Active reading one英国人闲聊的性别差异 Background information
This is from the best-selling 2008 book, watching the English by Kate Fox, who is a social anthropologist and director of the Social Issues Research Centre at the University of Oxford. The book is a cultural description of English ways of communicating (on topics like the weather or when using mobile phones) and behaving (at home or in the workplace, when eating, and in pubs). She observes people’s behavior, but also, as a social scientist, interviews people and conducts social experiments to reveal the social rules or underlying codes and customs. Other topics in the book include dress codes, ways of shopping, queuing, and – the extract here – social gossip.
The extract here is about gossip. To gossip is a social way to talk about other people and their private lives or about things that are not important. The writer and other researchers have found that when people gossip there are social patterns in the choice of topic and the way of talking about it. The phrase in the title, gossip rules, refers to the rules or patterns that are found in how people gossip, but it is ambiguous and might mean that gossip rules or governs our lives.
Para. 1
“As sport and leisure have been shown to occupy about 10 percent of conversation time, discussion of football could well account for the difference.”
Researchers have found that men spend about 10 per cent of their conversation time talking about sport and leisure, therefore the small difference between men and women in gossip time – men gossip about 12 per cent less than women – can be explained by the time spent on discussing football, which women are less likely to talk about, and which does not count as gossip.
译文：由于体育和休闲大约占10%的说话时间，所以很可能是谈论足球的时间导致了这种性别上的差异。
第一段参考译文：与普遍的看法相反，研究人员发现：男人和女人一样爱闲聊。英国的一项研究发现：男性和女性谈论诸如人际关系这类社会话题的时间一样多，大约是65%；另一项研究则表明：男人谈话时有55%的时间在闲聊，女人闲聊的时间是67%，两性之间的差异不大。由于体育和休闲大约占10%的说话时间，所以很可能是谈论足球的时间导致了这种性别上的差异。
Para.2
highbrow a. likely to interest people who are interested in learning, culture, and art; scholarly or rarefied in taste 文化修养高的；博学的；趣味高雅的 e.g.
1. They only attend highbrow events such as the ballet or the opera. 他们只参加高雅活动，例如观看芭蕾舞或歌剧。
2. Opera has developed a reputation as a cultivated, highbrow sort of entertainment. 歌剧作为一种体现文明与修养的娱乐形式声名远扬。
第二段参考译文：男人并没有比女人花更多的时间去谈论政治、工作、艺术及文化等“重要”或“高雅”话题，除非女人在场（这就形成了强烈的对比）。女人不在场的时候，男人也闲聊，他们谈论工作或政治等非交际性话题的时间不会超过5%。而男女都在场时，为了引起女人的注意，男人谈论“高雅”话题的时间会大大增加，达到15%至20%。
Para.3
第三段参考译文：事实上，最近的研究表明，男人和女人的闲聊内容只存在一个重要的差别：男人会花更多的时间谈论自己。在谈论社会关系的时间中，男人用三分之二的时间谈论自己的关系，而女人谈论自己的时间则只占三分之一。
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Womenfolk n. (pl) (old-fashioned) the women in a particular family, community, etc. （某家庭、社区等的）女人们，妇女们
e.g.
1. He had not the faintest knowledge what it really was, but he would never have sunk so low as to confess that to his womenfolk. 其实他对这件事是一无所知，不过他在这伙妇道人家面前，从来不肯屈尊承认自己无知。 2. They emigrated to the countryside with their womenfolk. 他们携家眷移居到乡下。
focus group n. [C] a small group of people who are interviewed together and give their opinions about particular subjects, usually to help a company or political party to make decisions 焦点小组（访谈）（定性研究常用的方法之一）；目标群体 e.g.
1. Ask your focus group if they believe in your brand and why. 询问你的目标群体是否信任你的品牌形象并问明缘由。
2. Focus group is an efficient technique to gain a diverse range of insights about users' needs, which may be particularly suitable for designers.
