新世纪研究生公共英语教材阅读B 课文原文及翻译
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新世纪研究生公共英语教材阅读BUnitUnit 9Animal EmotionsLaura TangleySheer joy. Romantic love. The pain of mourning.Scientists say pets and wild creatures have feelings, too.1. Swimming off the coast of Argentina, a female right whale singles out just one of the suitors that are hotly pursuing her. After mating, the two cetaceans linger side by side, stroking one another with their flippers and finally rolling together in what looks like an embrace. The whales then depart, flippers touching, and swim slowly side by side, diving and surfacing in perfect unison until they disappear from sight.2.In Tanzania, primatologists studying chimpanzee behavior recorded the death of Flo, a troop’s 50-year-old matriarch. Throughout the following day, Flo’s son, Flint, sits beside his mother’s lifeless body, occasionally taking her hand and whimpering. Over the next few weeks, Flint grows increasingly listless, withdrawing from the troop —despite his siblings’ efforts to bring him back–and refusing food. Three weeks after Flo’s death, the formerly healthy young chimp is dead, too.3.A grief-stricken chimpanzee? Leviathans in love? Most people, raised on Disney versions of sentient and passionate beasts, would say that these tales, both true, simply confirm their suspicions that animals can feel intense, humanlike emotions. For their part, the nation’s 61 million pet owners need no convincing at all that pet dogs and cats can feel angry, morose, elated—even jealous or embarrassed. Recent studies, in fields as distant as ethology and neurobiology, are supporting thispopular belief. Other evidence is merely anecdotal, especially for pets — dogs that become depressed, or even die, after losing a beloved companion, for instance. But the anecdote —or case study in scientific parlance—has now achieved some respectability among researchers who study animal behavior. As University of Colorado biologist Marc Bekoff says, “The plural of anecdote is data.”4.Still, the idea of animals feeling emotions remains controversial among many scientists. Researchers’ skepticism is fueled in part by their professional aversion to anthropomorphism, the very nonscientific tendency to attribute human qualities to non-humans. Many scientists also say that it is impossible to prove animals have emotions using standard scientific methods —repeatable observations that can be manipulated incontrolled experiments —leading them to conclude that such feelings must not exist. Today, however, amid mounting evide nce to the contrary, “the tide is turning radically and rapidly,” says Bekoff, who is at the forefront of this movement.5.Even the most strident skeptics of animal passion agree that many creatures experience fear —which some scientists defin e as a “primary” emotion that contrasts with “secondary” emotions such as love and grief. Unlike these more complex feelings, fear is instinctive, they say, and requires no conscious thought. Essential to escape predators and other dangers, fear —and its predictable flight, fight, or freeze responses — seems to be hard-wired into many species. Young geese that have never before seen a predator, for example, will run for cover if a hawk-shaped silhouette passes overhead. The shape of a nonpredatory bird, on the other hand, elicits no such response.6.But beyond such instinctual emotions and their predictable behavioral responses, the possibility of more complex animal feelings —those that entail mental processing —is difficult to demonstrate. “I can’t even p rove that another human being is feeling happy or sad,” says Bekoff, “but I can deduce how they’re feeling through body language and facial expression.” As a scientist who has conducted field studies of coyotes, foxes, and other canines for the past three decades, Bekoff also believes he can accurately tell what these animals are feeling by observing their behavior. He adds that animal emotions may actually be more knowable than those of humans, because they don’t “filter” their feelings the way we do.7.Yet because feelings are intangible, and so tough to study scientifically, “most researchers don’t even want to talk about animal emotions,” says Jaak Panksepp, a neuroscientist at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and author of Affective Neuroscience. Within his field, Panksepp is a rare exception, who believes that similarities between the brains of humans and other animals suggest that at least some creatures have true feelings. “Imagine where we’d be in physics if we hadn’t infer red what’s inside