向前一步:第3期 导言 内心的革命(3)

 　　In 1947, Anita Summers, the mother of my longtime mentor¹ Larry Summers, was hired as an economist² by the Standard Oil Company. 1947年，我多年的良师益友拉里·萨默斯的母亲安妮塔·萨默斯被标准石油公司雇用了。

　　When she accepted the job, her new boss said to her, "I am so glad to have you. 当她入职时，老板对她说：“我很高兴雇了你，

　　I figure I am getting the same brains for less money" Her reaction to this was to feel flattered. 因为我花更少的钱得到了一样聪明的好员工。”她当时对此深表感谢，甚至还觉得有点儿受宠若惊。

　　It was a huge compliment to be told that she had the same brains as a man. 说她和男人一样聪明已然是莫大的赞美，

　　It would have been unthinkable for her to ask for equal compensation. 再要求与男人享受同样的薪酬则是难以想象的事。

　　We feel even more grateful when we compare our lives to those of other women around the world.  现在，如果拿我自己的生活与世界上许多国家的女性相比，我会觉得自己很幸运。

　　There are still countries that deny women basic civil rights. 目前，还有不少国家拒绝给予女性基本的公民权利，

　　Worldwide, about 4.4 million women and girls are trapped in the sex trade. 世界各地大约有450万名女性仍受困于性交易。

　　In places like Afghanistan and Sudan, girls receive little or no education, wives are treated as the property of their husbands, 在阿富汗和苏丹等国家，女孩几乎没有可能接受教育，妻子被看作是丈夫的私有财产。

　　and women who are raped⁴ are routinely cast out of their homes for disgracing their families. 女性如果遭到强奸，依照惯例会被赶出家门，因为她会让家族受辱；

　　Some rape³ victims are even sent to jail for committing a "moral crime." 一些遭遇强奸的女性甚至还会因“道德犯罪”的罪名被送进监狱。

　　We are centuries ahead of the unacceptable treatment of women in these countries. 比起这些国家的姐妹们，我们已经领先了几百年。

　　But knowing that things could be worse should not stop us from trying to make them better. 当然，实际情况也许更糟，但这不应阻止我们采取行动让世界变得更好。

　　When the suffragettes marched in the streets, they envisioned a world where men and women would be truly equal. 当一部分女权主义者上街游行时，她们都在设想实现一个男女真正平等的世界。

　　A century later, we are still squinting⁵, trying to bring that vision into focus. 一个世纪后，我们仍然在努力尝试将这个愿景看得更清楚。

1 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

2 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

3 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

4 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

5 squinting   

斜视( squint的现在分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看

参考例句：

• "More company," he said, squinting in the sun. "那边来人了，"他在阳光中眨巴着眼睛说。
• Squinting against the morning sun, Faulcon examined the boy carefully. 对着早晨的太阳斜起眼睛，富尔康仔细地打量着那个年轻人。