英语六级历年真题(076-1212)不含答案

2007年6月23日大学英语六级

PartIWriting(30minutes)

Directions:Forthispart,youareallowed30minutestowriteashortessayentitledShouldOneExpecta

RewardWhenDoingaGoodDeed?Youshouldwriteatleast150wordsfollowingtheoutlinegivenbelow.

1.有人做好事期望得到回报；J

2.有人认为应该像雷锋那样做好事不图回报；

3.我的观点。

ShouldOneExpectaRewardWhenDoingaGoodDeed?

PartIIReadingComprehension(SkimmingandScanning)(15minutes)

Directions:Inthispart,youwillhave15minutestogooverthepassagequicklyandanswerthequestionson

AnswerSheet1.

Forquestions1-4,mark

Y(forYES)ifthestatementagreeswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage;

N(forNO)ifstatementcontradictstheinformationgiveninthepassage;

NG(forNOTGIVEN)iftheinformationisnotgiveninthepassage.

Forquestions5-10,completethesentenceswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage.

SevenStepstoaMoreFulfillingJob

Manypeopletodayfindthemselvesinunfulfillingworksituations.Infact,oneinfourworkersisdissatisfied

withtheircurrentjob,accordingtotherecent“Plansfor2004"survey.Theircareerpathmaybefinancially

rewarding,butitdoesn'tmeettheiremotional,socialorcreativeneeds.They9restuck,unhappy,andhavenoidea

whattodoaboutit,exceptmovetoanotherjob.

MaryLynMiller,veterancareerconsultantandfounderoftheLifeandCareerClinic,saysthatwhenmost

peopleareunhappyabouttheirwork,theirfirstthoughtistogetadifferentjob.Instead,Millersuggestslookingat

thepossibilityofadifferentlife.Throughherbook,8MythsofMakingaLiving,aswellasworkshops,seminars

andpersonalcoachingandconsulting,shehashelpedthousandsofdissatisfiedworkersreassesslifeandwork.

LikethewayofZen,whichincludesunderstandingofoneselfasonereallyis,Millerencouragesjobseekers

andthosedissatisfiedwithworkorlifetoexaminetheirbeliefsaboutworkandrecognizethat“inmanycasesyour

beliefsarewhatbroughtyoutowhereyouaretoday."Youmayhavebeenraisedtothinkthatwomenwerebestat

nurturingandcaringand,therefore,shouldbeteachersandnurses.Sothafswhatyoudid.Or,perhapsyouwere

broughtuptobelievethatyoushoulddowhatyourfatherdid,soyouhavetakenoverthefamilybusiness,or

becomeadentist44justlikedad."Ifthissoundsfamiliar,it'sprobablytimetolookatthenewpossibilitiesforyour

future.

Millerdevelopeda7-stepprocesstohelppotentialjobseekersassesstheircurrentsituationandbeliefs,

identifytheirrealpassion,andstartonajourneythatallowsthemtopursuetheirpassionthroughwork.

Step1:Willingnesstodosomethingdifferent.

Breakingthecycleofdoingwhatyouhavealwaysdoneisoneofthemostdifficulttasksforjobseekers.Many

finditdifficulttosteerawayfromacareerpathormakeachange,evenifitdoesn'tfeelright.Millerurgesjob

seekerstoopentheirmindstootherpossibilitiesbeyondwhattheyarecurrentlydoing.

Step2:Commitmenttobeingwhoyouare,notwhoorwhatsomeonewantsyoutobe.

Lookatthe\giftsandtalentsyouhaveandmakeacommitmenttopursuethosethingsthatyoulovemost.If

youlovethesocialaspectsofyourjob,butarestuckinsideanofficeor"chainedtoyourdesk”mostofthetime,

vowtofollowyourinstinctandinvestigatealternativecareersandworkthatallowyoumoretimetointeractwith

others.Dawnworkedasamanagerforalargeretailclothingstoreforseveralyears.Thoughshehadadvanced

withinthecompany,shefeltfrustratedandlongedtobeinvolvedwithnatureandtheoutdoors.Shedecidedtogoto

schoolnightsandweekendstopursuehertruepassionbyearninghermaster'sdegreeinforestry.Shenowworksin

thebiotechforestrydivisionofamajorpapercompany.

