大学体验英语(四)AB文对照翻译.docx

The Unsung Heroes: What About Working Dads?
无名英雄：职业父亲意味着什么？
On our first "date" after our twin daughters were born, my husband and I went to see the movie Toy Story. We enjoyed it, but afterward my husband asked, "Where was the dad?" At first, it seemed petty to criticize an entertaining family movie because of one small point. The more I thought about it, however, the more glaring an omission it seemed. Not only was dad not around, he wasn't even mentioned — despite the fact that there was a baby in the family, so dad couldn't have been that long gone. It was as if the presence— or absence — of a father is a minor detail, not even requiring an explanation.
在我们的孪生女儿出生后的第一次"约会”时，我和丈夫一起去看了一部名为《玩具故事》的电影。我们很喜欢这部片子，但随后我丈夫问道："父亲在哪儿呢？”起初我还认为因为一个小小的失误而批评一部很吸引人的家庭影片似乎是太偏狭了。可后来越想越觉得这一疏忽太严重了。父亲不仅没有出现，他甚至没有被提到—— 尽管家中有婴儿，说明他不可能离开太长时间。影片给人的感觉是，父亲出现与否似乎是个极次要的细节，甚至不需要做任何解释。
This is only one example of the media trend toward marginalizing fathers, which mirrors enormous social changes in the United States. David Blankenhorn, in his book Fatherless America, refers to this trend as the "unnecessary father" concept.
　　新闻媒体倾向于把父亲的边缘化，这只是一个例子，它反映了在美国发生的巨大的社会变化。大卫?布兰肯霍恩在《无父之国》一书中将这种倾向称之为"无需父亲”观念。
We are bombarded by stories about the struggles of working mothers (as opposed to non-working mothers, I suppose). Meanwhile, a high proportion of media stories about fathers focus on abusive husbands or deadbeat dads. It seems that the only time fathers merit attention is when they are criticized for not helping enough with the housework (a claim that I find dubious anyway, because the definition of "housework" rarely includes cleaning the gutters, changing the oil in the car or other jobs typically done by men) or when they die. When Mr. Blankenhorn surveyed fathers about the meaning of the term "good family man," many responded that it was a phrase they only heard at funerals.
　　职业母亲（我想这应是与无职业母亲相对而言的）奋斗的故事从媒体上无尽无休地轰击着我们。与此同时，媒体上绝大多数有关父亲的故事又集中表现暴力的丈夫或没出息的父亲。看起来似乎父亲惟一值得人们提及的时候是因为他们做家务太少而受到指责的时候（我怀疑这一说法的可靠性，因为"家务”的定义中很少包括打扫屋顶的雨水沟、给汽车换机油或其它一些典型地由男人们做的事），或者是在他们去世的时候。当布兰肯霍恩先生就"顾家的好男人”一词的词义对父亲们进行调查时，许多父亲都回答这一词语只有在葬礼上听到。
One exception to the "unnecessary father" syndrome is the glowing media attention that at-home dads have received. I do not mean to imply that at-home dads do not deserve support for making this commitment. I only mean to point out the double standard at work when at-home dads are applauded while at-home mothers and breadwinner fathers are given little, if any, cultural recognition.
　　这种"无需父亲”综合症的一个例外是家庭全职父亲所受到的媒体的赞扬。我并非暗指这些家庭全职父亲作出的承诺不值得人们的支持，我只是想指出在实际生效的双重标准：家庭全职父亲受到人们的赞扬，而家庭全职母亲和养家活口的父亲，所得到文化上的认同却很少，甚至完全得不到。
The very language we use to discuss men's roles (i.e., deadbeat dads) shows a lack of appreciation for the majority of men who quietly yet proudly fulfill their family responsibilities. We almost never hear the term "working father," and it is rare that calls for more workplace flexibility are considered to be for men as much as for women. Our society acts as if family obligations are not as important to fathers as they are to mothers — as if career satisfaction is what a man's life is all about.
