C］ operable   ［D］ controllable

8. ［A］ after  ［B］ while   ［C］ since    ［D］ once

9. ［A］ Apparently ［B］ Noticeably  ［C］ Distinctly   ［D］ Notably

10.［A］ round  ［B］ over   ［C］ up    ［D］ through

Section II Reading Comprehension

Each of the two passages below is followed by five questions. For each question there are four answers. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each of the questions. Put your choice in the brackets on the left. (10 points)

Text 1

A scientist once said: “I have concluded that the earth is being visited by intelligently controlled vehicles from outer space.”

If we take this as a reasonable explanation for UFOs (unidentified flying objects), questions immediately come up.

 “Why don’t they get in touch with us, then? Why don’t they land right on the White House lawn and declare themselves?” people asked.

In reply, scientists say that, while this may be what we want, it may not necessarily be what they want.

 “The most likely explanation, it seems to me,” said Dr. Mead, “is that they are simply watching what we are up to -- that responsible society outside our solar system is keeping an eye on us to see that we don’t set in motion a chain reaction that might have unexpected effects for outside our solar system.”

Opinions from other scientists might go like this: “Why should they want to get in touch with us? We may feel we’re more important than we really are! They may want to observe us only and not interfere with the development of our civilization. They may not care if we see them but they also may not care to say ‘hello’.”

①Some scientists have also suggested that Earth is a kind of zoo or wildlife reserve. ②Just as we set aside wilderness areas and wildlife reserves to allow animals and growing things to develop naturally while we observe them, so perhaps Earth was set aside ages ago for the same purpose.

①Are we being observed by intelligent beings from other civilizations in the universe? ②Are they watching our progress in space travel? ③Do we live in a gigantic “zoo” observed by our “keepers,” but having no communication with them?

①Never before in our history have we had to confront ideas like these. ②The simple fact is that we, who have always regarded ourselves as supreme in the universe, may not be so. ③Now we have to recognize that, among the stars in the heavens, there may very well be worlds inhabited by beings who are to us as we are to ants.

11. People who ask the question “Why don’t they get in touch with us... and declare themselves?” think that ________.
[A] there are no such things as UFOs
[B] UFOs are visitors from solar system
[C] there’s no reason for UFOs sooner or later
[D] we are bound to see UFOs sooner or later

12. According to Dr. Mead, the attitude of beings from outer space toward us is one of ________.
[A] unfriendliness
[B] suspicion
[C] superiority
[D] hostility

13. The tone of the writer is that of ________.
[A] doubt
[B] warning
[C] indifference
[D] criticism

Text 2

①The use of the motor is becoming more and more widespread in the twentieth century; as an increasing number of countries develop both technically and economically, so a larger proportion of the world’s population is able to buy and use a car. ②Possessing a car gives a much greater degree of mobility, enabling the driver to move around freely. ③The owner of a car is no longer forced to rely on public transport and is, therefore, not compelled to work locally. ④He can choose from different jobs and probably changes his work more frequently as he is not restricted to a choice within a small radius. ⑤Travelling to work by car is also more comfortable than having to use public transport; the driver can adjust the heating in winter and the air conditioning in the summer to suit his own needs and preference. ⑥There is no irritation caused by waiting for trains, buses or underground trains, standing in long patient queues, or sitting on windy platforms, for as long as half an hour sometimes. ⑦With the building of good, fast motorways long distances can be covered rapidly and pleasantly. ⑧For the first time in this century also, many people are now able to enjoy their leisure time to the full by making trips to the country or seaside at the weekends, instead of being confined to their immediate neighbourhood. ⑨This feeling of independence, and the freedom to go where you please, is perhaps the greatest advantage of the car.

