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UNIT 9
Text A
PRE-READING TASK
Exercise 1
Before reading the passage, think over the questions.
1. Do you know who Martin Luther King Jr. was?
2. When and where was the speech "I have a dream" given?
Now read the passage.
"I Have a Dream"
-- 30 Years Ago and Now
1 Few issues are as clear as the one that drew a quarter-million Americans to the Lincoln Memorial 30 years ago this August 28. "America has given the Negro people a bad check," the nation was told. It had promised equality but delivered second-class citizenship, a back-of-the-bus status because of race. Few orators could define the injustice as eloquently as Martin Luther King Jr., whose words on that sweltering day remain etched in the public consciousness: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
2 The March on Washington had been the dream of a black labor leader, A. Philip Randolph, who, like the NAACP's Roy Wilkins, was a powerful figure in the civil-rights movement. But it was King who emerged as the symbol of the black people's struggle. His "I have a dream" speech struck such an emotional chord that recordings of it were made, sold, bootlegged and resold within weeks of its delivery. The magic of the moment was that it gave white America a new perspective on black America and pushed civil rights forward on the nation's agenda.
3 When the march was planned by a coalition of civil-rights, union and church leaders, nothing quite like it had ever been seen. Tens of thousands of blacks streamed into the nation's capital by car, bus, train and on foot, an invading army of the disenfranchised singing freedom songs and demanding rights. By their very numbers, they forced the world's greatest democracy to face an embarrassing question: How could America continue on a course that denied so many the simply amenities of a water fountain or a lunch counter? Or the most essential element of democracy -- the vote?
4 Three decades later, we still wrestle with questions of black and white, but now they are confused by shades of gray. The gap persists between the quality of black life and white life. The black urban underclass has grown more entrenched. Bias remains. And the nation is jarred from time to time by sensational cases stemming from racial hate. But the clarity of the 1963 issue is gone; No longer do governors stand in schoolhouse doors. Nor do signs bar blacks from restaurants or theaters. It is illegal to deny African-Americans the vote. There are 7 500 black elected officials, including 338 mayors and 40 members of Congress, plus a large black middle class. And we are past the point when white America must look to one eloquent leader to answer the question "What does the Negro want?" The change is reflected in the variety of causes on the wish list of this year's anniversary March on Washington. Health care reform. Job training. Religious freedom for American Indians. Statehood for the District of Columbia. Head start for young people. Security for the disabled. And an end to racism.
5 The compelling issue of 1963 -- discrimination -- today is more a matter of dark hearts than evil laws. The legislative agenda of modern-day marchers is American, not black.
New Words
memorial
n. something made to remind people of an event, person, etc. 纪念馆，纪念碑
Negro
n. a black person 黑人
equality
n. the state of being equal 平等
citizenship
n. the state of being a citizen 公民（或市民）身份
status
n. 地位，身份
orator
n. a person who makes speeches (esp. a good speaker) 演说家
define
v. 1. to show or explain the qualities, nature, duties, etc. of使明确，使清楚
2. to give the meaning(s) of (a word or idea) 给…下定义
injustice
n. unfairness 不公正
eloquently
ad. 雄辩地，有说服力地
sweltering
a. very hot, causing unpleasantness 闷热的，热得难受的
consciousness
n. 1. 觉悟，意识
2. 知觉
civil-rights
a. 1. 为了民权事业的，促进民权事业的
2. 公民权的
chord
n. 1. 心弦
2. 和弦，和音
bootleg
v. to make, carry, or sell unlawfully 非法制造、携带或出售
delivery
n. 传送
magic
n. a strange influence or power 魔力，魅力
perspective
n. （观察问题的）视角，观点
agenda
n. a list of things to be done 议事日程
coalition
n. a union of political parties for a special purpose 同盟或临时结成的联盟
stream
v. to move in a continuous flowing mass 涌（出）
invade
v. 1. to enter in large numbers 大批进入
2. to go or come into and attack so as to take control of (a country, city, etc.)侵略
disenfranchised
a. 被剥夺公民权的，被剥夺选举权的
democracy
n. 民主，民主政治，民主政体
deny
v. 1. to refuse to give or allow 拒绝给予
2. to refuse to accept 否认
amenity
n. a thing or condition that make life pleasant 舒适；生活福利设施
vote
n. 1. 选举权，表决权
2. 选举
wrestle
v. to struggle 努力解决，全力对付
underclass
n. 下层社会
entrenched
a. firmly established 确立的，处于牢固地位的
bias
n. 偏见
jar
v. 1. 刺激，使感不快
2. 不和谐，不一致
stem
v. 起源，发生
racial
a. connected with one's race 种族的
clarity
n. clearness 清晰，明晰
governor
n. 1.（组织、机构的）主管人员
2. 统治者，管辖者
elect
v. to choose (someone) by voting 选举
mayor
n. 市长
anniversary
n. 周年纪念日
a. 每年的，周年的
statehood
n. the condition of being one of the states making up a nation （美国）州的地位，州一级
district
n. 行政区，区
disabled
a. 丧失能力的，有残疾的
compel
v. to make (a person or thing) do something by force 强制，强迫
discrimination
n. treating different things or people in different ways 歧视
legislative
a. 1. 由法律规定的，根据法律产生的
2. having the power or duty to make laws 立法的
Phrases and Expressions
strike a chord
拨动心弦
wrestle with
努力解决，全力对付
Proper Names
the Lincoln Memorial
林肯纪念堂
Martin Luther King Jr.
