全大学英语综合教程第二册授课课文

全新版大学英语综合教程第二册

Unitl

WaysofLearning

TextA

HowardGardner,aprofessorofeducationatHarvardUniversity,reflectsonavisitto

ChinaandgiveshisthoughtsondifferentapproachestolearninginChinaandtheWest.

LEARNING,CHINESE-STYLE

HowardGardner

Foramonthinthespringof1987,mywifeEllenandIlivedinthebustlingeasternChinese

cityofNanjingwithour18-month-oldsonBenjaminwhilestudyingartseducationin

Chinesekindergartensandelementaryschools.ButoneofthemosttellinglessonsEllen

andIgotinthedifferencebetweenChineseandAmericanideasofeducationcamenotin

theclassroombutinthelobbyoftheJinlingHotelwherewestayedinNanjing.

Thekeytoourroomwasattachedtoalargeplasticblockwiththeroomnumberonit.

Whenleavingthehotel,aguestwasencouragedtoturninthekey,eitherbyhandingitto

anattendantorbydroppingitthroughaslotintoabox.Becausethekeyslotwasnarrow,

thekeyhadtobepositionedcarefullytofitintoit.

Benjaminlovedtocarrythekeyaround,shakingitvigorously.Healsolikedtotrytoplace

itintotheslot.Becauseofhistenderageandincompleteunderstandingoftheneedto

positionthekeyjustso,hewouldusuallyfail.Benjaminwasnotbotheredintheleast.He

probablygotasmuchpleasureoutofthesoundsthekeymadeashedidthosefewtimes

whenthekeyactuallyfounditswayintotheslot.

NowbothEllenandIwereperfectlyhappytoallowBenjamintobangthekeynearthekey

slot.Hisexploratorybehaviorseemedharmlessenough.ButIsoonobservedan

interestingphenomenon.AnyChinesestaffmembernearbywouldcomeovertowatch

Benjaminand,notinghislackofinitialsuccess,attempttoassist.Heorshewouldhold

ontoBenjamin'shandand,gentlybutfirmly,guideitdirectlytowardtheslot,repositionit

asnecessary,andhelphimtoinsertit.The"teacher"wouldthensmilesomewhat

expectantlyatEllenorme,asifawaitingathankyou-andonoccasionwouldfrown

slightly,asifconsideringustobeneglectingourparentalduties.

IsoonrealizedthatthisincidentwasdirectlyrelevanttoourassignedtasksinChina:to

investigatethewaysofearlychildhoodeducation(especiallyinthearts),andtothrowlight

onChineseattitudestowardcreativity.AndsobeforelongIbegantointroducethe

key-slotanecdoteintomydiscussionswithChineseeducators.

TWODIFFERENTWAYSTOLEARN

WithafewexceptionsmyChinesecolleaguesdisplayedthesameattitudeasthestaffat

theJinlingHotel.Sinceadultsknowhowtoplacethekeyinthekeyslot,whichisthe

ultimatepurposeofapproachingtheslot,andsincethechildisneitheroldenoughnor

cleverenoughtorealizethedesiredactiononhisown,whatpossiblegainisachievedby

havinghimstruggle?Hemaywellgetfrustratedandangry-certainlynotadesirable

outcome.Whynotshowhimwhattodo?Hewillbehappy,hewilllearnhowtoaccomplish

thetasksooner,andthenhecanproceedtomorecomplexactivities,likeopeningthe

doororaskingforthekey—bothofwhichaccomplishmentscan(andshould)indue

coursebemodeledforhimaswell.