①When considering the drawbacks, perhaps pollution is of prime importance. ②As more and more cars are produced and used, so the emission from their exhaust-pipes contains an ever larger volume of poisonous gas. ③Some of the contents of this gas, such as lead, not only pollute the atmosphere but cause actual harm to the health of people. ④Many of the minor illnesses of modern industrial society, headaches, tiredness, and stomach upsets are thought to arise from breathing polluted air; doctors’ surgeries are full of people suffering from illnesses caused by pollution. ⑤It is also becoming increasingly difficult to deal with the problem of traffic in towns; most of the important cities of the world suffer from traffic congestion. ⑥In fact any advantage gained in comfort is often cancelled out in city driving by the frustration caused by traffic jams: endless queues of cars crawling one after another through all the main streets. ⑦As an increasing number of traffic regulation schemes are devised, the poor bewildered driver finds himself diverted and forced into one-way systems which cause even greater delays than the traffic jams they are supposed to prevent. ⑧The mounting cost of petrol and the increased license fees and road tax all add to the driver’s worries. ⑨In fact, he must sometimes wonder if the motor car is such a blessing and not just a menace.

14. More and more people can afford to buy and use cars because ________.
[A] an increasing number of cars are being produced
[B] the cost of cars is getting cheaper with the development of technology
[C] lots of countries have become more developed
[D] the use of cars has proved to be more economical

15. The advantages of having a car are best experienced in the driver’s ________.
[A] freedom in choosing his job
[B] comfort during the travels
[C] enjoyment of his leisure time
[D] feeling of self-reliance

16. What is considered by the writer as the greatest menace to the people caused by the widespread use of motor cars?
[A] air pollution
[B] traffic jams
[C] fatal diseases
[D] high cost

Text 3

①Manners nowadays in metropolitan cities like London are practically non-existent. ②It is nothing for a big, strong schoolboy to elbow an elderly woman aside in the dash for the last remaining seat on the tube or bus, much less stand up and offer his seat to her, as he ought. ③In fact, it is saddening to note that if a man does offer his seat to an older woman, it is nearly always a Continental man or one from the older generation.

①This question of giving up seats in public transport is much argued about by young men, who say that, since women have claimed equality, they no longer deserve to be treated with courtesy and that those who go out to work should take their turn in the rat race like anyone else. ②Women have never claimed to be physically as strong as men. ③Even if it is not agreed, however, that young men should stand up for younger women, the fact remains that courtesy should be shown to the old, the sick and the burdened. ④Are we really so lost to all ideals of unselfishness that we can sit there indifferently reading the paper or a book, saying to ourselves “First come, first served,” while a grey-haired woman, a mother with a young child or a cripple stands? ⑤Yet this is all too often seen.

①Conditions in travel are really very hard on everyone, we know, but hardship is surely no excuse. ②Sometimes one wonders what would have been the behaviour of these stout young men in a packed refugee train or a train on its way to a prison-camp during the War. ③Would they have considered it only right and their proper due to keep the best places for themselves then?

①Older people, tired and irritable from a day’s work, are not angels, either — far from it. ②Many a brisk argument or an insulting quarrel breaks out as the weary queues push and shove each other to get on buses and tubes. ③One cannot commend this, of course, but one does feel there is just a little more excuse.

①If cities are to remain pleasant places to live in at all, however, it seems imperative, not only that communications in transport should be improved, but also that communication between human beings should be kept smooth and polite. ②All over cities, it seems that people are too tired and too rushed to be polite. ③Shop assistants won’t bother to assist, taxi drivers growl at each other as they dash dangerously round corners, bus conductor pull the bell before their desperate passengers have had time to get on or off the bus, and so on and so on. ④It seems to us that it is up to the young and strong to do their small part to stop such deterioration.

17. From what you have read, would you expect manners to improve among people ________?
[A] who are physically weak or crippled
[B] who once lived in a prison-camp during the War
[C] who live in big modern cities
[D] who live only in metropolitan cities

18. What is the writer’s opinion concerning courteous manners towards women?
[A] Now that women have claimed equality, they no longer need to be treated differently from men.
[B] It is generally considered old-fashioned for young men to give up their seats to young women.
[C] “Lady First” should be universally practiced.
[D] Special consideration ought to be shown them.