Step3:Self-definition

Millersuggeststhatoncejobseekersknowwhotheyare,theyneedtoknowhowtosellthemselves.44Inthe

jobmarket,youareaproduct.Andjustlikeaproduct,youmostknowthefeaturesandbenefitsthatyouhaveto

offerapotentialclient,oremployer."Examinetheskillsandknowledgethatyouhaveidentifyhowtheycanapply

toyourdesiredoccupation.Yourqualitieswillexhibittoemployerswhytheyshouldhireyouoverothercandidates.

Step4:Attainalevelofself-honoring.

Self-honoringorself-lovemayseemlikeanoddstepforjobhunters,butbeingabletoacceptyourself,without

judgment,helpseliminateinsecuritiesandwillmakeyoumoreself-assured.Byacceptingwhoyouare-allyour

emotions,hopesanddreams,yourpersonality,andyouruniquewayofbeing-you'llprojectmoreconfidence

whennetworkingandtalkingwithpotentialemployers.Thepowerofself-honoringcanhelptobreakallthe

falsehoodsyouwereprogrammedtobelieve-thosethatmadeyoufeelthatyouwerenotgoodenough,orstrong

enough,orintelligentenoughtodowhatyoutrulydesire.

Step5:Vision.

Millersuggeststhatjobseekersdevelopavisionthatembracestheanswerto“WhatdoIreallywanttodo?”

oneshouldcreateasolidstatementinadozenorsosentencesthatdescribeindetailhowtheyseetheirliferelated

towork.Forinstance,thesecretarywholongstobeanactressdescribesalifethatallowshertoexpressherloveof

Shakespeareonstage.Arealestateagent,attractedtohiscurrentjobbecauseherlovesfixingupoldhomes,

describesbuyingpropertiesthatneedalittletenderlovingcaretomakethemmoresaleable.

Step6:Appropriaterisk.

Somephilosophersbelievethatthewaytoenlightenmentcomesthroughfacingobstaclesanddifficulties.

Oncepeoplediscovertheirpassion,manyaretooscaredtodoanythingaboutit.Instead,theydonothing.Withthis

step,jobseekersshouldassesswhattheyarewillingtogiveup,orrisk,inpursuitoftheirdream.Foroneworking

mom,thatmeanttakingnightclassestolearnnewcomputer-aideddesignskills,whilestillearningasalaryand

keepingherdayjob.Forsomeoneelse,itmaymeanquittinghisorherjob,takingoutloanandgoingbackto

schoolfulltime.You'llmoveonestepclosertoyouridealworklifeifyouidentifyhowmuchriskyouarewilling

totakeandthesacrificesyouarewillingtomake.

Step7:Action.

Someteachersofphilosophydescribeactioninthisway,“Ifonewantstogettothetopofamountain,just

sittingatthefootthinkingaboutitwillnotbringonethere.Itisbymakingtheeffortofclimbingupthemountain,

stepbystep,thateventuallythesummitisreached."Alltoooften,itisthelackofactionthatultimatelyholds

peoplebackfromattainingtheirideals.Creatingaplanandtakingitonestepatatimecanleadtonewanddifferent

jobopportunities.Job-huntingtasksgainaddedmeaningasyousensetheirimportanceinyourquestforamore

meaningfulworklife.Theplancanincluderesearchingindustriesandoccupations,talkingtopeoplewhoarein

yourdesiredareaofwork,takingclasses,oracceptingvolunteerworkinyourtargetedfield.

