大学英语4课文

LookingforaJobAfterUniversity?First,GetOfftheSofa!Morethan650,000studentsleftuniversitythissummerandmanyhavenoideaaboutthewaytogetajob.Howtoughshouldaparentbetogalvanizetheminthesefinanciallyfraughttimes?InJuly,youlookedonasyourhandsome21-year-oldson,dressedingownandmortarboard,proudlyclutchedhishonoursdegreeforhisgraduationphoto.Thosememoriesofforkingoutthousandsofpoundsayearsothathecouldeatwellandgototheoddparty,begantofade.Untilnow.Asthesummerbreakcomestoacloseandstudentsacrossthecountryprepareforthestartofanewterm,youfindthatyourgraduatesonisstillspendingdaysslumpedinfrontofthetelevision,brokenonlybytexting,Facebookandvisitstothepub.ThisformerscionofGenerationYhasmorphedovernightintoamemberofGenerationGrunt.Willheevergetajob?Thisisthescenariofacingthousandsoffamilies.Morethan650,000studentsleftuniversitythissummerandmostinthesefinanciallytestingtimeshavenoideawhattodonext.Parentsreverttonagging;sonsanddaughtersbecomerebelswithoutacause,awarethattheyneedtogetajob,butnotsurenow.JackGoodwin,formMiddlesex,graduatedwitha2:1inpoliticsfromNottinghamthissummer.Hewalkedintotheuniversitycareersserviceandstraightbackoutagain;therewasabigqueue.Helivedwithfiveotherboysallofwhomdidthesame.Therewasnopressuretofindajob,eventhoughmostofthegirlsheknewhadaclearerplan.“Iappliedforajobasapoliticalresearcher,butgotturneddown,”hesays.“Theywerepaying18,000,whichdoesn’tbuyyoumuchmorethanatinofbeansafterrent,buttheywantedpeoplewithexperienceormaster’sdegrees.ThenIappliedfortheCivilServicefaststream.Ipassedtheexam,butattheinterviewstheyaccusedmeofbeing‘toodetached’andtalkinginlanguagethatwas‘tootechnocratic’,whichIdidn’tthinkpossible,butobviouslyitis.”Sincethenhehasspentthesummer“hiding”.HecanrecountseveralepisodesofTrafficCopsandhasseenmoredaytimetelevisionthanishealthy.Hetalkstohisfriendsabouthisaimlessdaysandfindsthatmostareinthesameboat.Onehasbeenforcedouttostackshelvesbyhisparents.Fortherestitis9-to-5“chilling”beforeheadingtothepub.Sohowaboutworkingbehindthebar,topayforthosedrinks?”Idon’twanttodobarwork.IwenttoacomprehensiveandIworkedmybacksideofftogotoagooduniversity,whereIworkedreallyhardtogetagooddegree,”hesays.”NowI’mbackatthesamestageasthosefriendswhodidn’tgotouniatall,whoarepullingpintsanddoingdead-endjobs.IfeelthatI’vecomefullcircle.”JacquelineGoodwin,hismother,defendshim.Sheinsiststhathehastriedtogetajob,buthavingworkedfull-timesinceleavingschoolherself,sheandherhusbandfindittrickytoadvisehimonhowtoproceed.”Ihavealwayshadtowork,”shesays.“It’sdifficultbecausewhenyouhaveadegree,itopensnewdoorsforyou,oryou’dliketothinkthatitdoes.”Althoughsheistakingasoftlinewithhersonatthemoment,sheisclearthatafteranupcomingthree-weektriptoSouthAmerica,hisholidayfromworkwillhavetoend.Hemayevenhavetopayrentandcontributetothehouseholdbills.