托福写作素材：女司机比男司机更合适?

 　　It appears that only one thing has prevented women being declared better drivers than men – their modesty¹.

　　在宣布女性比男性更适合做司机这件事上，好像只有一件事成了阻碍——那就是女性太谦虚了。

　　A study has found that women really are more proficient² behind the wheel – they just lack the confidence to say it.

　　一项研究发现，在驾驶方面女性比男性更精通——但是她们却没信心说出来。

　　When put through their paces, women motorists comfortably beat men in a series of driving tests.

　　经过一系列的驾驶测试发现，在驾驶方面，女性司机很轻松地就赢过了男性司机。

　　In the tests, men and women conformed to gender³ stereotypes⁴ – with men more likely to take risks, drive too close to the car in front, cut corners, go through lights on amber⁵ or talk at the wheel.

　　在测试中，女性和男性司机都非常符合本性别的角色定型——男司机更喜欢冒险、与前面车辆相距过近、抄近路、闯黄灯或驾驶时说话或打电话。

　　By contrast, women are more likely to be courteous⁶ and considerate, take care when approaching potential hazards, use their mirrors correctly and stop at lights when they turn amber.

　　相比之下，女司机表现的则更有礼貌和体贴，在接近潜在危险时更加小心谨慎，正确应用她们的反光镜，黄灯亮时会停止行驶。

　　The study by Privilege Insurance concluded: ‘After years of debate and banter⁷ comes the news that will have men running for cover. It is now official: women are actually better drivers than men.'

　　优惠保险(Privilege Insurance)根据调查总结道：“多年的争论后得出的结论让男性无地自容，因为现在官方承认：与男司机相比，女司机是更好的司机。

　　The tests were supplemented by a driver-attitude poll of 1,383 motorists, which found that fewer than a third of women (28 per cent) believed they were better drivers than men. By contrast, only one in eight men (13 per cent) thought women were superior behind the wheel.

　　另外一项对1383名驾驶员的驾驶态度调查也补充证实了上述测试结果。在这项调查中发现，不到三分之一(28%)的女性相信她们自己比男性更适合当司机。而仅仅八分之一(13%)的男性认为女性在驾驶方面比他们更精通。

　　Vocabulary

　　motorist 驾驶员

　　gender stereotype 性别角色定型

　　amber 黄色

1 modesty   

n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素

参考例句：

• Industry and modesty are the chief factors of his success.勤奋和谦虚是他成功的主要因素。
• As conceit makes one lag behind,so modesty helps one make progress.骄傲使人落后，谦虚使人进步。

2 proficient   

adj.熟练的，精通的；n.能手，专家

参考例句：

• She is proficient at swimming.她精通游泳。
• I think I'm quite proficient in both written and spoken English.我认为我在英语读写方面相当熟练。

3 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

4 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 amber   

n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的

参考例句：

• Would you like an amber necklace for your birthday?你过生日想要一条琥珀项链吗？
• This is a piece of little amber stones.这是一块小小的琥珀化石。

6 courteous   

adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的

参考例句：

• Although she often disagreed with me,she was always courteous.尽管她常常和我意见不一，但她总是很谦恭有礼。
• He was a kind and courteous man.他为人友善，而且彬彬有礼。

7 banter   

n.嘲弄，戏谑；v.取笑，逗弄，开玩笑

参考例句：

• The actress exchanged banter with reporters.女演员与记者相互开玩笑。
• She engages in friendly banter with her customers.她常和顾客逗乐。