19. According to the author communication between human beings would be smoother if ________.
[A] people were more considerate towards each other
[B] people were not so tired and irritable
[C] women were treated with more courtesy
[D] public transport could be improved

20. What is the possible meaning of the word “deterioration” in the last paragraph?
[A] worsening of general situation
[B] lowering of moral standards
[C] declining of physical constitution
[D] spreading of evil conduct

Section III English-Chinese Translation

Translate the following passage into Chinese. Only the underlined sentences are to be translated. (20 points)

When Jane Matheson started work at Advanced Electronics Inc. 12 years ago, (21) she laboured over a microscope, hand-welding tiny electronic computers and turned out 18 per hour. Now she tends the computerized machinery that turns out high capacity memory chips at the rate of 2,600 per hour. Production is up, profits are up, her income is up and Mrs. Matheson says the work is far less strain on her eyes.

But the most significant effect of the changes at AEI was felt by the workers who are no longer there. Before the new computerized equipment was introduced, there were 940 workers at the plant. Now there are 121. (22) A plant follow-up survey showed that one year after the layoffs only 38% of the released workers found new employment at the same or better wages. Nearly half finally settled for lower pay and more than 13% are still out of work. The AEI example is only one of hundreds around the country which forge intelligently ahead into the latest technology, but leave the majority of their workers behind.

(23) Its beginnings obscured by unemployment caused by the world economic slow-down, the new technological unemployment may emerge as the great socio-economic challenge of the end of the 20th century. One corporation economist says the growth of “machine job replacement” has been with us since the beginning of the industrial revolution, but never at the pace it is now. The human costs will be astonishing. (24) “It’s humiliating to be done out of your job by a machine and there is no way to fight back, but it is the effort to find a new job that really hurts.” Some workers, like Jane Matheson, are retrained to handle the new equipment, but often a whole new set of skills is required and that means a new, and invariably smaller set of workers. (25) The old workers, trapped by their limited skills, often never regain their old status and employment. Many drift into marginal areas. They feel no pride in their new work. They get badly paid for it and they feel miserable, but still they are luckier than those who never find it.

(26) The social costs go far beyond the welfare and unemployment payments made by the government. Unemployment increases the chances of divorce, child abuse, and alcoholism, a new federal survey shows. Some experts say the problem is only temporary... that new technology will eventually create as many jobs as it destroys. (27) But futurologist Hymen Seymour says the astonishing efficiency of the new technology means there will be a simple and direct net reduction in the amount of human labor that needs to be done. “We should treat this as an opportunity to give people more leisure. It may not be easy, but society will have to reach a new unanimity on the division and distribution of labor,” Seymour says. He predicts most people will work only six-hour days and four-day weeks by the end of the century. But the concern of the unemployed is for now. (28) Federally funded training and free back-to-school programs for laid-off workers are under way, but few experts believe they will be able to keep up with the pace of the new technology. For the next few years, for a substantial portion of the workforce, times are going to be very tough indeed.

1988年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语试题

Section I Close Test

For each numbered blank in the following passage there are four choices labeled ［A］, ［B］, ［C］, and ［D］. Choose the best one and put your choice in the ANSWER SHEET. Read the whole passage before making your choice. (10 points)

①In 1620, a small sailboat named the Mayflower left England for the New World. ②The Mayflower headed for the Jamestown colony on the warm shore of Virginia. ③Its one hundred passengers were the Pilgrims. ④They were looking for a place where they could worship God    1  .    ⑤Because of strong winds and severe storms, the Mayflower lost its   2  . ⑥The brave group of colonists finally had to land at Plymouth on the rocky coast of Massachusetts in December 1620. ⑦It was the middle of the stern northern winter. ⑧  3   months of starvation, disease, and death were ahead of them. ⑨Only the strongest of the pilgrims   4   that winter. ⑩Many women gave their own pitiful rations to their children and died for lack of food for themselves. 11Living   5   began to improve in the spring of 1621. 12There were wild vegetables. 13There were berries and fruit. 14Fish and game were plentiful. 15Therefore, they were able to get enough fresh meat despite their lack of skill or experience in hunting and fishing. 16The colonists’ health   6   with the warm weather and their better diet.

