研究生英语阅读教程(基础级2版)课本04.doc

READING SELECTION AThe Transformation of MarriageBy Stephen Bertman1 To be sure, ours is not the first time in modern history when efforts have been made to redefine traditional marriage. The communal group marriages of the 1960s and the individualistic open marriages of the 1970s each challenged the notion of a nonnegotiable contract between one woman and one man. The frequency of cohabitation, whether as a prelude to or as a substitute for a ceremony with legal force, has further undermined the concept of wedlock as a discrete and distinctive state. All of these challenges, however, were or are predicated upon a relationship that is heterosexual, fashioned upon the Adam-and-Eve template. The most recent and radical challenge to traditional marriage, however, rejects this religious template. Same-Sex Marriage: Action and Reaction2 Inspired by the activism in the 1960s that secured political and economic rights for blacks and women, American gays and lesbians mobilized to end what they viewed as the discriminatory practice of granting marriage licenses only to heterosexual couples. As law professor William N. Eskridge Jr. has stated in his book, The Case for Same-Sex Marriage (Free Press, 1996): Marriage is the most important right the state has to offer, in part because being married entails dozens of associated rights, benefits, and obligations under state and federal law. These pertain to such matters as parenthood, property ownership, guardianship, and inheritance.3 Outside the United States, however, efforts to legitimize same-sex marriage have met with more success. In 2001 the Netherlands became the first nation in the world to provide civil marriage ceremonies for homosexual couples. In 2003, Belgium followed suit. And in 2002 and 2003, courts in three Canadian Provinces ruled that the denial of marriage to same-sex couples constituted a violation of Canadas Charter of Rights. Interspecies Marriage4 The exploration of outer space may result in the colonization of planetsand the potential for the sexual union of human beings and aliens. While the reports of individual abductions here on Earth for the purpose of reproductive experiments may rightly or wrongly be dismissed as delusional, the intent of the people of Earth to explore the universe in search of extraterrestrial life is a practical reality. Whether such extraterrestrial life exists, or whether explorers from Earth will ever encounter it and mate with it, cannot be known at present, but the possibility surely exists. Under what jurisdiction(s), if any, such marriages will occur, and with what biological and social consequences, can also not be known.5 Yet, the potential for interspecies marriage already exists on our own planetnot for sexual or reproductive purposes, but for valid emotional ones similar to those that have motivated human couples down through history.6 It has been said that the dog is mans best friend. As evidence, pet cemeteries exist where the last remains of loyal and loving pets have been interred with a measure of dignity and respect equal to that accorded to human relatives and friends. The licensing of pet ownership has long been a function of government, and some pet shops carefully screen the intentions and character of prospective human applicants before granting them rights to pet adoption. Pets, moreover, have sometimes been named as beneficiaries in their masters or mistresses wills.7 Why then, one might ask, should not an individual choose to affirm the emotional attachment he or she feels for a pet with the formality of a documented ceremony in which the human particular promises to love and honor the animal companion? Though the devoted pet would be unable to verbally acknowledge its willingness to enter into such a relationship, affidavits could be obtained from witnesses attesting to the caring and affectionate bond between pet and owner.8 To propose the possibility of interspecies marriage is not to demean the desire of human couples, whether heterosexual or homosexual, to marry. Rather, it is meant to suggest that the concept of marriage as a socially and spiritually sanctioned partnership need not be restricted to humans alone if the partners to the arrangement are bound by a clear sense of loving and lifelong commitment. Marriage of human Being and Inanimate Object9 If the element of sexuality is removed from the definition of marriage, then the marriage of human beings to inanimate objects becomes theoretically possible.10 Critics of American society have frequently observed how Americans are wedded to their material possessions. Why might not such a relationship be validated by ceremony?11 Many men are in love with their cars, especially classic models, and expend significant amounts of time and money to maintain them. Why not license both the right to drive and the commitment of the driver to the car that faithfully serves him? The relationship would terminate in the event of irreparable mechanical breakdown (equivalent to the death of a spouse) or the disposal of the car by sale (equivalent to divorce).12 Many an individual, moreover, has formed an intimate relationship with his or her computer, spending long hours in its close company, often to the exclusion of human contact. Though the computer could not express its desire for monogamous union, its acknowledgment of a secret password, its ability to keep secrets that it shares only with its operator, and its instantaneous compliance would signal its faithfulness and obedience. Is Marriage Necessary?13 Naturally, some would argue that a wedding ceremony between ourselves and our material possessions is unlikely and unnecessary. Few legal benefits, after all, would accrue to inanimate objects from such an arrangement. And whatever benefits would accrue to us, we already have.14 Someday, in fact, the original notion of marriage may seem a semantic artifact of a lost world. (983 words)ABOUT THE AUTHORStephen Bertman is Professor of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Canadas University of Windsor. He is the author of Hyperculture, The Human Cost of Speed (Praeger, 1998), and many other books.EXERCISES I . Reading ComprehensionAnswer the following questions or complete the following statements. 