我们用来讨论父亲角色（即没出息的父亲）的话语本身就显示出人们对大多数男人默默无闻而自豪地履行对家庭承担的责任缺乏赏识。我们几乎从来没听到"职业父亲”这一说法，在人们呼吁应该考虑给予工作者在工作地点上更大的灵活性时，很少有人认为这种呼吁不但适用于女子，同样也适应于男子。我们这个社会表现出似乎家庭职责对父亲来说并不象对母亲那么重要 —— 似乎事业上的满足就是男人生活的全部。
Even more insulting is the recent media trend of regarding at-home wives as "status symbols" — like an expensive car — flaunted by the supposedly few men who can afford such a luxury. The implication is that men with at-home wives have it easier than those whose wives work outside the home because they have the "luxury" of a full-time housekeeper. In reality, however, the men who are the sole wage earners for their families suffer a lot of stresses. The loss of a job — or even the threat of that happening — is obviously much more difficult when that job is the sole source of income for a family. By the same token, sole wage earners have less flexibility when it comes to leaving unsatisfying careers because of the loss of income such a job change entails. In addition, many husbands work overtime or second jobs to make more money needed for their families. For these men, it is the family that the job supports that makes it all worthwhile. It is the belief that having a mother at home is important to the children, which makes so many men gladly take on the burden of being a sole wage earner.
更让人感到侮辱的是最近媒体的这种倾向，即把家庭主妇看成是一种"地位的象征” —— 就像一辆名贵的汽车，只有据说少数男人才享受得起这种奢侈与豪华。这暗示家里有家庭主妇的男人比那些妻子在外工作的男人日子过得更舒适，因为他们拥有全职管家这种"奢侈品”。然而，实际上作为家庭惟一挣钱者的男人要承受很多压力。当他们的那份工作是家庭收入的惟一来源的时候，失业，或者甚至只不过是受到失业的威胁，对他们来说显然构成更大的困难。同样，家庭惟一的工资收入者在想辞去不太满意的工作时，其灵活程度也要小一些，因为这种工作变换会使他们失去收入。此外，为了给家庭挣更多的钱，许多丈夫超时工作或兼做第二职业。对于这些男人来说，正是这份工作所支撑的家庭，使得他们值得付出努力。很多男人相信母亲呆在家里对小孩十分重要，这种信念使得他们乐意地担起家里惟一挣钱人的担子。　
Today, there is widespread agreement among researchers that the absence of fathers from households causes serious problems for children and, consequently, for society at large. Yet, rather than holding up "ordinary" fathers as positive role models for the dads of tomorrow, too often society has thrown up its hands and decided that traditional fatherhood is at best obsolete and at worst dangerously reactionary. This has left many men questioning the value of their role as fathers.
目前，研究者们普遍认为家庭中没有父亲会对小孩 —— 因此对整个社会 —— 带来严重的问题。然而，我们这个社会并没有把"普通”父亲作为正面角色为未来的父亲树立榜样，相反地，却常常持放弃态度，认为传统的父道从最好的方面说是已经过时，从最坏的方面讲就是危险的反动。这使得许多男人对他们作为父亲的角色的价值提出疑问。
As a society, we need to realize that fathers are just as important to children as mothers are — not only for financial support, but for emotional support, education and discipline as well. It is not enough for us merely to recognize that fatherlessness is a problem — to stand beside the grave and mourn the loss of the "good family man" and then try to find someone to replace him (ask anyone who has lost a father to death if that is possible). We must acknowledge how we have devalued fatherhood and work to show men how necessary, how important they are in their children's lives.
