本文选自吴应时主编的《大学英语六级阅读真题精读——晨读伴侣》。本书对历年国家大学英语六级考试（CET-6）的仔细阅读部分进行了详尽而精准的分析、翻译和注释，对四六级考生有着事半功倍的效果，对提升整体英语能力也很有帮助。
学习导读：
文化是什么？在人文社会学科之中，文化是核心关切，是绕不开的。英语语言有着严谨的特点，用英语来进行学术研究能够直接与世界各国的语言学者们交流。在文化领域，符号、亚文化等都是很重要的概念，但四六级考试并不注重对专业知识的理解，而是注重考生能否在文中的语境下准确理解作者所要表达的意思。所以，即便你从没有听过亚文化也不会妨碍你的阅读。再说了，阅读本来就是增长知识的好途径，哪有可能所读到的都是自己已经了解的东西呀？
The use (of deferential language) is symbolic of the Confucian 1 ideal of the woman, (which dominates 2 conservative 3 gender 4norms 5 [in Japan].) This ideal presents a woman (who withdraws 6 [quietly] [to the background],) [subordinating 7 her life and needs to those of her family and its male head]. She is a dutiful 8daughter, wife, and mother, master (of the domestic 9 arts). The typical refined 10 Japanese woman excels 11 in modesty 12 and delicacy 13; she “treads [softly] [in the world],” [elevating 14 feminine 15 beauty and grace 16 to an art form].
使用敬语是儒家理想女性的一个标志，在日本保守的性别规范中占主要地位。这种理性所呈现的女性应该是安静地退到不为人注意的地方，甘愿把自己的生活和需求服从于自己的家庭和男性家长的生活和需要。她是一个恭敬顺从的女儿、温柔贤惠的妻子、宽容大度的母亲、主持家务的能手。有教养的日本女性极其谦和端庄，“为人处世谨言慎行”，把女性美丽和优雅提升为一种艺术形式。
注：1. Confucian n. 儒家；adj. 孔子的，儒教的。例：
Confucian scholars lay emphasis on ethics from which politics is often directly inferred, thus obscuring the individual features of Confucian politics.
儒家强调和重视道德,论者往往也就从道德直推政治,以致儒学中政治的自性不显。
Confucian thought has always seen the family as a model of the state.
儒家思想一直将家庭视为国家的一种形式。
[选自：CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | China: Two Lives, Two Different Paths]
2. dominate v. 支配, 控制, 统治; 高耸于, 俯视; 在...中占主要地位; 处于支配地位, 拥有压倒优势; 处于较高的位置, 高耸；【同】：cammand control lead。例：
A great man can dominate others by force of character.
伟人能以人格的力量支配他人。
Generally, three features dominate an American's description of another adult: age, sex and race.
一般说来，这一个美国人对另一个成年人的描述主要是三个特征：年龄、性别和种族。
[选自：WSJ: Matt Ridley on What's Changeable, Unchangeable in Human Nature]
3. conservative n. 保守者, 守旧者; 防腐剂; 保守党党员; adj. 保守的, 有保存力的, 守旧的。
People tend to be more liberal when they're young and more conservative as they get older.
人们在年轻时常常更开放，年纪越大就越保守。
4. gender n. 性, 性别，一般在简历中性别用这个词而不用sex。Gender: Male / Female.
5. norm n. 基准, 标准, 模范, 惯例。例：
The output from this factory is well above the norm for the industry (or well above the industry norm).
这个厂的产量远远高于同行业的正常标率。
Whether viewed as acceptable or not, overweight and obese are clearly becoming the norm in America.
不管这种看法得到承认与否，超重或者说肥胖在美国越来越司空见惯了。
[选自：MSN: Is fat the new normal?]
6. withdraw vt. ①收回，撤回。例：withdraw one’s promise 收回承诺。
②缩回，退出。例：
American TV industry has withdrawn to its domestic market.
美国电视业已经退回到它的国内市场。
③提取（钱）。例：
The credit card enables its owner to withdraw as much money from the bank as he has in the bank.
信用卡能够让持卡人提取其在银行里所有的钱。
7. subordinate v. 使居下位, 使服从；adj. 下级的, 附属的, 次要的。例：
Individual Party members must be subordinate to the Party organization.
个人必须服从组织。
All of the branches of government are subordinate to the president.
所有政府部门都在总统之下。
[选自：NPR: Venezuelan Court Lets Newspaper Resume Publishing]
8. dutiful adj. 忠实的; 守本分的; 顺从的。例：
a dutiful child一个孝顺的孩子 a dutiful citizen 一个忠实的公民
The media have heaped dutiful praise on his words.