“They’vegottogrowupatsomepoint.We’vefinishedpayingforuniversity,soalittlebitofhelpbackisgood,”shesays.”TheSouthAmericatripisthecutoffpoint.Whenhecomesbackthere’llbeChristmasworkifnothingelse.”GaelLindenfield,apsychotherapistandtheauthorofTheEmotionalHealingStrategy,saysthattheGoodwinparentshavestruckexactlytherightnote.Thetransitionfromuniversitytoajobistoughforparentsandchildren:Cruciallytheymustbalancebeingpositiveandunderstandingwithnotmakinglifetoocomfortablefortheiroffspring.“Themainjobfortheparentsistobetherebecauseiftheystartadvisingthemwhattodo,thatiswhentheconflictstarts.Ifyouhavecontacts,byallmeansusethose,”shesays.“Butalotofparentsgettoosoft.Putlimitsonhowmuchmoneyyougivethem,askthemtopayrentorcontributetothecareofthehouseorthepets.Carryonlifeasnormalanddon’tallowthemtoabuseyourbankaccountorsapyourreservesofemotionalenergy.”Payingforcareerconsultations,trainfarestointerviewsorbooksaregoodthings;beingtoopushyisnot.Butwhileparentsshouldbewarybecomingtoosoft,Lindenfieldadvisesthemtotreadsympatheticallyafterajobsetbackforafewdaysorevenweeks-dependingonthescaleoftheknock.Afterthatthesonordaughterneedstobenudgedfirmlybackintothesaddle.Boysaremorelikelytogetstuckathome.Lindenfieldbelievesthatmenareoftenbetterathelpingtheirsons,nephews,orfriends’sonsthanaremothersandsisters.Menhaveadifferentwayofhandingsetbacksthanwomen,shesays,sotheyneedthemalepresencetotalkitthrough.Asforbarwork,sheisapassionateadvocate:It’sagreatantidotetograduateapathy.Itjustdependsonhowyouapproachit.Lindenfield,whofoundherfirstjobasanaerialphotographicassistantthroughbarwork,saysitisagreatnetworkingopportunityandcertainlymorelikelytogetyouajobthanlounginginfrontofTV.“Thesamegoesforshelf-stacking.Youwillbespottedifyou’regoodatit.Ifyou’rebrightandcheerfulandarepolitetothecustomers,you’llsoongetmovedon.Sothinkofitasanopportunity;peoplewhoaresuccessfulinthelongrunhaveoftengotshelfstackingstories,”shesays.YoursonordaughtermaynotwanttofollowHollywoodstarssuchasWhoopiGoldbergintoapplyingmake-uptocorpsesinamortuary,orguardingnuclearpowerplantslikeBruceWillis,butevenBradPitthadtostandoutsideElPolloLocorestaurantchaininagiantchickensuitatonetimeinhislife.Noneofthemappearsthepoorerfortheseexperiences.译文：大学毕业找工作的第一要义：别躺在沙发上做梦今年夏天，超过65万的大学生毕业离校，其中有许多人根本不知道怎么找工作。在当今金融危机的背景下，做父母的该如何激励他们？七月，你看着21岁英俊的儿子穿上学士袍，戴上四方帽，骄傲地握着优等学士学位证书，拍毕业照。这时，记忆中每年支付几千英镑，好让儿子吃好，能参加奇特聚会的印象开始消退。总算熬到头了。等到暑假快要结束，全国各地的学生正在为新学期做准备的时候，你发现大学毕业的儿子还歪躺在沙发上看电视。他只是偶尔走开去发短信，浏览社交网站Facebook，去酒吧喝酒。这位前“千禧一代”的后裔一夜之间变成了哼哼一代的成员。他能找到工作吗？这就是成千上万家庭所面临的景象：今年夏天，超过65万大学生毕业，在当今金融危机的背景下他们中的大多数人不知道自己下一步该做什么。父母只会唠叨，而儿女们则毫无缘由地变成了叛逆者，他们知道自己该找份工作，但却不知道如何去找。来自米德尔塞克斯郡的杰克·古德温今年夏天从诺丁汉大学政治学系毕业，获得二级一等荣誉学士学位。他走进大学就业服务中心，又径直走了出来，因为他看见很多人在那里排长队。跟他一起住的另外5个男孩也都跟他一样，进去又出来了。找工作的压力不大，虽然他所认识的大多数女生都有更清晰的计划。他说：“我申请政治学研究工作，但被拒了。他们给的年薪是1万8千镑，交完房租后所剩无几，也就够买一罐煮豆子，可他们还要有研究经历或硕士学位的人。然后我又申请了公务员速升计划，并通过了笔试。但在面试时，他们说我‘太冷漠’了，谈吐‘太像专家治国国论者。我觉得自己不可能那样，但我显然就是那样的。”打那以后他整个夏天都在“躲”他能够轻松复述《交通警察》中的。