向前一步:第235期 为平等而不懈努力(14)

 She understood that the compensation for her efforts was making a difference in the lives of persecuted¹ people halfway² across the world, 她明白自己的努力多少都能帮助到世界各地那些受到迫害的人，

but many people in her own neighborhood did not consider her work to be as important as a "real job." 但仍有很多人认为她的工作并不像一份“真正的工作”那么重要。

She was still regarded as "just a housewife" — undercutting the very real but unpaid³ work of raising children and advocating for human rights. 在一些人眼里，她只是一个家庭主妇。她养育孩子的无价努力，以及为争取人权所做的努力，都被大大地低估了。

We all want the same thing: to feel comfortable with our choices and to feel validated⁴ by those around us. 我们都希望满足于自己的选择，得到周围人的认可。

So let's start by validating⁵ one another. 所以，让我们先从认可彼此开始。

Mothers who work outside the home should regard mothers who work inside the home as real workers. 上班族妈妈应该把全职母亲的工作看成是真正的工作，

And mothers who work inside the home should be equally respectful of those choosing another option. 全职母亲也同样应该尊重那些与自己做出不同选择的女性。

A few years ago on a visit to the U.S. Naval⁶ Academy, 若干年前我曾访问过美国海军学院，

I met an extraordinary woman who was about to join the U.S. Submarine Force as one of its first female officers. 认识了一位即将加入美国潜艇部队的女性，她是该部队的第一位女性军官。

She was nervous about her new role and aware that there were risks in being an officer and not a gentleman. 她对新头衔很紧张，认为自己一定会遇到不少挑战。

I asked her to let me know how it went. 我请她和我保持联系，以便让我了解她之后的情况。

A year later, she followed up with a heartfelt e-mail. 一年之后，她发来一封语气真诚的邮件。

"Truthfully I was prepared for opposition⁷ and the possibility of being discounted," she wrote. "But it did not happen. “说实话，当时我已经做好了心理准备接受反对声和大家的轻视，”她写道，“但这些事情都没有发生。

I was respected the moment I stepped on board and I can truly say that I am a valued part of the crew." 我一踏上甲板就得到了大家的尊重，我敢说自己是船员中被重视的一分子。”

 

1 persecuted   

（尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人

参考例句：

• Throughout history, people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs. 人们因宗教信仰而受迫害的情况贯穿了整个历史。
• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。

2 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

3 unpaid   

adj.未付款的，无报酬的

参考例句：

• Doctors work excessive unpaid overtime.医生过度加班却无报酬。
• He's doing a month's unpaid work experience with an engineering firm.他正在一家工程公司无偿工作一个月以获得工作经验。

4 validated   

v.证实( validate的过去式和过去分词 )；确证；使生效；使有法律效力

参考例句：

• Time validated our suspicion. 时间证实了我们的怀疑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The decade of history since 1927 had richly validated their thesis. 1927年以来的十年的历史，充分证明了他们的论点。 来自辞典例句

5 validating   

v.证实( validate的现在分词 )；确证；使生效；使有法律效力

参考例句：

• His politics at home were validating his efforts in the hemisphere. 他的国内政策也有效地支持了他对本半球所做的努力。 来自辞典例句
• A number of different experimental approaches have aided in validating the concept. 许多不同的实验方法，有助于确证这种概念。 来自辞典例句

6 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。