Welistenedtosuchexplanationssympatheticallyandexplainedthat,firstofall,wedidnot

muchcarewhetherBenjaminsucceededininsertingthekeyintotheslot.Hewashaving

agoodtimeandwasexploring,twoactivitiesthatdidmattertous.Butthecriticalpoint

wasthat,intheprocess,weweretryingtoteachBenjaminthatonecansolveaproblem

effectivelybyoneself.Suchself-relianceisaprincipalvalueofchildrearingin

middle-classAmerica.Solongasthechildisshownexactlyhowtodosomething一

whetheritbeplacingakeyinakeyslot,drawingahenormakingupforamisdeed—he

islesslikelytofigureouthimselfhowtoaccomplishsuchatask.And,moregenerally,he

islesslikelytoviewlife-asAmericansdo-asaseriesofsituationsinwhichonehasto

learntothinkforoneself,tosolveproblemsonone'sownandeventodiscovernew

problemsforwhichcreativesolutionsarewanted.

TEACHINGBYHOLDINGHISHAND

Inretrospect,itbecamecleartomethatthisincidentwasindeedkey-andkeyinmore

thanonesense.Itpointedtoimportantdifferencesintheeducationalandartisticpractices

inourtwocountries.

Whenourwell-intentionedChineseobserverscametoBenjamin'srescue,theydidnot

simplypushhishanddownclumsilyoruncertainly,asImighthavedone.Instead,they

guidedhimwithextremefacilityandgentlenessinpreciselythedesireddirection.Icame

torealizethattheseChinesewerenotjustmoldingandshapingBenjamin'sperformance

inanyoldmanner:InthebestChinesetradition,theywerebazheshoujiao—"teaching

byholdinghishand"一somuchsothathewouldhappilycomebackformore.

Theideathatlearningshouldtakeplacebycontinualcarefulshapingandmoldingapplies

equallytothearts.Watchingchildrenatworkinaclassroomsetting,wewereastonished

bytheirfacility.Childrenasyoungas5or6werepaintingflowers,fishandanimalswith

theskillandconfidenceofanadult;calligraphers9and10yearsoldwereproducing

worksthatcouldhavebeendisplayedinamuseum.Inavisittothehomesoftwoofthe

youngartists,welearnedfromtheirparentsthattheyworkedonperfectingtheircraftfor

severalhoursaday.

CREATIVITYFIRST?

Intermsofattitudestocreativitythereseemstobeareversalofpriorities:young

Westernersmakingtheirboldestdeparturesfirstandthengraduallymasteringthe

tradition;andyoungChinesebeingalmostinseparablefromthetradition,but,overtime,

possiblyevolvingtoapointequallyoriginal.

OnewayofsummarizingtheAmericanpositionistostatethatwevalueoriginalityand

independencemorethantheChinesedo.Thecontrastbetweenourtwoculturescanalso

beseenintermsofthefearswebothharbor.Chineseteachersarefearfulthatifskillsare

notacquiredearly,theymayneverbeacquired;thereis,ontheotherhand,no

comparablehurrytopromotecreativity.Americaneducatorsfearthatunlesscreativityhas

beenacquiredearly,itmayneveremerge;ontheotherhand,skillscanbepickeduplater.

However,Idonotwanttooverstatemycase.Thereisenormouscreativitytobefoundin

Chinesescientific,technologicalandartisticinnovationspastandpresent.Andthereisa

dangerofexaggeratingcreativebreakthroughsintheWest.Whenanyinnovationis

examinedclosely,itsrelianceonpreviousachievementsisalltooapparent(the"standing

ontheshouldersofgiants"phenomenon).

ButassumingthatthecontrastIhavedevelopedisvalid,andthatthefosteringofskills

andcreativityarebothworthwhilegoals,theimportantquestionbecomesthis:Canwe

gather,fromtheChineseandAmericanextremes,asuperiorwaytoapproacheducation,

perhapsstrikingabetterbalancebetweenthepolesofcreativityandbasicskills?