马丁.路德.金（人名）
the March on Washington
“向华盛顿进军”（1963）
A. Philip Randolph
艾.菲利普.伦道夫（人名）
NAACP
（美国）有色人种协进会(=National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Roy Wilkins
罗伊.威尔金斯（人名）
the District of Columbia
哥伦比亚特区
Text B
PRE-READING TASK
Exercise 1
The passage you are going to read is entitled "The Key Issue for Women". Which of the issues do you think is/are the key one(s) for women in China?
1. Education.
2. Health.
3. Violence against women.
4. Employment.
5. Equality.
6. Social position.
Now compare your answers with your neighbors'.
The Key Issue for Women
1 "Equality between women and men is no longer a negotiable issue." These are strong words of Gertrude Mongella of Tanzania, the Secretary General of the Beijing Women's Conference. She says equality is at the centre of everything which touches women worldwide.
2 In many societies women are invisible. They grow the crops, bring up the children, take care of the home, sell food they produce in their gardens and work in the informal sector -- that sector, which doesn't get counted when a country's Gross Domestic Product is calculated. Poor women living on the margin of society, refugee women and migrant women are usually more vulnerable than men in the same circumstances. So unless their special needs are recognised and addressed, many of the world's women will continue to be on the bottom, worker ants toiling in appalling conditions.
3 Education is a major need for women and girls. Today, in spite of repeated calls at international conferences, education for them is often out of reach, or not provided, and is frequently unequal. Educational opportunities for women are limited at best.
4 Women's health needs have in the past often been overlooked, or assumed to be the same as men's. At the Cairo conference last year it was agreed that the consequence of unsafe abortions are part of overall health care. The conferences recognise that women have specific health needs which must be understood, and that women must have full access to adequate health care services.
5 An old phenomenon but one which has only been recognised as a social ill in recent years is violence against women. Generally this means domestic violence, as women are far more likely to be injured by their husbands or male partners than they are to initiate physical attacks. Violence against women is found throughout the world.
6 Another fairly new realisation is that women suffer greatly in times of war. They lose their homes, conflicts disrupt societies and civilian jobs disappear. In the increasing number of ethnic conflicts women and children are just as likely to become victims as men in the armed forces are.
7 The Beijing Programme of Action also draws attention to a key problem, women's lack of power in decision-making at all levels. In the home women may make the important decisions, but they rarely share power with men in their communities, and they are seldom asked for the opinions when policies are formulated. Nor do most societies actively promote the advancement of women.
8 Women's central role in managing natural resources and protecting the environment has been overlooked more often than it has been acknowledged. Women are the ones who grow most of the food crops in developing countries, and they know from their hands-on experience when agricultural techniques upset the environmental balance. As in all the other areas of setting policy, their experience needs to be drawn into the mainstream. Women can't be overlooked when environmentally safe sustainable development plans are being worked out. If they are left out of this process, the policies will lose some of their impact. In a "worst case" situation, the policies will fail because they are not grounded in women's experience going back over generations.
9 "As long as women remain unequal they can't have access to resources, they can never participate in political decision-making, they can't make their own choices in life. That is the bottom line." Mrs Mongella says women round the world are all concerned about equality. In developing countries, in states emerging as industrial powers, in the countries of the West, women are looking for action, action she sometimes calls a revolution.
New Words
negotiable
a. that can be negociated 可谈判的，可磋商的
invisible
a. 1. that can not be seen 看不见的
2. 难觉察的，难辨认的
formal
a. according to accepted rules or customs 正式的
informal
a. not formal 非正式的，非正规的
gross
n. the whole 总量，总额
a. total 总的
domestic
a. 1. of one's own country 本国的，国内的
2. of the family 家的，家庭的
margin
n. 1. the area on the outside edge of a large area 边沿，边缘
2. 页边的空白
refugee
n. 逃难者，避难者
migrant
a. 1. （应季节性劳动需要而）流动的
2. 迁移的，移居的
n. 1. 移民
2. 候鸟
vulnerable
a. (of a person or his feelings) easily harmed or hurt; sensitive 易受伤害的，敏感的
ant
n. 蚂蚁
toil
v. to work hard 辛勤工作，辛苦从事
appalling
a. 令人震惊的，骇人听闻的
overlook
v. 1. to miss, fail to see or notice 忽视，忽略
2. to have a view of something from above 俯瞰，眺望
abortion
n. 流产
injure
v. to hurt 伤害，使受伤
initiate
v. 开始，发起
ethnic
a. of or related to a racial group 种族的
victim
n. a person suffering injury, pain, loss, etc. 受害者
advancement
n. improvement 前进，改进
central
a. main; of greatest importance 主要的；最重要的
hands-on
a. 亲身实践的
mainstream
n. 注流，主要倾向
sustain
v. 1. to keep in continuance; maintain 保持
2. to bear 承受，支撑
sustainable
a. 1. 能保持的，能持续的
2. 能支撑得住的
Phrases and Expressions
out of reach
得不到的
at best
就乐观的方面来看，至多，充其量
have access to
有…的机会，有…权利
in times of
在…时候
draw attention to
把注意力引向
work out
制订出，产生出
Proper Names
Gertrude Mongella 葛杜鲁德.蒙格拉（人名）
Tanzania
坦桑尼亚（东非国家）
the Beijing Women's Conference
北京世界妇女大会
Gross Domestic Product
国内生产总值（GDP）
Cairo
开罗（埃及首都）
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