17In the fall, they look back   7   the past year. 18They were both regretful and thankful. 19Only fifty of the original one hundred passengers remained. 20The price in human life and tragedy had been great. 21On the other hand, they saw new hope for the future. 22A splendid harvest was   8   them. 23They were ready for the second winter with confidence. 24They had eleven crude houses for protection against the severe winter. 25Seven were for families, and four were for communal use. 26  9  , they had established a treaty of friendship with their Indian neighbors under Chief Massasoit in the summer.

27The woods and forests became safe. 28When the Mayflower returned to England that summer, there were no colonists   10  . 29At the end of their first year in their new home, the Pilgrims wanted to celebrate with a real holiday. 30It was their first Thanks giving Day. [328 words]

1. ［A］ in their own style      ［B］ in their own way

［C］ on their own       ［D］ of their own

2. ［A］ course   ［B］ route   ［C］ passage  ［D］ channel

3. ［A］ Uncomfortable ［B］ Bad   ［C］ Unfavourable ［D］ Terrible

4. ［A］ passed   ［B］ sustained  ［C］ survived  ［D］ spent

5. ［A］ situations       ［B］ environments

［C］ conditions       ［D］ circumstances

6. ［A］ strengthened  ［B］ regained  ［C］ recovered  ［D］ improved

7. ［A］ in    ［B］ of   ［C］ over   ［D］ at

8. ［A］ on    ［B］ behind   ［C］ for   ［D］ beyond

9. ［A］ Best of all  ［B］ For the best  ［C］ To their best ［D］ All in all

10.［A］ ashore   ［B］ around   ［C］ about   ［D］ aboard

Section II Reading Comprehension

Each of the two passages below is followed by five questions. For each question there are four answers. Read the passages carefully and choose the best answer to each of the questions. Put your choice in the brackets on the left. (10 points)

Text 1

①It doesn’t come as a surprise to you to realize that it makes no difference what you read or study if you can’t remember it. ②You just waste your valuable time. ③Maybe you have already discovered some clever ways to keep yourself from forgetting.

①One dependable aid that does help you remember what you study is to have a specific purpose or reason for reading. ②You remember better what you read when you know why you’re reading.

①Why does a clerk in a store go away and leave you when your reply to her offer to help is, “No, thank you. I’m just looking”? ②Both you and she know that if you aren’t sure what you want, you are not likely to find it. ③But suppose you say instead, “Yes, thank you. I want a pair of sun glasses.” ④She says, “Right this way, please.” ⑤And you and she are off -- both eager to look for exactly what you want.

①It’s quite the same with your studying. ②If you chose a book at random, “just looking” for nothing in particular, you are likely to get just that -- nothing. ③But if you do know what you want, and if you have the right book, you are almost sure to get it. ④Your reasons will vary; they will include reading or studying “to find out more about”, “to understand the reasons for”, “to find out how”. ⑤A good student has a clear purpose or reason for what he is doing.

①This is the way it works. ②Before you start to study, you say to yourself something like this, “I want to know why Stephen Vincent Benet happened to write about America. I’m reading this article to find out.” ③Or, “I’m going to skim this story to see what life was like in medieval England.” ④Because you know why you are reading or studying, you relate the information to your purpose and remember it better.

①Reading is not one single activity. ②At least two important processes go on at the same time. ③As you read, you take in ideas rapidly and accurately. ④But at the same time you express your own ideas to yourself as you react to what you read. ⑤You have a kind of mental conversation with the author. ⑥If you expressed your ideas orally, they might sound like this: “Yes, I agree. That’s my opinion too.” or “Ummmm, I thought that record was broken much earlier. I’d better check those dates,” or “But there are some other facts to be considered!” ⑦You don’t just sit there taking in ideas -- you do something else, and that something else is very important.

①This additional process of thinking about what you read includes evaluating it, relating it to what you already know, and using it for your own purposes. ②In other words, a good reader is a critical reader. ③One part of critical reading, as you have discovered, is distinguishing between facts and opinions. ④Facts can be checked by evidence. ⑤Opinions are one’s own personal reactions.

①Another part of critical reading is judging sources. ②Still another part is drawing accurate inferences.