若干片段，他白天看电视的时间太多，已经到了影响健康的地步。跟朋友谈自己漫无目标的日子时，他才发现他们的处境和自己的并没有两样。其中一位朋友在父母的逼迫下去超市摆货，其余的都是白天9点到5点“无所事事”，晚上去酒吧喝酒打发时间。要么干脆就在酒吧工作？这样还可以挣些酒钱。“我不想在酒吧工作，我上的是综合性中学，我拼命读书才考上了一所好大学。到了大学，我又埋头苦读，才得到一个好学位。可现在我却跟那些没上过大学的朋友处在同一个水平线上，他们整天给客人倒酒，干无聊的活。我觉得自己好像兜了一圈，又回到了原来的起点。他的母亲杰奎琳·古德温为他辩护。她坚持认为她的儿子已经尽力了，她自己中学毕业后一直都在工作，可是她和她的丈夫发现，建议儿子如何继续找工作是件很棘手的事情。她说，“我一直都必须工作。现在找工作很难，因为如果你有了学位，学位就会为你提供新的机会，至少你自己会这么想。”虽然现在她对儿子的态度还比较温和，但是她心里很清楚，去南美度三星期的假之后，他的休假就结束了。他可能还得付房租，分担家庭开支。她说，在某个时候他们总该长大成人，我们已经帮了他们交了大学的学费所以他们也该给我们一点点回报了。南美度假就是一个分水岭，他回来以后如果找不到工作，那就打圣诞节零工好了。”心理治疗师盖尔·林登费尔德是《情感康复策略》的作者。她说古德温家长的说法是很恰当的，从上大学到工作的转换对孩子和父母来说都很艰难，关键是他们要在支持理解孩子和不溺爱孩子之间取得平衡。“父母的主要任务就是支持他们，如果他们教导孩子该如何做就会引起矛盾，”她说。“如果有熟人，一定要找他们想办法。但很多父母心太软了。必须限制孩子的零花钱，要求他们交房租，或分担日常生活或养宠物的花销。父母要过正常的生活，不要让孩子随便用你们的银行卡或者榨干你们的情感能量。”为他们支付职业咨询费、面试交通费及书费是好事，但不能催得太紧。林登费尔德建议：虽说父母不能太宽容，但是如果孩子找工作遇到了挫折，父母应该体谅他们，宽容他们几天甚至几周——这要看他们受打击的程度来决定。等他们缓过来之后，父母就该坚决要求孩子继续求职。男孩更容易困在家里。林登费尔德相信男人比母亲和姐妹更容易帮助他们的儿子、侄子、或朋友的儿子。她说，由于男人和女人处理挫折的方式不同，孩子们需要跟男人谈话，才能度过难关。她强烈支持他们去酒吧工作：那是克服毕业冷漠症的一剂良方。这工作好不好要取决于你如何看待它。就是在酒吧打工的时候，林登费尔德找到了她的第一份工作，当航拍助手。她说在酒吧工作是拓展人际关系的绝好机会，肯定比赖在家里看电视更容易找到工作。她说：给超市上货也一样。如果干得好，你就会被人发现的。如果你聪明、活泼，对顾客彬彬有礼，你很快就会升职。所以，把它看作是机会，那些最终能成功的人士都有在超市上货的经历。你的儿子或女儿可能不会干好莱坞影星们干过的活，比如像乌比·戈德堡那样去停尸房给死人化妆，或者像布鲁斯·威利斯那样在核电站当警卫，但即便是布拉德·皮特也曾经不得不穿上宽大的鸡套装站在墨西哥快餐连锁店ElPolloLoco的门口招揽生意。他们中没有一个人因为这些经历而变得越来越穷。Unit4ThecreditcardtrapIhaveaconfession.Severalyearsago,Iwasstandinginaqueuetocollectsometheatreticketsformyfamily,andmyfriendwasdoingthesameforhers.Igotmine,andpaidforthembycreditcard,feelingcontentedbytheconvenienceofthiscash-freetransaction.Itwasthenherturntopay.Thewholeoperationpassedassmoothlyasmine,butmydelightsoonturnedtoabjectshame.Mycreditcardwasafairlypathetic,status-freedarkblue,whereasherswasaveryexclusivegoldone.Howdidshedothis?Howcouldthisbe?IknewIearnedmorethanher,mycarwasnewer,andmyhousewassmarter.Howdidshegettoappearmoreflashthanme?Now,Ihadajobwhichwasassteadyasanyjobwasinthosedays–that'stosay,notvery,butyouknow,nocomplaints.Ihadamortgageonmyhouse,butthenwhodidn't?Ipaidoffallmycreditdebtattheendofthemonth,soalthoughtechnically,Iwasindebttothecreditcardcompany,itwasonlyforamatterofafewweeks.SoIassumedIhadagoodcreditrating.Callmesuperficial,andI'mnotproudofmyself,butthereandthen,Iwassuddenlyjealousofmyfriend.IdecidedInolongerwantedabluecard.Iwantedagoldone.Agoldcardwassuddenlyindispensable,itwouldmakemefeelgoodwithmyself,anddesirabletoothers.SoIappliedforthemostdistinctive,shinygoldencardthecompanyoffered.Iwasturneddown.WhenIhadrecoveredfromtheshock,whichtookseveralseconds,Iaskedwhy.ItappearsthatbecauseIpaymycreditcardbillbothontimeandinfull,I'mnotthekindofpersonthattheywanttohavetheirgoldcreditcard.Theytargetpeoplewhoarepronetoimpulse-buying,andpotentiallybadcreditrisks,temptedtospendmorethantheyhave,andliabletofallbehindwithrepayments.Thentheycanchargethemmoreinterest,andearnmoremoney.That'sthewaytheydobusiness.Sodoesthisexplainwhythecreditcardcompaniesareluringimpoverishedstudentswithunrealisticinterestrates,likemykids?Threeweeksago,No.2daughtercamehomefromuniversityfortheweekend.She'sinhersecondtermofherfirstyear.Shehasastudentloanof£3,000,likemostofherfriends,andasmallallowancefromherpoormother(ha!)fortransport,books,livingexpenses.Shewearsclothesfromthelocalcharityshops,andrarelygoesout.Shehuggedme(neverusuallydoesthat)andthensaid,"Mum,Ineedtotalktoyou.""Whatisit,darling?Tellmeeverything.""I'veappliedforacreditcard,andIneedsomeonetoactasaguaranteeforme.IsitOKifIputdownyourname?Thankssomuch,Mum,mustdash!Bye."12AfterI'dhauledherbackintothehouse,ittranspiredthatherbankhadwrittentoherofferingacreditcardatalowinterestforatrialthree-monthperiod,subjecttosuitability...andsoon.Herbank!Itrustedthem!TheyknowevenbetterthanIdohowbrokesheis.Here'saseriousquestion.Whydotheycallthemcreditcardswhenitwouldbemoreaccuratetocallthemdebtcards?Here'sanevenmoreseriousstory.Anotherfriend'sdaughter,Kelly,wasstudyingmodernlanguagesatuniversity,andspentayearoverseas.Atsomepointintheyear,therewasachangeofprocedure,andKelly'sbankfailedtoallowhertoaccessherfundsinhercurrentaccount,becausetherequestwasfromoutsidetheUK.Naturally,therewasalengthycorrespondencewhileshetriedtosortthisout,sothedelayinbeingabletoaccessherfundsmeantthatshewentintothered,andherdebtsbegantorisemorethan£200abovetheagreedlimitonheroverdraftof£1,500.WhenKellygotbackhome,thebankchargedher£100forgoingoverthelimit,andinsistedshepaid£30amonthtobringthebalancebacktobelowherlimit.Theyomittedtotellherthatshewasn'tactuallypayingoffthedebt,butonlytheexorbitantinterestontheoverspendoftheoverdraft.SoKellyhadtoturntohercreditcardwhichshehadusedsensiblyandsparinglyuntilthatpoint.Becauseshewasastudent,andbecauseshedidn'tuseitmuch,naturallyhercreditlimitwaslow.Andnotsurprisingly,shecouldn'tpayoffeventheminimumpaymentonhercreditcardbill.Sotherewerenotonlybankchargesowing,butalsocreditcarddebtsandinterest.Andofcourse,shewasrecordedasbeingabadcreditrisk.Thingsthenwentfrombadtoworse.Afewmonthsintoherfinalyear,thebanknotifiedherthatitwasgoingtoreduceheroverdraftfrom£1,500to£1,000.Theytoldhertoapplyforastudentloantocovertherest.Butwhentheloancompanydidacreditcheck,theydiscoveredthecarddebt.Guesswhat?Shedidn'tgettheloan.Thiswasadelightfulkidwhohadgreatrestraintwithherspendingandwaseconomicalaboutherlifestyle.Shedidn'tgoonspendingspreesbuyingnewshoes,andshedidn'tusehercreditcardasif(unlikeme)itwasafashionitem.Sheusedittobuyfood,tosurvive.Andwhathappened?Shehadtodropoutofuniversity.IwishtherewasahappyendingtoKelly'sstory,althoughmaybetherewillbe.Forthemoment,she'sworkinginthelocalsupermarket,andit'sprobablethatshe'llhaveanothergoatuniversitywhenshehaspaidoffherdebts.Sothisiswhatthebanksdo.Theysettrapswhichappealtoourvanityandgreedandsometimestoourbasicneedforsurvival.Andthenwhenwefallintothetraptheyshout"Gotyou!Didn'tyourealizeitwasatrap?"Andherewearetoday,caughtinthecreditcrunch,withworldeconomiesinfreefall,allbecausethewickedbankerssetustrapswhichwefellinto,attractinguswithendlesspublicityforloansofmoneywhicheventheydidn'thave!Itnowappearstheywereborrowingontheirownflashygoldcreditcardstoo.SoIhaveasolutiontothecreditcardtrap,andIwantallofyoutolistentomeverycarefully.Iwantyoutolayoutallofyourcreditcardsinaline,takealargepairofscissorsandcutthemintosmallpieces.Thenputtheminanenvelopeandsendthemtoyourbank,withalettersaying(moreorless)"Itrustedyouandyoudeceivedme.You'vegotthewholeworldintothisridiculouscreditcardtrap,andifInowcutyourcardsinhalf,andtakeawayyourpotentialtotemptmoneyawayfromhonestpeoplelikeme,maybeitwillbeyourturntolearnwhatit'sliketorunoutofcash."Asforme,Idon'twantanymorecreditcards,nomorestatussymbols,nomorebadfeelingsaboutwishingIcouldshowhowsuperiorIamtoothers.I'mnotgoingtoyearnanymoreforwhatIcannotaffordorcannothave.Unit5SexDifferencesinEnglishgossiprulesContrarytopopularbelief,researchershavefoundthatmengossipjustasmuchaswomen.InoneEnglishstudy,bothsexesdevotedthesameamount与人们普遍认为的相反，研究人员发现男人和女人说闲话一样多。在一项英语研究中，男女都投入了相同的金额ofconversationtime(about65percent)tosocialtopicssuchaspersonalrelationships;inanother,thedifferencewasfoundtobequitesmall,withgossipaccountingfor55percentofmaleconversationtimeand67percentof在谈话时间（约65%）与人际关系等社交话题之间的差异非常小，其中八卦占男性谈话时间的55%，在社交话题中占67%femaletime.Assportandleisurehavebeenshowntooccupyabout10per女性时间。因为运动和休闲已经被证明占了大约10%centofconversationtime,discussionoffootballcouldwellaccountforthedifference谈话时间的一分一秒，关于足球的讨论可以很好地解释差别。Menwerecertainlyfoundtobenomorelikelythanwomentodiscuss"important"or"highbrow"subjectssuchaspolitics,work,artandculturalmatters–except(andthiswasastrikingdifference)whenwomenwerepresent.Ontheirown,mengossip,withnomorethanfivepercentofconversationtimedevotedtonon-socialsubjectssuchasworkorpolitics.Itisonlyinmixed-sexgroups,wheretherearewomentoimpress,thattheproportionofmaleconversationtimedevotedtothesemore"highbrow"subjectsincreasesdramatically,tobetween15and20percent.人们当然发现，男性和女性讨论“重要”或“高雅”话题（如政治、工作、艺术和文化事务）的可能性不大，但女性在场的情况除外（这是一个显著的不同）。男人靠自己闲聊，不超过5%的谈话时间用于工作或政治等非社交话题。只有在男女混合的群体中，女性才能给人留下深刻印象，男性与这些更“高雅”的话题交谈的时间比例才急剧增加，达到15%至20%。3Infact,recentresearchhasrevealedonlyonesignificantdifference,intermsofcontent,betweenmaleandfemalegossip:Menspendmuchmoretimetalkingaboutthemselves.Ofthetotaltimedevotedtoconversationaboutsocialrelationships,menspendtwothirdstalkingabouttheirownrelationships,whilewomenonlytalkaboutthemselvesonethirdofthetime.事实上，最近的研究表明，男女闲话在内容上只有一个显著的区别：男人花更多的时间谈论自己。在谈论社会关系的总时间中，男性花三分之二的时间谈论自己的关系，而女性只花三分之一的时间谈论自己。