the atom,” says Panksepp. “Most of what goes on in nature is invisible, yet we don’t deny that it exists.”8.The new case for animal emotions comes in part from the growing acceptability of field observations, particularly when they are taken in aggregate. The latest contribution to this body of knowledge is a new book, The Smile of a Dolphin, which presents personal reports from more than 50 researchers who have spent their careers studying animals —from cats, dogs, bears, and chimps to birds, iguanas, and fish. Edited by Bekoff, who says it will finally “legitimize” research on animal emotions,thevolume has already garnered scientific attention, including a Smithsonian Institution symposium on the subject.9. One of the most obvious animal emotions is pleasure. Anyone who has ever held a purring cat or been greeted by a bounding, barking,tail-wagging dog knows that animals often appear to be happy. Beastly joy seems particularly apparent when the animals are playing with one another or sometimes, in the case of pets, with people.10.Virtually all young mammals, as well as some birds, play, as do adults of many species such as our own. Young dolphins, for instance, routinely chase each other through the water like frolicsome puppies and have been observed riding the wakes of boats like surfers. Primatologist Jane Goodall, who has studied chimpanzees in T anzania for four decades, says that chimps “chase, somersault, and pirouette around one another with the abandon of children.” In Colorado, Bekoff once watc hed an elk race back and forth across a patch of snow — even though there was plenty of bare grass nearby —leaping and twisting its body in midair on each pass. Though recent research suggests that play may help youngsters develop skills needed in adulthood, Bekoff says there’s no question that it’s also fun. “Animals at play are symbols of the unfettered joy of life,” he says11.Grief also seems to be common in the wild, particularly following the death of a mate, parent, offspring, or even close companion. Female sea lions witnessing their pups being eaten by killer whales are known to actually wail. When a goose, which mates for life, loses its partner, the bird’s head and body droop dejectedly. Goodall, who saw the young chimp Flint starve afterhis moth er died, maintains that the animal “died of grief.”12.Elephants may be nature’s best-known mourners. Scientists studying these behemoths have reported countless cases of elephants trying to revive dead or dying family members, as well as standing quietly beside an animal’s remains for many days, periodically reaching out and touching the body with their trunks. Kenyan biologist Joyce Poole, who has studied African elephants since 1976, says these animals’ behavior toward their dead “leaves me with little d oubt that they experience deep emotions and have some understanding about death.”13.But there’s “hard” scientific evidence for animal feelings as well. Scientists who study the biology of emotions, a field still in its infancy, are discovering many similarities between the brains of humans and other animals. In animals studied so far, including humans, emotions seem to arise from ancient parts of the brain that are located below the cortex,。
Unit 9Animal EmotionsLaura TangleySheer joy. Romantic love. The pain of mourning.Scientists say pets and wild creatures have feelings, too.1. Swimming off the coast of Argentina, a female right whale singles out just one of the suitors that are hotly pursuing her. After mating, the two cetaceans linger side by side, stroking one another with their flippers and finally rolling together in what looks like an embrace. The whales then depart, flippers touching, and swim slowly side by side, diving and surfacing in perfect unison until they disappear from sight.2.In Tanzania, primatologists studying chimpanzee behavior recorded the death of Flo, a troop’s 50-year-old matriarch. Throughout the following day, Flo’s son, Flint, sits beside his mother’s lifeless body, occasionally taking her hand and whimpering. Over the next few weeks, Flint grows increasingly listless, withdrawing from the troop —despite his siblings’ efforts to bring him back–and refusing food. Three weeks after Flo’s death, the formerly healthy young chimp is dead, too.3.A grief-stricken chimpanzee? Leviathans in love? Most people, raised on Disney versions of sentient and passionate beasts, would say that these tales, both true, simply confirm their suspicions that animals can feel intense, humanlike emotions. For their part, the nation’s 61 million pet owners need no