翻译二级笔译综合能力阅读分类模拟题147

翻译二级笔译综合能力阅读分类模拟题147ReadingComprehension

She'scute,noquestion.Symmetricalfeatures,flawlessskin（江南博哥）,lookstobe22yearsold—enteringanymeat-marketbar,awomanluckyenoughtohavethisfacewouldturnenoughheadstostirabreeze.ButwhenVictorJohnstonpointsandclicks,thefaceonhiscomputerscreenchangesintoastateofsuperheated,crystallizedbeauty."Youcanseeit.It'sjustsoextraordinary,"saysJohnston,aprofessorofbiopsychologyatNewMexicoStateUniversitywhosoundsalittleinlovewithhiscreation.

Thetransformationfromprettywomantoknee-weakeningbabeisallthemoreamazingbecausethechangeswroughtbyJohnston'ssoftwareare,objectivelyspeaking,quitesubtle.Hecreatedtheoriginalfacebydigitallyaveraging16randomlyselectedfemaleCaucasianfaces.Thechangingprogramthenexaggeratedthewaysinwhichfemalefacesdifferfrommalefaces,creating,inhuman-beauty-sciencefield,a"hyper-female".Theeyesgrewabitlarger,thenosenarrowedslightlyandthelipsplumped.Theseareshiftsofjustafewmillimeters,butexperimentsinthiscountryandScotlandaresuggestingthatbothmalesandfemalesfind"feminized"versionsofaveragedfacesmorebeautiful.

Johnstonhatchedthislittlemovieaspartofhisongoingstudyintowhyhumanbeingsfindsomepeopleattractiveandothershomely.Hemaynothaveanyrock-solidanswersyet,butheisfarfromaloneinattemptingtoapplyscientificinquirytosoambiguousasubject.Aroundtheworld,researchersaremarchingintoterritoryformerlystakedoutbypoetsandpainterstouncovertheunderpinningsofhumanattractiveness.

Theresearchresultssofararesurprising—andhumbling.Numerousstudiesindicatethathumanbeautymaynotbesimplyintheeyeofthebeholderoranarbitraryculturalartifact.Itmaybeancientanduniversal,wroughtthroughagesofevolutionthatrewardedreproductivewinnersandkilledofflosers.Ifbeautyisnottruth,itmaybehealthandfertility:HalleBerry'sflawlessskinmayfascinatemoviegoersbecause,atsomedeeplevel,itpersuadesusthatsheisparasite-free.

Humanattractivenessresearchisarelativelyyoungandcertainlycontentiousfield—theallureofhyper-females,forexample,isstillhotlydebated—butthoseonitsfrontlinesagreeononepoint:Wewon'tconquer"looks-ism"untilweunderstanditssource.AspsychologistNancyEtcoffputsit:"Theideathatbeautyisunimportantoraculturalconstructistherealbeautymyth.Wehavetounderstandbeauty,orwewillalwaysbeenslavedbyit."1.

Theword"symmetrical"underlinedinParagraph1isclosestinmeaningto______.A.proportionateB.gorgeousC.splendidD.unique正确答案：A[解析]根据文中第一段的内容“Symmetricalfeatures,flawlessskin,lookstobe22yearsold”可知，匀称的体型，无暇的皮肤，看起来只有22岁。选项中的A项为“成比例的”符合文意。B项“漂亮的”，C项“华丽的”，D项“个性的，有特点的”，这三项均不符合题意。

2.

Thewomandescribedintheverybeginningofthetextis______.A.infactinherlatetwentiesB.Johnston'sidealgirlfriendC.astunningbeautyD.isaprofessionalprostitute正确答案：C[解析]通过第一段内容“She'scute...awomanluckyenoughtohavethisfacewouldturnenoughheadstostirabreeze.”可知，这位女士是一位漂亮的女人。据此判断，应选择C。A项“事实上她20多岁”文中提到他看起来有22岁，但是并未给出她的真实年龄，与文意不符；B项“约翰斯顿的理想女友”，D项“是个职业妓女”，这两项在文中均未提到。所以，这三项均不符合题意。

3.