焦点小组访谈是一种高效的方法，对要户需求能够获得广泛的了解，可能会对设计者特别适合。 initially ad. at the beginning 开始；最初；首先 e.g.
1. Though initially he had seemed an ordinary kid, his zeal had set him apart.
虽然他最初看起来好像只是个普普通通的小孩，但他的热情使他与众不同。
2. Initially, he thought the new concept was nonsense. 最初他认为这一新概念是一派胡言。 Translate the following sentences:
1. Some studies suggest that straight, horizontal bars painted across roads can initially cut the average speed of drivers in half. (CET4-2000-01) 有些研究表明，道路上画的分道线最初能将驾驶员的平均速度降低一半。 2. 她的科学界同行最初对这一理论持有强烈的怀疑态度。
This theory was initially received with great skepticism by her fellow scientists.
“On further questioning, however, the difference turned out to be more a matter of semantics than practice: What the women were happy to call “gossip”, the men defined as “exchanging information”.”
The sentence means that there was not any difference between men and women in practice, but there was a difference in how men and women used word meanings because they had different terms – “gossip” for women was the same as “exchanging information” for men.
译文：在接下来的提问中，我发现两者的差别只存在于语义层面上而非实践层面上：男性把女性通常所说的“闲聊”定义为“信息交流”。 semantics n. [U]
1) the study of words and their meaning 语义学
e.g. My ideas on semantics needed more careful exploration. 我关于语义学的一些想法需要更仔细的研究。 2) the meaning of words and phrases 语义 e.g.
1. The issue involves much more than manners and political semantics. 这个问题所涉及的远远不止态度和政治语义。
2. Such quibbling over semantics may seem petty stuff. 像这类对语义问题的争论可能显得无足轻重。 第四段参考译文：即便如此，那个关于男人的讨论“解决问题”，而女人只是躲在厨房里闲言碎语的错误观点仍然大行其道，尤其是在男人堆里。在我进行的焦点人群调查及访谈中，大多数英国男性刚开始时都声称他们不说闲话，而大多数女性都坦承自己说闲话。在接下来的提问中，我发现两者的差别只存在于语义层面上而非实践层面上：男性把女性通常所说的“闲聊”定义为“信息交流”。 Para.5
“Clearly, there is a stigma attached to gossip among English males, an unwritten rule to the effect that, even if what one is doing is gossiping, it should be called something else.”
English men feel it is somehow wrong or embarrassing to gossip so when they gossip, they give it another name. The expression unwritten rule refers to a rule or custom which is not written down. People will recognize it, but may not be fully conscious of such a rule until someone draws attention to it.
译文：显然，在英国男性眼里闲聊是一件可耻的事情，这条不成文的规则已经深入人心，因此就算一个人确实是在闲聊，他也会把它说成是另外一回事。
stigma n. [sing, U] a feeling that sth. is wrong or embarrassing in some way 羞耻；耻辱 e.g.
1. Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma. 做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。 2. Wider knowledge of the disease removed some of the stigma from it. 对这种疾病更多的了解减少了一些耻辱感。
3. There is still a lot of stigma attached to suicide. 自杀仍然被看作是一种很不光彩的举动。
unwritten a. known or understood by everyone but not written down or official 不成文的；未写下的 e.g.
1. Sometimes the unwritten rules govern our lives and behavior more strongly than the written ones. 有时不成文的规定比成文的规定更有力地规范着我们的生活和行为。
2. There's no caretaker in the block and according to some unwritten law the ground floor tenant is responsible for keeping the common entrance clean. 这个街区无专人看管，但根据不成文的规矩，一楼的住户负责清扫大门。 principal a. main, or most important 主要的；最重要的；首要的 e.g.