convincing at all that pet dogs and cats can feel angry, morose, elated—even jealous or embarrassed. Recent studies, in fields as distant as ethology and neurobiology, are supporting this popular belief. Other evidence is merely anecdotal, especially for pets — dogs that become depressed, or even die, after losing a beloved companion, for instance. But the anecdote —or case study in scientific parlance—has now achieved some respectability among researchers who study animal behavior. As University of Colorado biologist Marc Bekoff says, “The plural of anecdote is data.”4.Still, the idea of animals feeling emotions remains controversial among many scientists. Researchers’ skepticism is fueled in part by their professional aversion to anthropomorphism, the very nonscientific tendency to attribute human qualities to non-humans. Many scientists also say that it is impossible to prove animals have emotions using standard scientific methods —repeatable observations that can be manipulated incontrolled experiments —leading them to conclude that such feelings must not exist. Today, however, amid mounting evide nce to the contrary, “the tide is turning radically and rapidly,” says Bekoff, who is at the forefront of this movement.5.Even the most strident skeptics of animal passion agree that many creatures experience fear —which some scientists define as a “primary” emotion that contrasts with “secondary” emotions such as love and grief. Unlike these more complex feelings, fear is instinctive, they say, and requires no conscious thought. Essential to escape predators and other dangers, fear — and its predictable flight, fight, or freeze responses — seems to be hard-wired into many species. Young geese that have never before seen a predator, for example, will run for cover if a hawk-shaped silhouette passes overhead. The shape of a nonpredatory bird, on the other hand, elicits no such response.6.But beyond such instinctual emotions and their predictable behavioral responses, the possibility of more complex animal feelings —those that entail mental processing —is difficult to demonstrate. “I can’t even prove that another human being is feeling happy or sad,” says Bekoff, “but I can deduce how they’re feeling through body language and facial expression.” As a scientist who has conducted field studies of coyotes, foxes, and other canines for the past three decades, Bekoff also believes he can accurately tell what these animals are feeling by observing their behavior. He adds that animal emotions may actually be more knowable than those of humans, because they don’t “filter” their feelings the way we do.7.Yet because feelings are intangible, and so tough to study scientifically, “most researchers don’t even want to talk about animal emotions,” says Jaak Panksepp, a neuroscientist at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and author of Affective Neuroscience. Within his field, Panksepp is a rare exception, who believes that similarities between the brains of humans and other animals suggest that at least some creatures have true feelings. “Imagine where we’d be in physics if we hadn’t infer red what’s inside the atom,” says Panksepp. “Most of what goes on in nature is invisible, yet we don’t deny that it exists.”8.The new case for animal emotions comes in part from the growing acceptability of field observations, particularly when they are taken in aggregate. The latest contribution to this body of knowledge is a new book, The Smile of a Dolphin, which presents personal reports from more than 50 researchers who have spent their careers studying animals —from cats, dogs, bears, and chimps to birds, iguanas, and fish. Edited by Bekoff, who says it will finally “legitimize” research on animal emotions, thevolume has already garnered scientific attention, including a Smithsonian Institution symposium on the subject.9. One of the most obvious animal emotions is pleasure. Anyone who has ever held a purring cat or been greeted by a bounding, barking,tail-wagging dog knows that animals often appear to be happy. Beastly joy seems particularly apparent when the animals are playing with one another or sometimes, in the case of pets, with people.10.Virtually all young mammals, as well as some birds, play, as do adults of many species such as our own. Young dolphins, for instance, routinely chase each other through the water like frolicsome puppies and have been observed riding the wakes of boats like surfers. Primatologist Jane Goodall, who has studied chimpanzees in Tanzania for four decades, says that chimps “chase, somersault, and pirouette