Theword"exaggerated"underlinedinParagraph2isclosestinmeaningto______.A.overstateB.magnifyC.overdrawD.aggrandize正确答案：A[解析]根据文中第二段的内容“Thechangingprogramthenexaggeratedtheways”可知，正在改变的项目夸大了方式。选项中的A项为“夸大”符合文意。B项“放大，扩大”，C项“透支”，D项“扩大某人的权力，提高某人的地位”，这三项均不符合题意。

4.

VictorJohnsonsynthesizedanewfacebycombiningthefeaturesof16______A.beautifulEuropeanwomenB.differentwomenaroundtheworldC.casuallychosenwhitewomenD.ordinarywesternwomen正确答案：C[解析]通过第二段内容“...bydigitallyaveraging16randomlyselectedfemaleCaucasianfaces,”可知，他随意挑选了16张白种人的面孔，合成一张新的脸型。据此判断，应选择C。A项“漂亮的欧洲女人”，B项“世界上不同的女人”，D项“普通的西方女人”，这三项均不符合题意。

5.

Theword"hatched"underlinedinParagraph3isclosestinmeaningto______.A.plotB.planC.schemeD.engineer正确答案：A[解析]根据文中第三段的内容“Johnstonhatchedthislittlemovie”可知，Johnston秘密谋划了这部小电影。选项中的A项为“密谋，秘密计划”符合文意。B项“计划，安排”，C项“策划，图谋”，D项“设计，策划”，这三项均不符合题意。

6.

ThroughafewtinychangesmadebyJohnston,thesynthesizedfacebecameevenmore______.A.masculineB.averageC.feminineD.neutral正确答案：C[解析]通过第二段内容“Thechangingprogramthenexaggeratedthewaysinwhichfemalefacesdifferfrommalefaces,creating,inhuman-beauty-sciencefield,a'hyper-female'，”通过可知，稍作修改后，女子的脸就变得更加女子气了。据此判断，应选择C。A项“男子气的”，B项“普通的”，D项“中性的”，这三项均和原文不符。

7.

VictorJohnstonhasproducedsuchanattractivefaceinorderto______.A.givehiscomputerabeautifulscreenB.studythemythofhumanattractivenessC.provethehumancapacitytocreatebeautiesD.understandwhyCaucasianfacesarespecial正确答案：B[解析]通过第三段内容“Johnstonhatchedthislittleowhyhumanbeingsfindsomepeopleattractiveandotherhomely.”可知，Johntson想找出是什么让一些人更具吸引力，而另外一些人却是普通的。据此判断，应选择B。A项“给电脑换一个漂亮的屏幕”，C项“证明人有能力创造美”，D项“为什么白人的脸很特别”，均未在文中提到。所以，这三项均与文意不符。

8.

Theword"humbling"underlinedinParagraph4refersto______.A.shamefulB.shockedC.sensitiveD.unbelievable正确答案：A[解析]根据文中第四段的内容“Theresearchresultssofararesurprising—andhumbling”可知，到目前为止，研究结果是令人吃惊的和令人羞辱的。选项中的A项为“丢脸的，可耻的”符合文意。B项“震惊的”，C项“敏感的，易受影响的”，D项“难以置信的”，这三项均不符合题意。

9.

Paragraph4suggeststhathumanbeautymaybe______.A.culturallydifferentB.adisease-freeidolC.individual-dependentD.aworldagreedvalue正确答案：D[解析]通过第四段内容“Itmaybeancientanduniversal,wroughtthroughagesofevolutionthatrewardedreproductivewinnersandkilledofflosers.”可知，从古至今，人类对美的看法没有根本改变。据此判断，应判断D。A项“文化不同的”，B项“无病的偶像”，C项“依赖个人”，这三项均不符合文意。

10.