1. The principal aim of the project is to provide an answer to this question. 该计划的首要目标是为这个问题找出答案。
2. The principal thing in this world is to keep one's soul aloft. 人生在世的首要大事是保持灵魂的高尚。
第五段参考译文：显然，在英国男性眼里闲聊是一件可耻的事情，这条不成文的规则已经深入人心，因此就算一个人确实是在闲聊，他也会把它说成是另外一回事。或许更重要的是，他也会让它听起来像是一件正经事。在研究中我发现：男女闲聊的主要区别在于女人的闲聊听起来更像闲言碎语。这涉及到三个主要因素——语调规则、细节规则和反馈规则。
Para.6
stage whisper n. [C] a way of speaking in which you pretend to talk very quietly but can be heard clearly by other people 听得见的假装低语 e.g.
1. At the table, the man addressed his friend in a stage whisper.
在餐桌上，那个人用有意让别人听得见的低语对他的朋友讲话。
2. My wife said she was cold in a stage whisper that was intended to make them turn the heating up. 我妻子用有意让别人能听见的耳语说她很冷，意思是要他们把暖气开大点。 animated a. lively or active 活跃的；有活力的 e.g.
1. This question set off an animated discussion. 这个问题引起了热烈讨论。
2. It was strange to see these Prague streets, usually so animated, now completely empty and deserted. 看到通常很有生气的布拉格的街道现在变得空无一人，真是很怪。
high-pitched a. used of sounds and voices; high in pitch or frequency 声调高的；尖声的 e.g.
1. Dogs usually use high-pitched barks when they are separated from their owners and a lower, harsher bark when strangers approach or the doorbell rings, according to an animal behaviorist at the university.
该大学一位动物行为主义学者认为，当狗和主人分离时，通常它们的叫声会尖锐； 反之，一旦发现有陌生人接近或者门铃响起时，它们则会发出一种更低沉、更刺耳的狂吠声。
2. The words sliced through the room in a high-pitched voice and everyone stopped what they were doing. 高亢锐利的说话声划过房间的上空，每个人都停下手头的工作。 scandalous a.
1) sth. that is scandalous shocks you and makes you feel very angry because it seems unfair or wrong 让人震惊的；令人愤慨的
e.g.
1. She deplored his scandalous actions. 她谴责他那令人愤慨的行为。
2. Don't talk in that way, it is really scandalous. 千万别这么说，这实在太不象话了。 3. It's scandalous that you still haven't been paid. 你还没有拿到工资这太不像话了。
2) sth. that is scandalous is shocking because it involves immoral or dishonest behavior 可耻的，不光彩的 e.g.
1. How in the world did he ever get mixed up in this scandalous affair? 他到底是怎样卷入到这件丑闻中去的？
2. Isadora Duncan, the dancer from San Francisco, gloried in an enlightenment which others thought scandalous. 来自旧金山的舞蹈家伊莎多拉·邓肯则醉心于别人认为丢脸的启蒙活动。 Word family: scandal n.
第六段参考译文：语调规则 我采访过的英国女性都认为只有某种特别的语调适合于闲聊。闲聊的语调很高，并且语速很快，有时像故意让大家都能听见的悄悄话，但总是活灵活现的。一位女士这样解释：“闲聊一般是这样开始的：‘哎，你猜猜怎么着？你知道吗？’（快速的、高声调的、兴奋的语气）或者，‘嗨，听我说，听我说（快速、急切的语气，故意让大家都听得到），你猜我听到了什么？’”另一位女士告诉我：“即使实际上并不是那么回事儿，你也必须让它听起来像令人吃惊的事或者像丑闻。虽然那根本算不上什么秘密，你也可以说：‘哎，你可别告诉别人，我听说„„’”
Para.7
unemotional a.
1) not showing any feelings 不动感情的
e.g. Susan married a man who appeared to be unemotional and self-possessed but who turned out to have a soft centre. 苏珊嫁给了一个看起来冷漠有自制力的男人，可没想到他原来是一个软心肠呢。 2) reasoned and objective, involving reason or intellect rather than feelings 冷静的，理性的 e.g. I'd like to get your unemotional opinion. 我想听听你不带感情色彩的意见。 sniff
1) vi. (~ at) criticize sth., or suggest it is not good enough for you 对„„嗤之以鼻；轻蔑地批评 e.g.