around one another with the abandon of children.” In Colorado, Bekoff once watched an elk race back and forth across a patch of snow — even though there was plenty of bare grass nearby —leaping and twisting its body in midair on each pass. Though recent research suggests that play may help youngsters develop skills needed in adulthood, Bekoff says there’s no question that it’s also fun. “Animals at play are symbols of the unfettered joy of life,” he says11.Grief also seems to be common in the wild, particularly following the death of a mate, parent, offspring, or even close companion. Female sea lions witnessing their pups being eaten by killer whales are known to actually wail. When a goose, which mates for life, loses its partner, the bird’s head and body droop dejectedly. Goodall, who saw the young chimp Flint starve after his mother died, maintains that the animal “died of grief.”12.Elephants may be nature’s best-known mourners. Scientists studying these behemoths have reported countless cases of elephants trying to revive dead or dying family members, as well as standing quietly beside an animal’s remains for many days, periodically reaching out and touching the body with their trunks. Kenyan biologist Joyce Poole, who has studied African elephants since 1976, says these animals’ behavior toward their dead “leaves me with little doubt that they experience deep emotions and have some understanding about death.”13.But there’s “hard” scientific evidence for animal feelings as well. Scientists who study the biology of emotions, a field still in its infancy, are discovering many similarities between the brains of humans and other animals. In animals studied so far, including humans, emotions seem to arise from ancient parts of the brain that are located below the cortex,。
UNIT1To invite eminent persons to help make advertisements should be regarded as one of the best advertising strategies and could, of course, produce a spectacular(powerful) VIP effect, provided that those celebrities are perfectly willing to accept the invitation and, more importantly, the products to be advertised are genuine and of fair prices. Sometimes, while a commodity is of inferior quality, the advertisement is full of words lavishing praise on it, if a celebrity shows up as an image agent for such a product, the advertisement could, if any, be temporarily successful before it turns the brand of the product in question notorious and, more disastrously, ruins the reputation of the eminent person thereafter. So, the famous are well advised to think more than twice before they agree to appear on the commercial.邀请名人做广告,只要商品确实是货真价实,名人又愿意,这应该是广告技巧的上策,会产生很强的名人效应。
Unit 5How to Raise a Polite Kid in This Rude World?Text and language pointsMention ill-mannered children and most people roll their eyes at the memory of a little hellion and his boorish parents. I still get angry about an incident that happened last summer.Mention ill-mannered children and most people roll their eyes at the memory of a little hellion and his boorish parents.When talking about children of bad manners, most people will show their annoyance by moving their eyes around in a circle and recall a trouble-making boy and his rude parents. roll one's eyes: move one’s eyes round and upwards, especially in order to show that one is annoyede.g. —— Marta rolled her eyes as Will started to tell another stupid joke.—— When he suggested they should buy a new car, she rolled her eyes in disbelief. hellion n. disorderly or troublesome person惹事生非的人;捣蛋鬼boorish a. resembling or characteristic of a boor; rude and clumsy in behavior; vulgar 粗野的e.g. —— I found him rather boorish and aggressive.——I‟m sick of your drunken, boorish behavior.一提到无礼的孩子, 大多数人都会因回想起惹是生非的小孩以及其粗鄙的父母而皱起眉头。
Unite 3 Doctor's Dilemma: Treat or Let Die?Abigail Trafford1。
Medical advances in wonder drugs,daring surgical procedures,radiation therapies,and intensive—care units have brought new life to thousands of people. Yet to many of them, modern medicine has become a double-edged sword。
2。
Doctor’s power to treat with an array of space—age techniques has outstripped the body's capacity to heal. More medical problems can be treated,but for many patients,there is little hope of recovery. Even the fundamental distinction between life and death has been blurred。
3。
Many Americans are caught in medical limbo, as was the South Korean boxer Duk Koo Kim,who was kept alive by artificial means after he had been knocked unconscious in a fight and his brain ceased to function。
With the permission of his family,doctors in Las Vegas disconnected the life-support machines and death quickly followed。
