Unit 6


TEXT ONE


After a brutal election cycle peppered with sexist attacks, a historic slate of women will serve in the 113th Congress. Allison Yarrow on how the winners' response to sexism brought them victory at the polls.

Remember 2008? The race when Tucker Carlson said he involuntarily crossed his legs whenever he caught sight of Hillary Clinton on television. When hecklers screamed “iron my shirt!” at her during a campaign stop. When her clothes and hairstyles were chronicled obsessively in the media.

One “war on women” later, the picture has evolved. When women's groups and activists speak about the exceptional gains made by women in the 113th Congress—a historic 20 Senate seats and at least 76 in the House, with some races still undecided—they won't simply hail the defeat of Tea Party candidates who would overturn Roe v. Wade and slash women's health-care funding. The politicians whom women's groups support didn't just beat candidates who rejected evolution, made incendiary statements about rape, or called the collision of sperm and egg a “person” because those candidates revealed those beliefs to constituents. Instead, the drubbing of anti-women candidates and the triumph of a new cadre of women leaders came about because women acknowledged the sexist attacks and rebutted them before their messages sunk in as truth, according to a partnership that scrutinizes gender bias in elections.

That's a change from 2008, when Clinton did not publicly address the sexism she faced until her concession speech. But speaking out early is how women candidates bounce back from the tremendous bump male opponents gain when they hurl sexist attacks, according to research from pollster Celinda Lake, the Women's Media Center, and the nonpartisan recruitment group She Should Run.

Yes, that's right. Sexist attacks, like other types of negative ads, though supposedly loathed by voters, are launched because they work. Confronting the sexist charge repairs voter confidence and boosts the woman candidate, says Lake, a Democratic pollster who calls the 2012 election “a poster child for sexist comments and sexist coverage.”

In a 2010 study, Lake engaged 800 subjects in a fabricated race between a male and female candidate during which both mild and overt sexism were used. She found that both types of sexism could be equally damaging. A newspaper article labeling the female candidate an “ice queen” could undercut her lead in just the same way as her being called “a prostitute” could. Seven of 10 voters polled said they would be less likely to vote for the fake female candidate after she was called “mean girl,” or worse.

So how did Reps. Todd Akin and Joe Walsh lose on Election Day after making much-publicized comments about rape and abortion and belittling their female opponents? Journalists, groups like Planned Parenthood and Emily's List, and even the Obama campaign took notice, spoke out against the sexism, and spread the message through Nov. 6. The result: Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Rep. -elect Tammy Duckworth of Illinois emerged victorious.

In Wisconsin, an aide to former governor Tommy Thompson suggested his opponent, Tammy Baldwin, was ill-equipped for the U.S. Senate because she is gay and then tweeted a video of Baldwin dancing at a Pride parade. Thompson critics highlighted the prejudice, and Baldwin is now the first openly gay senator in the country.

1. It is historic that a slate of women will serve in the 113th Congress because _____.

[A] the number of women to serve in the 113th Congress has increased a lot

[B] this achieves the exceptional gains made by women in the 113th Congress

[C] this slate of women represents the success of the war against sexism

[D] it defeats Tea Party candidates

2. Though the voters are fed up with sexist attacks, they still launch them because _____.

[A] Sexist attacks can make sense in the election

[B] Sexist attacks affect the confidence of women to take part in the election

[C] Sexist attacks give more possibility for the opponents of women to win in the election

[D] Sexist attacks decrease the ratio of the voters to vote for the women candidates

3. It is a change from 2008 because _____.

[A] there had been no speech about sexism before 2008

[B] Clinton spoke out early on how women candidates bounce back from the tremendous bump male opponents gain when they hurl sexist attacks

[C] Clinton brought sexism to the public

[D] Clinton declared the sexism she experienced the moment she resigned from her position

4. Compared with the anti-sexist, the sexist _____.

[A] made a lot of assaulted speech on women

[B] didn't agree with evolution and made incendiary statements about rape, or called the collision of sperm and egg a “person”

[C] screamed “iron my shirt” at Hillary Clinton during a campaign stop

[D] labeled the women candidates with ill title to undercut their lead

5. The word “overt”（Line 2, Paragraph 6） most probably means _____.

[A] wild

[B] obvious

[C] crude

[D] public





文章剖析


本文讲述了美国竞选中的性别歧视主义问题。第一段讲述女性在竞选中所取得的胜利；第二、三段讲述此次竞选胜利的原因、意义以及胜利之前的一些关于性别歧视的问题；第四、五段讲述性别歧视为什么大行其道；第六段讲述莱克所做的一个实验，说明性别歧视对选民投票的影响；第七、八段讲述性别歧视反对派失败的原因。





