四六级必读美文系列:选择的正确时刻

 　　If you're gay or lesbian and you're closeted at your office, you're not alone. Despite major strides in acceptance over the last 15 years, many still struggle with the decision to come out at work.

　　如果你是个同性恋，又在办公室掩饰自己性取向的话，那你并不是孤单的。尽管过去15年社会对同性恋的态度有了巨大进步，但很多人仍然对是否在办公重“出柜”犹豫不决。

　　A recent Harris poll conducted with Out & Equal and Witeck-Combs Communications indicated that 44% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender(LGBT) participants feel unable to talk freely to co-workers about their partners, and up to 78% don't feel comfortable bringing their partners to corporate¹ social functions.

　　美国哈里斯舆论调查所近期携手反歧视组织Out & Equal以及卫特康公关与广告公司进行的一次调查显示，44%的女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋者与跨性别者（LGBT）都觉得无法自由和同事谈论他们的伴侣，而至多达78%的人都觉得将伴侣带去公司活动会不自在。

　　(1)Thirty-one-year-old Bozman of Chicago has been out to his close friends since college, but remained closeted while rising through the ranks at Starbucks' corporate headquarters. "I didn't know if telling people I was gay would limit my ability to move up in the company, "he says. "I was intimidated² and at the same time jealous of people who could just be themselves. I'd make up stories about being with women, and if a co-worker drove me home, I'd have him drop me off down the street so he wouldn't know I lived in a gay neighborhood."

　　（1）芝加哥31岁的博茨曼从大学时代就对他的好朋友公开了性取向，但尽管他在星巴克(Starbucks)公司总部的职位不断上升，他仍然没有出柜。博茨曼说，我不知道如果我告诉别人自己是同性恋，这是否会影响到我在公司的晋升。我很为难，同时又羡慕那些可以公开自己性取向的人。我编造自己和女人的风流韵事，如果同事开车送我回家的话，我会在附近街道下车，不想让他知道我住在一个同性恋社区。

　　"No One Cared"

　　“没人在意。”

　　Eventually, after returning to his roots as a Starbucks store manager and working for a boss who was also gay, Mr. Bozman decided³ to stop lying. "When people asked me about my personal life or where I was on the weekend, 1just told the truth. It turned out that no one cared, and I was happier and much more comfortable."

　　最后，在重新做回一名星巴克门店经理，而且发现上司也是个同性恋后，博茨曼决定不再撒谎掩盖自己的秘密。他说，当人们问到我的个人生活，或是我周末做什么的时候，我会告诉他们真相。结果根本就没人在意，然后我就觉得更加快乐，大大放松了下来。

　　Many experts agree that Mr. Bozman and other LGBT individuals are correct to have reservations about making their sexual orientation⁴ public. "There's no federal law that safeguards people from being fired because are gay, and only 16 states have such protections," says Mustanski, assistant professor of psychiatry⁵ at the University of Illinois at Chicago. (2) "While the constant stress of monitoring themselves can take its toll⁶, LGBT people have to balance the freedom to be themselves with their employability."

　　很多专家认为，博茨曼和其他LGBT人群在公开他们性取向一事上有所保留是正确的。芝加哥伊利诺伊大学精神病学助理教授穆斯坦斯基表示，美国没有联邦法律保护同性恋不会因为出柜而被解雇，只有16个州有这样的保护规定。（2）他说，尽管持续压抑自己不是好事，但LBGT人群必须在公开性取向和工作之间作出平衡。

　　Is Your Office Gay Friendly?

　　你的办公室对同性恋宽容吗？

　　In deciding whether to come out at work, what are the most important considerations?

　　在决定是否在办公室么可刊主取向的时候，什么考虑因素是最重要的？

　　First, make sure it's a safe thing for you to do. "Assess anti-gay sentiment at your workplace beforehand," says Dr. Mustanski. "You don't want to be the victim of violence." The Human Rights Campaign Web site is an excellent resource evaluate whether your organization is LGBT-friendly.

　　首先，确保你这么做是安全的。穆斯坦斯基说，你需要事先评估下你的工作场所对同性恋的抵触态度。你不想成为暴力的受害者。人权运动组织网站是你评估你的组织是否对LGBT人群宽容的最好资源。

　　Your next step is to choose who you want to tell and the most suitable way to bring up the subject with those people. "Social practices vary by office, so use heterosexual relationship as a benchmark," suggests Dr. Mustanski. "How do non-LGBT people discuss their personal matters? Can you just work it into the conversation? (3) You do want to practice how to respond to inappropriate question, and be prepared that some co-workers may be hurt that you didn't confide⁷ in them sooner."

　　接下来你要做的是，选择把自己的性取向告诉哪些人以及和他们说这个话题的最合适方式。穆斯坦斯基说，各个办公室的社交方式各有不同，因此你可以把异性关系作为基准。那些非LBGT的人是怎么讨论他们的个人事情的？你是否可以把出柜穿插进谈话？（3）你确实需要练习一下如何应对不适合的问题，做好心理准备一些同事可能会因为你以前不说实话而觉得伤心。

　　Finally, make sure you 're ready. "Don't allow yourself to feel pressured, because once you do it, there's no going back. It has to be the right time for you, and it has to be something that's going to make your day easier," says Mr. Bozman.

　　最后，确信你已经准备好了。博茨曼说，别让自己感到压抑，因为你一旦出柜，就没有回头路了。这必须是你选择的正确时刻，必须是能让你生活轻松的事情。

　　四六级句型讲解

　　1. Thirty-one-year-old Vince Bozman of Chicago has been out to his close friends since college, but remained closeted while rising through the ranks at Starbucks' corporate headquarters.

　　本句是由but连接的两个并列的简单句。第二个句子中，省略了主语，而while rising through...headquarters为时间状语从句的省略形式。

　　语法重点：并列结构

　　2. "While the constant stress of monitoring themselves can take its toll, LGBT people have to balance the freedom to be themselves with their employability. "

　　本句是一个复合句，主句是LGBT...employability， while引导让步状语从句，意为“尽管”。

　　语法重点：让步状语从句

　　3. You do want to practice how to respond to inappropriate questions, and be prepared that some co-workers may be hurt that you didn't confide in them sooner.'

　　本句是一个复合句。how to...questions不定式短语作practice的宾语。第一个that引导宾语从句，作prepare的宾语。第二个that引导原因状语从句，解释说明be hurt的原因。

　　语法重点：不定式短语作宾语，宾语从句，原因状语从句

1 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

2 intimidated   

v.恐吓；威胁adj.害怕的；受到威胁的

参考例句：

• We try to make sure children don't feel intimidated on their first day at school. 我们努力确保孩子们在上学的第一天不胆怯。
• The thief intimidated the boy into not telling the police. 这个贼恫吓那男孩使他不敢向警察报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。

5 psychiatry   

n.精神病学，精神病疗法

参考例句：

• The study appeared in the Amercian science Journal of Psychiatry.这个研究发表在美国精神病学的杂志上。
• A physician is someone who specializes in psychiatry.精神病专家是专门从事精神病治疗的人。

6 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

7 confide   

v.向某人吐露秘密

参考例句：

• I would never readily confide in anybody.我从不轻易向人吐露秘密。
• He is going to confide the secrets of his heart to us.他将向我们吐露他心里的秘密。