媒体对他的言论给予了很多忠实的赞美。
[选自：ECONOMIST: Democracy in China]
9. domestic n. 仆人, 佣人; 国货 adj. 家庭的, 驯服的, 国内的。例：
domestic market 国内市场，domestic worries 家庭的烦恼
比较热门的词汇家庭暴力也是用这个词语domestic violence。
10. refined adj. 精制的; 精确的; 优雅的。文中取优雅意。可积累如下词组：
refined sugar 精糖；refined oil 经过提取的油
对于优雅意，例：
His speech and manner are refined.
他谈吐优雅，彬彬有礼。
11. excel vi. 胜过, 擅长, 优于; 胜过其他。例：
I excel at foreign languages and dabble in medicine and biochemistry.
我擅长外语，在医学和生物化学领域也有所涉足。
【派】excel in 在…方面超过
另外我们注意到excel也是微软办公软件office中的电子表格软件名。
12. modesty n. 谦逊, 虚心; 羞怯; 端庄, 稳重; 节制, 中肯；句中取端庄意。例：
There were shrieks of embarrassment, mingled with giggles, from some of the girls as they struggled to protect their modesty.
有些女孩子努力要保持端庄，但还是发出了尴尬的尖叫声，其中还夹杂着咯咯的笑声。
【反】arrogance n. 傲慢; 自负; 自大
13. delicacy n. 精美, 娇嫩, 柔软, 优雅；美味, 佳肴。例：
As Jenny's English teacher, Miss Stubbs has a small but pivotal role that she plays with exquisite delicacy.
Stubbs小姐作为Jenny的英语老师，尤其优雅地扮演着一个不起眼但很核心的角色。
[选自：WSJ: WSJ's Joe Morgenstern on An Education, Starring Carey Mulligan and Peter Sar]
但该词更主要的意思是形容食物很美味精致。例：
Smoked salmon was considered an expensive delicacy.
烟熏三文鱼被认为是一道昂贵的佳肴。
[香港这边的自助餐还真提供了很多somked salmon的。]
14. elevate v. 举起; 使上升; 抬起; 提高。例：
an elevated highway 高架公路；
The politician managed to elevate himself to a station of some authotity.
那名政客设法使自己上升到了有权势的地位。
15. feminine n. 女性; 阴性词; 阴性 adj.女性的, 柔弱的, 阴性的
There is also something glamorous and feminine about it.
还有一些关于它迷人的女性的东西。
16. grace n. ①优美，文雅。文中此义，作名词。例：
The grace seems especially important to a young girl.
优雅对于一个年轻女孩来说显得格外重要。
②恩惠，恩泽。例：
Only through the grace of God did I pass the examination.
只因上帝的恩惠，我才通过了这次考试。
v. 使优美
The military families grace each night with an empty seat at the table.
这些军人家庭在每一个（丈夫不在的）夜晚，为餐桌添上一把空椅子来修饰。
[选自：CNN: Transcript: Michelle Obama's 'One Nation']
[Nowadays], it is [commonly] observed that young women are [not] conforming to the feminine linguistic 1 ideal]. They are using fewer (of the very deferential 2“women’s” forms), and [even] using the few strong forms (that are know .)” This, ^of course^, attracts considerable 3 attention and has led to an outcry 4 [in the Japanese media] [against the defeminization 5 of women’s language]. [Indeed 6], we didn’t hear about “men’s language” [until people began to respond to girls’ appropriation 7 of forms (normally reserved 8 for boys and men).] There is [considerable] sentiment 9 (about the “corruption 10”) (of women’s language) – (which ^of course^ is viewed (of the loss) (of feminine ideals and morality 11)) – and this sentiment is crystallized 12 [by nationwide opinion polls 13] {that are [regularly] carried out [by the media].}
现如今，人们经常可以观察到年轻女性并没有遵守女性用语规范。她们较少使用非常恭顺的“女性”用语，甚至使用那为数不多的强势的“男性”用语。这点当然吸引了大量的关注，而且引起日本媒体对女性语言的非女性化提出强烈抗议。事实上，直到人们对女性借用一般作为男性使用的语言形式开始回应之后，我们才听说“男性语言”。女性语言的“堕落”——它当然被看作是曾经的女性理想和女性道德沦丧的一部分——激起了人们的义愤，由媒体定期主持的全国性民意调查明确了这种情绪。
注：1. linguistic adj. 语言的，语言学的。例：
I’m not interested in this linguistic problem.
我对这个语言学问题不感兴趣。
2. deferential adj. 恭敬的; 惯于顺从的。例：
They like five-star hotels and deferential treatment.