　　作为一个社会，我们需要认识到对于孩子来说，父亲是与母亲同等重要的，不仅仅在经济支持上，而且在感情依靠、教育和纪律训导方面都是如此。我们仅仅意识到没有父亲是一个问题是不够的，也不能只是站在坟墓旁边哀悼"顾家好男人”的去世，随后又找一个人来替代他（请问一问已失去父亲的人，这是否可能）。我们必须承认我们是如何贬低了父道的价值，我们必须努力向男人们显示，他们在孩子们的生活中是多么不可缺少，多么重要。
Those fathers who strive to be good family men by being there every day to love and support their families — those unsung heroes — need our recognition and our thanks for all they do. Because they deserve it.
　　那些每天都在努力去爱和支撑他们的家庭，力求做一个顾家好男人的父亲，那些无名英雄，需要我们的承认，他们所付出的一切需要我们的感谢，因为他们值得我们的认同和感激。
A Manifesto for Men
男子汉宣言
As men, we know we could get a better deal. We look at women and see modernity: expansive people exploring new roles, conquering the world. Quietly, secretly, we admire the gathering pace of their achievement. And we say to ourselves: what about us? Isn’t this how we are supposed to be: bright, confident, going places?
　作为男人，我们知道我们能够得到比较好的待遇。从女人身上，我们看到了现代性：广大的女性在探索新的角色，征服世界。我们暗中默默地羡慕她们不断取得成就的速度。我们对自己说：我们男人呢？我们难道不应该是这样的吗：聪明有头脑，信心十足，成功在握？
So what’s getting in our way? There is no point in blaming women, stoking up a sex war. This remains, after all, a man’s world. If we knew what we wanted, we could enact it. No, the problem is our lack of imagination. Ask women what they, as women, want and they’ll tell you: equality. Men? We haven’t a clue. And the reason is simple. We have failed to understand the opportunities of this century’s greatest and most enduring social movement, the collapse of the sexual division of labor.
　　那么，是什么妨碍了我们呢？责备女人挑起两性战争是毫无意义的。毕竟，这个世界还是男人的天下。只要知道我们之所求，我们便可以通过规定得到它。否，问题在于我们缺乏想象力。如果问女人，作为女人她们想要什么，她们会告诉你：平等。而男人呢？我们没有一点线索。原因很简单，我们没有能够理解本世纪最伟大、最持久的社会运动的机遇，那就是两性劳动力分工的不复存在。
We’re making a mistake. The past ill-served our real needs. It forced us into a narrow sense of ourselves as workers, which fell apart when we were sacked, retired or fell ill. It drove us out of our homes and made us strangers to our children. It meant we subcontracted our physical, emotional and practical needs to women. They fed us, nurtured us, gave us access to our feelings, mediated a social world for us. They did our private labor, just as we did their public work.
　　我们正在犯一个错误。过去并未让我们真正的需要得到满足，却强迫我们狭隘地认为自己是一个劳动者，而当我们被解雇、退休或生病的时候，这种身份也随之消失。过去还让我们从家里走出来，使我们成为孩子的陌生人。这意味着我们将我们身体的、情感的和实际的需求寄托在女人身上。她们喂养、抚育我们，顾及我们感情的需要，为我们斡旋出一个社会圈子。她们为我们做私人的工作，就像我们为她们做公众的工作一样。
For all the adult behavior we demonstrated outside the home, we remained children within it. It left us, particularly the elderly, half-dead, living sad, limited lives, often stuck in soured relationships.
　　尽管在家以外我们展现出了所有成年人的行为举止，而在家里我们却仍然十分孩子气。它使我们，尤其是那些年老的、行将就木的人，过着一种悲惨的、有局限的生活，通常使我们处于一种乖戾的关系中。
We can change all this. And it isn’t just wishful thinking. A fair wind was behind women’s liberation: in a few decades they gained control of their own fertility, while the economy demanded a vast expansion in the labor force. Even conservative men couldn’t stop them.
　　我们可以改变所有这一切，这不只是如意的想法。在妇女解放的背后，吹着一阵顺风：在几十年的时间里，妇女控制了她们的生育能力，而经济却需要劳动力的大量增加。甚至连保守的男人都不能阻止她们。
The first step must be for us to break our silence. Hence this manifesto.