Eachofthesestepswillleadyouonajourneytoahappierandmorerewardingworklife.Afterall,itisthe

journey,notthedestination,thatismostimportant.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡1上作答。

1.Accordingtotherecent“Plansfor2004"survey,mostpeopleareunhappywiththeircurrentjobs.

2.MaryLynMiller'sjobistoadvisepeopleontheirlifeandcareer.

3.MaryLynMillerherselfwasoncequitedissatisfiedwithherownwork.

4.Manypeoplefinditdifficulttomakeuptheirmindswhethertochangetheircareerpath.

5.AccordingtoMaryLynMiller,peopleconsideringchangingtheircareersshouldcommitthemselvestothe

pursuitof.

6.Inthejobmarket,jobseekersneedtoknowhowtosellthemselveslike.

7.Duringaninterviewwithpotentialemployers,self-honoringorself-lovemayhelpajobseekertoshow

8.MaryLynMillersuggeststhatajobseekerdevelopavisionthatanswersthequestion"'

9.Manypeoplearetooscaredtopursuetheirdreamsbecausetheyareunwillingto.

10.Whatultimatelyholdspeoplebackfromattainingtheiridealsis.

PartIIIListeningComprehension(35minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhear8shortconversationsand2longconversations.Attheendofeach

conversation,oneormorequestionswillbeaskedaboutwhatsaid.Boththeconversationandthequestionswillbe

spokenonlyonce.Aftereachquestiontherewillbeapause.Duringthepause,youmustreadthefourchoices

markedA)B)C)andD),anddecidewhichisthebestanswer.ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet

2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

注意：此部分试题需在答题卡2上作答。

11.A)Surfingthenet.B)Watchingatalkshow.

C)Packingabirthdaygift.D)Shoppingatajewelrystore.

12.A)Heenjoysfindingfaultwithexams.B)Heissureofhissuccessintheexam.

C)Hedoesn'tknowifhecandowellintheexam.

D)HeusedtogetstraightA'sintheexamshetook.

13.A)Themanisgenerouswithhisgoodcommentsonpeople.

B)Thewomanisunsureiftherewillbepeaceintheworld.

C)Thewomanisdoubtfulaboutnewspaperstories.

D)Themanisquiteoptimisticabouthumannature.

14.A)Studyforsomeprofession.B)Attendamedicalschool.

C)Stayinbusiness.D)Sellhisshop.

15.A)Moremoney.B)Fairtreatment.

C)Acollegeeducation.D)Shorterworkhours.

16.A)Shewasexhaustedfromhertrip.B)Shemissedthecomfortsofhome.

C)ShewasimpressedbyMexicanfood.D)ShewillnotgotoMexicoagain.

17.A)Cheerherselfupabit.B)Findamoresuitablejob.

C)Seekprofessionaladvice.D)Takeapsychologycourse.

18.A)Hedressesmoreformallynow.B)Whathewearsdoesnotmatchhisposition.

C)Hehasignoredhisfriendssincegraduation.D)Hefailedtodowellatcollege.

Questions19to22arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

19.A)Togosightseeing.B)Tohavemeetings.

C)Topromoteanewchampagne.D)Tojoininatrainingprogram.

20.A)Itcanreducethenumberofpassengercomplaints.

B)Itcanmakeairtravelmoreentertaining.C)Itcancutdowntheexpensesforairtravel.

D)Itcanlessenthediscomfortcausedbyairtravel.

21.A)Tookbalancedmealswithchampagne.B)Atevegetablesandfruitonly.

C)Refrainedfromfishormeat.D)Avoidedeatingrichfood.

22.A)Manyofthemfounditdifficulttoexerciseonaplane.

B)Manyofthemwereconcernedwiththeirwell-being.

C)Notmanyofthemchosetodowhatshedid.D)Notmanyofthemunderstoodtheprogram.

Questions23to25arebasedontheconversationyouhavejustheard.