他们喜欢五星级酒店和谦恭的礼遇。
3. considerable adj. ①相当大（或多）的，可观的。例：
John looks at the photos with considerable interest.
约翰饶有兴趣的看着这些照片。
And this labour also represents a considerable cost for the company.
而且这些劳务也意味着对公司来说是相当大的成本。
[选自：BBC: Machine uses artificial vision to detect rotten oranges]
②值得考虑的，重要的。例：
Mr.r Brown used to be a considerable man in local affairs.
布朗先生是地方事务上相当重要的人物。
4. outcry n. 尖叫, 强烈抗议, 倒彩。例：
The government hushed the affair up to avoid a public outcry.
当局对此事秘而不宣,以免引起公众抗议。
5. defeminization n. 非女性化
This, of course, attracts considerable attention and has led to an outcry in the Japanese media against the defeminization of women's language.
这点当然引起了大量的关注，并且引发了媒体对女性语言弱化的强烈抗议。
[这句话outcry和defeminization都用到了。]
6. indeed adv. 真正地; 当然; 确实。例：
The results are often strange indeed.
结果往往真是奇怪。
7. appropriation n. 据为己有; 挪用; 占有。例：
The appropriation of the land made it possible to have a new building.
该块土地的拨用使得建造新楼成为可能。
The statement said the settlement agreement is contingent on the appropriation of funds by Congress.
声明表示安置协议会根据国会资金的划拨而定。
[选自：CNN: Black farmers call on U.S. Senate to fund settlement]
8. reserve n.①保留地。例：
The local government set up a reserve to protect pandas.
当地政府建立了一个熊猫自然保护区。
②储备（物），储藏量，储备金。例：gold reserve 黄金储备；
③缄默，谨慎。例：
Ellen wished to overcome her own shyness an reserve in class.
艾伦希望自己能克服在课堂上的害羞和缄默的缺点。
v. ①保留，储备。例：all rights reserved 版权所有；
②预定，预约。例：
Please reserve me a seat for this Saturday.
请给我预定一个本周六的座位。
9. sentiment n. ①思想情感，情绪，情操。例：
Bill’s sentiment was expressed in the poem.
比尔在诗中表达了他的情感。
②[pl.]意见，观点。例：
We share the same sentiments about trying to help others.
我们在助人为乐这一点上意见统一。
10. corruption n. 腐败, 贪污, 堕落。例：
The president faces 54 charges of corruption and tax evasion.
总统面临着54项腐败和逃税的指控。
But more and more people believe that corruption does far more harm than good.
但越来越多的人认为腐败弊大于利。
[选自：CNN: CLOSING IN ON CRIME]
11. morality n. 道德, 品行, 教训。例：
The manager selected his employees by standards of intellect an morality.
这位经理依照智力和道德两个标准来选择自己的雇员。
12. crystallize v. 明确（美式英语说法）, 具体化; 本意是使结晶。例：
He was made redundant earlier this year and had felt compelled to crystallize his pension savings to draw an income early.
他在今年早些时候被解雇了，他感到有必要早一些让自己的养老金变现以获得一些收入。
[这里具体化即使养老金储蓄变现。][选自：BBC: Annuity problems: Readers given some advice]
13. poll n. 民意测验; 投票, 选举; 民意测验记录; 投票数
We are doing a weekly poll on the president, and clearly his popularity has declined.
我们正在对总统进行每周一次的民意测验，很显然他的受欢迎度已经下降了。
另外，民意测验为opinion poll。
Yoshiko Matsumoto has argued that young women [probably] [never] used [as many of the highly deferential forms] [as older women]. This highly polite style is no doubt something {that young women have been expected to “grow into”} – ^after all^, it is assign [not simply] (of femininity, but of maturity and refinement 1), and its use could be taken to indicate 2 a change [in the nature] (of one’s social relations) [as well]. One might [well] imagine little girls using exceedingly 3 polite forms [when playing house or imitating older women] – [in a fashion analogous 4 to little girls’ use of a high-pitched 5 voice to do “teacher talk” or “mother talk” in role play].
Yoshiko Matsumoto指出，年轻女性可能从未使用过某些老一辈女性使用的很多高级别的敬语。无疑，这种极其礼貌的语言风格是人们期望年轻女性能够“长大后学会使用的”——它不仅仅是女性的象征，还是成熟和教养的象征，而且使用这种语言也标志着一个人的社会关系性质的变化。完全可以想象一下小姑娘在玩过家家或模仿年长女性时使用非常礼貌的敬语的情况——类似于小姑娘尖声尖气扮演老师或者妈妈说话的腔调。
注：1. refinement n. 精致, 精巧, 高尚。例：
Even her smallest movements expressed a sense of refinement that women from other provinces just didn't have.