　　我们必须迈出的第一步就是打破沉默。因此，有了这样一份宣言。
　Just imagine how we might be　
　　憧憬未来
When the sexual division of labor Underpined notions of being a man, we defined ourselves in three ways: as bread-winning workers, as the opposite of women, and as fathers who did what mothers did not do. Each notion rules out a vast sphere of activity and stifles men. We must rewrite these definitions.
　　当两性劳动力分工使男人的概念得到加强时，我们将自己定义为三种角色：养家糊口的工人，女人的对立面，和做母亲不做之事情的父亲。每一种概念都限制了男人活动的范围，使男人感到窒息。因此，我们必须重新改写这些定义。
Work is not the promised land
　　工作并非男人承诺的领地
When people ask me what I am, I say I’m a journalist. Not a man, not a father, not a husband, not a son, not a brother, not a citizen, not even a combination of these; a journalist. Like many men, I am my work. When work’s OK, I’m OK. Everything else might be falling apart, but success at work sustains a man. It provides status, power and a means to be a bread-winning father. The women’s movement has only further emphasized the paramount status of work and that, by implication, domesticity and child-rearing is drudgery.
　　当人们问及我是做什么的时，我会说我是一个新闻工作者，而不会说我是一个男人，一个父亲，一个丈夫，一个儿子，一个兄弟，一个公民，甚至不会将所有这些结合在一起说，而只是说我是一个新闻记者。像许多男人一样，我就是我的工作。当工作顺利时，我也称心如意。其它一切都可能荡然无存。但是事业上的成功却是一个男人的支柱。它为男人提供地位、权利以及成为挣钱养家的父亲的一种手段。妇女运动只是进一步强调了工作的重要地位，而且暗示人们，专心于家务和抚养小孩是一件苦差事。
Yet expecting work to support our sense of self so fundamentally is a mistake. Many self-definitions survive the passage of time. Job isn’t one of them. It’s too insecure. One day we know we’ll get fired, sick or retire. For those who are young and can’t get a job or are dumped on the scrap heap at an early age, failure at work leads to depression, crime, violence and, in some cases, suicide. Must a man go mad before he discovers a sounder way of valuing himself? We have to realize that putting faith in work is a con .　
　　然而，指望工作从根本上维持我们的自我感觉是一个错误。许多自我的定义经得起时间的考验，但工作不在此列，因为它太不可靠了。我们知道总有一天我们会被解雇，会生病或会退休。对于那些年纪轻轻又找不到工作或者在年轻时就被解雇的人来说，工作上的失败会导致沮丧、犯罪、暴力，在有些情况下，甚至会导致自杀。如果男人找不到能夸耀自己的更好的方法肯定会发疯吗？我们必须意识到工作是靠不住的。
Man is not the opposite of woman
　　男人不是女人的对立面
When women were seen as weak, we had to be strong. We did what women didn’t do, but now there’s hardly anything women won’t do. They play sports, earn money, attend football matches, fly RAF fighters and initiate sex. Yet we persist in thinking of ourselves as the "pposite"of women. At this rate, we’ll end up defined as the people who do the few activities women don’t want to do: rape, murder and abuse.　
　　当女人们被看成是弱者时，我们必须是强者。我们做女人们不做的事情，但是现在女人几乎没有什么事情不做。她们从事体育运动，挣钱，参加足球比赛，驾驶英国皇家空军的战斗机，甚至主动开始床第之欢。然而，我们却坚持把自己看成是女人的对立面。这样的话，我们最终会把自己定义成只做很少几件女人不愿做的事，即强奸、谋杀和虐待。
Fathers, too, can fulfil all a child’s needs
　　父亲同样能够满足孩子的需要
We remain limited by the traditional image of fathers as providing income, discipline and, in some cases, a playmate for a child. Physical and emotional intimacy with children have been the prerogative of women and largely continue to be so. Today many men want to be closer to their children and are active fathers. We enjoy it and are competent. But some women refuse to treat us as equals.