1. At first he sniffed at her foreign ways. 起初他对她的外国作风嗤之以鼻。 2. Her achievement is not to be sniffed at. 不可小看她的成绩。
2) vt. & vi breathe in noisily through your nose, for example because you have been crying以鼻吸气；嗅；闻 e.g. When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。
第七段参考译文：很多女性抱怨男人闲聊时没有使用正确的语调，而是像交流任何其他信息一样，语气平淡、一成不变。一位妇女对此嗤之以鼻：“你简直搞不清他们是不是在闲聊。”但这正是男人想要的效果。
Para.8
bemoan vt. (fml) complain or say that you are disappointed about sth. 抱怨 e.g.
1. The farmers bemoaned their loss. 农民们抱怨所受到的损失。
2. The declining standard of language is a common phenomenon bemoaned by cultural elites in many countries. 在许多国家，文化精英都在感叹语文水准下降的普遍现象。
3. Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and wish my circumstances were not so modest, I am grateful for life. 尽管我满腹牢骚，日复一日哀叹自己的命运，希望境遇别这么沉闷，但我依然感激生活。 informant n. [C]
1) (fml) someone who gives information about themselves to people who are doing research 资料提供人（尤指为研究者提供语言、风俗资料的人） e.g.
1. Could you be my language informant for Dutch? 你愿意为我作荷兰语的资料提供人吗? 2. They got the information from the literature resource and key informants. 他们从文献资料和关键知情人处得到了这信息。
2) someone who secretly gives information about someone to the police or someone in authority 检举人；告密者 e.g.
1. The police chief says the informant is being kept in protective custody. He will be questioned by the FBI. 警官说该告密者已经保护性拘留，他将会受联邦调查局的审问。
2. Once the report is verified, the relevant supervision and administration department of food safety shall reward the informant. 举报经查证属实的，有关的食品安全监督管理部门应当对举报人给予奖励。 Word family: inform v. information n.
“For women, this detailed speculation about possible motives and causes, requiring an exhaustive raking over “history”, is a crucial element of gossip.”
Women speculate about the reasons why people have done things and what caused them to do things. This requires them to go over the history of an event or talk in detail about something unpleasant that some people no longer want to talk about. For women, this is a key part of gossip.
译文：对女人而言，周密地推测动机和原因与周密地推测可能的后果一样是闲聊的关键因素，这要求对“过去”进行仔细的梳理。
motive n. [C] the reason that you do sth.; used in a negative way for showing that someone’s real reasons for doing sth. are not the ones that they tell other people 缘由；动机 e.g.
1. Greed was his only motive for stealing. 贪婪是他盗窃的唯一动机。
2. The police could not find a motive for the murder. 警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
3. How do you explain the motives behind his actions? 你怎么解释他的行为是出于什么动机？ exhaustive a. thorough or complete; including every possible element 彻底的；完全的 e.g.
1. An exhaustive investigation of the facts proves the contrary. 彻底地调查事实后发现情况正好相反。
2. Although criminologists have conducted exhaustive research regarding the subject, little evidence exists to support the claim. 虽然刑事学家就这一课题做了详尽的研究，几乎没有证据能支持这种说法。
rake v. continue to talk about sth. unpleasant that someone else no longer wants to talk or think about 不断提及 e.g.