Unit 10 Is Science Dangerous? Uite10课文译文科学危险吗?Lewis Wolpert 刘易斯·沃尔珀特Does society need protecting from scientific advances? Most emphatically not, so long as scientists themselves and their employers are committed to full disclosure of what they know.人类社会需要保护以抵挡科学发展带来的危险吗?当然不需要,只要科学家及其雇主们致力于公开他们所知道的一切详情。
1. The idea that knowledge is dangerous is deeply embedded in our culture. Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat from the biblical Tree of Knowledge, and in Milton’s Paradise Lost the ser pent addresses the Tree as the ―Mother of Science‖. The archangel Raphael advises Adam to be ―lowly wise‖when he tries to question him about the nature of the Universe. Indeed, Western literature is filled with images of scientists meddling with nature, with disastrous results. Scientists are portrayed as a soulless group, unconcerned with ethical issues.1.知识是危险的这一观念在我们的文化中根深蒂固。
新世纪研究生公共英语教材阅读b课文翻译在新世纪,随着我国研究生教育的蓬勃发展,提高研究生英语素质成为一项重要任务。
新世纪研究生公共英语教材阅读B课文,不仅具有较高的教学价值,更是培养研究生英语阅读与翻译能力的优秀资源。
本文将对阅读B课文进行简要概述,探讨课文翻译的实践与技巧,并分析如何提高翻译质量与阅读理解能力。
阅读B课文的主要内容涵盖了各种主题,包括科技、文化、社会、教育等,旨在帮助研究生扩大知识面,提高阅读理解能力。
通过对这些主题的学习,研究生可以了解到国际前沿的研究成果,培养跨文化交际的能力。
此外,阅读B课文还注重培养研究生的英语应用能力,特别是翻译能力。
在课文翻译实践中,要注意以下几点:1.忠实原文:翻译时要遵循原文的意思,不得随意增删内容,保证信息的准确性。
2.语言表达:注意语法和词汇的准确性,力求简洁明了,易于理解。
3.文化适应:在翻译过程中,要充分考虑中西方文化差异,使译文符合目标读者的阅读习惯。
4.保持风格一致:在翻译时要注意原文的文体和风格,使译文与原文相符。
为了提高翻译质量与阅读理解能力,可以采取以下方法:1.多读:通过大量阅读,积累词汇、语法和表达方式,提高翻译的准确性。
2.多做练习:将阅读B课文作为翻译练习材料,不断提高翻译水平。
3.参加翻译培训课程:有条件的情况下,可以参加专业的翻译培训课程,系统学习翻译理论和技巧。
4.交流与反馈:与同学、老师或母语为英语的人士交流,获取宝贵的意见和建议,改进自己的翻译水平。
总之,新世纪研究生公共英语教材阅读B课文具有很高的教学价值和翻译价值。
通过深入学习和实践课文翻译,研究生可以提高英语阅读理解能力和跨文化交际能力,为今后从事国际学术交流和合作奠定坚实基础。
在学习过程中,要注重翻译技巧的培养,不断提高译文质量。
Unit 9 动物的情感劳拉·坦利非常的开心,浪漫的爱情,悲痛的哀悼,科学家说宠物和野生动物也有感情。
1一头在阿根廷海岸附近的水域中游动的露脊鲸,在众多热烈追求她的求偶中只选出一名幸运儿。
“完婚之后,两头露脊鲸并排在水中徜徉,它们用鳍肢相互抚摸,最后又一起在水中滚动,看上去就像在相互拥抱。
然后,两头露脊鲸开始游向远方,鳍肢相互触摸,慢慢并排游动,一会潜入水中,一会又浮出水面,它们动作完美和谐,直至最终在视线中消失。
2在坦桑尼亚,致力于研究黑猩猩行为的灵长类动物学家记录了一个黑猩猩群落中享年50岁的“女族长”弗洛死后发生的一些事情。
弗洛的儿子弗林特第二天一整天都坐在母亲的尸体旁边,有时还会抓住她的手发出几声呜咽。
在此后的几个星期里,弗林特的情绪越来越低落,它离群索居并且不再进食,尽管他的兄弟姐妹设法想让他回到群体中来。
终于,在弗洛死后的第三个星期,原本年轻健康的黑猩猩弗林特也死了。
3悲伤过度的黑猩猩?坠入情网的海洋巨兽?由于深爱迪斯尼卡通片中感性多情的动物性形象的影响,很多人会说这两个真实的故事更加证实了他们认为动物有人类般强烈感情的看法。
从他们的角度来看,全国六千一百万拥有宠物的人完全不需要提供什么证据来证实宠物狗和宠物猫会生气、郁闷、得意洋洋——甚至会嫉妒或困窘。
最近在动物行为学和神经生物学之类的边缘学科的研究证实了这种普遍看法。
其他的证据只是些轶事趣闻,特别是一些有关宠物的事,例如狗会在失去心爱的同伴后变得沮丧,甚至死去。
但是轶闻趣事——或用科学的术语称之为案例研究——现在已经获得了研究动物行为的研究人员的重视。
正如科罗拉多大学的生物学家马克·贝科夫所说:“大量的轶事趣闻就是数据。
”4但是,许多科学家仍然对动物也有情感的观点持有异议。
研究人员之所以会表示怀疑,部分原因是他们出于职业习惯讨厌拟人论,因为他们认为这是一种将人类的特性强加在非人类生物身上的毫无科学根据的主观倾向。
新世纪研究生公共英语教材阅读B课文原文及翻译Unit1Party PoliticsJudith Martin1. Etiquette at an office party? Why, these people have been socializing happily every working day of their lives, give or take a few melees, rumors, and complaint petitions. All it takes to turn this into holiday merriment is a bit of greenery looped around the office—the staff will soon be looped, too. Surely it is enough that the annual Christmas party has the magic ingredients: time off from work, free food and drink, and a spirit of fun replacing such ugly work realities as sexual harassment.2. Furthermore, partygoers figure, it offers relief from such pesky obligations as thanking anyone or being kind to wallflowers because there really aren‟t any hosts. Nobody has to pay (that same Nobody who generously provides the telephone line for long-distance personal calls), and so nobody‟s feelings need be considered.3. This is all pure hospitality—there for the taking, like the office-supplied felt-tipped pens everyone has been pocketing all year. Out of the natural goodness of its corporate heart and the spirit of the holiday season, the company wishes only to give its employees a roaring good time, and the employees, out of loyalty and the thrill of getting to know their bosses off-duty as equals, delight in the opportunity.4. For those still dimly aware of the once-standard give-and-take of real social life, this no-fault approach to business entertaining seems a godsend. In the now-rare domain of genuine society, hosts are supposed to plan and pay for the entertainment of their guests, on their own time and in their own houses. Guests have strict duties, as well—from answering invitations to cooperating with all arrangements, even to the extent of pronouncing them perfectly lovely.5. Business entertaining appears to remove the burdens of time, effort, money, individual responsibility—and the etiquette connected with them. The people who do the planning are paid for their trouble, so those who benefit need not consider they have incurred a debt. Why, the annual Christmas party ought to be an