男性从事“女性”职业
——1988年英译汉及详解
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:【F1】
Clearly, this was a person who took considerable pride in personal appearance.
David King, the receptionist, is unusual, but by no means unique.【F2】
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.【F3】
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.【F4】
"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.【F5】
"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.
【F6】
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.【F7】
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.
【F8】
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.
问答题
【F1】
【正确答案】正确答案：显然，他是个对自己的仪表相当自信的人。
【答案解析】解析：本句考查的重点是：who引导的定语从句。 该句的主干是this is a person，who引导的定语从句作后置定语，修饰person，所以句子主干可译为“他是个…的人”。副词Clearly放句首，译为“显然，明显地”。take pride in译为“以…为傲”，considerable是形容词，修饰pride，意为“相当大的，相当多的”。
问答题
【F2】
【正确答案】正确答案：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。
【答案解析】解析：本句考查的重点是：主从复合句。 该句的主干为all secretaries and receptionists are no longer automatically women，主干的前面是Just as引导的方式状语从句，译为“正像…，正如…”。从句和主句的结构是并列的，automatically本意为“自动地，机械地”，在这里和从句中的necessarily意思相同，译为“不一定”。
【答案解析】解析：本句考查的重点是：but连接的两个并列分句。 前一个分句的主干是These changes are helping to influence some of the long—standing traditions．名词短语the types of work后接有省略关系代词的定语从句(that)men and women can do。后一个分句的主干是they also produce some undeniable problems for the men，who引导的定语从句作后置定语．修饰名词men。其中undeniable意为“不可否认的，无可争辩的”，dominate意为“在…占主要地位”。
问答题
【F4】
【正确答案】正确答案：我还没有听到任何使我感到满意的确切答案。
【答案解析】解析：本句考查的重点是：省略关系代词的定语从句。 该句的主干是I don’t know of any definite answers，名词answers后接有定语从句I’d becomfortable with，其前省略关系代词that。其中definite译为“确切的，一定的”，be comfortable with译为“感到满意的”。本句较为简单，考生容易拿分。
【答案解析】解析：本句考查的重点是：主从复合句。 该句是主从复合句，recalled引导的宾语从句由直接引语构成，recalled译为“回忆说”。该从句是and连接的两个并列分句：I found that work very interesting and…it iust seemed natural for me to…。第二个分句中含有when引导的时间状语从句，其中go out of the service专指“退役”。最后一个独立的句子结构简单，较好翻译。
【答案解析】解析：本句考查的重点是：介词短语作状语和定语从句。 该句的主干为men enter“female”jobs，介词短语out of the same consideration for personal interestand economic necessity…作状语，表示“出于…原因”。that引导的定语从句作后置定语，修饰名词personal interest and economic necessity。其中in other words译为“换句话说”，motivate是动词，意为“刺激，使有动机”，在这里可以转换为名词词性，译为“动机”。
问答题
【F7】
【正确答案】正确答案：选择这类工作是会惹人嘲笑的。
【答案解析】解析：本句考查的重点是：动词短语和定语从句。 该句的主干为their work histories differ in most respects from…，and they are…。其中workhistories译为“工作经历”；in most respects是插入语，意为“大多数情况”；differ from…意为“与…不同”。and连接的另一个句子中含有whom引导的定语从句，with提前，be in contact with sb．意为“与某人接触，与某人有联系”。
【答案解析】解析：本句考查的重点是：when引导的定语从句。 该句的主干为Can we anticipate a day…，后面是两个when引导的从句作后置定语，修饰a day，具体说明什么样的一天，其中第二个由破折号和并列连词or连接。在第一个定语从句中，even是形容词，意为“平均的，均匀的”；在第二个定语从句中，raise eyebrows意为“惊讶，吃惊，引人侧目”。