1. I have no desire to rake over the past. 我不想旧事重提。
2. There’s no point in raking over the past. 老是谈论过去是没有用的。
第八段参考译文：细节规则 女人也强调闲聊时细节很重要，并且再一次抱怨男人在这方面的不足。她们声称男人“从不了解细节。”一位被调查者告诉我：“男人从不引述别人的话。如果我们不能确切地知道别人说了什么，那有什么意思呢？” 另一位被调查者说：“女人比男人更倾向于推测„„她们谈及某人为什么会做某事，并追溯整件事情的历史。”对女人而言，周密地推测动机和原因与周密地推测可能的后果一样是闲聊的关键因素，这要求对“过去”进行仔细的梳理。英国男人认为：所有这些细节都很乏味、无关紧要，当然，讲出来也就有损男子气概。
Para.9
appreciative a. showing that you are grateful or that you enjoyed sth. 表示赞赏的；感激的
e.g. The play drew a small but appreciative crowd. 这场戏吸引了为数不多但有鉴赏力的观众。 appreciative of
e.g. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound. 黑暗会使他更珍惜视力，寂静会教导他享受声音。 Word family： appreciate v. appreciation n.
reciprocate v. (fml) do the same thing for someone that they have done for you 回报
e.g. Your visit gives me the chance to reciprocate some of the kindness and hospitality that was extended to me and my
colleagues during our visit to Paris in March this year.
你们的来访使我有机会一尽地主之谊，答谢你们在我和我的同事今年三月访问巴黎期间的盛情款待。 Word family: reciprocation n.
Translate the following sentence into Chinese:
1. Although she did not reciprocate his feelings, she did not discourage him. 尽管她没有回应他的感情，她也没有使他丧失信心。
2. A Chinese who has been \"given face\" feels that he or she has received a favour. In turn, he or she has to reciprocate the favour so that the other party will not lose face. 在华人看来，人家“给了面子”，自己便是得了人情，因此必须投桃报李，以便使对方也不失面子。 suitably ad. in a way that is right for a particular purpose or situation 相应地（有某种反应）；相当地 e.g.
1. The task needs the skills of a suitably experienced engineer. 这项任务需要有一定经验的工程师的技能。 2. We welcome applications from suitably qualified individuals. 我们欢迎符合条件的个人前来申请。 第九段参考译文：反馈规则 在国女性中存在一种共识：“地道的闲聊”除了语调生动、关英注细节之外，还需要有好的听众。所谓好的听众是指对闲聊的内容表示认同，并给予大量恰当反馈的听众。女性的闲聊反馈规则要求听众至少应该和说话者一样活跃、充满热情。她们认为这样才足够礼貌，因为说话人要把事情讲得出人意料，讲得像丑闻，还是颇费心力的。因此听众至少要表现出适度的吃惊才能回报说话人的努力。据我的女性被调查者说，英国男人好像完全没有掌握这条规则。他们不知道“你应该说‘不会吧！真的吗？’或者‘噢，我的上帝！’”
Para.10
inappropriately ad. not suitably or properly in a particular situation 不适当地；不恰当地 e.g.
1. The mother continually tests toys to make sure they can't cause harm even when used inappropriately. 妈妈经常检查玩具，以确保即便是玩具使用不当，也不会造成伤害。
2. If we use them inappropriately, adverse effect may occur. 如果我们不当使用它们，可能产生相反的效果。 Antonym: appropriately
Word family： appropriate a.
girly a. (infml) looking or behaving like a young girl 少女般的 e.g.
1. I hate these girly sports like gymnastics, swimming, body building, tennis and table-tennis. 我讨厌像体操、游泳、健美、网球和乒乓球这些女孩子的运动。
2. You need to come up with a new concept instead of the girly pink and purple color scheme you have right now. 你需要想出一个新的概念，而不是你现在这样的粉红和紫色的少女风格的方案。
disturbingly ad. in a manner that makes you feel extremely worried or upset 令人烦恼地；令人不安地 e.g.
1. Disturbingly, these forecasts seem to be coming true. 令人不安的是，这些预测正在逐渐变成事实。 2. The details of the kidnaper's letter had sounded disturbingly convincing. 令人不安的是，绑匪信中的细节描述听上去让人感到绑架确有其事。 Word family: disturbing a. disturb v. disturbance n.
effeminate a. an effeminate man looks, behaves, or speaks like a woman （男子）女人气的 e.g.
