◎陳科芳 浙江外國(guó)語(yǔ)學(xué)院

域外采風(fēng)

閱讀與概要寫作的一些技巧
——以《婦女自由做出選擇》一文為例

◎陳科芳 浙江外國(guó)語(yǔ)學(xué)院

導(dǎo)讀

本期推出的《婦女自由做出選擇》是一篇關(guān)于婦女權(quán)益的小論文，選自譚衛(wèi)國(guó)教授主編的《英語(yǔ)背誦范文精華》（第二版），華東理工大學(xué)出版社2004年12月出版。

文章開頭首先通過(guò)一位經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家的話語(yǔ)，引出中心話題：“婦女是該待在家里，還是出去勞動(dòng)？”這篇文章雖然寫作時(shí)間距今較遠(yuǎn)，但對(duì)當(dāng)下生活依然有著啟示意義，尤其是新時(shí)代的婦女一方面追求經(jīng)濟(jì)獨(dú)立、思想自由，但同時(shí)也承受著工作和生活的雙重壓力，有時(shí)也不免想要回歸到相夫教子的生活狀態(tài)。其實(shí)，正如一句英語(yǔ)諺語(yǔ)說(shuō)的那樣，“Every coin has two sides.”凡事皆有兩面，無(wú)論選擇做全職家庭主婦，還是做職業(yè)婦女，都需要婦女理性做出判斷和選擇，也需要其家人和社會(huì)理解和支持。

從這篇文章的布局來(lái)看，第一段是開頭，引出論題，第二段是關(guān)于居家婦女的，第三段是關(guān)于職場(chǎng)婦女的，最后一段亮出了作者的觀點(diǎn)，即：無(wú)論是全職在家，還是職場(chǎng)打拼，都要尊重婦女自己的選擇，婦女都應(yīng)該有權(quán)力選擇自己的生活方式。

這樣的短文，無(wú)論作為閱讀材料，還是概要寫作的材料，都很合適。作為閱讀材料來(lái)說(shuō)，這篇文章的詞匯比較適合高中階段，沒(méi)有過(guò)于生僻的詞匯，但也有一些相對(duì)高級(jí)的用詞（如accelerating，leisurely，silver-spoons，resorts，stimulating等）；語(yǔ)言流暢自然，文內(nèi)的銜接過(guò)渡基本上是靠語(yǔ)義和語(yǔ)法的自然連貫，必要的地方，如段落的起承轉(zhuǎn)合之處添加了顯性詞匯手段（如however，although等），引導(dǎo)讀者更好閱讀。閱讀的時(shí)候，可以好好體會(huì)一下作者是如何布局全文的，開頭怎么導(dǎo)入，主體怎么發(fā)展，結(jié)尾怎么處理，等等。也可以好好感受一下作者的語(yǔ)言是如何自然鋪陳的。條件允許的話，可以通過(guò)朗讀或者背誦等方式，加強(qiáng)語(yǔ)感，為自己的語(yǔ)言產(chǎn)出打下基礎(chǔ)。

概要寫作則首先要找準(zhǔn)文章的信息結(jié)構(gòu)。這篇文章的結(jié)構(gòu)清晰，觀點(diǎn)鮮明，學(xué)生在理解主旨方面應(yīng)該沒(méi)有什么大的困難。首先，文章的標(biāo)題是很重要的，標(biāo)題往往是中心論點(diǎn)。其次，可以找出各段的中心句。第一段的中心句“Time proved the experts wrong.”出現(xiàn)在中間。第二段、第三段的中心句比較好找，都是首句。最后一段的中心句，出現(xiàn)在較后部分。在找準(zhǔn)了段落主旨的情況下，再用自己的話語(yǔ)把信息重新組織和表達(dá)一番。只要語(yǔ)言水平達(dá)到了，應(yīng)該不會(huì)出現(xiàn)太大的偏差。當(dāng)然，每一段中用來(lái)支撐主旨的信息（supporting information）也需要梳理一下，看看哪些是相對(duì)重要的，相對(duì)重要的這些支撐信息在概要寫作的時(shí)候可以用上，其余不那么重要的信息就基本可以忽略了。