词汇注释


slate n.（选举中的）候选人名单

heckler n. 诘问者，质问者

chronicle v. 记录；将（某物）载入编年史

slash v. 大幅削减

incendiary adj. 煽动的

drub v. 打击

cadre n. 干部；骨干

rebut v. 反驳；驳斥

scrutinize v. 仔细检查

loathe v. 讨厌；厌恶

fabricate v. 编造；虚构

undercut v. 削弱；使降低效率

belittle v. 轻视；小看





难句突破


①When women's groups and activists speak about the exceptional gains made by women in the 113th Congress—a historic 20 Senate seats and at least 76 in the House, with some races still undecided—they won't simply hail the defeat of Tea Party candidates who would overturn Roe v. Wade and slash women's health-care funding.

主体句式：When..., they won't...

结构分析：这是由when引导的时间状语从句。前面分句中有一个过去分词短语made... 作后置定语，修饰exceptional gains，两个破折号之间的内容是对exceptional gains的解释，其中with也引导了一个状语从句。第二个破折号后面是主句，是由they作主语的简单句，其中who引导的定语从句修饰Tea Party candidates。

句子译文：当妇女团体和激进主义者提及在第113届国会上女性取得的特权——史无前例地有20名女性成为参议员，至少76名女性进入众议院，某些种族人数不定——这些不仅让她们欢呼茶叶党候选人的失败，而且庆幸茶叶党想要推翻罗伊案并大肆削减女性医疗保险基金的阴谋破灭。

② The politicians whom women's groups support didn't just beat candidates who rejected evolution, made incendiary statements about rape, or called the collision of sperm and egg a “person” because those candidates revealed those beliefs to constituents.

主体句式：The politicians...didn't just beat...because...

结构分析：这是一个由“not...because...”引导的原因状语从句。前面的主句中，由whom引导的定语从句修饰主语the politicians，而由who引导的定语从句修饰candidates。后面是由because引导的原因状语从句。

句子译文：妇女团体支持的党派击败了反对进化论、制造有关强奸的煽动性言论，以及认为人是精子和卵子相互碰撞而产生的这些候选人，不仅仅是因为他们会把这些观点渗透给选民。





题目分析


1. It is historic that a slate of women will serve in the 113th Congress because _____.

[A] the number of women to serve in the 113th Congress has increased a lot

[B] this achieves the exceptional gains made by women in the 113th Congress

[C] this slate of women represents the success of the war against sexism

[D] it defeats Tea Party candidates

1. 一份将要在第113届国会中任职的女性候选人名单具有历史意义的原因是_____。

[A] 在第113届国会中任职的女性人数增加了很多

[B] 这达到了女性要在第113届国会上取得特权的目的

[C] 这份女候选人名单代表了反性别歧视战争的胜利

[D] 它击败了茶叶党候选人

答案：C　难度系数：☆☆☆

分析：推理题。文章第一段提到一份具有历史意义的女性候选人名单产生了，最后一句又说到，艾莉森·亚罗对获胜者如何应对性别歧视问题的回答，最终为她们赢得了投票选举的胜利。因此，这份名单的历史意义正在于其代表着投票选举中的反性别歧视的最终胜利。故选项C符合题意。文中只提到第113届国会上史无前例地有20名女性成为参议员，至少76名女性进入众议院，但并未说明在国会中任职的女性人数增加了很多，故排除A。选项B、D虽然文中有提及，但不能概括主要原因。

2. Though the voters are fed up with sexist attacks, they still launch them because _____.

[A] Sexist attacks can make sense in the election

[B] Sexist attacks affect the confidence of women to take part in the election

[C] Sexist attacks give more possibility for the opponents of women to win in the election

[D] Sexist attacks decrease the ratio of the voters to vote for the women candidates

2. 虽然投票者很厌恶性别歧视攻击，但是他们仍然施行是因为_____。

[A] 性别歧视攻击在竞选中能起到一定作用

[B] 性别歧视攻击影响了女性参与竞选的信心

[C] 性别歧视攻击使女性的竞争对手有了更多的竞选胜算

[D] 性别歧视攻击减少了选女候选人的投票者比例

答案：A　难度系数：☆☆

分析：细节题。文章第五段提到，性别歧视攻击就像其他负面广告一样，虽然被投票者所厌恶，但是因为它们奏效，所以仍被施行。由此可知，性别歧视攻击在竞选中能起到一定作用，故选项A正确。其他三个选项虽然都可以从文中推断出，但都不全面，文中的意思是性别歧视攻击在竞选中有效，故可排除。