11. If you cannot remember what you read or study, ________.
[A] it is no surprise
[B] it means you have not really learned anything
[C] it means you have not chosen the right book
[D] you realize it is of no importance

12. Before you start reading, it is important ________.
[A] to make sure why you are reading
[B] to relate the information to your purpose
[C] to remember what you read
[D] to choose an interesting book

13. Reading activity involves ________.
[A] only two simultaneous processes
[B] primarily learning about ideas and evaluating them critically
[C] merely distinguishing between facts and opinions
[D] mainly drawing accurate inferences

14. A good reader is one who ________.
[A] relates what he reads to his own knowledge about the subject matter
[B] does lots of thinking in his reading
[C] takes a critical attitude in his reading
[D] is able to check the facts presented against what he has already known

Text 2

①If you live in a large city, you are quite familiar with some of the problems of noise, but because of some of its harmful effects, you may not be aware of the extent of its influence on human behavior. ②Although everyone more or less knows what noise is, i.e., it is sounds that one would rather not hear, it is perhaps best to define it more precisely for scientific purposes. ③One such definition is that noise is sounds that are unrelated to the task at hand. ④Thus stimuli that at one time might be considered relevant will at another time be considered noise, depending on what one is doing at the moment. ⑤In recent years there has been a great deal of interest in the effects of noise on human behavior, and concepts such as “noise pollution” have arisen, together with movements to reduce noise.

①Exposure to loud noises can definitely produce a partial or complete loss of hearing, depending on the intensity, duration, and frequency composition of the noise. ②Many jobs present noise hazards, such as working in factories and around jet aircraft, driving farm tractors, and working (or sitting) in music halls where rock bands are playing. ③In general, continuous exposure to sounds of over 80 decibels (a measure of the loudness of sound) can be considered dangerous. ④Decibel values correspond to various sounds. ⑤Sounds above about 85 decibels may, if exposure is for a sufficient period of time, produce significant hearing loss. ⑥Actual loss will depend upon the particular frequencies to which one is exposed, and whether the sound is continuous or intermittent.

Noise can have unexpected harmful effects on performance of certain kinds of tasks, for instance, if one is performing a watch keeping task that requires vigilance, in which he is responsible for detecting weak signals of some kind (e.g., watching a radar screen for the appearance of aircraft).

①Communicating with other people is unfavorably affected by noise. ②If you have ridden in the rear of a jet transport, you may have noticed that it was difficult to carry on a conversation at first, and that, eventually, you adjusted the loudness of your speech to compensate for the effect. ③The problem is noise.

15. Noise differs from sound in that ________.
[A] it is sounds that interfere with the task being done
[B] it is a special type of loud sound
[C] it is usually unavoidable in big cities
[D] it can be defined more precisely than the latter

16. One of the harmful effects of noise on human performance is that ________.
[A] it reduces one’s sensitivity
[B] it renders the victim helpless
[C] it deprives one of the enjoyment of music
[D] it drowns out conversations at worksites

17. The purpose of this passage is ________.
[A] to define the effects of noise on human behavior
[B] to warn people of the danger of noise pollution
[C] to give advice as to how to prevent hearing loss
[D] to tell the difference between noise and sound

Text 3

①The traditional belief that a woman’s place is in the home and that a woman ought not to go out to work can hardly be reasonably maintained in present conditions. ②It is said that it is a woman’s task to care for the children, but families today tend to be small and with a year or two between children. ③Thus a woman’s whole period of childbearing may occur within five years. ④Furthermore, with compulsory education from the age of five or six her role as chief educator of her children soon ceases. ⑤Thus, even if we agree that a woman should stay at home to look after her children before they are of school age, for many women, this period would extend only for about ten years.

①It might be argued that the house-proud woman would still find plenty to do about the home. ②That may be so, but it is certainly no longer necessary for a woman to spend her whole life cooking, cleaning, mending and sewing. ③Washing machines take the drudgery out of laundry, the latest models being entirely automatic and able to wash and dry a large quantity of clothes in a few minutes. ④Refrigerators have made it possible to store food for long periods and many pre-cooked foods are obtainable in tins. ⑤Shopping, instead of being a daily task, can be completed in one day a week. ⑥The new man-made fibers are more hardwiring than natural fibers and greatly reduce mending, while good ready-made clothes are cheap and plentiful.