It'saconsensusamongtheresearchersthathumansarestillunconsciousof______A.whytheylookattractiveB.whenattractivenessisimportantC.howpowerfulbeautyisD.whatconstitutesbeauty正确答案：D[解析]通过第五段内容“Humanattractivenessresearchisarelativelyyoungandcertainlycontentiousfield...Wewon'tconquer'looks-ism'untilweunderstanditssource.”可知，人类吸引力研究是一个相对年轻并容易引起争论的领域。在我们理解它的来源之前，我们不能攻克“外观主义”。也就是说，人类仍然不知道美丽是由什么构成的。据此判断，应选择D。A项“为什么看起来很迷人”，通过文章第三段内容可知，人们已经意识到为什么他们很吸引人，尽管答案还不是很明确；B项“何时吸引力是重要的”，C项“没的力量有多强大”，在文中未提到。所以，这三项均不符合文意。

Dubai:AModernParable

Whenfuturegenerationssittheirchildrendowntotellthestoryofthegreatcrashoftheearly21stcentury,theywillsurelybeginwiththeparableofaplacecalledDubai.Asthedecadespass,andthedetailsbecomehazy,itwillsoundlikeaBiblestoryoroneofAesop'sfables."This,children,isthetaleofadesertkingwhoyearnedtorulethemostluxuriouskingdomintheworld.Hewantedthetallestbuildingontheplanetandhotelsofanopulencebeyondimagination.Goldandsilvertumbledfromthesky,untilthesandswerecoveredwiththefastestcars,champagneflowedallnightandpeopledinedongold-dipped,foie-gras-fragranced,lobster-infusedmakirolls—eachonecosting￡100.

"Evennatureitselfcouldnotstandintheway.Wheretherewerenobeaches,thesheikhorderedthatbeachesbemade,craftingthemsothat,whenthegodslookeddownfromtheheavens,theywouldseetheshapeofapalmtreeoramapoftheworld.Hespentsomuchmoney,sofast,itwasimpossibletokeepup.Therewasonlyoneproblem.Themoneywasallborrowed.Andoneday,itbegantoslidebackintothesand..."

Perhapsitwon'tendexactlythatway,butthestoryisboundtohavestayingpower.ForDubaiisaperfectmetaphorforthecrisiscurrentlycripplingglobalcapitalism.ThedreamofSheikhMohammedbinRashidal-Maktoum,theautocratwhorulesDubai,wasunsustainableineverysense:economically,morallyandenvironmentally.Butthereisnoroomforfirstworldcondescensionhere,waggingafingeraswetelltheArabstheyweredeludedtothinktheycouldbuildafinancialcentretomatchthewesterncitadelsofLondon,NewYorkandFrankfurt.WecannotcondescendtoDubaibecauseitsflawsareours—eveniftheyarelitinoutlandishlyvividcolours.

That'swhythemoneymenarealreadyaskingthemselveswhowillbenext:willitbeGreece,wonderstheFinancialTimes,whileothersfretforLatvia,HungaryandevenIreland.TheyallmadeDubai'smistake,ifnotquiteatthesamepace.Theypulledoutthecreditcardandwentonawildspendingbinge-andnowthebillhasfallendue.Butitwasn'tjustthem:we'veallbeenatit.Japanisoncoursetohaveapublicdebttwicethesizeofitsgrossdomesticproductnextyear,whiletheUSdebtissetnearlytoequalthecountry'seconomicoutput.TheUnitedKingdomisnotfarbehind,withadebtforecastat89%ofGDP.We'veallbeenlivingontick[credit].

Inthissense,thesheikhwhowantedtheBurjal-Arabtobetheworld'sonlyseven-starhotelisnotthatdifferentfromtheFloridacouplewhomovedoutofthetrailerparkandintoacondo.Theybothboughtsomethingtheycouldn'taffordwithmoneythatwasn'ttheirs.Dubaiwassimplyasub-primestateletinasub-primeworld.

Ofcourseitwaseconomicallyunsustainable,butthedifferencebetweenusandthemisoneofdegreeratherthankind.Theirboomwasfuelledbyrisingpropertypricesthatnobodythoughtwouldeverfall,andbycheapmoneythatkeptflowingthroughthetapmarkedlowinterestrates.Thatsoundsfamiliar,andnotonlyasadescriptionofourrecentpast.Itfitsourpresent,too.Today'sregimeofnear-zerointerestratesmeansthatwe'retryingtogetourselvesoutofthecurrentholebytheverymeansthatgotusintoit:spendingcashthatwasborrowedonthecheap.