23.A)Atafair.B)Atacafeteria.C)Inacomputerlab.D)Inashoppingmall.

24.A)Thelatestcomputertechnology.B)Theorganizingofanexhibition.

C)Thepurchasingofsomeequipment.D)Thedramaticchangesinthejobmarket.

25.A)Datacollection.B)Trainingconsultancy.

C)Corporatemanagement.D)Informationprocessing.

SectionB

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhear3shortpassages.Attheendofeachpassage,youwillhearsome

questions.Boththepassageandthequestionswillbespokenonlyonce.Afteryouhearaquestion,youmustchoose

thebestanswerfromthefourchoicemarkedA)B)C)andD).ThenmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet

2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

PassageOne

Questions26to28arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

26.A)Improvethemselves.B)Getridofemptydreams.

C)Followtheculturaltradition.D)Attemptsomethingimpossible.

27.A)Byfindingsufficientsupportforimplementation.

B)Bytakingintoaccounttheirownabilitytochange.

C)Byconstantlykeepinginmindtheirultimategoals.

D)Bymakingdetailedplansandcarryingthemout.

28.A)Toshowpeoplehowtogettheirlivesbacktonormal.

B)Toshowhowdifficultitisforpeopletoloseweight.

C)Toremindpeopletocheckthecaloriesonfoodbags.

D)Toillustratehoweasilypeopleabandontheirgoals.

PassageTwo

Questions29to31arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

29.A)Michaefsparentsgotdivorced.B)KarenwasadoptedbyRayAnderson.

C)Karen'smotherdiedinacaraccident.D)Atruckdriverlosthislifeinacollision.

30.A)Heranaredlightandcollidedwithatruck.B)Hesacrificedhislifetosaveababygirl.

C)Hewaskilledinstantlyinaburningcar.D)HegotmarriedtoKaren'smother.

31.A)Thereportedheroturnedouttobehisfather.

B)Hedidnotunderstandhisfathertilltoolate.

C)Suchmisfortuneshouldhavefallenonhim.

D)Itremindedhimofhismiserablechildhood.

PassageThree

Questions32to35arebasedonthepassageyouhavejustheard.

32.A)Germany.B)Japan.C)TheU.S.D)TheU.K.

33.A)Bydoingoddjobsatweekends.B)Byworkinglonghourseveryday.

C)Byputtinginmorehourseachweek.D)Bytakingshortervacationseachyear.

34.A)Tocombatcompetitionandraiseproductivity.

B)Toprovidethemwithmorejobopportunities.

C)Tohelpthemmaintaintheirlivingstandard.

D)Topreventthemfromholdingasecondjob.

35.A)Changetheirjobs.B)Earnmoremoney.

C)Reducetheirworkinghours.D)Strengthenthegovernment'srole.

SectionC

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadforthefirsttime,you

shouldlistencarefullyforitsgeneralidea.Whenthepassageisreadforthesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillin

theblanksnumberedfrom36to43withtheexactwordsyouhavejustheard.Forblanksnumberedfrom44to46

youarerequiredtofillinthemissinginformation.Fortheseblanks,youcaneitherusetheexactwordsyouhave

justheardorwritedownthemainpointsinyourownwords.Finally,whenthepassageisreadforthethirdtime,

youshouldcheckwhatyouhavewritten.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

Nursing,asatypicallyfemaleprofession,mustdealconstantlywiththefalseimpressionthatnursesarethere

towaitonthephysician.Asnurses,weare(36)toprovidenursingcareonly.Wedonothaveanylegalor

moral(37)toanyphysician.Weprovidehealthteaching,(38)physicalaswellasemotional

problems,(39)patient-relatedservices,andmakeallofournursingdecisionsbaseduponwhatisbestor

suitableforthepatient.If,inany(40),wefeelthataphysician'sorderis(41)orunsafe,we

havealegal(42)toquestionthatorderorrefusetocarryitout.