inspiration to lower-level employees to work their way into realms where company-sponsored partying can be enjoyed all year long.6. Not so fast. Flinty Miss Manners does not recognize any holidays from etiquette. (Employees, if not employers, should consider themselves lucky that she is only on the Party Committee, not the one that might take up ethical questions about those pens and calls.) Office parties differ from private ones but are no freer from rules.7. If it were indeed true that everyone has a better time without etiquette, Miss Manners could easily be persuaded to take the day off. But having long served on the Office Party Etiquette Cleanup subcommittee, she is aware that things generally do not go well when there is no recognized etiquette and everyone is forced to improvise.8. Let us look at all this spontaneous, carefree fun: There being no proper place for the boss, he or she hangs around the door, concerned about mixing with everyone. It might discourage hospitable bosses to see guests staring at them in horror and then slithering in by a side door. But etiquette‟s solution of having everyone greeted in a receiving line was rejected as too stiff. So one can hardly blame employees for recalling a long-ingrained principle of the workplace: Seeing the boss and having a good time are best not scheduled at the same time.9. Desperate to make the time count, the boss grabs the nearest available person and startsdelivering practiced words about the contribution he makes to their great enterprise. The reaction is not quite what was hoped for. Discreet questioning establishes that this is an employee‟s guest. He doesn‟t work for the company, recognize the boss, or appreciate the attention—and, as a matter of fact, has only a passing acquaintance with the employee who issued the invitation. What this guest wants is not professional fellowship but a fresh drink, if the boss would kindly step out of the way.10. Now, the reason the invitation said “and guest” was to avoid the ticklish issue of who is still married to whom and what the spouse calls itself. Last year, unmarried employees were furious when their partners were not included, and married employees complained that the forms by which their spouses were addressed were offensive: “Mrs.” offended women who preferred “Ms.,” and wives who had the same surnames outraged everybody who didn‟t. This year, the complaints will be from spouses who were not told that there was a party or who were told that spouses weren‟t invited—but found out otherwise. There won‟t be many complaints. They will, however, be memorable, darkly charging the company with promoting immorality.11. Meanwhile, what about those who are interested in promoting a bit of immorality, or just plain romance, of their own? They, too, are creating problems that will reach far into the new year. True office romances are the least of them, with their charges of favoritism and melding professional and personal time. More serious is the fact that, in spite of the liquor and high spirits, it still counts as sexual harassment when anyone with supervisory powers makes unreciprocated overtures to a lower-ranking employee. And foolhardy when a lower-ranking employee annoys a higher-ranking one.12. Some employees have their minds only on business and will be spending party time actively promoting workaday concerns. Remembering the company rhetoric about open communications and all being in this together, they will actually seek out the boss, who by this time is grateful to be addressed by anyone at all.13. But they do n‟t want to engage in platitudes. They accept compliments with: “Well, then how about a raise?” They plead for promotions, explain confidentially who ought to be fired, and advance previously submitted ideas about revolutionizing the business that have been unaccountably unappreciated for years. In one evening, they manage to cut through the entire hierarchy and procedures the boss has painstakingly established for the purpose of being spared this kind of importuning.14. Eventually—usually somewhat late in the party—it occurs to someone that this informal setting is just the time to offer the boss some constructive personal criticism. What else does talking frankly and informally mean but an invitation to unload opinions without any career consequence?15. Here is where the company has pulled a fast one on its employees. “Go ahead,” it has said, “relax, have a good time, forget about the job.” And the naive have taken this at face value. This event is called a party—a place where one lets loose without