①Apart from women’s own happiness, the needs of the community must be considered. ②Modern society cannot do well without the contribution that women can make in professions and other kinds of work. ③There is a serious shortage of nurses and teachers, to mention only two of the occupations followed by women. ④It is extremely wasteful to give years of training at public expense only to have the qualified teacher or nurse marry after a year or two and be lost forever to her profession. ⑤The training, it is true, will help her in duties as a mother, but if she continued to work, her service would be more widely useful. ⑥Many factories and shops, too, are largely staffed by women, many of them married. ⑦While here the question of training is not so important, industry and trade would be seriously short of staff if married women did not work.

18. The author holds that ________.
[A] the right place for all women, married or otherwise, is the home, not elsewhere
[B] all married women should have some occupation outside the home
[C] a married woman should give first priority to her duties as a mother
[D] it is desirable for uneducated married women to stay at home and take care of the family

19. A house-proud woman ________.
[A] would devote her whole life to her family
[B] would take her own happiness and that of her family as her chief concern
[C] would still need some special training at public expense to help her in her duties as a housewife
[D] would take full advantage of modern household appliances

20. According to the author, modern society ________.
[A] can operate just as well even without women participation
[B] has been greatly hampered in its development by the shortage of women nurses and women teachers
[C] cannot operate properly without the contribution of women
[D] will be seriously affected by the continuing shortage of working women in heavy industries and international trade

Section III English-Chinese Translation

Translate the following passage into Chinese. Only the underlined sentences are to be translated. (20 points)

Seated behind the front desk at a New York firm, the receptionist was efficient.

Stylishly dressed, the firm’s newest employee had a pleasant telephone voice and a natural charm that put clients at ease. The company was pleased: (21) Clearly, this was a person who took considerable pride in personal appearance. David King, the receptionist, is unusual, but by no means unique. (22) Just as all truck drivers and construction workers are no longer necessarily men, all secretaries and receptionists are no longer automatically women. The number of men in women-dominated fields is still small and they haven’t attracted the attention that has often followed women advancing into male-dominated fields, but men are moving into more and more jobs that have traditionally been held by women.

Strictly speaking, the phenomenon is not new. For the past several decades, men have been quietly entering fields such as nursing, social work and elementary education. But today no job seems off-limits. Men serve coffee in offices and meals on airplanes. (23) These changes are helping to influence some of the long-standing traditions about the types of work men and women can do -- but they also produce some undeniable problems for the men who are entering those fields formerly dominated by women.

What kinds of men venture into these so-called “women’s fields”? All kinds. (24) “I don’t know of any definite answers I’d be comfortable with,” explains Joseph Pleck, Ph.D., of the Wellesley College Centre for Research on Women.

Sam Ormont, for example, a thirty-year-old nurse at a Boston hospital, went into nursing because the army had trained him as a medical worker. (25) “I found that work very interesting.” he recalled, “and when I got out of the service it just seemed natural for me to go into something medical. I wasn’t really interested in becoming a doctor.” Thirty-five-year-old David King, an out-of-work actor, found a job as a receptionist because he was having trouble landing roles in Broadway plays and he needed to pay the rent.

(26) In other words, men enter “female” jobs out of the same consideration for personal interest and economic necessity that motivates anyone looking for work. But similarities often end there. Men in female-dominated jobs are conspicuous. As a group, their work histories differ in most respects from those of their female colleagues, and they are frequently treated differently by the people with whom they are in professional contact.

The question naturally arises: Why are there still approximately ninety-nine female secretaries for every one male? There is also a more serious issue. Most men don’t want to be receptionists, nurses, secretaries or sewing workers. Put simply, these are not generally considered very masculine jobs. (27) To choose such a line of work is to invite ridicule.

“There was kidding in the beginning,” recalls Ormont. “Kids coming from school ask what I am, and when I say ‘A nurse,’ they laugh at me. I just smile and say, ‘You know, there are female doctors, too.’”