Nursingisnotanine-to-fivejobwitheveryweekendoff.Allnursesareawareofthatbeforetheyenterthe

profession.Theemotionalandphysicalstress.However,thatoccursduetooddworkinghoursisa(43)

reasonforalotofthecareerdissatisfaction.(44).Thatdisturbsour

personallives,disruptsoursleepingandeatinghabits,andisolatesusfromeverythingexceptjob-relatedfriends

andactivities.

Thequalityofnursingcareisbeingaffecteddramaticallybythesesituations.(45).

Consumersofmedicallyrelatedserviceshaveevidentlynotbeenaffectedenoughyettodemandchangesinour

medicalsystem.Butiftrendscontinueaspredicted,(46).

PartIVReadingComprehension(ReadinginDepth)(25minutes)

SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,thereisashortpassagewith5questionsorincompletestatements.Readthe

passagecarefully.Thenanswerthequestionsorcompletestatementsinthefewestpossiblewords.Pleasewriteyour

answersonAnswerSheet2.

Questions47to51arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Googleisaworld-famouscompany,withitsheadquartersinMountainView,California.Itwassetupina

SiliconValleygaragein1998,andinflated(膨胀)withtheInternetbubble.Evenwheneverythingaroundit

collapsedthecompanykeptoninflating.Google'ssearchengineissowidespreadacrosstheworldthatsearch

becameGoogle,andgooglebecameaverb.Theworldfellinlovewiththeeffective,fascinatinglyfasttechnology.

GoogleowesmuchofitssuccesstothebrillianceofS.BrinandL.Page,butalsotoaseriesoffortunate

events.ItwasPagewho,atStanfordin1996,initiatedtheacademicprojectthateventuallybecameGoogle'ssearch

engine.Brin,whohadmetPageatastudentorientationayearearlier,joinedtheprojectearlyon.Theywereboth

Ph.D.candidateswhentheydevisedthesearchenginewhichwasbetterthantherestand,withoutanymarketing,

spreadbywordofmouthfromearlyadoptersto,eventually,yourgrandmother.

Theirbreakthrough,simplyput,wasthatwhentheirsearchenginecrawledtheWeb,itdidmorethanjustlook

forwordmatches,italsotallied(统计)andrankedahostofothercriticalfactorslikehowwebsiteslinktoone

another.Thatdeliveredfarbetterresultsthananythingelse.BrinandPagemeanttonametheircreationGoogol(the

mathematicaltermforthenumber1followedby100zeroes),butsomeonemisspelledthewordsoitstuckas

Google.Theyraisedmoneyfromprescient(有先见之明的)professorsandventurecapitalists,andmovedoff

campustoturnGoogleintobusiness.Perhapstheirbiggeststrokeofluckcameearlyonwhentheytriedtoselltheir

technologytoothersearchengines,butnoonemettheirprice,andtheybuiltitupontheirown.

Thenextbreakthroughcamein2000,whenGooglefiguredouthowtomakemoneywithitsinvention.Ithad

lotsofusers,butalmostnoonewaspaying.Thesolutionturnedouttobeadvertising,andit'snotanexaggeration

tosaythatGoogleisnowessentiallyanadvertisingcompany,giventhatthat'sthesourceofnearlyallitsrevenue.

Todayitisagiantadvertisingcompany,worth$100billion.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

47.Apartfromaseriesoffortunateevents,whatisitthathasmadeGooglesosuccessful?

48.Google'ssearchengineoriginatedfromstartedbyL.Page.

49.HowdidGoogle'ssearchenginespreadallovertheworld?

50.BrinandPagedecidedtosetuptheirownbusinessbecausenoonewould.

51.TherevenueoftheGooglecompanyislargelygeneratedfrom.

SectionB

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinished

statements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA）,B）,C）,andD）.Youshoulddecideonthebestchoice

andmarkthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2withasinglelinethroughthecentre.