即便是她的举止投足都透露出外省女人所没有的精致。
[选自：CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Young China | The Pen is Nastier Than the Sword]
2. indicate vt. ①指出，指示。例：
A signpost indicate the right road for us to follow.
路标给我们指出了正确的道路。
②表明或者暗示…可能性。例：
A red sky at night indicates fine weather of the follow day.
傍晚的红霞预示着明天会有好天气。
3. exceedingly adv. 非常地; 极度地。例：
Many of you know colleagues that have reported from exceedingly dangerous places in the world.
很多你所知道的同事都是从这世上极端危险之地发出报道的。
[选自：WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefings]
4. analogous adj. 类似的; 可比拟的; 相似的。例：
Brains and computers are often considered analogous.
人脑和电脑常被认为是类似的。
The speed and the range of the movie are analogous to the way the disease spreads.
这部电影的传播速度和范围就如同病毒的传播方式那样。
[选自：NEWYORKER: Call the Doctor]
【派】analogy n.比拟，类似。这个词反倒是更应该掌握的。例：
by analogy; 用类推的方法
The mathematician argued his theory by analogy.
这位数学家用类推的方法论证自己的理论。
5. pitched adj. 声调高的, 斜的。
词组 pitch in to help帮助。
The fact {that young Japanese women are using [less] deferential language} is a sure sign (of change) – (of social change and of linguistic change). But it is [most certainly] not a sign (of the “masculinization 1” of girls). [In some instances], it may be a sign (that girls are making the same claim [to authority] [as boys and men],) but that is very different [from saying that they are trying to be “masculine].” Katsue Reynolds has argued that girls [nowadays] are using more assertive 2 language strategies [in order to be able to compete with boys in schools and out]. Social change [also] brings not simply different positions [for women and girls], but different relations [to life stages], and adolescent girls are participating 3 [in new subcultural 4 forms]. Thus what may, to an older speaker, seem like “masculine” speech may seem to an adolescent [like “liberated 5 ” or “hip 6” speech].
日本年轻女性较少使用敬语的事实肯定代表着一种变化——社会的变化和语言的变化。但是它肯定不表示女孩的“男性化”。有时候，它或许意味着女性想获得和男孩、男人一样的权威，不过这与她们想“男性化”还是有差别的。Katsue Reynolds曾经指出，如今的女孩为了能够在学校内外和男孩竞争都使用了更为肯定的语言策略。社会的变化不仅仅为女人和女孩带来了不同的社会地位，还为不同的生活阶段带来不同的人际关系；而且青春期少女都在参与新的亚文化形式。因此，年长的说话者听起来好像是“男性化”的语言，在青少年看来可能就是一种“被解放了的”或者“非常时髦的”语言。
注：1. masculinization n. 男性化。女性化是feminization。例：
Steroid use causes male feminization and female masculinization.
使用类固醇会导致男性女性化和女性男性化。
2. assertive adj. 断定的, 过分自信的 【派】assert vt.断言，宣称。例：
assert one’s right维护某人的权利
It is also time for Japan to play a more assertive role in its military defense.
这也是日本需要在军事防御中承担更加确定角色的时机了。
[选自：CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Letter from Japan: Turf War]
3. participate v. 参加, 参与; 含有, 带有; 分享, 分担; 分享, 分担。例：
A man of learning, if he does not wish to degrade himself, must never cease to participate in public affairs.
一个有学问的人,如果不愿意自己堕落,就绝不应该停止参加社会活动。
4. subcultural n. 次培养; 亚文化群。也写作sub-cultural。例：
Tattoo of youngsters is the reflection of sub-cultural phenomenon.
现今青少年的文身是一种亚文化现象的反映。
5. liberated adj. 解放了的, 无拘束的。该形容词是由动词变化而来的，使自由是liberate。例：
I won't run, actually I feel liberated.
我才不跑呢，其实我感到无拘无束。
[选自：NPR: Italy's Borrowing Rates In Alarming Rise]
6. hip n. 臀部；蔷薇果；忧郁;
adj. 熟悉内情的；非常时尚的。文中取时尚意。例：
And even in the painfully hip city, I still stood out, a cinnamon beacon of originality.
尽管在这样一个痛苦的时尚之都，我仍旧在坚持着，如同一个肉桂色的创意灯塔。
[选自：WSJ: Brown Magic: Men's Suits in Brown]