(1182words)

NewWordsandExpressions

style

n.mannerofdoingthings行为方式，风格

bustling

a.fullofbusyactMty繁忙的，熙攘的

kindergarten

n.幼儿园

elementary

a.基本的，初级的，基础的

telling

a.impressive;effective难忘的；有力的

lobby

n.(旅馆的)大堂，(公共场所入口处的)大厅

attach

vt.fastenorjoin(onethingtoanother)系，贴,连接

attendantA

n.服务员；侍者，随从

slotA

n.anarrowopening狭缝，狭槽

vigorously

ad.energetically用力地；精力充沛地

vigorousa.

tender

a.young;gentleandloving年幼的；温柔的

notintheleast

notatall

findone'sway

reachadestinationnaturally;arriveat至U达；进入，流入

bang

v.(causeto)makeasuddenloudnoise,esp.byhittingtwothingstogether猛敲,猛击

exploratory

a.doneinordertofindoutsth.探索的

phenomenon(plphenomenaorphenomenons)

n.现象

staff

n.全体职工，全体雇员

initial

a.oforatthebeginning,first开始的，最初的

assist

v.help帮助

reposition

vt.改变…的位置

insert

vt.put,fit,place(in,into,between)插入，嵌入

somewhat

ad.tosomedegree,alittle有点，稍微

expectantly

ad.期待地

await

vt.(fml)waitfor等待，等候

occasion

n.aparticulartimewhensth.happens时亥!J,场合

onoccasion

nowandthen有时，间或

frown

v.,n.皱眉

slightly

ad.轻微地

slighta.

neglect

vt.givetoolittleattentionorcareto忽视

parental

a.ofaparentorparents父的，母的；父母的

relevant

a.directlyconnectedwiththesubject有关的，切题的

investigate

v.trytofindoutinformationabout调查；探究

creativity

n.theabilitytomakenewthings仓U造力

anecdoteA

n.ashortamusingstoryaboutaparticularpersonorevent趣闻，轶事

exception

n.例外

colleague

n.apersononeworkswith同事

action

n.动作；行动

onone'sown

withoutanyone'shelp;alone独立地；独自地

desirable

a.worthwanting值得向往的；称心的

accomplish

vt.managetodo(sth.)完成(某事)

activity

n.活动，行动

accomplishment

n.skill;successfulcompletion本领，技艺；完成，成就

induecourse

atthepropertime在适当时机

sympathetically

ad.同情地

sympathetica.

critical

a.veryimportant;veryseriousordangerous至关重要的；危急的

effectively

ad.有效地

effectivea.

self-reliance

n.actingwithoutaskingforsupportfromothers依靠自己，自力更生

principal

a.(ratherfml)main,chief主要的，首要的

rear

vt.lookafteruntilfullygrownup养育，抚养

makeupfor

repaywithsth.good,compensatefor补偿，弥补

misdeed

n.awrongorwickedact不端行为

view

vt.(fml)regard,consider看待，考虑

creative

a.resultingfromnewnessofthought独创的

solution

n.(theactoffinding)ananswertoaproblem解决(问题的办法)；解答

inretrospect

回顾

artistic

a.relatingtoart艺术的

well-intentioned

a.havinggoodintentions好意的

intention

n.purpose意图

observer

n.观察者，观察员

clumsily

ad.awkwardlyandungracefully笨拙地

clumsya.