PassageOne

Questions52to56arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Youheartherefrainallthetime:theU.S.economylooksgoodstatistically,butitdoesn'tfeelgood.Why

doesn'tever-greaterwealthpromoteever-greaterhappiness?Itisaquestionthatdatesatleasttotheappearancein

1958ofTheAffluent（富裕的）SocietybyJohnKennethGalbraith,whodiedrecentlyat97.

TheAffluentSocietyisamodernclassicbecauseithelpeddefineanewmomentinthehumancondition.For

mostofhistory,“hunger,sickness,andcold“threatenednearlyeveryone,Galbraithwrote."Povertywasfound

everywhereinthatworld.Obviouslyitisnotofours."AfterWorldWarII,thedreadofanotherGreatDepression

gavewaytoaneconomicboom.Inthe1930sunemploymenthadaveraged18.2percent;inthe1950sitwas4.5

percent.

ToGalbraith,materialismhadgonemadandwouldbreeddiscontent.Throughadvertising,companies

conditionedconsumerstobuythingstheydidn'treallywantorneed.Becausesomuchspendingwasartificial,it

wouldbeunfulfilling.Meanwhile,governmentspendingthatwouldmakeeveryonebetteroffwasbeingcutdown

becausepeopleinstinctively—andwrongly—labeledgovernmentonlyas“anecessaryevil.

It'softensaidthatonlythericharegettingahead;everyoneelseisstandingstillorfallingbehind.Well,there

aremanyundeservingrich-overpaidchiefexecutives,forinstance.Butoveranymeaningfulperiod,mostpeople's

incomesareincreasing.From1995to2004,inflation-adjustedaveragefamilyincomerose14.3percent,to$43,200.

peoplefeel“squeezed“becausetheirrisingincomesoftendon'tsatisfytheirrisingwants-forbiggerhomes,more

healthcare,moreeducation,fasterInternetconnections.

Theothergreatfrustrationisthatithasnoteliminatedinsecurity.Peopleregardjobstabilityaspartoftheir

standardofliving.Ascorporatelayoffsincreased,thatparthaseroded.Moreworkersfearthey'vebecome”the

disposableAmerican,asLouisUchitelleputsitinhisbookbythesamename.

Becausesomuchprevioussufferingandsocialconflictstemmedfrompoverty,thearrivalofwidespread

affluencesuggestedutopian（乌托邦式的）possibilities.Uptoapoint,affluencesucceeds.Thereismuchles

physicalmiserythanbefore.Peoplearebetteroff.Unfortunately,affluencealsocreatesnewcomplaintsand

contradictions.

Advancedsocietiesneedeconomicgrowthtosatisfythemultiplyingwantsoftheircitizens.Butthequestfor

growthletsloosenewanxietiesandeconomicconflictsthatdisturbthesocialorder.Affluenceliberatesthe

individual,promisingthateveryonecanchooseauniquewaytoself-fulfillment.Butthepromiseissoextravagant

thatitpredestinesmanydisappointmentsandsometimesinspireschoicesthathaveanti-socialconsequences,

includingfamilybreakdownandobesity（肥胖症）.Statisticalindicatorsofhappinesshavenotrisenwithincomes.

Shouldwebesurprised?Notreally.We'vesimplyreaffirmedanoldtruth:thepursuitofaffluencedoesnot

alwaysendwithhappiness.

注意：此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。

52.WhatquestiondoesJohnKennethGalbraithraiseinhisbookTheAffluentSociety?

A)Whystatisticsdon'ttellthetruthabouttheeconomy.

B)Whyaffluencedoesn,tguaranteehappiness.

C)Howhappinesscanbepromotedtoday.D)Whatliesbehindaneconomicboom.

53.AccordingtoGalbraith,peoplefeeldiscontentedbecause.