3. It is a change from 2008 because _____.

[A] there had been no speech about sexism before 2008

[B] Clinton spoke out early on how women candidates bounce back from the tremendous bump male opponents gain when they hurl sexist attacks

[C] Clinton brought sexism to the public

[D] Clinton declared the sexism she experienced the moment she resigned from her position

3. 这是自2008年以来的一项变化，是因为_____。

[A] 2008年之前没有关于性别歧视的言论

[B] 克林顿很早说过，当男性对手发动性别歧视攻击时，女性候选人该怎样从他们强烈的打击中恢复元气

[C] 克林顿把性别歧视引入了公众视线

[D] 克林顿在她辞职时声明了她所经历的性别歧视

答案：C　难度系数：☆☆☆☆

分析：细节题。文章第四段提到，这是自2008年以来的一项变化。那时，直到克林顿退选，她都没有公开承认她所面临的性别歧视问题，只能说明克林顿把性别歧视这个话题引入了公众视线，故选项C正确。选项A的表述太绝对。选项B的表述虽然是正确的，但是不能说明变化的原因。选项D表述错误，克林顿直到退选也未曾公开承认她所经历的性别歧视。

4. Compared with the anti-sexist, the sexist _____.

[A] made a lot of assaulted speech on women

[B] didn't agree with evolution and made incendiary statements about rape, or called the collision of sperm and egg a “person”

[C] screamed “iron my shirt” at Hillary Clinton during a campaign stop

[D] labeled the women candidates with ill title to undercut their lead

4. 和反对性别歧视者相比，性别歧视者_____。

[A] 制造了很多侮辱女性的言论

[B] 不赞同进化论，制造有关强奸的煽动性言论，以及认为人是精子和卵子相互碰撞而产生的

[C] 在竞选的间隙向希拉里·克林顿叫嚣“回家给我熨衣服去”

[D] 给女候选人冠以不好的名声以削弱她们的领导权

答案：A　难度系数：☆☆☆

分析：细节题。纵观全文，本文整篇都在讲性别歧视者对女性候选人的言论攻击，故选项A正确。B、C和D选项都是文中提到的事实，只能算是言论攻击的具体表现形式，不具有概括性，故可排除。

5. The word “overt” (Line 2, Paragraph 6) most probably means _____.

[A] wild

[B] obvious

[C] crude

[D] public

5. 单词“overt”（第六段第二行）最有可能的意思是_____。

[A] 野蛮的

[B] 明显的

[C] 粗鲁的

[D] 公开的

答案：B　难度系数：☆☆

分析：猜词题。根据上下文意思，“overt”所在句子是说莱克进行了一个模拟竞选实验，后一句说她发现两种类型的性别歧视具有同等的破坏性。由此推知，mild and overt sexism是两种截然不同的性别歧视。因此，与mild（轻微的）对应的反义词应该是obvious（明显的），故B选项正确。





参考译文


经过一轮充满性别歧视的残酷竞选，一份具有历史意义的女性候选人名单产生了，她们将在第113届国会中任职。艾莉森·亚罗对获胜者如何应对性别歧视问题的回答，最终为她们赢得了投票选举的胜利。

还记得2008年那场竞选吗？当塔克·卡尔森说，他一在电视上看到希拉里·克林顿，看到在竞选间隙诘问者向她叫嚣：“回家给我熨衣服去”，看到她的着装和发型被媒体过分报道的时候，他就会无意识地双腿交叉。

在“为了女性而战”事件爆发之后，情况才有了好转。当妇女团体和激进主义者提及在第113届国会上女性取得的特权——史无前例地有20名女性成为参议员，至少76名女性进入众议院，某些种族人数不定——这些不仅让她们欢呼茶叶党候选人的失败，而且庆幸茶叶党想要推翻罗伊案并大肆削减女性医疗保险基金的阴谋破灭。妇女团体支持的党派击败了反对进化论、制造有关强奸的煽动性言论，以及认为人是精子和卵子相互碰撞而产生的这些候选人，不仅仅是因为他们会把这些观点渗透给选民。然而，反对女性的候选人彻底失败，而新一届女领导人胜利产生。因为据竞选中参与性别歧视监督的人员说，在他们的观点被人们认可接受之前，女性公开了性别歧视的存在并对其加以了反驳。

这是自2008年以来的一项变化。那时，直到克林顿退出，她都没有公开承认她所面临的性别歧视问题。但是根据民意调查员塞琳达·莱克、女性传媒中心和无党派招募团体“她应该参加竞选（She Should Run）”的调查，克林顿之前却说过当男性对手发动性别歧视攻击时，女性候选人该怎样从他们强烈的打击中恢复元气。