extreme

a.verygreat极度的，极端的

n.thefurthestpossiblelimit,anextremedegree极端，过分

facility

n.(fml)abilitytodosth.easilyandwell;(pl)equipment,aids,etc.whichmakeiteasytodo

things熟练，灵巧；设备，设施

mold

vt.make(sth.)intoaparticularshapeorform塑造

performance

n.表现，行为；演出，表演

tradition

n.传统

continual

a.happeningagainandagain,repeated不断的，一再重复的

apply

vi.适用；申请

calligrapher

n.书法家

workno/at

从事

craft

n.skill,esp.withone'shand工艺

reversal

n.acompletechangeoforder,direction,orposition颠倒

priority

n.sth.thatonemustdobeforeanythingelse;sth.thatholdsahighplaceamong

competingclaims优先考虑的事；重点

bold

a.braveandconfident勇敢的，无畏的

departure

n.actiondifferentfrom(whatisusualorexpected);anactofleaving背离；出发，离开

inseparable

a.impossibletoseparatefromsth.else不可分离的

evolve

v.(causeto)developgradually(使)逐步发展

summarize

vt.makeashortaccountofthemainpoints(ofsth.)总结，概述

originality

n.新颖；独创性

independence

n.thestateofbeingfreeornotcontrolledbyanotherperson,country,etc.独立；自主

contrast

v.对比

culture

n.文化

harbor

vt.keep(sth.)secretlyinone'smind怀有

fearful

a.(fml)afraid害怕的，担心的

(ontheonehand)...ontheotherhand

一方面...，另一方面…

comparable

a.thatcanbecomparedwithsth.比得上的；可比的

promote

vt.helptogrowordevelop推进

emerge

vi.comeout出现

pickup

gain;learn获得；学会

overstate

vt.statetoostrongly把…讲得过分,夸大

enormous

a.extremelylarge巨大的；极大的

technological

a,技术的，工艺的

innovationA

n.(anexampleof)theintroductionofsth.new革新；新事物

exaggerate

v.make(sth.)seemlarger,better,etc.thanitreallyis夸大，夸张

breakthroughA

n.animportanteventordiscovery突破

relianceA

n.dependence依靠，依赖

achievement

n.成就；成绩

valid

a.basedontruthorsoundreasoning有根据的

fosterA

vt.helpthegrowthanddevelopmentof培养

worthwhile

a.worthdoing,worththetroubletaken值得的

superior

a.betterthanaverageorthanothersofthesametype优良的；较好的

ProperNames

HowardGardner

霍华德・加德纳

Ellen

埃伦(女子名)

Nanjing

南京

Jinling

金陵饭店

UNIT4

TheVirtualWorld

TextA

MaiaSzalavitz,formerlyatelevisionproducer,nowspendshertimeasawriter.Inthis

essaysheexploresdigitalrealityanditsconsequences.Alongtheway,shecomparesthe

digitalworldtothe"real"world,acknowledgingtheattractionsoftheelectronicdimension.

AVIRTUALLIFE

MaiaSzalavitz

AftertoolongontheNet,evenaphonecallcanbeashock.Myboyfriend'sLiverpool

accentsuddenlybecomesimpossibletointerpretafterhiseasilyunderstoodwordson

screen;asecretary'sclippedtoneseemsmorerejectingthanI'dimagineditwouldbe.

Timeitselfbecomesfluid—hoursbecomeminutes,orsecondsstretchintodays.

Weekends,onceahighlightofmyweek,arenowjusttwoordinarydays.

Forthelastthreeyears,sinceIstoppedworkingasatelevisionproducer,Ihavedone

muchofmyworkasatelecommuter.Isubmitarticlesandeditthemviaemailand

communicatewithcolleaguesonInternetmailinglists.MyboyfriendlivesinEngland,so

muchofourrelationshipisalsocomputer-assisted.

IfIdesired,Icouldstayinsideforweekswithoutwantinganything.Icanorderfood,and

managemymoney,loveandwork.Infact,attimesIhavespentaslongasthreeweeks

aloneathome,goingoutonlytogetmailandbuynewspapersandgroceries.Iwatched

mostoftheendlesssnowstormof'96onTV.

Butafterawhile,lifeitselfbeginstofeelunreal.IstarttofeelasthoughI'vebecomeone

withmymachines,takingdatain,spittingthembackout,justanotherlinkintheNet.

Othersonlinereportthesamesymptoms.Westarttofeelanaversiontooutsideformsof

socializing.WehavebecometheNetcritics'worstnightmare.

Whatfirstseemedlikealuxury,crawlingfrombedtocomputer,notworryingabouthair,

andclothesandface,hasbecomeaformofescape,alackofdiscipline.Andonceyou

startreplacingrealhumancontactwithcyber-interaction,comingbackoutofthecavecan

bequitedifficult.