A)publicspendinghasn'tbeencutdownasexpected

B)thegovernmenthasprovedtobeanecessaryevil

C)theyareinfearofanotherGreatDepressionD)materialismhasrunwildinmodernsociety

54.Whydopeoplefeelsqueezedwhentheiraverageincomerisesconsiderably?

A)Theirmaterialpursuitshavegonefaraheadoftheirearnings.

B)Theirpurchasingpowerhasdroppedmarkedlywithinflation.

C)Thedistributionofwealthisunevenbetweenther5ichandthepoor.

D)Healthcareandeducationalcosthavesomehowgoneoutofcontrol.

55.WhatdoesLouisUchitellemeanby“thedisposableAmerican^^(Line3,Para.5)?

A)Thosewhoseejobstabilityaspartoftheirlivingstandard.

B)Peoplefullofutopianideasresultingfromaffluence.

C)PeoplewhohavelittlesayinAmericanpolitics.

D)Workerswhonolongerhavesecurejobs.

56.WhathasaffluencebroughttoAmericansociety?

A)Renewedeconomicsecurity.B)Asenseofself-fulfillment.

C)Newconflictsandcomplaints.D)Miseryandanti-socialbehavior.

PassageTwo

Questions57to61arebasedonthefollowingpassage.

Theuseofdeferential(敬重的)languageissymbolicoftheConfucianidealofthewoman,whichdominates

conservativegendernormsinJapan.Thisidealpresentsawomanwhowithdrawsquietlytothebackground,

subordinatingherlifeandneedstothoseofherfamilyanditsmalehead.Sheisadutifuldaughter,wife,andmother,

masterofthedomesticarts.ThetypicalrefinedJapanesewomanexcelsinmodestyanddelicacy;she"treadssoftly

(谨言慎行)intheworld,elevatingfemininebeautyandgracetoanartform.

Nowadays,itiscommonlyobservedthatyoungwomenarenotconformingtothefemininelinguistic(语言的)

ideal.Theyareusingfeweroftheverydeferential4twomen,s^^forms,andevenusingthefewstrongformsthatare

knowas"men's."This,ofcourse,attractsconsiderableattentionandhasledtoanoutcryintheJapanesemedia

againstthedefeminizationofwomen'slanguage.Indeed,wedidn'thearabout"men'sIanguage^^untilpeoplebegan

torespondtogirls'appropriationofformsnormallyreservedforboysandmen.Thereisconsiderablesentiment

aboutthe“corruption“ofwomen'slanguage-whichofcourseisviewedaspartofthelossoffeminineidealsand

morality—andthissentimentiscrystallizedbynationwideopinionpollsthatareregularlycarriedoutbythemedia.

YoshikoMatsumotohasarguedthatyoungwomenprobablyneverusedasmanyofthehighlydeferential

formsasolderwomen.Thishighlypolitestyleisnodoubtsomethingthatyoungwomenhavebeenexpectedto

“growinto^^—afterall,itisassignnotsimplyoffemininity,butofmaturityandrefinement,anditsusecouldbe

takentoindicateachangeinthenatureofone'ssocialrelationsaswell.Onemightwellimaginelittlegirlsusing

exceedinglypoliteformswhenplayinghouseorimitatingolderwomen—inafashionanalogoustolittlegirls'use

ofahigh-pitchedvoicetodo“teachertalk"or"mothertalk“inroleplay.

ThefactthatyoungJapanesewomenareusinglessdeferentiallanguageisasuresignofchange-ofsocial

changeandoflinguisticchange.Butitismostcertainlynotasignofthe“masculization“ofgirls.Insomeinstances,

itmaybeasignthatgirlsaremakingthesameclaimtoauthorityasboysandmen,butthatisverydifferentfrom

sayingthattheyaretryingtobe“masculine."KatsueReynoldshasarguedthatgirlsnowadaysareusingmore

assertivelanguagestrategiesinordertobeabletocompetewithboysinschoolsandout.Socialchangealsobrings

notsimplydifferentpositionsforwomenandg