-
2007 Text 3
①
During the past generation,
the American middle-class family that once could
count
on
hard
work
and
fair
play
to
keep
itself
financially
secure
had
been
transformed by economic risk and new
realties.
Now a pink slip, a
bad diagnosis, or a
disappearing spouse
can reduce a family from solidly middle class to
newly poor in a few
months.
在过去的十几年里,美国那些曾经可以依靠辛勤劳动和公平条件以维持其收入稳定的中产
阶层家庭被
经济风险和新现实改变了。如今,一份解雇通知书、一个不利的诊断结果或者
配偶的去世都可能在几个月
之内将一个家庭从稳定的中产阶层家庭降格成为一个新贫困家
庭。
middle-
class
adj.
中层社会的
,
中产阶级的
count on
v.
依靠
,
指望
spouse
n.
< br>配偶
(
指夫或妻
)
1
、
During the past
generation, the American middle-class family that
once could
count
on
hard
work
and
fair
play
to
keep
itself
financially
secure
has
been
transformed by economic risk and new
realities.
【译文】
在过去的一代,
美国的中产阶级家庭曾经依靠努力工作和平等公
正以保持财政安全,但是却被经
济风险和新的现实所改变。
【析句】
句子的主干结构是
the
American
middle-class
family...has
been
transformed
by
economic risk and new realities
< br>,
family
后接一个定语从句。
【讲词】
< br>generation
指一代人,一般为
20
年。
count on
表示
指望,依靠
,例如:
You can count on my help.
(你可以指望得到我的帮助。
)
fair play
原是体育用语,意为
公平比赛
,转义指
< br>
公正的待遇
或
< br>
公平竞赛的条件
。
secure
作形容词表示
安全的
,
可靠的
,
放心的
,
无虑的
。
transform
p>
意为
转变;转换;变形
,其名词是
transformation
。
In just
one generation, millions of mothers have gone to
work, transforming basic family
economics.
②
Scholars,
policymakers,
and
critics
of
all
stripes
have
debated
the
social implications of these changes,
but few have looked at the side effect: family
risk has risen as well. Today’s
families
have budgeted to the limits of
theirs new
two-paycheck status.
③
As a result, they have lost
the parachuted they once had in
times
of financial setback
–
a
back-up earner (usually Mom) who could go into the
workforce
if
the
primary
earner
got
laid
off
or
fell
sick.
④
This
“added
-worker
effect”
could
support
the
safety
net
offered
by
unemployment
insurance
or
disability
insurance
to
help
families
weather
bad
times.
But
today,
a
disruption
to
family fortunes can no longer be made
up with extra income from an otherwise-stay-at-
home
partner
.
p>
在仅仅一代人的时间里,数百万母亲出去工作,改变了基本的家庭经济状况。学者、决策者以
及各类
批评人士对这些变化的社会意义争论不休,但是,很少有人关注这些变化的副作用
:家庭的风险增加了。
如今的家庭根据其新的双收入限度安排开支。因此,它们失去了它
们在经济萧条时期曾经有过的缓解举措
——
一个后备挣钱者
p>
(通常是妈妈)
,
如果家庭的主要挣钱者失
业了或者病倒了,
她可以出去工作。
这种
“
额
外工人效应
”
< br>可以支撑失业保险或残疾保险提供的安全网,以便帮助家庭渡过难关。但现在,家庭财产的损
失再也不可能通过呆在家里的其他伴侣的额外收入弥补了。
debate
v.
n.
争论
,
辩论
【巧】
debate=de
(强调)
+ bat
(打)
+e
→辩论
【联】
combat
(
v.n
.
战斗,格斗)←
com
一起
+bat
。
【例】
Debate is the best
catalyst of
thought.
争论是思想最好的催化
implication
n.
牵连
,
含意
,
暗示
1
【巧】
im + plic
(
fold
)
+ation
→
implication
(话没有明着说出来)
【例】
What’s the
implication of the
statement.