Ifindmyselfshyer,morecautious,moreanxious.Or,conversely,whensuddenly

confrontedwithreallivehumans,Igetoverexcited,speaktoomuch,interrupt.Iconstantly

worryifIamdressedappropriately,thatperhapsI'veactuallyforgottentoputonaskirt

andwalkedoutsideintheT-shirtandunderwearIsleepandlivein.

Attimes,Iturnonthetelevisionandjustleaveittotalkawayinthebackground,

somethingthatI'dneverdonepreviously.Thevoicesoftheprogramsarecomforting,but

thenI'mjarredbythecommercials.Ifindmyselfsuckedinbysoapoperas,orneedingto

keepupwiththelatestnewsandtheweather."Dateline,""Frontline,""Nightline,"CNN,

NewYork1,everypossibleangleofeverystoryoverandoverandover,evenwhenthey

areofnopossibleusetome.Workmovesintothebackground.Idecidetocheckmy

email.

Online,Ifindmyselfattackingeveryoneinsight.Iambad-tempered,andeasilyangered.

Ifindeveryoneonmymailinglistinsensitive,believingthatthey'veforgottenthatthereare

peopleactuallyreadingtheirwoundingremarks.Idon'trealizethatI'mprojectinguntil

afterI'vebeenembarrassedbysomeonewhopolitelypointsoutthatI'veattackedherfor

agreeingwithme.

WhenI'minthisstate,Ifightmyboyfriendaswell,misinterpretinghisintentionsbecause

ofthelackofemotionalcuesgivenbyourtypeddialogue.Thefighttakeshours,because

thesystemkeepscrashing.Isayaline,thenhedoes,thencrash!Andyetwekeepon,

doggedly.

I'dneverrealizedhowimportantdailyroutineis:dressingforwork,sleepingnormalhours.

I'dneverthoughtIreliedsomuchonco-workersforcompany.Ibegantounderstandwhy

long-termunemploymentcanbesodamaging,whylifewithoutanexternallysupported

dailyplancanleadtohigherratesofdrugabuse,crime,suicide.

Torestorebalancetomylife,Iforcemyselfbackintotherealworld.Icallpeople,arrange

tomeetwiththefewremainingfriendswhohaven'tfledNewYorkCity.Itrytoatleastget

tothegym,soastosetaparttheweekendfromtherestofmyweek.Iarrangeinterviews

forstories,doctor'sappointments—anythingtogetmeoutofthehouseandconnected

withothers.

Butsometimesbeingfacetofaceistoomuch.Iseeafriendandherringinglaughteris

intolerable-thenoiseofconversationintherestaurant,unbearable.Imakemyexcuses

andflee.Ire-entermyapartmentandruntothecomputerasthoughitwereaplaceof

safety.

Iclickonthemodem,theonce-annoyingsoundoftheconnectionnowaspleasantasmy

favoritetune.Ientermypassword.Therealworlddisappears.

(820words)