WeinBritainhavemorereasonthanmosttoavoidsmugnessinourviewofDubai.Thegreatcriticismoftheemiratethatsoughttobeamagnetforfinanceandtourismisthatitwasbuiltonnothing.Therewasnorealeconomy;Dubaididn'tactuallymakeanything.Canpost-industrialBritain,reliantontheCity[London'straditionalfinancialdistrict]andonserviceindustries,reallysaywearesodifferent?Thetruthis,wedon'tmakemucheither.

Nevertheless,somethingelsesticksinourcrawaboutDubai.It'sthattheeye-poppingluxurywasbuiltonthebacksofforeignworkers,toilinginaformofhumanbondage.OveramillionmenandwomenfromIndia,Bangladesh,NepalandacrossAsiahaveturnedDubaifromasleepyvillageofpearl-diversandfishermenintoashimmeringArabianLasVegas—andhavebeenrewardedwithnexttonorightsandmeagrepay.Theysleepinlabourcamps,eachonecrammedwith3,0000rmorepeople.Inthestricthierarchyoftheemirate,theirroleistoservetheexpatsandwealthynatives.Itisallbutaslavesociety.

Wearerighttofindthatmorallyrepugnant.Butweshouldbewarethemoteinourowneye.Forifthewestenjoyedeconomicboomtimesforthe15yearsthatpreceded2008,itdidsothankstolowinflation.Howdidinflationstaysolow?Becauselabourcostswerekeptdown,thankstomillionsofChineseworkerspreparedtosweatforwageswewouldconsiderclosetoslavery.So,yes,wecanberepelledatthoseladiesbuyingHermèsbagsandManoloBlahniksbythecrateloadintheDubaishoppingmalls.Buttheyweren'tthatdifferentfromthefolkssnappingupthebargainsat[theEuropeanbudget-storechain]Primark.Bothgroupsrelyonthefactthat,farawayandoutofsight,somebodyispreparedtoworkveryhardforverylittlemoney.

Environmentally,Dubaimakesthejawdrop.Theairconditionersblowingfullblastintotheopenair,tomakethegardenscooler,thederigueur4x4sandtheindoorskiresort,wheresub-zerotemperaturesaremaintainedeveninthemiddleofabakingdesert—nowondertheUAErankssecondinthegloballeaguetableofper-capitacarbonemissions(beatenonlybyitsGulfneighbour,Qatar).Butourownconsumptionoffossilfuelshardlymakesusblameless.Inthis,asinsomuchelse,Dubaiisjustlikeus—onlymoreso.

Still,theuniversalityoftheDubaiparableshouldnotobscureanequallyimportant,andspecific,partofthestory.Despitethesheikh'sbesteffortstopretendotherwise,Dubaiisnotsomeinventedwonderlandthatcouldhaveexistedanywhere.ItispartofthePersianGulf—andutterlyrevealingofthatregion'sugliestface.

ForDubai,liketherestoftheemiratesandtheotherGulfstates,didnotuseitsenormouswealthtodevelopitsownpeople,letalonethepeoplesofthewiderArabregion.Instead,asDurhamUniversity'sChristopherDavidsonputsit,"theyjustimportedwhattheyneededready-made."

Sotheoil-richGulfstatesbuyinthearchitectsandthechefswhomightpresenttheglitzyfrontofawesternizedsociety-skippingouttheawkwardintermediatestageofnurturingthetalentsoftheirownpeople.AchoiceexampleisQatar,whichsolvedtheproblemofsportingachievement,notbytrainingitschildrenatathletics,butbypayingforeignerstobecomeQataris.Itworkedatreatin2000,whenSaifSaeedAsaadwonanOlympicbronzeforweightlifting.OnlythepedanticpointedoutthatAsaadwasactuallyAngelPopovofBulgaria,competingunderhisnewname.