事实就是如此。就像其他负面广告一样，虽然选民讨厌性别歧视攻击，但是因为这招管用，所以仍被用来施行。民主派民意调查员莱克把2012年大选称为“性别歧视的评论报道代言人”，她说，面对性别歧视者的指摘，要重塑选民信心，鼓舞女性候选人士气。

在2010年的一项调查中，莱克针对男女候选人开展了一场800人参与的模拟竞选，其中涉及轻微的性别歧视和明显的性别歧视。她发现两种性别歧视具有同等破坏性。新闻报道无论称女候选人为“冰雪皇后”还是“妓女”，都同样可以削弱她的领导权。70%的选民表示，如果女候选人被称为“贱女孩”或者比这更难听的话语，他们最不可能给这些人投票了。

那么在做了那么多关于强奸和堕胎的公众演讲，并公然蔑视他们的女对手后，共和党人托德·埃金和乔·沃尔什在大选当天又是怎样惨败而归的呢？ 新闻记者以及像美国计划生育联合会和“艾米莉名单”（Emily's List）这样的团体组织，甚至奥巴马竞选团队都注意到并提出反性别歧视主义，并广泛传播这一思想直到11月6日。结果是密苏里州的参议员克莱尔·麦卡斯基尔以及伊利诺斯州的共和党人塔米·达克沃斯胜利了。

而在威斯康星州，前州长汤米·汤普森的助理指出由于汤米·汤普森的对手塔米·鲍德温是同性恋，因此不配做美国参议员，并且发了一个鲍德温在同性恋大游行中跳舞的视频。汤普森的批评者们使这种偏见更加突显，以致鲍德温成为美国迄今为止第一个公开自己是同性恋的参议员。





TEXT TWO


China makes computers, but imports most of its chips. India makes drugs, but copies almost all of the compounds; it writes software, but rarely owns the result. The bolder claims made for all three industries thus have a similar, hollow ring. They have flourished, but mostly on the back of other countries' technology. “We are not at the stage of Intel Inside,” admits Arvind Atignal of Clinigene, a clinical-research firm, drawing his own analogy between desktops and drugs. “We are the keyboard, screens and peripherals.”

How much does this matter? Joseph Xie of SMIC, the Chinese chipmaker, spent seven years working inside Intel. Its strategy, he says, was simple: “Get there first; make most of the money; let the second guy get the change.” That is certainly one way to run a technology firm. But competing in that race is expensive and exhausting. Few of Intel's rivals still try to keep up with it, nanometre by nanometre.

Countries of China's and India's heft and ambition cherish the idea of pushing back the limits of technology. But that push is risky, costly, frustrating work. A country shouldn't do it unless it has to. Although China and India could devote their considerable intellectual resources to solving the problems faced by economies on the technological frontier, why cross that bridge until you reach it? Seen in this light, India's generic drugmakers are models not laggards. They invest in just enough know-how to exploit the rest of the world's discoveries. Thanks to them, Indians enjoy some of the world's cheapest medicines.

Under the WTO's Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights agreement (TRIPS), India has ceded the right to free-ride foreign advances. It now grants 20 years of patent protection to inventions hatched after 1995. In return, it hopes tighter laws will inspire Indians to new exploits in innovation, and reassure foreigners wary of inventing or making original products in the country.

The tougher laws may yet succeed. A recent study by Bruce Abramson of the World Bank expresses high hopes. A “patent chic” is already detectable in the country, he reports. He has even heard of Indian farmers calling lawyers in the hope of patenting their prize vegetables.

But, as yet, the new regime has not proved its worth. Over 17,000 patent applications were filed in India in 2004-05, almost 40% more than the year before. But only 3,500 were by Indians. Of the 49 most prolific filers in the past decade, 44 are either foreign companies or subsidiaries. Of the five Indian firms, all are either government-sponsored institutes or generic-drug companies, which did fine before TRIPS.

The new regime will be costly to run, if India takes it seriously. But the larger cost lies in the opportunities for unabashed imitation that India has now forgone. These lost opportunities might be quite big. Had Indian firms been prevented from copying fluoroquinolones, for example, the Indian public would have been worse off by the equivalent of $255m a year, reckons a study of the antibiotics market by Shubham Chaudhuri of the World Bank, Pinelopi Goldberg of Yale and Panle Jia of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

1. Arvind Atignal draws an analogy between desktops and drugs because _____.

[A] both of them have a similar prospect in China and India