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BBC: 为女性放“生理假”真的有用吗?(上)

独霸上海的妖怪  · 公众号  ·  · 2017-09-29 17:50

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文章出处

  • 本文原文、音频和译文来自BBC2017.9.26. Can 'period leave' ever work?

  • 文章较长,建议分为2次阅读。

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食用指南

  • 原文:绿色—输入项 (阅读生词、搭配);粉红—输出项(写作、口语)

  • 笔记:红色—生词;粉色—地道搭配;绿色—例句;橘色—复习;写作—针对雅思、拖福、四六级、考研等各类英语考试的写作亮点表达

  • 读完笔记后,可以回头读原文段落,看是否能流畅阅读,检测自己的掌握情况

  • 所有的解释、词伙、例句搭配来自于牛津高阶英汉词典OALD、Collins双解词典、麦克米伦词典macmillan Dictionary 等


Can 'period leave' ever work?

Bex Baxter was horrified to walk into her office one day and find her firm’s receptionist bent double ”at the front desk, white as a sheet and clearly in pain ” while serving acustomer.

  • receptionist [rɪˈsepʃənɪst] n. someone whose job is to welcome and deal with people arriving in a hotel or office building, visiting a doctor etc 接待员

  • be bent double If you are bent double, the top half of your body is bent downwards so that your head is close to your knees. 弯腰的;弓着身子的 *The trees were almost bent double in the wind. 这些树被风吹得快要折断了。 * He was bent double with laughter. 他笑弯了腰。

  • front desk n.[U] the desk where visitors go when they arrive at a hotel or organization 〔酒店或机构的〕前台

  • (as) white as a sheet If someone looks white as a sheet or as white as a sheet, they look very frightened, shocked, or ill. (因惊吓或生病而)脸色苍白的 *He appeared in the doorway, white as a sheet, eyes wide with horror. 他出现在门口,脸色苍白,睁大的双眼里充满了恐惧。

  • in pain If you are in pain, you feel pain in a part of your body, because you are injured or ill. 感到疼痛 *She was writhing in pain, bathed in perspiration. 她痛苦地扭动着,全身都汗湿了。

  • serve v.[I,T] to help the customers in a shop, especially by bringing them the things that they want 接待(顾客)〔尤指为他们取来所需之物〕,为(顾客)服务 *There wasonly one girl serving customers . 只有一个女孩接待顾客。 *Auntie and Uncle suggested she serve in the shop. 阿姨和叔叔建议她去商店工作。


有一天,当贝克斯·拜克斯特( BexBaxter )走进办公室后,发现自己公司的接待员在前台上弯腰弓背, " 面色苍白、满脸痛苦地 " 为客户服务。这令她十分震惊。


I immediately went to excuse her from her shift,” says Baxter, then a director at the company. “She was really embarrassed and shooed me away , saying, ‘It’s just my period , I’ll get through it.’”

  • excuse sb (from sth /from doing sth) [usually passive] If someone is excused from a duty or responsibility, they are told that they do not have to carry it out. 使免除责任、义务等 *She is usually excused from her duties during the school holidays. 在学校放假期间,她通常不必担负职责。 *She was excused duties on Saturday. 星期六她不用工作。

  • shoo [ʃuː]

  • v. shoo sb away If you shoo an animal or a person away, you make them go away by waving your handsor arms at them. (挥手)赶走 * You'd better shoo him away. 你最好把他赶走。 *I shooed him out ofthe room. 我把他赶出了房间。

  • exclamation. You say 'shoo!' to an animal when you want it to go away. (赶动物走的声音)嘘!去!走! *Shoo, bird, shoo. 嘘!小鸟,嘘!

  • period [ˈpɪəriəd] n. the flow of blood that comes from a woman's body each month 月经,经期 menstrual period *I was twelve years old when I started my periods. 我十二岁月经初潮。

  • get through sth If you get through a difficult or unpleasant period of time, you manage to live through it. 度过,熬过困难或不快的时期 *It is hard to see how people will get through the winter. 难以想象人们将怎样熬过这个冬天。 *We couldn't get through a day without arguing. 我们没有一天不拌嘴的。

" 我立刻过去让她下班休息。 " 当时在该公司担任总监的拜克斯特说, " 她很尴尬,把我拉到一边说: ' 我只是来例假了,我能挺得住。 '"

Up until then, Baxter hadn’t even considered whether her former employer, a Bristol -based firm called Coexist that creates community spaces in South West England, had a corporate ‘period policy’.