1. According to the passage, the traditional marriage refers to _. A. the religious template marriageB. the individualistic open marriageC. the wedlock of a discrete and distinctive stateD. the wedlock with a contract between a man and a woman2. According to the passage, what was it like in the 1960s?A. Group marriages were very popular.B. American blacks were no longer discriminated against.C. Feminist movement began to rise in American society.D. The same-sex marriage was considered abnormal.3. According to Professor William N. Eskridge Jr., _.A. same-sex marriage should be made legal by American governmentB. without official marriage status, gays and lesbians may lose some rights and benefitsC. marriage licenses should only be granted to heterosexual couplesD. gays and lesbians have always been seriously discriminated against in the country4. The author believes that _.A. some people have been abducted by aliens from outer spaceB. it is delusional to meet extraterrestrial lives in outer spaceC. it is quite possible that extraterrestrial lives exist in outer spaceD. the exploration of outer space has a practical meaning for the colonization of planets5. Down through history, the most important purpose of human marriage has been _.A. financialB. sexualC. emotionalD. reproductive6. The author implies in the article that_.A. some pets have been buried as honorably as peopleB. pets should not be interred into cemeteriesC. pets should not be beneficiaries in their masters or mistresses willsD. interspecies marriage has demeaned the desire of human marriage7. The author proposes the possibility of interspecies marriage based on the concept that marriage is a life partnership _.A. sanctioned by the societyB. bound by love and lifelong commitmentC. providing spiritual and financial supportD. working as a basic unit of a society8. The author proposes the possibility of marriage with inanimate objects because he thinks _. A. such a relationship should be validated by ceremonyB. many men are indulged in inanimate objectsC. many people have intimate relationship with inanimate objectsD. the definition of marriage can be extended to non-sexual relationship9. According to the author, _.A. a wedding ceremony between human and inanimate objects is unnecessaryB. some people love inanimate objects more than they love peopleC. marriage with inanimate objects would accrue a lot of material possessions to usD. the computer has deprived many people of the opportunity to contact others10. According to the author, the notion of marriage will_. A. be changed dramatically in the futureB. only be found in the dictionaries in the futureC. remain the same as its originalD. disappear in peoples life in the futureII. VocabularyA Read the following sentences and decide which of the four choices below each sentence is closest in meaning to the underlined word.1. As the year progressed, the war in Vietnam undermined national unity, compelling the president and his advisers to spend much of their time explaining U. S. policy in Asia.A. weakenedB. stressedC. brokeD. split2. The picture was different from all the others. It consisted of a lot of discrete spots of color.A. mysteriousB. surprisingC. separateD. bright3. The preparation for the great military overseas operations entailed months of careful planning and preparation.A. entitledB. requiredC. providedD. deprived4. It was reported that a 19-year-old college student at Berkeley was taken from her apartment. And two days after the abduction a tape recording was sent to a local radio station.A. burglaryB. murderC. hijackD. kidnapping5. Mott suffers financially and emotionally as his series of delusional get-rich-quick schemes goes bad.A. expectedB. extravagant C. dreamedD. drained6. Then for a number of African Americans the strategy of the Civil Rights Movement was beginning to appear demeaning and even irrelevant.A. degradingB. destiningC. deviatingD. descending7. The member countries of the organization would act only with the sanction of United Nations.A. punishmentB. sustenanceC. approvalD. authorization8. Miracles are instantaneous they cannot be summoned, but come of themselves, usually at unlikely moments and to those who least expect them.A. evidentB. immediateC. inevitableD. hidden9. The Environmental Protection Agency estimated that the cost to industry of compliance with the new rules could be as high as $ 1 billion a year.A. followingB. executionC. accomplishment D. agreeableness10. On the basis of the law, the womans right is absolute and that she is entitled to terminate her pregnancy at whatever time, in whatever way, and for whatever reason she alone chooses.A. pauseB. completeC. expireD. stopB. Choose the best word or expression from the list given for each blank. Ike each wordor expression only once and make proper changes where necessary. extraterrestrialjurisdictionto be surepertain tofollow suita measure ofbe bound byafter allacknowledgment attest to 1. In the U. S. the FBI has the broadestjurisdiction of all federal law enforcement agencies. It is authorized to investigate all federal criminal violations that the United States Congress has not specifically assigned to other federal agencies.2. Many Scandinavian words were introduced into Old English by the Norsemen, or Vikings, who invaded Britain periodically from the late 