Thereisanotherrouteopen,onethatwoulddreamnotofhotelsshapedlikesails,fakearchipelagosandpartiesfitforParisHilton,butofaregionpackedwithuniversitiesandseatsoflearningtorivalthegreatscholarshipoftheIslamicgoldenage.Imaginethat,aGulfregionthatmightserveasaninspirationforthewholeArabworld,ratherthanaplaygroundforitsrichestkids.Therecouldbeafableinthat,too.11.

Atthebeginningofthearticle,theauthortellsastoryabout"theparableofaplacecalledDubai".Whatdoesthismean?______A.Thestoryisimaginaryandisnotconsistentwiththereality.B.IthelpsreaderstoknowthebackgroundandrealityofDubai.C.TheworldshouldlearnalessonfromwhathashappenedinDubaitoday.D.Theparableteachesusnottowastemoneyonbeingagainstthenature.正确答案：C

12.

Accordingtotheauthor'sview,whichcountrywillbethenext"Dubai"?______A.ItwillbeGreece,becausetheFinancialTimes,amainstreamnewspaper,thinksso.B.ItwillbeLatvia,HungaryandevenIreland,becausetheyallmadeDubai'smistake.C.ItwillbetheUSandtheUK,becausetheyhavetakentoomuchdebt.D.Itwillbeanycountry,becausewehaveallbeenlivingontick.正确答案：D

13.

Thepassagetellsus______fuelledtheboomofDubai.A.theborrowedmoneyandrisingpropertypricesB.risingpropertypricesandcheapmoneythatkeptflowingC.cheapmoneythatkeptflowingandhighrisingGDPD.highrisingGDPandprosperoustradingcenter正确答案：B

14.

WhichofthefollowingisNOTtrueaccordingtothepassage?______A.Dubaiisthemostluxuriouskingdomintheworld.B.OthercountrieshavesimilarflawsasDubai,sotheycannotcondescendtoit.C.Pullingoutcreditcardandwentonawildspendingbingewillfinallybringbills.D.Dubaiwassimplyasub-primestateletinasub-primeworld.正确答案：A

15.

Theauthorsays"WeinBritainhavemorereasonthanmosttoavoidsmugnessinourviewofDubai"because______.A.post-industrialBritain,reliantonthefinanceindustryandonserviceindustries,isnotsodifferentfromDubaiB.thoseladiesbuyingHermèsbagsandManoloBlahniksintheDubaishoppingmallsweren'tthatdifferentfromthefolkssnappingupthebargainsatPrimarkC.bothDubaiandBritainwerebuiltonthebacksofhard-workingbutlow-payingforeignworkersD.thecarbonemissionsofBritainisnolessthanthatofDubai正确答案：A

16.

WhatisNOTmentionedwhentheauthortalksaboutthecriticismofDubai?______A.Dubaididn'tactuallymakeanythingwheretherewasnorealeconomy.B.Dubai'seye-poppingluxurywasbuiltonthebacksofforeignworkers,toilinginaformofhumanbondage.C.Dubaiwasnotanenvironmentally-friendlycountrywithahighemissionsofcarbondioxide.D.WecanberepelledatthoseladiesbuyingHermèsbagsandManoloBlahniksbythecrateloadintheDubaishoppingmalls.正确答案：D

17.

WhichofthefollowingconclusionscanNOTbedrawnfromthepassage?______A.Spendingcashthatwasborrowedisthewaywearetryingtogetourselvesoutofthecurrentholebutalsogotusintoit.B.Inthestricthierarchyoftheemirate,theforeignworkers'roleistoservethewealthynatives.C.DubailiketherestoftheemiratesandotherGulfstatesuseitswealthtodevelopitsownpeople.D.Dubaiimported"ready-made"whichmightpresenttheglitzyfrontofawesternizedsociety,butactuallywerenotusefulfortheirdevelopment.正确答案：C

18.