NewWordsandExpressions

virtual

a.虚拟的；实质上的

accent

n.口音

interpret

v.理解；解释；(作)口译

clipped

a.withashortclearpronunciation发音快而清脆的

tone

n.语气，口气，腔调

fluid

a.notstable,likelytochange不稳定的，可变的

n.液体

stretch

v.(causeto)becomelonger,wider,etc.withoutbreaking拉长，伸展

telecommuter

n.onewhoworksfromhome,communicatingwiththeworkplaceusingacomputer

terminal远程工作者

submit

vt.give(sth.)tosb.sothatitmaybeformallyconsidered提交，呈递

edit

vt.reviseorcorrect编辑

email

n.电子邮件

vt,给…发电子邮件；用电子邮件发

communicate

vi.通信，交往

Internet

n.互联网，因特网

relationship

n.关系

attimes

sometimes有时

endless

a.havingorseemingtohavenoend无休止的

takein

收进，吸收

data

n.(datum的复数形式)数据，资料

spit

vt.吐出

online

connectedtoorcontrolledbyacomputer(network)联机地，在线

symptom

n.征兆；症状

aversion

n.astrongfeelingofdislike厌恶，反感

socialize

vi.mixsociallywithothers社交，交际

critic

n.apersonwhojudgesorcriticizes评论家；对…持批评态度的人

nightmare

n.aterrifyingdream噩梦

crawl

vi.爬，爬行

interaction

n.交往；相互作用

cyber-interaction

n.通过网络交往

conversely

ad.相反地

appropriately

ad.适当地，得体地

appropriatea.

T-shirt

n.T恤衫

underwear

n.内衣

butthen

yetatthesametime但另一方面，然而

jar

v.使感到不快，刺激（神经等）

commercial

n.商业广告

a.商业的

suck

v.drawliquidorairintothemouth吸，吮

suckin吸引，使卷入；吸收

opera

n,歌剧（艺术）

soapopera

肥皂剧（以家庭问题为题材的广播或电视连续剧）

keepupwith

learnaboutorbeawareof（thenews,etc.）；moveatthesamerateas及时了解或是艮上

angle

n.aparticularwayofconsideringanissue,etc.角度，立场

insight

visible;likelytocomesoon可看到的；临近

bad-tempered

a.havingabadtemper脾气坏的，易怒的

insensitive

a.notabletofeel,unsympathetictootherpeople'sfeelings感觉迟钝的，麻木不仁的

sensitive

a.敏感的

remark

n.言辞，话语

v.说，评说

project

v.imaginethatothershave（thesamefeelings,usu.unpleasantones）asyou以为另ij人也

有（与自己同样的情绪）

misinterpret

vt.understandwrongly错误地理解，错误地解释

emotional

a.感情上的；动感情的

cue

n.提示，暗示

doggedly

ad.persistently顽强地，坚持不懈地

routine

n.例行事务，日常工作，惯例

rely

vi.dependconfidently,puttrustin依靠，依赖

unemploymentA

n.失业

externally

ad.从外面，在外部

external

a.外面的，外部的

abuse

n.wrongorexcessiveuse;crueltreatment滥用，虐待

crime

n.(犯)罪

suicide

n.自杀

restore

vt.bringbacktoaformercondition恢复

arrange

vt.prepareorplan安排

flee

v.runaway(from)逃走；逃离

gym

n.体育馆，健身房

setapart

使分离，使分开

interview

n.,vt.接见；面试

appointment

n.约会

laughter

n.笑，笑声

intolerable

a.toobadtobeendured不能忍受的，无法容忍的

apartment

n.一套公寓房间；公寓

click

v.（使）发咔哒声；用鼠标点击

n.咔哒声

modem

n.调制解调器

annoying

a.讨厌的，恼人的

annoy

vt.makeangry,irritate;bother使恼怒，使烦恼

connection

n.连接

tune

n.曲子，曲调

password

n.口令，密码

ProperNames

MaiaSzalavitz

迈亚•塞拉维茨

Liverpool

利物浦（英格兰西部港口城市）

Dateline

美国NationalBroadcastingCompany(NBC)的专题新闻报道节目

Frontline

美国PublicBroadcastingService(PBS)的专题新闻报道节目

Nightline

美国AmericanBroadcastingCompany(ABC)的专题新闻报道节目

CNN=CableNewsNetwork

(美国)有线新闻电视网

UNIT6

WomenHalftheSky

TextA

Howdosomewomenmanagetocombineafull-timejobwithfamilyresponsibilitiesand

stillfindtimefordoingotherthings?AdriennePopperlongstobelikethem,butwonders

whetheritisanimpossibledream.