4Despitethesefindings,themythisstillwidelybelieved,particularlyamongmales,thatmenspendtheirconversations"solvingtheworld'sproblems",whilethewomenfolkgossipinthekitchen.Inmyfocusgroupsandinterviews,mostEnglishmalesinitiallyclaimedthattheydidnotgossip,whilemostofthefemalereadilyadmittedthattheydid.Onfurtherquestioning,however,thedifferenceturnedouttobemoreamatterofsemanticsthanpractice:Whatthewomenwerehappytocall"gossip",themendefinedas"exchanginginformation".4尽管有这些发现，人们仍然普遍相信，特别是在男性中，男性在谈话中“解决世界问题”，而女性则在厨房里闲聊。在我的焦点小组和访谈中，大多数英国男性最初声称他们没有闲聊，而大多数女性则欣然承认他们有闲聊。然而，在进一步的提问中，结果发现，这种差异更多的是语义问题，而不是实践问题：女性乐于称之为“八卦”，而男性则定义为“交换信息”。5Clearly,thereisastigmaattachedtogossipamongEnglishmales,anunwrittenruletotheeffectthat,evenifwhatoneisdoingisgossiping,itshouldbecalledsomethingelse.Perhapsevenmoreimportant:Itshouldsoundlikesomethingelse.Inmygossipresearch,Ifoundthatthemaindifferencebetweenmaleandfemalegossipisthatfemalegossipactuallysoundslikegossip.Thereseemtobethreeprincipalfactorsinvolved:thetonerule,thedetailruleandthefeedbackrule.很明显，英国男性之间的闲言碎语带有污名，这是一条不成文的规则，大意是，即使一个人在做的是闲言碎语，也应该被称为其他的事情。或许更重要的是：它应该听起来像别的东西。在我的流言蜚语研究中，我发现男女流言蜚语的主要区别在于女性流言蜚语实际上听起来像流言蜚语。似乎涉及到三个主要因素：语气规则、细节规则和反馈规则。Thetonerule音调规则6TheEnglishwomenIinterviewedallagreedthataparticulartoneofvoicewasconsideredappropriateforgossip.Thegossip-toneshouldbehighandquick,orsometimesastagewhisper,butalwayshighlyanimated."Gossip'sgottostartwithsomethinglike[quick,high-pitched,excitedtone]'Oooh–Guesswhat?Guesswhat?'"explainedonewoman,"or'Hey,listen,listen[quick,urgentstagewhisper]–youknowwhatIheard?'"Anothertoldme:"Youhavetomakeitsoundsurprisingorscandalous,evenwhenitisn'treally.You'llgo,'Well,don'ttellanyone,but…'evenwhenit'snotreallythatbigofasecret."我采访过的英国妇女都认为，一种特殊的语调适合闲聊。流言蜚语的语调应该是高亢而迅速的，或者有时是舞台上的低语，但总是充满活力。”流言蜚语必须以[快速、高亢、激动的语气]之类的话开始，“哦-猜猜怎么着？你猜怎么着？”一个女人解释道，“或者‘嘿，听着，听着，【快速，紧急的舞台低语】——你知道我听到了什么吗？”另一个告诉我：“你必须让它听起来出人意料或令人不快，即使它不是真的。你会说，“好吧，别告诉任何人，但是……”即使这不是什么大秘密7Manyofthewomencomplainedthatmenfailedtoadoptthecorrecttoneofvoice,recountingitemsofgossipinthesameflat,unemotionalmannerasanyotherpieceofinformation,suchthat,asonewomansniffed,"Youcan'teventellit'sgossip."Which,ofcourse,isexactlytheimpressionthemaleswishtogive.7许多妇女抱怨说，男子没有采取正确的语调，用与其他任何信息相同的平淡、不带感情的方式叙述流言蜚语，如一名妇女嗅到的那样，“你甚至不能分辨出这是流言蜚语”。当然，这正是男子希望给人的印象。Thedetailrule细节规则8Femalesalsostressedtheimportanceofdetailinthetellingofgossip,andagainbemoanedtheshortcomingsofmalesinthismatter,claimingthatmen"neverknowthedetails"."Menjustdon'tdothehe-said-she-saidthing,"oneinformanttoldme,"andit'snogoodunlessyouactuallyknowwhatpeoplesaid."Anothersaid:"Womentendtospeculatemore…They'lltalkaboutwhysomeonedidsomething,giveahistorytothesituation."Forwomen,thisdetailedspeculationaboutpossiblemotivesandcauses,requiringanexhaustiverakingover"history",isacrucialelementofgossip,asisdetailedspeculationaboutpossibleoutcomes.Englishmalesfindallthisdetailboring,irrelevantand,ofcourse,unmanly.8位女性在讲八卦时也强调了细节的重要性，并再次感叹男性在这件事上的不足，声称男性“永远不知道细节”一位线人告诉我，男人就是不按他说的那样做，除非你知道别人说了什么，否则这是不好的。