Attheendofthepassage,theauthorsays"Therecouldbeafableinthat,too."Whatdoesthismean?______A.Theparableatthebeginningofthepassageisnottrue.B.FindinganotherrouteforDubai'sdevelopmentwillcreateanewfable.C.DreamingofhotelsshapedlikesailsandpartiesfitforParisHiltonisnotafable.D.EstablishingmoreuniversitiesandservingasaninspirationforthewholeArabworldisjustanillusionforDubai.正确答案：B

Themeridiansoflongitudeareimaginarygreatcirclesdrawnfrompoletopolearoundtheearth.Byinternationalagreement,themeridianoflongitudepassingthroughGreenwich,England,Inumberedzero.Theearthisdividedinto360degrees,andthemeridiansarenumberedeastandwestfromGreenwich.Thereare180degreesoflongitudeeastofGreenwichand180degreesinthewesterlydirection.NewYorkhasalongitudeof74degreeswestwhichmeansitliesonthe74thmeridianwestofGreenwich.

Sincethesunappearstotravelaroundtheearthin24hours,itwillmove360/24or15degressinonehour.Thisreasoningcanbeusedbynavigatorstodeterminetheirlongitude.ImagethatwehavesetsailfromGreenwich,England,afterhavingsetaveryaccurateclock,orchronometer,tothelocalGreenwichtime.AswetravelwestwardtowardNewYork,wenoticethatthesunisgoing"slower"thanourchronometer.Atthetimethatourtimepiecereads12o'clock,thesunhasnotquitereachedthezenith.Asamatteroffact,whenourclockreadsnoon,whatitreallymeansisthatit'snooninGreenwich,England.Ourclockcontinuestotellusthetime,notatourpresentlocation,butatGreenwich.Letuswaituntilthesunisdirectlyoverhead(noonoatourlocation)andthenreadthetimeonourclock.SupposeitreadsIo'clock.Thismeansthatthereisonehour'sdifferenceintimebetweenourlongitudeandthatofGreenwich.Aswementionedearlier,thiscorrespondstoexactly15degreesoflongitude,soourlongitudemustbe15degreeswest.Theworldisdividedinto24timezones,andeachzonecorrespondsto15degreesoflongitude.NewYorkisapproximately5timezoneswestofGreenwich,sothetimedifferencemustbeabout5hours.BymaintainingchronometersonGreenwichtime,shipscandeterminetheirlongitudeonanysunnydaybymerelynotingthedifferenceinhoursbetweenGreenwichtimeandlocalsuntimeandmultiplyingthisdifferenceby15degrees.

Ofcourse,longitudegivesonlyhalfoftheinformationneededtodetermineourpreciselocation.Wemustalsoknowourlatitude,whichtellushowfarwearenorthorsouthoftheequator.TheEquatoristhezerolineforthemeasurementoflatitude.CirclesaredrawnparalleltotheEquatortoindicateothervaluesoflatitude.Thereare90degreesofsouthlatitude.

IntheNorthernHemisphere,thereisastarcalledPolarisalmostdirectlyovertheNorthPole.ThismakesitpossibletodeterminethelatitudeofagivenpointbysettingoursextanttomeasuretheanglebetweenPolaris,theNorthStar,andtheHorizon.Mathematicianstellusthatthisangleisequaltotheattitudeatthepointinquestion.

Togetanideaofourlocation,therefore,weneedtoknowthelocaltime,Greenwichtime,andtheanglebetweenPolarisandthehorizon.19.

Inordertogetthepreciselocationofaship,thenavigatormustknow______.A.hislatitudeB.bothhislatitudeandlongitudeC.localtimeD.thenumberofdegreesheiseastorwestofGreenwich正确答案：B

20.

Inordertodeterminelatitude,thenavigatormustknow______.A.GreenwichtimeandlocaltimeB.agooddealofmathematicsC.theangelbetweenPolarisandthehorizonD.Greenwichtime,localtime,andtheanglebetweenPolarisandthehorizon正确答案：C

21.

Anavigator'schronometerwillalwaysshow______.A.localtimeB.noontimeC.GreenwichtimeD.suntime正确答案：C

22.

Inrelationtotheearth,thesunwillmove______.A.7,000milesperhourB.twiceasfastasPolarisC.1/48oftheworld'scircumferenceD.fifteendegreesinonehour正确答案：D

23.

ItcanbeinferredthatthenumberofdegreesoflatitudeintheNorthernHemisphereis______.A.18degreesB.36degreesC.54degreesD.90degrees正确答案：D

WhoNeedsEquality?