I'MGOINGTOBUYTHEBROOKLYNBRIDGE

NotlongagoIreceivedanalumnibulletinfrommycollege.Itincludedabriefitemabouta

formerclassmate:"KateL.teachespart-timeattheUniversityofOklahomaandis

assistantprincipalatCountyHighSchool.Inhersparetimesheisfinishingherdoctoral

dissertationandthefinaldraftsoftwobooks,andshestillhastimefortennisandhorse

ridingwithherdaughters."Fourwordsinthatdescriptionundidme:inhersparetime.A

friendsaidthatifIbelievedeverythinginthereport,shehadabridgeinBrooklynshe'd

liketosellme.

Myfriend'sjokehithome.WhatanidiotI'dbeen!IresolvedtostopthinkingaboutKate's

incredibleaccomplishmentsandtobesuitablyskepticalofsuchstoriesinthefuture.

Butlikeadieterwhodevoursawholeboxofcookiesinamomentofweakness,Ifound

myresolveslippingoccasionally.InweakmomentsI'dcombthepagesofnewspapers

andmagazinesandconsumesuccessstoriesbythepound.Myfavoritesuperwomen

includedapolitician'sdaughterwhocaredforhertwo-year-oldandanewbornwhile

finishinglawschoolandmanagingacompany;apracticingpediatricianwithtenchildren

otherown;andatelevisionanchorwoman,motheroftwopreschoolers,whowasstudying

foramaster'sdegree.

Oneday,however,Iactuallymetasuperwomanfacetoface.JustbeforeChristmaslast

year,myworktookmetotheofficeofawomanexecutiveofanationalcorporation.Like

hersupersisters,shehasahusband,twosmallchildrenand,accordingtoreports,a

spotlessapartment.HerliferunsaspreciselyasaSwisswatch.Sincemyownschedule

rarelysucceeds,heraccomplishmentsfillmewithequalamountsofwonderandguilt.

Onashelfbehindherdeskthatdaywereatleastahundredjarsofstrawberryjam,gaily

tiedwithred-checkedribbons.Theexecutiveandherchildrenhadmadethejamand

decoratedthejars,whichsheplannedtodistributetoherstaffandvisitingclients.

When,Iwonderedaloud,hadshefoundthetimetocompletesuchanimpressiveholiday

project?Ishouldhaveknownbetterthantoask.Theanswerhadafamiliarring:inher

sparetime.

OnthetrainridehomeIsatwithajarofstrawberryjaminmylap.Itreproachedmethe

entiretrip.Otherwomen,itseemedtosay,aremoversandshakers—notonlyduring

officehours,butintheirsparetimeaswell.What,itasked,doyouaccomplishinyour

sparetime?

IwouldliketoreportthatIamusingmyextramomentstocompletepostdoctoralstudiesin

physics,todevelopnewtheoriesoftonalharmonyforpianoandhorn,andtobakecakes

andplaybaseballwithmysons.Thetruthofthematteris,however,thatIambynature

completelyunabletogetmyacttogether.NomatterhowcarefullyIplanmytime,theplan

alwaysgoeswrong.

IfIcreateschedulesofmilitaryprecisioninwhichseveralafternoonhoursaregivenover

tothewritingoftheGreatAmericanNovel,theschoolnurseissuretophoneatexactlythe

momentIputpenciltopaper.Oneofmychildrenwillhavedevelopedastrangeillness

thatrequireshimtospendtheremainderofthedayinbed,callingmeatfrequentintervals

tobringsoup,juice,andtea.

Otherdays,everyitemonmyschedulewilltakethreetimesthenumberofminutesset

aside.Thecleanerwillmisplacemyclothes.Myorderwon'tbereadyatthebutchershop

aspromised.Thewomanaheadofmeinthesupermarketlinewillpayforhergroceries

withacheckdrawnonaMartianbank,andonlythemanager(whohasjustleftforlunch)

canOKthematter."Theyalsoservewhoonlystandandwait,"wrotethepoetJohnMilton,

butheforgottoaddthattheydon'tgettobesuperwomenthatway.