1. He spoke in an effeminate voice. 他讲起话来一副娘娘腔。
2. There's nothing effeminate about ballet — you have to be incredibly fit to dance. 芭蕾并不女里女气——你得要有十分健康的体魄才能跳好。 decidedly ad.
1) in a way that is impossible to doubt and easy to see 确实无疑地；显然 e.g.
1. He made all the other players on the field look decidedly ordinary. 他使场上所有其他运动员都黯然失色。
2. He looked decidedly uncomfortable. 他看上去确实很不舒服。 2) in a way that shows you are very certain about sth. 坚决地；果断地
e.g. “I think we should do it,” said Peter, decidedly. “我想我们应该做，”彼得果断地说。
camp a. a man who is camp behaves in a way that does not follow traditional ideas about male behavior, especially in order to attract attention（尤指男子为引人注意而行为）忸怩作态的，稀奇古怪的；坎普
e.g. While it's not true that camp taste is homosexual taste, there is no doubt a peculiar affinity and overlap. (Susan Sontag) 尽管不能说坎普趣味就是同性恋趣味，但无疑这两者之间存在着某种特别的契合和重叠之处。(苏珊·桑塔格)
etiquette n. [U] a set of rules for behaving correctly in social situations 社交礼仪 e.g.
1. The rules of etiquette are not so strict nowadays. 如今的礼仪规则不那么严格了。
2. One of the most common dilemmas of international etiquette is what to bring as a gift when you're invited to someone's home for dinner. 国际礼仪中最常见的一个窘境是：当你应邀到某人家中去赴晚宴时，应带何种礼物。 juicy a. a juicy job or activity is interesting and enjoyable; juicy stories are slightly shocking but interesting or fun to listen to （工作或活动）有乐趣的 ；（故事）有趣的，刺激的 e.g.
1. He gets all the juicy jobs. 他把有趣的活儿都揽去了。
2. Many of us will no doubt still remember the juicy details on President Bill Clinton's affair in the American media. 我们很多人无疑还记得美国报纸对克林顿总统丑闻做出的很多详尽报道。
expletive n. [C] (fml) a rude word that you use when you are angry, annoyed, or upset that might offend some people 秽语；骂人话 e.g.
1. The station bleeped out the expletives from the taped interview. 电台把采访录音中骂人的话抹掉了。 2. He uttered several vigorous expletives when he dropped the iron on his foot. 他的熨斗掉下砸在脚上，他骂了几句难听的脏话。
acceptably ad. in an acceptable (but not outstanding) manner 合意地；令人满意地 e.g. I don’t think I am a person able to do a variety of different jobs acceptably well. 我认为我不是一个可以令人满意地做好各种不同工作的人。 Word family: acceptable a. accept v.
masculine a. with qualities thought to be typical of men 男子气概的；男子汉的 e.g.
1. A year ago some Arabic countries launched a campaign against \"masculine women \". 一年以前，一些阿拉伯国家曾发起一项旨在对抗“男性气概女子”的运动。 2. Our new teacher is a young man, outstandingly handsome and robust, very masculine. 我们的新老师是个小伙子，非常英俊、强健，特别具有男子汉的气质。
to the effect that: used for showing that you are giving a general idea of what someone said instead of their actual words 大意是；大致是 e.g.
1. He made some comments to the effect that my essay was a little light on analysis. 他作了一些评论，大意是我的文章分析不够深刻。
2. He makes a declaration to the effect that he will soon resign. 他发表一项声明，大意是他很快就要辞职。
第十段参考译文：不过，我的女性被调查者也同意，那些以女性方式做出反应的男人听起来像小女孩，或者女里女气，让人感觉不舒服。我采访过的一位男同性恋者也觉得“不会吧！真的吗？”之类的反应会被认为是十足的“娘娘腔”。英国人闲聊礼仪的不成文的规则的确允许男人在听到特别有趣的闲话时表达震惊与惊讶，只不过，人们认为一句恰当的脏话能以一种更具男子气概的方式传递这种惊讶。
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