　　我们仍然受传统的父亲形象的制约，即提供工资收入、规定纪律，在某些情况下，为小孩充当玩伴。在身体上和感情上与孩子亲近一直是女人的特权，而且在很大程度上还会继续如此。如今许多男人都渴望与他们的孩子更接近一些，他们是主动积极的父亲。我们乐意这样做，并且也有能力这样做。但是有些女人却拒绝平等相待我们。
Equality begins at home
平等始于家庭
In many homes men are passive, allowing women to organize our personal lives, letting them act as gatekeepers of the home, determining which friendships are maintained, how involved the couple is with family. Many of us find it difficult to take the initiative or to say no to women at home, because we never learned how to say no to our mothers.
　　在很多家庭里，男人是被动的，我们允许女人安排我们的个人生活，让她们充当家里的看门人，让她们决定哪些友谊可以保持，决定夫妇与亲人应该保持多密切的关系。我们当中有许多人发觉很难主动采取行动，或者在家里对女人说"不”，因为我们从来就没有学会如何拒绝我们的母亲。
Men must start doing it for themselves
　　男人必须开始为自己而做
Successful men must take up a leadership role. Too often they stay quiet because they have least to gain from rethinking their roles. Their jobs are relatively secure, with high status and power over women. They have some control over their working hours, can often work from home and afford child care. They can still have it all.
　　成功的男人必须担任领导的角色。通常他们都保持沉默，因为重新考虑他们的角色，他们也得不到什么好处。他们的工作相对地比较可靠，地位和权力都高于女人，他们还能控制工作时间，可以离家去上班，可以花钱请人照看孩子。他们还可以拥有这一切。
So they hang on to what can be salvaged from the old order, and close their minds to reshaping the world in a way that better suits all of us. The men’s movement is thus often inhabited by angry, inarticulate men who lack an intellectual framework for understanding their dilemmas. Intelligent, educated men could lead the way. We need them to start thinking, fast.
　　因此，他们抱残守缺，封闭起自己的头脑，拒绝以更适合我们大家的方式改造这个世界。所以，男权运动通常是由这些人所控制，他们义愤填膺，口齿不清，缺乏用善于思维的构架去理解他们进退两难的尴尬局面。聪颖的、受过教育的男人能够成为引路人，我们迫切需要这样的人去开始思考。
Why Digital Culture Is Good for You?
为什么数字文化对你有好处？
　The news media, along with social and behavioral scientists, have recently sent out a multitude of warnings about the many dangers that await us out there in cyberspace. The truth of the matter is that the Web is no more inherently dangerous than anything else in the world. It is not some amorphous entity capable of inflicting harmful outcomes on all who enter. In fact, in and of itself, the Web is fairly harmless. It has no special power to overtake its users and alter their very existence. Like the old tale that the vampire cannot harm you unless you invite it to cross your threshold, the Internet cannot corrupt without being invited. And, with the exception of children and the weak-willed, it cannot create what does not already exist... 　
最近，新闻媒体以及社会学家和行为学家们都发出大量警告指出：网络空间危险重重。其实，万维网与世界上其它任何事物一样并非天然地有害。它并非某种看不见摸不着的实体，能使危险降临进入它的每一个人。实际上，网络就其本身而言是相当无害的，它没有超越其使用者并改变他们的存在的特殊功能。正如古老的传说指出的一样，吸血鬼不请不会自入家门来伤害你，互联网也不会不请自来地使你堕落。除孩子和意志薄弱者外，它不可能造成本来就不存在的东西…
(1) Like alcohol, the Web simply magnifies what is already there: Experts are concerned that the masking that goes on online poses a danger