詞匯表

1.exclusively專門地，專有地；單獨(dú)地

2.homemaking料理家務(wù)

3.accelerate加快速度，使加快；催促

4.leisurely不匆忙地，從容地，悠閑自在地

5.sole 唯一的

6.silver-spoon銀匙

7.trap使落入圈套；設(shè)陷阱捕捉；誘捕

8.tolerate容許，容忍，忍受

9.lock鎖上……門；把……鎖起來(lái)；緊緊擁抱

10.an active,money-making job有成效的賺錢的工作

11.the famous resort名勝，旅游勝地

12.at-home sitter家庭保姆

13.stimulating career激勵(lì)人的事業(yè)；促人奮發(fā)向上的職業(yè)（stimulating adj.刺激的，有刺激性的）

14.a hateful life可惡的生活，討厭的生活

15.in a required way按要求的方式

閱讀材料

Women Are Free to Make a Choice

“Toward the end of World War II,”reports economist Dr.Eli Ginzberg,“l(fā)arge numbers of wives entered the labor force.But the experts were sure that when peace came,the mothers would return to their traditional ways,leaving the work force to devote themselves exclusively to child-rearing,homemaking, and volunteer activities.”Time proved the experts wrong.The percentage of working wives and mothers kept on accelerating through the 50’s,60’s,and 70’s.“Today,”he says,“about two out of every five women with a child under six are working at an outside job market,and are dealing successfully with responsibilities as parents,workers,and homemakers.”

It is easy,however,to understand the feelings of many mothers who refuse to work,mothers who quit their jobs to stay at home and devote their full time to raising children.Some women assume it is their sole responsibility as wife and mother to take care of their children,their husband and their home.They believe if they quit their job,they could devote more time and energy to being a good wife and mother than they could if they don’t.Many women like the freedom of being at home.They can do things they had no time for when they worked.They may read for an hour on a living room chair,take courses in tennis,dance at the neighborhood health club,walk around in the shops leisurely,or relax in the park on a nice sunny day without worrying about being late for work all the time.

Although many women choose to stay home and care for their families, increasing numbers of working mothers have made new lives for themselves outside the home.They like a life filled with an active,money-making job. Though very busy,they lead a full fruitful life.“We weren’t born with silverspoons in our mouth,”one working mother says.“We want certain things for our family and we have to struggle to achieve them.”These women feel that their jobs make them more attractive and more interesting to their husbands. With the money earned by a working mother the family enjoys things theyotherwise could not:a shiny new piano,a summer vacation on the famous resorts,an assured college education for the children.These mothers believe that carefully selected day-care centers,nursery schools or at-home sitters enrich the child’s life with experiences no parents alone can offer.Perhaps children have much less time with a working mother than they do with a mother close by all day long;but the quality of the time is what is important.In a single hour a thoughtful working mother can give to her child as much love and attention as a mother at home all the time can give to her child on a full day.

Because of the attention to women’s rights,many mothers who in the past might have felt trapped in their homes have seized opportunities to use their energy and potential in stimulating careers.Yet there are women at home who see their work there as more important than anything.The point on all this,as I see it,is that the society must be made to tolerate choices so that no one is locked into a hateful life simply because someone expects him or her to behave in a required way.People must be free to choose the lives which they believe are best for themselves and must have enough opportunities to change their minds if they make mistakes.

