英語四級必讀美文9：女性幸福感為何下降？

Why aren't women happier these days?

現(xiàn)在女性的幸福感為什么下降了?

That's the question raised by a thought-provoking study, The Paradox 01 Declining Female Happiness, released last month. (1) The research showed that over the past 35 years women's happiness has declined, both compared to the past and relative to men even though, by most objective measures,the lives of women in the US have improved in recent decades.

五月公布的一項發(fā)人深思的調(diào)查《女性幸福感下降之詭辯》提出了上述問題。(1)這項研究顯示，在過去的35年中，無論是縱向與過去相比，還是橫向與男性相比，女性的幸福感都下降了——盡管按照大多數(shù)客觀標準看，過去幾十年來美國女性的生活改善了。

The research, by University of Pennsylvania economists Stevenson and Wolfers, and released by the National Bureau of Economic Research, found the decline in happiness to be pervasive among women across a variety of demographic groups. (2) The researchers, for instance, measured similar declines in happiness among women who were single Parents and married parents, "casting doubt on the hypothesis that trends in marriage and divorce, single parenthood or work/family balance are at the root of the happiness declines among women," they wrote.

這項研究由賓夕法尼亞大學(xué)經(jīng)濟學(xué)家史蒂文森和沃爾弗斯進行，Bureau ofEconomic由美國國家經(jīng)濟研究局(NationalResearch)公布。研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，在各類女性群體中，幸福感都普遍下降。(2)舉例來講，研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，單身母親和已婚母親中幸福感的下降幅度類似，他們寫道：“這對一種假說提出了質(zhì)疑，這種假說認為，婚姻、離婚、單身母親或工作/家庭平衡等問題中的發(fā)展趨勢是導(dǎo)致女性幸福感下降的根源。”

One theory for the decline in happiness is that expectations for workplace and general advancement were raised too high by the women's movement and women might feel inadequate for not "having it all," as a Los Angeles Times columnist recently put it.

正如《洛杉磯時報》一位專欄作家最近所寫的，關(guān)于幸福感下降的一個理論是，對工作和總體發(fā)展的期望值被婦女運動推得過高，如果沒有擁有一切，女性可能就覺得有所欠缺。

The researchers acknowledge that's a possibility:

研究人員承認這是一種可能。

"If the women's movement raised women's expectations faster than society was able to meet them," the paper says, "they would be more likely to be disappointed by their actual experienced lives." But they add, things could change for the better: "As women's expectations move into alignment with their experiences, this decline in happiness may reverse."

研究報告說，如果婦女運動提高女性期望值的速度高于社會滿足她們期望值的速度，那么她們將更有可能對實際經(jīng)歷的生活感到失望。不過研究人員說，形勢也可能峰回路轉(zhuǎn)。他們寫道，隨著女性期望值與自身的經(jīng)歷更加貼近，幸福感的下降可能會逆轉(zhuǎn)。

Readers, why do you think women are unhappier than in the past? Do you think that if expectations for "having it all" were lowered to "move into alignment with experiences," women might be happier?

讀者朋友們，你認為女性為什么沒有過去幸福了?你認為，如果對“擁有一切”的期望值被降低到“與經(jīng)歷相符的程度”，女性是否可能更幸福?

四級句型講解

1. The research showed that over the past 35 years women's happiness has declined. both compared to the past and relative to men even though, by most objective measures, the lives of women in the US have i m proved in recent decades.

本句是一個復(fù)合句。that引導(dǎo)賓語從句，作show的賓語。compared to...men過去分詞短語作狀語，表示比較。even though引導(dǎo)讓步狀語從句，意為“盡管”

語法重點：分詞短語作狀語，讓步狀語從句

2. The researchers. for instance. measured similar declines in happiness among women who were single parents and married parents. "casting doubt on the hypothesis that trends in marriage and divorce, single parenthood or work/family balance are at the root of the happiness declines among women," they wrote.

本句是一個復(fù)合句，其中for instance是插入語，表示舉例。who引導(dǎo)限制性定語從句，修飾women。后面引號內(nèi)的內(nèi)容為直接引語。casting doubt...among women為現(xiàn)在分詞短語作伴隨狀語，其中that引導(dǎo)同位語從句，解釋說明hypothesis。

語法重點：插入語，定語從句，分詞短語作狀語，同位語從句