RacingtheclockeverydayissuchanexhaustingeffortthatwhenIactuallyhaveafew

freemoments,Itendtocollapse.MostlyIsinkintoachairandstareintospacewhileI

imaginehowlovelylifewouldbeifonlyIpossessedtheorganizationalskillsandthe

energyofmysuperheroines.Infact,Iwasteagooddealofmysparetimejustworrying

aboutwhatotherwomenareaccomplishingintheirs.SometimesIthinkthatthesemodern

fairytalescreateasmanyproblemsforwomenastheoldstoriesthathadusbidingour

timeforthedayourprincewouldcome.

Yetsuperwomentalescontinuetocharmme.Despitemyfriend'swarningagainstbeing

takenin,despiteeverythingI'velearned,IfindthatI'mnotonlywilling,butpositivelyeager

tobuythatbridgeshementioned.Why?Isupposeithassomethingtodowiththeappeal

ofanoptimisticapproachtolife-andthefactthatextraordinarydeedshavebeen

accomplishedbydeterminedinpidualswhorefusedtobelievethat"youcan't"wasthe

finalwordontheirdreams.

Menhavegenerallybeenassuredthatachievingtheirheart'sdesireswouldbeapieceof

cake.Women,ofcourse,havealwaysbelievedthatwecan'thaveourcakeandeatittoo

—theoldlow-dreamdiet.Perhapsbecomingasuperwomanisanimpossibledreamfor

me,butlifewithoutthatkindoffantasyisasunappealingasadietwithnotreats.

Iknowtheideaofadmiringaheroineisconsideredsillytoday;weworkingwomenaretoo

sophisticatedforthat.YetthesuperwomenIreadaboutaremyheroines.Whenmyfaithin

myselffalters,itistheywhourgemeon,whispering,"Goforit,lady!"

OneofthesedaysIplantophonemyformerclassmateKateandshout"Welldone!"into

thereceiver.Ihopeshewon'tbemodestaboutherachievements.Perhapsshewillhave

completedherdissertationandhertwobooksandmovedontosomenewworkthat's

excitingordangerousorboth.I'dliketohearallaboutit.AfterthatI'mgoingtophonethe

friendwholaughedatmeforbelievingallthestoriesIhear.ThenHItellherastory:the

taleofawomanwhoboughtherownversionofthatbridgeinBrooklynandfoundthatit

wasawiseinvestmentafterall.

(1097words)

NewWordsandExpressions

alumnus(plalumni)

n.(esp.AmE)a(male)formerstudentofaschool,collegeoruniversity(男)校友

bulletinA

n.简报，通讯；会刊；公告

item

n.asinglepieceofnews;asinglearticleorunitonalistoramongaset一则(消息);一

条，一项，一件

doctoral

a.博士的

dissertation

n.(博士)学位论文，专题论文

draft

n.aroughoutlineorversion草稿

undo(undid,undone)

vt.disturborupsetgreatly;untie,open使烦恼，使不安；松开，解开

hit/strikehome

(ofremarks£忙.)havetheintendedeffect(言语等)击中要害

idiotA

n.(colloq)afool

incredible

a.thatcannotbebelieved难以置信的

skepticalA

a.(inthehabitof)doubtingthatsth.istrue,right,etc.持怀疑态度的，怀疑的

dieter

n.apersonwhoeatslessfoodoronlycertainkindsoffood节食者；忌食某些食物的人

devour

vt.eat(sth.)quicklyandinlargequantities狼吞虎咽地吃

cookie

n.(AmE)biscuit饼干

occasionally

ad.happeningsometimesbutnotveryoften偶尔地，间或

occasionala.

consume

v.eatordrink;useup吃；喝；耗尽；消费

superwoman

n.awomanhavingmorethanordinaryhumanpowersandabilities具有非凡才能的女性,

女强人

politician

n.政治家；政客

carefor

takecareof;