精美英文欣赏:北美殖民时期的妇女

Women in Colonial North America

The status of women in colonial North America has been well studied and described and can be briefly¹ summarized. Throughout the colonial period there was a marked shortage of women, which varied² with the regions and was always greatest in the frontier areas. This favorable ratio enhanced women's status and position and allowed them to pursue different careers.

The Puritans, the religious sect³ that dominated the early british colonies in North America, regarded idleness as a sin, and believed that life in an underdeveloped country made it absolutely necessary that each member of the community perform an economic function.

Thus work for women, married or single, was not only approved, it was regarded as a civic⁴ duty. Puritan town councils expected idows and unattached women to be self supporting and for a long time provided needy⁵ spinsters with parcels of land. There was no social sanction against married women working; on the contrary, wives were expected to help their husbands in their trade and won social approval for doing extra work in or out of the home. Needy children, girls as well as boys, were indentured⁶ or apprenticed⁷ and were expected to work for their keep.

The vast majority of women worked within their homes, where their labor⁸ produced most articles needed for the family. The entire colonial production of cloth and clothing and partially⁹ that of shoes was in the hands of women. In addition to these occupations, women were found in many different kinds of employment. They were butchers, silversmiths, gunsmiths and upholsterers. They ran mills, plantations¹⁰, tanyards, shipyards, and every kind of shop, tavern¹¹, and boardinghouse. They were gatekeepers, jail keepers, sextons, journalists, printers, apothecaries¹², midwives, nurses, and teachers.

北美殖民时期的妇女

北美殖民时期女性的社会地位曾得到过深入研究和描述，并可简短概括。 整个殖民时期，女性人数明显不足，各地情况不尽相同，在边远地区尤其缺少。 这种对女性有利的比例提高了她们的社会地位和职位，使她们能追求不同的事业。 清教徒是早期英属殖民地的宗教主流。 它视懒惰为犯罪，认为在不发达农村社区的每一个成员都必须发挥经济作用。 所以已婚或单身女性工作不仅是许可的，而且被认为是公民的义务。 清教徒的镇议会认为寡妇和未婚女性也应该自食其力，而且在相当长一段时期里，向贫困的老而未婚的女子提供土地。 社会不反对已婚妇女工作；相反，要求她们帮助丈夫从事他们的行当。在家庭内外做额外劳动的妻子们会得到社会的赞同。贫困的儿童，女孩和男孩一样，也要签师徒契约做学徒，想保住这个生计就要工作。 绝大多数女性在家庭里劳动，生产大部分家用必需品。 殖民时期全部的布料和衣服以及一部分的鞋都出自女性的双手。 除了从事这些职业，妇女也从事许多不同类型的职业，如做屠夫、铁匠、军械工和家俱修理工。 她们经营手工作坊、种植园、制革场、造船厂和各类商店、小旅馆和供膳寄宿处。 她们当守门人或狱卒，教堂司事、记者、印刷工、药剂师、助产士、护士和教师。

1 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

2 varied   

adj.多样的，多变化的

参考例句：

• The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
• The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

3 sect   

n.派别，宗教，学派，派系

参考例句：

• When he was sixteen he joined a religious sect.他16岁的时候加入了一个宗教教派。
• Each religious sect in the town had its own church.该城每一个宗教教派都有自己的教堂。

4 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

5 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

6 indentured   

v.以契约束缚（学徒）( indenture的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The Africans became indentured servants, trading labor for shelter and eventual freedom. 非洲人成为契约上的仆人，以劳力交换庇护及最终的自由。 来自互联网
• They are descendants of indentured importees. 他们是契约外来工的后代。 来自互联网

7 apprenticed   

学徒，徒弟( apprentice的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I was apprenticed to a builder when I was fourteen. 14岁时，我拜一个建筑工人为师当学徒。
• Lucius got apprenticed to a stonemason. 卢修斯成了石匠的学徒。

8 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

9 partially   

adv.部分地，从某些方面讲

参考例句：

• The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
• The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静，宵禁部分解除。

10 plantations   

n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Soon great plantations, supported by slave labor, made some families very wealthy. 不久之后出现了依靠奴隶劳动的大庄园，使一些家庭成了富豪。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• Winterborne's contract was completed, and the plantations were deserted. 维恩特波恩的合同完成后，那片林地变得荒废了。 来自辞典例句

11 tavern   

n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店

参考例句：

• There is a tavern at the corner of the street.街道的拐角处有一家酒馆。
• Philip always went to the tavern,with a sense of pleasure.菲利浦总是心情愉快地来到这家酒菜馆。

12 apothecaries   

n.药剂师，药店( apothecary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some of them crawl through the examination of the Apothecaries Hall. 有些人则勉勉强强通过了药剂师公会的考试。 来自辞典例句
• Apothecaries would not sugar their pills unless they were bitter. 好药不苦不会加糖衣。 来自互联网