Forafewmonthlastyear,itappearedasifanewwaveoffeminismwassweepingJapan,raisingaclamorouschallengetoage-oldmaleauthority.Itbeganwhenhousewives,engravedbyanewtax,swarmedtopoliticalrallies,urgingthata"voicefromthekitchen"reachthemale-dominatedgovernment.SocialistTakakoDoi,thefirstwomaninJapanesehistorytoleadamajorpoliticalparty,inspiredanunprecedentednumberofwomentorunfortheDiet'supperhouse,andtheygrabbedarecordnumberofseats.PrimeMinisterSousukeUnoresignedindisgraceafteraformergeishahehadpatronizedbrokeherprofession'scodeofsilencetodenouncehisastoosmall-mindedamantoleadthecountry.HissuccessorrushedtoappointtwowomentohisCabinet.ThepressseizedupontheopportunitytoraveaboutthedawningtoOnnanoJidai(theEraofWomen).

Butayearlater,thedawnseemstohavedarkened.ThewomenCabinetmembershavebeenreplacedbymen.Therallieshaveevaporated.EnthusiastsofOnnanoJidai,itseems,spoketoosoon.

ThoughJapanesewomenareamongthebest-educatedwomenintheworld,theyare,byWesternstandards,second-classcitizensintheirowncountry.Traditionalvaluesdiscouragewomenfromappearingoutspokenorindependent-mindedanddemoralizethosewhotrytoclimbthepoliticalorbusinesshierarchies.Onlyone-fourthofmajorJapanesecorporationshaveanywomenatallinthemiddle-managementorhigherranks.Ingovernment,womenconstituteslessthan1%ofmanagement-levelbureaucratsandabout6%ofthe764Dietmembers.Theaveragewoman'sannualincomeamountstoonlyhalfthatofaman's.Why,then,aren'tJapanesewomenangry?Whyaren'ttheymarchingenmasseforequality?Whydidn'ttheystokethesparkofOnnanoJidai?

ThefactofthematteristhatequalitywithmenisnotaparticularlyappealingprospecttomostJapanesewomenrightnow.Educatedyoungwomen,thosemostlikelytoleadarevolution,tendtoseetheirmalepeersasdullcorporatedrones.Women,meanwhile,withcomparativelyfreerschedules,havemoretocultivatetheirinterests.

Indeed,whilea1985lawbanssexdiscriminationandrequiresJapanesecompaniestoofferfemalesthesameopportunitiesavailabletomales,fewwomenchoosetoapplyforcareer-trackjobs.Mostopttoworkasassistantstomen.Typically,awomanwillleaveherjobafterthebirthofherfirstchildandlaterresumeapart-timecareerorpursuehobbiesorcommunitywork.

BeingahousewifeisnothingtobeashamedofinJapan.Becausemosthusbandsleavetheirsalariesandchildrenentirelyinthehandsoftheirwives,womenhavewide-rangingresponsibilities.Itwasnotalwaysthus.Traditionally,wivesandchildrenblindlyobeyedthefatherasruleroftheroost.Butpostwareconomicgrowthtoppledfathersfromthatloftypostbyimposinglongerworkhoursthatkeptthemfromhome.Atthesametime,modemappliancesfreedwomenfromhouseholddrudgery."Housewivescanpursuetheirinterestsinacarefreemanner,whilemenhavetoworryaboutsupportingtheirwivesandchildren,"saysMakikoKatagiri,32,acollege-educatedhousewifewhoplaysvolleyballonceaweekandrunsthePTAatherchildren'snurseryschool.

Thefather'sstatussodeclinedthatmental-healthexpertsspeakofanewmaleaffliction:kitakukyofusho,ora"fearofreturninghomesyndrome."Apopulartelevisioncommercialforaninsecticidesprayshowsafatherwakinguponedaytofindhehasturnedintoacockroach.Theadwarnshousewives,"Ifyouseealargecockroach,itmightbeyourhusband.Pleasecheckbeforeyouexterminate."Evenmenwillsometimesadmitthattheirprivilegestatusinsocietyhasaprice."Womenknowh