  • -based adj. (in compounds) (构成复合词) [ 复习 ]

  • 1. if a person or business is based in a particular place, that is where they live or work, or where the work of the business is done ... 居住 / 工作;基地 / 总部在 ... *a Chicago-based company 总部设在芝加哥的公司

  • 2. containing sth as an important part or feature 为重要部份 ( 或特征 ) ;以 为主 *lead-based paints 铅基涂料 *a class-based society 以阶级为特征的社会

  • [ 扩展 ] 网络远程教育可以说: internet-based distance learning ,传统的实体教室中的教育可以说: classroom-based education

当时,拜克斯特在布里斯托的这家名叫 Coexist 的公司工作,公司的业务是在英格兰西南部创建社区空间,在那之前,拜克斯特根本没有考虑过公司是否制定了 " 例假政策 "

But in that moment, she says, she thought about basic human rights — that a standard biological process should never be shameful.

但她表示,她当时想到的是基本人权——这样一个常规的生理过程绝不应令人感到羞愧。


Menstrual leave, a policy that affords women suffering extreme period pain one or twodays off work, already exists in several countries around the world, but has been widely criticised as counterproductive , often reinforcing negative stereotypes of female workers.

  • afford v. can /could afford to have enough time to do something 有〔时间〕做某事 *Dad can't affordany more time off work. 爸爸没有办法再请假。

  • off prep. not at work, school etc because you are ill or on holiday 〔因生病或度假〕不工作 ; 不上学 ; 休息 absent *My secretary's been off with flu for the past week. 我的秘书上周得了流感没来上班。 *Clare had to stay off school because her mother was ill. 克莱尔因为妈妈病了不能来上学。 *You look tired.Why don't you take tomorrow off? 你看上去很疲惫,为什么明天不休息一天呢? *He needs more time off duty for relaxation and rest. 他需要更多的时间放松休息。 *'Going to work today, mum?' 'No. It's my day off today.' “妈妈,你今天去上班吗?”“不,今天我休息。”

  • be widely criticized (as sth) 被广泛批评(为…) *The law was widely criticized as racist. 那条法规被认为有种族主义,受到广泛批评。 [ 写作 ]

  • counterproductive [,kauntəprə’dʌktiv] adj. having the opposite effect to the one which was intended 产生相反效果;事与愿违;适得其反

我们可以将 counterproductive 灵活运用于写作中,论述一件事物的不利影响。

比如犯罪类话题,在表明“反对将少年犯送入监狱”这一立场时,我们可以说

Sending young offenders to prison can be counterproductive.

反对继续实行计划生育政策,我们可以说

The one child rule has become outdated and counterproductive.

  • perpetuate / reinforce(negative) stereotypes 固化 / 强化(负面)成见

" 月经假 " 指的是允许女性在痛经难忍时休假一两天的政策,这种措施已经在很多国家出现,但却被广泛批评为适得其反,而且往往会加强女性员工遭到的负面成见。


In some Asian countries, including Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea and certain Chinese provinces, women are allowed to stay home for a designated part of their monthly periods. Few take advantage of it,though, many citing fear of sexual harassment or perceptions of weakness.

  • designate [ˈdez.ɪgneɪt] v.

  • 1. to choose someone or something for a particular job or purpose 〔为某项工作或目的〕任命,选定,指派 *a designated nature reserve 指定的自然保护区 *designated seats for the elderly 老人专座

  • be designated sth *The lake was recently designated a conservation area. 这座湖最近被指定为保护区。

  • designate sth as / forsth *Funds were designated for projects in low-income areas. 指定专款用于低收入地区的规划项目。

  • designate sb to do sth *She has been designated to take over the position of treasurer. 她已被选派接任财务主管的职位。

  • 2. to represent or refer to something using a particular sign, name etc 〔用特殊符号、名字等〕标明,表示 *Buildings are designated by red squares on the map. 在地图上建筑物是用红色方块来标明的。

  • monthly periods 月经,经期

  • take (full) advantage of sb/sth

  • 1. to make use of sth well; to make use of an opportunity 利用;利用(机会) *She took advantage of the children's absence to tidy their rooms. 她趁孩子们不在时收拾了他们的房间。 *We took full advantage of the hotel facilities. 我们充分享用了旅馆设施。

  • [ 经济学人 .Winner takes all] But althoughconsumers seem to have a dizzying array of choices, most of them do not take full advantage of them.