參考譯文

婦女自由做出選擇

“第二次世界大戰(zhàn)快結(jié)束的時(shí)候，”經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家艾力·金茲貝博士說(shuō)，“大批婦女進(jìn)入勞動(dòng)大軍。但是專家們確信，和平到來(lái)時(shí)，這些母親會(huì)回到傳統(tǒng)的生活方式，離開勞動(dòng)隊(duì)伍，專心專意照管孩子、料理家務(wù)，以及從事一些自愿參加的活動(dòng)?！睍r(shí)間證明專家們錯(cuò)了。在20世紀(jì)50、60及70年代，勞動(dòng)?jì)D女的百分比不斷增長(zhǎng)。金茲貝博士說(shuō)：“今天，每五個(gè)帶有一個(gè)不滿六歲小孩的婦女中，約莫有兩個(gè)在勞務(wù)市場(chǎng)工作，而且正在出色地履行母親、職工和家務(wù)能手這三者的多種職責(zé)?！?/p>

然而，為數(shù)不少的母親不愿意參加工作，辭職待在家里，全力以赴養(yǎng)育子女。要理解她們的感情和想法并不難。一些婦女認(rèn)為，作為妻子和母親，照顧孩子、丈夫和家庭是她們唯一的責(zé)任。她們相信，辭掉工作比沒(méi)辭能有更多的時(shí)間和精力料理家務(wù)，做一個(gè)賢妻良母。許多婦女喜歡待在家里，享受家中的自由，做一些在工作時(shí)沒(méi)有時(shí)間做的事。她們可以坐在起居室的椅子上看一小時(shí)的書，可以學(xué)習(xí)網(wǎng)球課程，可以到鄰近的健身俱樂(lè)部跳舞，也可以悠閑自在地逛逛商店，或者，在一個(gè)陽(yáng)光明媚的大好日子去公園放松放松，而不必總是擔(dān)心工作遲到。

盡管許多婦女做出待在家里照顧家人的抉擇，但是，越來(lái)越多的職業(yè)婦女在外面給自己開創(chuàng)了新生活。她們喜歡從事富有成效地賺錢的工作，雖然很忙，但生活很充實(shí)。一位職業(yè)婦女說(shuō)：“我們并非出生在富貴人家。我們希望為子女做些事，而只有艱苦奮斗才能辦到?！边@些婦女認(rèn)為正是工作使她們對(duì)丈夫更具有吸引力，使丈夫?qū)λ齻兏信d趣。有一位職業(yè)母親賺錢，子女可以享受到母親不掙錢便無(wú)法享受到的東西：一臺(tái)閃閃發(fā)亮的新鋼琴，去著名的勝地度過(guò)一個(gè)暑假，以及確定無(wú)疑的大學(xué)教育等。這些母親相信，精心挑選的日托中心、托兒所或家庭保姆能豐富孩子們的生活，提供一些父母不能提供的經(jīng)歷。也許孩子們和一位職業(yè)母親聚在一起的時(shí)間比和一位整天待在家里的母親相聚的時(shí)間要少很多，但重要的是相聚時(shí)間的質(zhì)量。一位關(guān)心孩子的職業(yè)母親在一個(gè)小時(shí)之內(nèi)給予孩子的愛和關(guān)懷，比得上一位居家母親全天之內(nèi)給予孩子的愛和關(guān)懷。

由于婦女權(quán)益受到關(guān)注，許多在過(guò)去可能認(rèn)為自己陷入了家庭陷阱的婦女抓住了機(jī)會(huì)，把自己的精力和潛能投入到催人奮發(fā)的事業(yè)中，而一些居家婦女則認(rèn)為家庭工作比任何其他事情都重要。我認(rèn)為，最主要的則是應(yīng)當(dāng)使全社會(huì)容許不同選擇，這樣沒(méi)有任何人會(huì)僅僅因?yàn)槟橙讼Ｍ?她按要求行事而陷入討厭的生活。人們應(yīng)當(dāng)自由選擇他們認(rèn)為對(duì)自己最好的生活方式，如果犯了錯(cuò)誤，必須讓他們有足夠的機(jī)會(huì)改變想法。

本欄目責(zé)任編輯 李益