Still, there are encouraging signs. Years ago, male grade school teachers were as rare as male nurses. Today more than one elementary school teacher in six is male.

(28) Can we anticipate a day when secretaries will be an even mix of men and women — or when the mention of a male nurse will no longer raise eyebrows? It’s probably coming -- but not very soon.

Section VII: English-Chinese Translation

Directions:

Translate the following passage into Chinese. Only the underlined sentences are to be translated. (20 points)

Seated behind the front desk at a New York firm, the receptionist was efficient.

Stylishly dressed, the firm’s newest employee had a pleasant telephone voice and a natural charm that put clients at ease. The company was pleased: (61) Clearly, this was a person who took considerable pride in personal appearance. David King, the receptionist, is unusual, but by no means unique. (62) Just as all truck drivers and construction workers are no longer necessarily men, all secretaries and receptionists are no longer automatically women. The number of men in women-dominated fields is still small and they haven’t attracted the attention that has often followed women advancing into male-dominated fields, but men are moving into more and more jobs that have traditionally been held by women.

Strictly speaking, the phenomenon is not new. For the past several decades, men have been quietly entering fields such as nursing, social work and elementary education. But today no job seems off-limits. Men serve coffee in offices and meals on airplanes. (63) These changes are helping to influence some of the long-standing traditions about the types of work men and women can do -- but they also produce some undeniable problems for the men who are entering those fields formerly dominated by women.

What kinds of men venture into these so-called “women’s fields”? All kinds. (64) “I don’t know of any definite answers I’d be comfortable with,” explains Joseph Pleck, Ph.D., of the Wellesley College Centre for Research on Women.

Sam Ormont, for example, a thirty-year-old nurse at a Boston hospital, went into nursing because the army had trained him as a medical worker. (65) “I found that work very interesting.” he recalled, “and when I got out of the service it just seemed natural for me to go into something medical. I wasn’t really interested in becoming a doctor.” Thirty-five-year-old David King, an out-of-work actor, found a job as a receptionist because he was having trouble landing roles in Broadway plays and he needed to pay the rent.

(66) In other words, men enter “female” jobs out of the same consideration for personal interest and economic necessity that motivates anyone looking for work. But similarities often end there. Men in female-dominated jobs are conspicuous. As a group, their work histories differ in most respects from those of their female colleagues, and they are frequently treated differently by the people with whom they are in professional contact.

The question naturally arises: Why are there still approximately ninety-nine female secretaries for every one male? There is also a more serious issue. Most men don’t want to be receptionists, nurses, secretaries or sewing workers. Put simply, these are not generally considered very masculine jobs. (67) To choose such a line of work is to invite ridicule.

“There was kidding in the beginning,” recalls Ormont. “Kids coming from school ask what I am, and when I say ‘A nurse,’ they laugh at me. I just smile and say, ‘You know, there are female doctors, too.’”

Still, there are encouraging signs. Years ago, male grade school teachers were as rare as male nurses. Today more than one elementary school teacher in six is male.

(68) Can we anticipate a day when secretaries will be an even mix of men and women -- or when the mention of a male nurse will no longer raise eyebrows? It’s probably coming -- but not very soon.

61. 他显然，他是个对自己的仪表感到相当自豪的人。

62. 正像卡车司机和建筑工人再没必要都是男的一样，秘书和接待员再也不一定都是女的。

63. 这些变化正影响着长期存在的传统观念中关于男女各可以干哪几类工作的看法，但这对于进入原先以妇女为主的那些的男人来说，无疑也带来一些问题。

64. 我还没听说过有任何使我感到满意的确切答案。

65. 他回忆说：“我觉得那种工作十分有趣，当我退役时，对我来说，去干某种医务工作，似乎是极其自然的。”

66. 换句话说，男人干起了“女人干的”工作，其动机是同任何找工作干的人一样，既出于个人的兴趣，也出于经济上需要的考虑。

67. 选定这一类工作是会惹人笑话的。

68. 我们是否能预见到这么一天：那时当秘书的男女各占一半或有人提到某个男人当护士时，人们不会再感到吃惊?