另一位线人说：“女人更倾向于猜测……她们会谈论为什么有人做了什么，并记录下当时的情况。”对女人来说，这是对可能的动机和原因的详细推测，需要对“历史”进行彻底的调查，这是流言蜚语的一个关键因素，对可能结果的详细推测也是如此。英国男性觉得所有这些细节都很无聊，无关紧要，当然，也没有男人味。Thefeedbackrule反馈规则9AmongEnglishwomen,itisunderstoodthattobea"goodgossip"requiresmorethanalivelytoneandattentiontodetail:Youalsoneedagoodaudience,bywhichtheymeanappreciativelistenerswhogiveplentyofappropriatefeedback.Thefeedbackruleoffemalegossiprequiresthatlistenersbeatleastasanimatedandenthusiasticasspeakers.Thereasoningseemstobethatthisisonlypolite;thespeakerhasgonetothetroubleofmakingtheinformationsoundsurprisingandscandalous,sotheleastonecandoistoreciprocatebysoundingsuitablyshocked.Englishmen,accordingtomyfemaleinformant,justdon'tseemtohavegraspedthisrule.Theydonotunderstandthat"Youaresupposedtosay'NO!Really?'and'OhmyGOD!'"据了解，在英国女性中，要想成为一个“好八卦”，不仅需要生动的语气和对细节的关注：你还需要一个好的听众，他们指的是给予大量适当反馈的欣赏性听众。女性八卦的反馈规则要求听众至少和演讲者一样充满活力和热情。理由似乎是这样做只是出于礼貌；说话者已经费尽心思使信息听起来令人惊讶和可耻，因此至少可以通过发出适当的震惊来回应。据我的女线人说，英国男人似乎没有掌握这条规则。他们不明白“你应该说‘不！真的吗“哦，天哪！”10Myfemaleinformantsagreed,however,thatamanwhodidrespondintheapprovedfemalemannerwouldsoundinappropriatelygirly,orevendisturbinglyeffeminate.EventhegaymalesIinterviewedfeltthatthe"NO!Really?"kindofresponsewouldberegardedasdecidedly"camp".TheunwrittenrulesofEnglishgossipetiquettedoallowmentoexpressshockorsurprisewhentheyhearaparticularlyjuicybitofgossip,butitisunderstoodthatasuitableexpletiveconveyssuchsurpriseinamoreacceptablymasculinefashion.10然而，我的女性线人同意，如果一个男人确实以女性认可的方式做出回应，听起来会显得不适当的女性化，甚至令人不安的女性化。就连我采访过的男同性恋也觉得“不！真的吗？”这样的回应将被视为绝对的“阵营”。英国八卦礼仪的潜规则确实允许男人在听到特别多汁的八卦时表达震惊或惊讶，但可以理解的是，一个合适的咒语以一种更容易被接受的男性化的方式传达这种惊讶。Unit9LessonstobelearntI'vebeenspendingseveralyearslearningChineseformyworkhereinBeijing,sothelatestnewsthatthere'stobeanewcampaigntointroducethelanguageintoUSschools,andarecentreportestimatingthatover500schoolsintheUKareteachingitpromptsmetotellyousomethingwhichyoumaynotwanttohear:LearningChineseisreally,reallytough.UKexportstoChinaareexpectedtoquadruplebytheendofthedecade,anditsgovernmentwantseveryschool,collegeanduniversitytobetwinnedwithanequivalentinstitutioninChina.WiththedominanceofEnglishasaninternationallanguagesettodeclineoverthenext40years,it'snotsurprisingthatthisfallismatchedbyariseofinterestinlearningChinese.Chinesecultureisoneofthegreatwondersoftheworld.Itsphilosophy,art,foodandliteratureshowbothsubtletyandhumanityinequalmeasure.ButIhavetosaythatiflearningisajourney,it'ssometimeshardtokeepyoureyeonyourdestinationwhentherearesomanydistractionstoslowyoudownonthepathtowardsfluency.You'veheardoftheLongMarch?Well,thatisastrollinthepark,comparedtowhatit'sliketolearnChinese.So,if1.3billionChinesedon'thaveaproblemwiththeirownlanguage,whydodumbforeignerslikemefinditsohardtolearn?7Firstofall,learningthousandsofcharactersisachore,andthere'snothingforitbuttolearnthembyheart.Evenusingadictionaryhasitsownsetofproblems.Forexample,howdoyoulookupthemeaningofacharacter?I'vespenthourstryingtomatchwhatIthinkistheradicalwiththelistinthemiddleofmyChinese-Englishdictionary,thenhuntingdownthecharactermatchedwithitspinyin(Romanalphabet)equivalent,thenturningtothedictionaryentryitself,andlookingforthecharacterandeliminatingallthosewithinappropriatemeaningsuntilIfindtherightone.Ittakesalotofpatience,itcanbeverydisappointing,andmydisgracefulstrikerateisscarcely20charactersanhour.8Languageexpertsestimatethatyou"only"needtolearnabout5,000characterstobeliterate.(Ijustlovethat"only"!)Theyalsosayit'sdesirabletoseeandreviseacharacteraboutseventimesindifferentcontextsinordertoretainitanduseitproductively.Soyoudothemath.LearningChineseisalreadytough,butlearningwithanunqualifiedteachermakesitevenmoredifficult.Inourfirstlesson,welearntourfirstChinesecharacter家.OurteachertoldusthatChinesepeopleareabletoseetheoriginalrepresentationofmeaninginthecharacter.Shedrewitonthewhiteboard.Itmeanshome.Good.Shethenexplainedthatit'smeanttoillustrateapigunderaroof.That'sgoodtoo.Thensheasked,"Canyouseethepig?"No?12"Thereitis,can'tyousee?"Iseenopig."Andcanyouseetheroof?"Well,Isupposeso,butonlyifIwasshortsighted,dyslexicor,possibly,drunk.ButtopleasemyteacherIsaid,yesIcanseetheroof,justabitofablur,that'sall."That'sthepigundertheroof.Thatmeanshome!"saidmyteachertriumphantly,asifshehadachievedherveryfirstsuccessinteachingusChinese.Butshehadn't.HaveIfinishedwiththebadnews?Notyet.Thetonesystemmeansthatasinglecharactercanhavedifferentmeaningsaccordingtothetoneusedtopronounceit.Andit'seasytogethopelesslywrong,andevenworseifyoutravelaroundthecountry,asthetonescanvaryfromprovincetoprovince.Soisthereanygoodnews?Well,IconcedethatgrammariseasierthanmanyEuropeanlanguages.Therearenoverbtensestomanipulate,nosingularandplurals,norelativeclauses.(Confusingly,there'salsonodifferenceinpronunciationofthecharacterforheandshe.Forme,it'safairlybasicdistinction,butmaybeI'mbeingMs.Picky.)Butbackinclassagain,Inoticedthatbythewordsinthevocabularylistthereisapartofspeechmarked,noun,adjective,verb.WhenIlookbackatmyvocabularynotes,Iseethatsomewordscanfunctionasnounsandasverbs,andotherssuchasguo,baorlearecalledparticles,whateverthatmeans,butdon'thaveanidentifiablefunctioninthetermsweusetodescribelanguage.Theyhavemeaning,andwithoutthemthemeaningofthesentenceischanged.ButitseemsstrangetouseasysteminventedtoanalyzeEuropeanlanguages.SowhyareweusingasystemforanalyzingChinesewhichissolimited?ThenIbegintowonderhowcanChineseexpresscomplexconcepts?Takeonecharacterandithasadenotationalmeaning,whichyoucanusuallyfindinadictionary.Combinethischaracterwithanotherandyoucreateaconceptwhichisnewanddifferent.Combinethemwithmorecharactersandyoufurtherdevelopthisconcept.IsthissodifferentfromEnglish?Well,yes,becausebythistime,youneedtointerpretthecombina