这份声明的含义是什么?
parachute
n.
降落伞
setback
n.
挫折
,
退步
,
逆流
unemployment
insurance
失业保险
disability
insurance
残废保险
disruption
n.
中断
,
瓦解
,
破坏
【记】
disrupt v.
使中断
,
使瓦解
,
使陷于混乱
,
破坏
【例】
market
disruption
市场混乱;
environmental
disruption
公害
,
环境失调;
The state was in
disruption.
国家处于分崩离析之中。
2
、
Scholars,
policymakers,
and
critics
of
all
stripes
have
debated
the
social
implications of these
changes, but few have looked at the side effect:
family risk
has risen as well.
【译文】
学者、
政策制定者和各行各业的批评者对这些变化的社会意义进行了辩论,
但是几乎没有人关注
次要的影响:家庭风险也增加了。
【析句】
全句是一个转折句,冒号之后的成分是一个完整的句子,作
the side
effect
的同位语。
【讲词】
stripe
意为
斑纹
,
条纹
,
all
stripes
意为
all
walks
(各行各业)
。
implication
表示
< br>牵连,涉及;含意;暗示
,如:
his implication in the
crime
(他涉及这起罪行)
。
It
is important to consider the wider implications of
making such a decision.
(很有必要考虑作
< br>出这一决定的深远意义。
)
implication
p>
的动词是
implicate
。
side effect
通常表示药物等的副作
用,在句中表示
次要的影响
。
3
、
As
a
result,they
have
lost
the
parachute
they
once
had
in
times
of
financial
setback-a
back-up
earner
(usually
Mom)
who
could
go
into
the
workforce
if
the
primary earner got laid
off or fell sick.
【译文】
因此,他们已经失去了经济
困难时曾有的保障,即家中主要的挣钱人一旦失业或生病,预备挣钱
人(通常是妈妈)可
以加入劳动大军。
【析句】
as a result<
/p>
作状语,
表示某种结果。
a back-
up earner (usually
Mom)
在句中作
the
parachute
的同位语,后面接一个定语从句。
【讲词】
parachute
的字面意思是
降落
伞
,但在句中表示
保障
。
setback
意为
挫折
,
financial
setback
表示财政或经济上的困难。
< br>primary
意为
主要的;<
/p>
首要的
,
跟
p>
major
,
main
等意思相近。
如要表示
次要的
p>
,
英文是
seco
ndary
。
earner
在句中指<
/p>
wage earner
,即挣钱人。
workforce
指
就业大军;劳动力(工人的总数)
。
< br>
lay off
意为
失业
。
4
、
Thi
s
effect
could
support
the
safety
net
offered
by
unemployment
insurance
or
disability
insurance
to
help
families
weather
bad
times.
【译文】
这种
附加工人效应
可以支持失业保险或残
疾保险所提供的保障制度,
以帮助家庭渡过困难时期。
【析句】
句子的主干是
This
,
过去分词
p>
offered
引导的结构作定语修饰
th
e safety net
。
p>
【讲词】
add
意为
增加
,
ad
ded
可以表示
附加的
,如:
added
value
(附加值,净增值)
。
safety
net
指社会保障制度。
unemployment insurance
指
失业保险
,
disability insurance
指
p>
残疾保险
。
p>
weather
在句中作动词,表示
抵御;承受;平安渡过
,如:
weather a
crisis
(渡过危机)
。
bad times
意为
坏时光;艰苦的日子
,其反义词是
< br>good times
。
2
During the same period, families have
been asked to absorb much more risk in their
retirement
income.
⑤
Steelworkers,
airline
employees,
and
now
those
in
the
auto
industry are joining millions of
families who must worry about interest rates,
stock
market
fluctuation,
and
the
harsh
reality
that
they
may
outlive
their
retirement
money.
⑥
For much
of the
past year, President Bush campaigned to move
Social
Security
to
a
saving-account
model,
with
retirees
trading
much
or
all
of
their
guaranteed payments for payments
depending on investment returns.