8th century on. Introduced first were words pertaining to the sea and battle.3. At a conference on space exploration, a Moscow astronomer proposed that two intense radio sources might indicate attempts by extraterrestrial creatures to let their presence be known.4. Little is known of the earliest inhabitants of England. A prehistoric temple found at Stanton Drew in 1997 attest to the early presence of an able people.5. To be sure , some people may disagree, but that doesnt mean Im wrong.6. The first player to the left plays any card, and the rest of the players , follow suit .7. He has not become rich in business, but he has had a measure of success.8. The representative of the United Kingdom argued unsuccessfully that such interference would only make negotiations more difficult; he declined to accept them or be bound by them.9. I know he hasnt finished the work, but, after all, he is a very busy man.10. The Clinton administration, reversing the policy of the previous Bush administration, supported acknowledgment of the growing North-South division of the world into rich and poor countries.III. ClozeThere are ten blanks in the following passage. Read the passagecarefully and choose the right word or phrase from the list given below for each of the blanks. Change the form if necessary.involve resourcespouseunconventionaluniversally at the same time complicate furthermorecommitted illustrate Marriage is commonly defined as a partnership between two members of opposite sex known as husband and wife. However, scholars who study human culture and society disagree on whether marriage can be universally defined. The usual roles and responsibilities of the husband and wife include living together, having sexual relations only with one another, sharing economic 2 resources and being recognized as the parents of their children. However, 3 unconventional forms of marriage that do not include these elements do exist. For example, scholars have studied several cultural groups in Africa and India in which husbands and wives do not live together. Instead, each 4 spouse remains in his or her original home, and the husband is a visitor with sexual rights. 5 Committed relationships between homosexuals (individuals with a sexual orientation toward people of the same sex) also challenge conventional definitions of marriage.Debates over the definition of marriage 6 illustrate its dual nature as both a public institution and a private, personal relationship. On the one hand, marriage 7involves an emotional and sexual relationship between particular human beings. 8 At the same time marriage is an institution that transcends the particular individuals involved in it and unites two families. In some cultures, marriage connects two families in a 9 complicated set of property exchanges involving land, labor, and other resources. The extended family and society also share an interest in any children the couple may have. 10 Furthermore , the legal and religious definitions of marriage and the laws that surround it usually represent the symbolic expression of core cultural norms (informal behavioral guidelines) and values.IV. TranslationPut the following parts into Chinese.1. The frequency of cohabitation, whether as a prelude to or as a substitute for a ceremony with legal force, has further undermined the concept of wedlock as a discrete and distinctive state. All of these challenges, however, were or are predicated upon a relationship that is heterosexual, fashioned upon the Adam-and-Eve template.无论作为法定婚姻的前奏还是其替代品，同居现象的频繁出现都进一步弱化了婚姻区别于其他结合形式的独立特征。不管怎样，所有这些打破传统的结合方式一直以来都是建立在亚当一夏娃模式的异性恋基础之上的。2 While the reports of individual abductions here on Earth for the purpose of reproductive experiments may rightly or wrongly be dismissed as delusional, the intent of the people of Earth to explore the universe in search of extraterrestrial life is a practical reality.有报告说曾发生过外星人为了做繁衍后代实验而绑架地球人的事件，但不论这些报道是否只是人们的幻觉，地球人探索宇宙寻找外星人却是事实。3. As evidence, pet cemeteries exist where the last remains of loyal and loving pets have been interred with a measure of dignity and respect equal to that accorded to human relatives and friends.证据是，有人为宠物修建墓地，埋藏他们忠实的、亲爱的宠物的遗骨，这些宠物就和人的亲友们一样获得尊严和敬意。4. Why then, one might ask should not an individual choose to affirm the emotional attachment he or she feels for a pet with the formality of a documented ceremony in which the human particular promises to love and honor the animal companion?尽管忠实于主人的宠物不能用言语表达愿意结成这种关系，但它们的誓言可以从见证宠物与主人间关爱和亲密联系的旁观者那里获得。5. Though the devoted pet would be unable to verbally acknowledge its willingness to enter into such a relationship, affidavits could be obtained from witnesses attesting to the caring and affectionate bond between pet and owner.提出异种间婚姻的可能性实际上意味着只要双方因明确的关爱之情和一生不渝的忠诚而休戚相关，那么婚姻作为从社会角度和心理角度被认可的关系就不一定仅仅限于人与人之间。6. Rather, it is meant to suggest that the concept of marriage as a socially and spiritually sanctioned partnership need not be restricted to humans alone if the partners to the arrangement are bound by a clear sense of loving and lifelong commitment.毕竟，这种结合不会给无生命物体带来多少法律收益。无论它能给我们增加任何收益，我们都已经拥有了这些物质财产。7. Few legal benefits, after all, would accrue to inanimate objects from such an arrangement. And whatever benefits would accrue to us, we already have.实际上，有朝一日，婚姻原本的概念也可能会成为失落的世界中语义学上的一个古董而己。8. Someday, in fact, the original notion of marriage may seem a semantic artifact of a lost world.V. Oral Practice and Discussion1. What is the concept of the traditional marriage in China? How do you define it?2. What is the most recent and radical challenge to traditional marriage in China?3. Do you think the same-sex marriage should be made legal? Why or why not?4. Do you think there is any extraterrestrial life in outer space? If yes, do you think the sexual union of human beings and aliens is possible?5. Do