  • 2. to make use of sb / sth in a way that is unfair or dishonest 欺骗;占…的便宜 =exploit *He took advantage of my generosity 他利用我的慷慨占了便宜。

  • cite [saɪt] v.~ sth (as sth) tomention sth as a reason or an example, or in order to support what you are saying 提及(原因);举出(示例);列举 *He cited his heavy workload as the reason for his breakdown. 他提到繁重的工作负荷是导致他累垮的原因。

  • sexual harassment 性骚扰 * We need effective strategies to combat sexual harassment in the workplace. 我们需要采取有效策略对抗职场性骚扰。

在一些亚洲国家或地区,包括日本、印度尼西亚、台湾、韩国和中国大陆的某些省份,女性都可以在例假期间在家休息。但却很少有人真的请假,很多人都担心因此遭到性别歧视,或者表现出自己的软弱。

And when the Italian parliament considered introducing national period leave in March, many wondered whether eligibility for three paid days a month off risked discouraging employers from hiring women in the first place .

  • eligibility [,elidʒə'biləti]n. [U] If you're qualified for something or allowed to take partin it, you have eligibility. 合格;有资格 *The rules covering eligibility for benefits changed in the 1980s. 20 世纪 80 年代,有关救济金领取资格的规定变了。

  • eligible [ˈelɪdʒəbl̩] adj.

  • 1. ~ (for sth) | ~ (to do sth) a person who is eligible for sth or to do sth, is able to have or do it because they have the right qualifications, are the right age, etc. 有资格的;合格的;具备条件的 *Only those over 70 are eligible for the special payment. 只有 70 岁以上的人才有资格领取这项专款。 *When are you eligible to vote in your country? 你们国家几岁才有资格投票选举呢? ineligible

  • 2. an eligible young man or woman is thought to be a good choice as a husband/ wife, usually because they are rich or attractive (指认为可做夫妻的男女)合意的,合适的,中意的 *He's the most eligible bachelor in Japan. 他是日本最为抢手的单身汉。

  • risk v.

  • 1. to put sth valuable or important in a dangerous situation, in which it could be lost or damaged 使 冒风险(或面临危险) risk sth *He risked his life to save her. 他冒着生命危险去救她。 *She was risking her own and her children's health. 她在使自己和子女的健康遭受威胁。

  • 2. to do sth that may mean that you get into a situation which is unpleasant for you 的风险(或危险) risk sth|risk (sb/sth) doing sth * There was no choice. If they stayed there, they risked death. 他们别无选择。如果待在那儿,就面临死亡。

  • 3. to do sth that you know is not really a good idea or may not succeed 冒险做;(明知结果而)大胆做 risk sth/doing sth *It was a difficult decision but we decided to risk it. 这件事决心难下,但我们决定冒险一试。

  • [ 经济学人 .Rural education in China] …a hunger for education so strong that children will risk their lives for it, and a callous lack of government attention to the needs of rural students.

  • discourage v.

  • 1. discourage sb from doing sth to persuade someone not to do something, especially by making it seem difficult or bad 设法)劝阻,打消…的念头 *My father is a lawyer, and he discouraged me from entering the field. 我父亲是一名律师,他劝我别干这一行。

  • 2. to make something less likely to happen 阻止,防止 encourage *Aspirin may discourage tumour growth in some types of cancer. 阿司匹林也许能遏制某些癌症肿瘤的生长。

  • [ 经济学人 .The future of America] Richer, well-educated people want to live near eachother, and high house prices conveniently discourage poorer people from spoiling the view. 受过良好教育的富裕人群希望相互比邻而居,高房价很方便地防止了穷人在旁边煞风景。

  • dissuade v. ~ sb (from sth /from doing sth) to persuade sb not to do sth 劝(某人)勿做(某事);劝阻 *I tried to dissuade him from giving up his job. 我劝过他,让他不要放弃自己的工作。 *They were going to set off in the fog, but were dissuaded. 他们原打算在雾中出发,但被劝阻了。 [ 扩展 ]

  • [ 纽约时报 .It’s Mosquito Season. Here’s How to Prepare] We try to dissuade people from using a topical Benadryl cream because of the risk of sensitivity or reaction. 我们会尽量建议大家不要使用目前的苯海拉明 (Benadryl) 软膏,因为有过敏或其他反应的风险。

  • in the first place

  • 1. used to talk about the beginning of a situation, or the situation before something happened 一开始,起初 *Why did you agree to meet her in the first place? 一开始你为什么同意见她? *He wouldn't have given you the job in the first place if he didn't think you could do it. 要是他认为你干不了,他一开始就不会给你那份工作的。

  • 2. (written) used to give the first in a list of reasons or points 首先,第一〔用于列举理由或要点〕 *Her success was secured by two factors. In the first place, she had the support of managers. 她的成功有两个因素作保证,首先,她有经理们的支持。

当意大利议会考虑在全国范围内推行月经假时,很多人都担心,从立法层面确立每月 3 天的带薪假期可能导致很多雇主从一开始就不愿聘用女员工。

(To be continued...)


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