worrying about being judged by the cold standard of professional usefulness.16. Even employees who adhere strictly to standard business dress in the office may not know what the bosses might consider vulgar in evening wear. Here is a chance to show off their racy and imaginative off-duty clothes. But over there are supervisors murmuring that people who look like that can‟t really be sent out to represent the company.17. Worse are the comments on anyone whose idea of fun is a little boisterous. It may be just thebehavior that makes one a delight—or a trial—to one‟s friends. But here, it is not being offered for the delight or tolerance of friends. It is being judged on criteria other than whether the person is a riot.18. It is not that Miss Manners wants to spoil the office party by these warnings. She just wants to prevent it from spoiling careers. And the solution is what was banished from the party for being too inhibiting: etiquette.19. The first formality that must come back is inviting everyone by name. The practice of merely counting every invitation as two is as dangerous as it is unflattering. But people who have been clearly identified and told that they must respond—the suggestion must be made neutrally, to show that the party is a treat, not a requirement—already have some sense that they are both individually sought after and expected to be responsible.20. What constitutes a couple is a murkier question than Miss Manners and any sensible employer ought to investigate, but employees simply can be asked to supply the name of a spouse or friend they want to invite. (An office party can be limited by confining it to employees, in which case it should be held during office hours. But inviting spouses and such is better. Having to work is enough distract ion from one‟s more intimate relationships, and the staff was not compiled like a guest list, according to personal compatibility.21. Since we have established, Miss Manners hopes, that the point of an office party is not whooping it up or telling people off, what is it? It is showing appreciation of the staff.22. This starts with a well-run receiving line. However much popular opinion may regard receiving lines as nasty ordeals, they were invented to be, and remain, the easiest way to get everyone recognized by the key people. The oldest receiving-line trick in the world still works: Someone whose business it is to know everyone—or someone unimportant enough to be able to ask each guest his name—announces the guests to the host as they go through the line. The host can then scornfully declare: “Of course I know Annette. We couldn‟t run this place without her.” For extra charm, the employee‟s guest is also told how wonderful that employee is. This always seems more sincere than straight-out flattery, and from then on, whenever the employee complains that everyone at the office is an idiot, the spouse will counter by repeating that appreciation.23. It is often erroneously assumed that the style of the party ought to be what employees are used to: their own kind of music, food, and other things the executive level believes itself to have outgrown. Nonsense. What employees want is a taste of high-level entertaining. This may vary greatly according to the nature of the business. If, however, the party is too formal for the employees‟ taste, they‟ll get a good laugh and enjoy the contrast all the more when they continue partying on their own afterward.24. The clever employee will dress as the executives do, keeping in mind that there are few fields in which people are condemned for looking insufficiently provocative. Refusing or limiting drinks is not the handicap at business parties that it may be under the overly hospitable eye of a private host. And the real opportunity for career advancement is not petitioning a boss but rescuing one who has been cornered or stranded, thus demonstrating that one knows how to talk charmingly about nonbusiness matters.25. At the end, there is another receiving line. That is, the bosses plant themselves conspicuously by the exit, grabbing the hand of anyone trying to get away and thanking him for coming. Even the dimmest guest will then realize it is appropriate to thank back—that is, to realize that something has been offered and deserves gratitude.26. After all, isn‟t that why the office Christmas party is given?27. If the only goal were for the company to show the staff its appreciation, this could be effectively done with a day off and a bonus to go with it.第一单元晚会之道朱迪丝•马丁1. 办公室晚会礼节?有这个必要吗?员工们每天开开心心地彼此交往,虽然时不时会推推撞撞,发生点儿口角,传播点儿谣言,或是联名写点儿投诉信。