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Boys Are Not “Better” Than Girls 男生比女生棒？

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课文讲解

Sometimes I wish I were a boy, so people would treat me differently, especially my parents. I feel like they’re so old-fashioned when it comes to boys and girls because they always treat younger brother better than me.

有时候我真希望自己是个男的，这样别人才会用不同的方式对待我，尤其是我爸妈。我觉得我爸妈对于男女这个议题真的非常老古板，因为他们总是对我弟比对我好。

My parents always ask my to do housework, like scrubbing the floors and doing dishes, but they only want him to spend his time on his schoolwork without bothering to do any chores. They pay more attention to his future than mine. I focus a lot on my schoolwork and have dreams of my own, like studying abroad, yet my parents say those are unnecessary. They say I don’t need to be successful, and all I need is to find a good husband.

我爸妈总是要我做家事，像刷地和洗碗，但他们只希望我弟花时间在课业上就好，不需要操心任何家务事。比起我的未来，他们更在意我弟的。我自己也非常专注在课业上，也有我自己的梦想，像是出国读书，但我爸妈觉得那些都非必要。他们说我不需要事业有成，只需要找到一个好老公。

It’s really not fair, and that’s not all. My brother gets anything he wants when he asks my parents. Heaven forbid I ever ask them for anything though, they’ll tell me to “be patient.” Whatever happened to girls and boys being equal?

这真的太不公平了，而且还不只如此！我爸妈对我弟的要求有求必应，但如果我胆敢向他们要任何东西，他们只会告诉我：「有耐心点！」。男女平等这件事到底发生了什么事？

－by Bryan Shettig

单词发音

Vocabulary

treat [trit] v. 对待

We should treat all people with care and respect.

old-fashioned [ˋoldˋfæʃənd] adj. 老派的，守旧的

fashion n. 时尚

The TV drama takes place in the past, so the actors wear lots of old-fashioned clothing.

scrub [skrʌb] v. 用力擦洗；揉

(scrub-scrubbed-scrubbed)

We scrubbed the dishes well to make sure they were completely clean.

chore [tʃor] n. 家庭杂务; 日常零星工作

The children do chores around the house to help their parents.

abroad [əˋbrɔd] adv. 在国外；到国外

Students sometimes study abroad to learn more about another culture.

successful [səkˋsɛsfəl] adj. 成功的

success n. 成功

Becoming successful is not east but it can be done through hard work.

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when it comes to 当涉及...时, 谈到...时

bother [ˋbɑðɚ] v. 费心; 操心

unnecessary [ʌnˋnɛsə͵sɛrɪ] adj. 不需要的；不必要的；多余的

heaven forbid  但愿不会如此！千万不要这样！苍天不容！

课文朗读

课文讲解

Creating Equality for Men and Women  两性平等的真谛

While it’s true that men and women are different, no gender is better than the other. Unfortunately, people throughout history have not felt this way. Many families often discriminated according to gender, especially in favor of boys. Sadly, these beliefs are not completely gone yet.

虽然男女的确生而不同，但并没有哪一个性别比较好。不幸地是，从古至今，人们似乎都不这么认为。过去许多家庭常因性别而对小孩有差别待遇，而且较重视男生。令人遗憾地是，这些观念至今尚未完全消失。

Some families today still treat boys and girls differently. Boys are often seen as successors to the family business while girls are viewed as members of the future husband’s family. These beliefs often lead to an adverse effect on the mindsets of both boys and girls, and can create conflicts within the family. Despite these differences in upbringing, there are many successful females these days. What’s more, girls are more likely to be caring and responsible toward their parents.

如今有些家庭仍然对男女生有差别待遇。男生通常被当作家族事业的继承人；女生则被视为未来夫家的家庭成员。这些观念往往会对男女生双方的心态造成负面影响，甚至会导致家庭内部的冲突。但即使有养育过程的这些不公平对待，现今仍有非常多成功的女性，而且女生通常在照顾父母面更为体贴且具责任感。

Holding boys and girls to different standards is not a healthy way for them to grow up. Boys and girls are both capable of being special since the individual is what matters most. Parents need to recognize this by taking full responsibility for their children and never treating their kids differently.

用不同的标准看待男女生对他们的成长是不健康的。男生和女生都能展现自己的与众不同，因为真正重要的是每个个体本身。家长们需要替孩子担负全责以认清这个观念，且永远不该对小孩有差别待遇。

－by Bryan Shettig

单词发音

Vocabulary

equality [iˋkwɑlətɪ] n. 相等；平等

equal adj. 平等的

Women are still fighting for true equality with men.

throughout [θruˋaʊt] prep. 贯穿，从头到尾

through prep. 穿越; 通過

My friend talked throughout the movie and that really bothered me.

belief [bɪˋlif] n. 信念，看法

Some people have a strong belief in God and go to church every Sunday.

conflict [ˋkɑnflɪkt] n. 冲突

The boy and his parents had a conflict about whether they should buy a pet.

caring [ˋkɛrɪŋ] adj. 有爱心的

care v. 照顧; 關懷

Even though lions are strong, they are caring with their young cubs.

responsibility [rɪ͵spɑnsəˋbɪlətɪ] n. 责任

responsible adj. 負責的

Older children in a family usually have more responsibilities than the younger ones.

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gender [ˋdʒɛndɚ] n. 性别

discriminate [dɪˋskrɪmə͵net] v. 有差别地对待; 歧视

successor [səkˋsɛsɚ] n. 继承人

adverse [ædˋvɝs] adj. 不利的，有害的

mindset [ˋmaɪnd͵sɛt] n. 心态

upbringing [ˋʌp͵brɪŋɪŋ] n. 养育；教养

be capable of   有能力做...;