For
younger
families the picture is not any
better
.
⑦
Both the
absolute cost of healthcare and the
share
of
it
borne
by
families
have
risen
–
and
newly
fashionable
health-saving
plans are
spreading from legislative halls to Wal-Mart
workers, with much higher
deductibles
and a large new dose of investment risk for
families’ future healthcare.
⑧
Even demographics are
working against the middle class family, as the
odds of
having a weak elderly parent
–
and all the attendant need
for physical and financial
assistance
–
have jumped eightfold in
just one generation.
在同一时期,
要求家庭在其退休收入中承担更多风险。钢铁厂的工人、航空公司的职员以及汽车产业
工
人加入了数百万不得不担心利率、股市波动以及可能比其退休收入存在时间更长的严酷现实家庭。在去
年的大部分时间里,布什总统一直致力于将社会保险体制转变成一种储蓄存款账户模式,要求退休人 员将
其大多数或所有保障报酬用来交换依靠投资回报所得的报酬。对于更年轻的家庭来说
,前景不容乐观。卫
生保健和家庭承担份额的绝对成本都上涨了
——
而且,最近实施的健康储蓄计划正在从立法机关扩展到沃
尔
玛员工,包含大量更高的减免,并且给家庭未来的卫生保健带来许多新投资风险。甚至人口统计状况也
对中产阶层家庭不利,因为有一个体弱、年迈的父母
——
< br>以及由此而产生的所有物资和经济援助
——
就在
仅仅一代人的时间里增长了
8
倍。
5
、
Steelworkers,
airline employees, and now those in the auto
industry are joining
millions of
families who must worry about interest rates,
stock market fluctuation,
and the harsh
reality that they may outlive their retirement
money.
【译文】
钢铁工人、航空公司的雇员,以及在汽车工业中就业的人,他们现在和数百万的家庭一样,必须<
/p>
操心利率和股票市场的升降,担心他们的退休金不够用的严峻现实。
【析句】
句子的主干结构是
Steelworkers...are
joining millions of families
,
families
后面跟一个定
语从句。而在定语从句中,主
语是
who
,谓语是
worry
about
,宾语是
interest rates,
stock market
fluctuation, and the hash
reality
。
that they may
outlive their retirement money
是一个定语从
句,修饰
the harsh
reality
。
【讲词】
worry about
表示
操心;担心
。
interest rates
指<
/p>
利率
,
stock market
指
< br>股票市场
,
fluctuati
on
指股票市场的波动,
retirement
money
指
退休金
。
outlive
意为
比
...
...
长命;比
......
耐久;经
受住
,如:
This
regulation has outlived its usefulness.
(这一规则没用却仍然存在。
)
6
、
For much of the
past year, President Bush campaigned to move
Social Security to
a
savings-account
model,
with
retirees
trading
much
or
all
of
their
guaranteed
payments for payments depending on
investment returns.
【译文】
在过去的大部分时间中,布
什总统推行社会保障制度的改革,力图把它变成储蓄帐户的模式,让
退休人员拿出大部分
或所有的确定付款,以换取依赖于投资回报的付款。
【
析
句
】
句
子
的
主
干
结
构
是
President
Bush
campaigned
to
move
Social
Security
to
a
savings-account model
,介词
with
所接的成分作状语,说明储蓄帐户模式。
【讲词】
campaign
p>
作名词表示
竞选;战役;政治或商业的活动
,作动词表示
打仗;竞选;开展某种
活动
,如:
p>
campaigned for human
rights
(开展人权运动)
。
social security
指
<
/p>
社会保障(制度)
。
guarantee
意为
保证
,如:
The
government guaranteed to free the captives.
(政府保证释放
俘虏。
)
gu
arantee freedom of
speech
(保证言论自由)
。
7
、
Both the
absolute cost of healthcare and the share of it
borne by families have
3