第1课文
On our first \movie Toy Story. We enjoyed it, but afterward my husband asked, \first, it seemed petty to criticize an entertaining family movie because of one small point. The more I thought about it, however, the more glaring an omission it seemed. Not only was dad not around, he wasn't even mentioned — despite the fact that there was a baby in the family, so dad couldn't have been that long gone. It was as if the presence— or absence — of a father is a minor detail, not even requiring an explanation.
在我们的孪生女儿出生后的第一次\约会”时，我和丈夫一起去看了一部名为《玩具故事》的电影。我们很喜欢这部片子，但随后我丈夫问道：\父亲在哪儿呢？”起初我还认为因为一个小小的失误而批评一部很吸引人的家庭影片似乎是太偏狭了。可后来越想越觉得这一疏忽太严重了。父亲不仅没有出现，他甚至没有被提到——尽管家中有婴儿，说明他不可能离开太长时间。影片给人的感觉是，父亲出现与否似乎是个极次要的细节，甚至不需要做任何解释。
This is only one example of the media trend toward marginalizing fathers, which mirrors enormous social changes in the United States. David Blankenhorn, in his book Fatherless America, refers to this trend as the \
新闻媒体倾向于把父亲的边缘化，这只是一个例子，它反映了在美国发生的巨大的社会变化。大卫?布兰肯霍恩在《无父之国》一书中将这种倾向称之为\无需父亲”观念。
We are bombarded by stories about the struggles of working mothers (as opposed to non-working mothers, I suppose). Meanwhile, a high proportion of media stories about fathers focus on abusive husbands or deadbeat dads. It seems that the only time fathers merit attention is when they are criticized for not helping enough with the housework (a claim that I find dubious anyway, because the definition of \rarely includes cleaning the gutters, changing the oil in the car or other jobs typically done by men) or when they die. When Mr. Blankenhorn surveyed fathers about the meaning of the term \family man,\
职业母亲（我想这应是与无职业母亲相对而言的）奋斗的故事从媒体上无尽无休地轰击着我们。与此同时，媒体上绝大多数有关父亲的故事又集中表现暴力的丈夫或没出息的父亲。看起来似乎父亲惟一值得人们提及的时候是因为他们做家务太少而受到指责的时候（我怀疑这一说法的可靠性，因为\家务”的定义中很少包括打扫屋顶的雨水沟、给汽车换机油或其它一些典型地由男人们做的事），或者是在他们去世的时候。当布兰肯霍恩先生就\顾家的好男人”一词的词义对父亲们进行调查时，许多父亲都回答这一词语只有在葬礼上听到。
One exception to the \father\syndrome is the glowing media attention that at-home dads have received. I do not mean to imply that at-home dads do not deserve support for making this commitment. I only mean to point out the double standard at work
when at-home dads are applauded while at-home mothers and breadwinner fathers are given little, if any, cultural recognition.
这种\无需父亲”综合症的一个例外是家庭全职父亲所受到的媒体的赞扬。我并非暗指这些家庭全职父亲作出的承诺不值得人们的支持，我只是想指出在实际生效的双重标准：家庭全职父亲受到人们的赞扬，而家庭全职母亲和养家活口的父亲，所得到文化上的认同却很少，甚至完全得不到。
The very language we use to discuss men's roles (i.e., deadbeat dads) shows a lack of appreciation for the majority of men who quietly yet proudly fulfill their family responsibilities. We almost never hear the term \more workplace flexibility are considered to be for men as much as for women. Our society acts as if family obligations are not as important to fathers as they are to mothers — as if career satisfaction is what a man's life is all about.
我们用来讨论父亲角色（即没出息的父亲）的话语本身就显示出人们对大多数男人默默无闻而自豪地履行对家庭承担的责任缺乏赏识。我们几乎从来没听到\职业父亲”这一说法，在人们呼吁应该考虑给予工作者在工作地点上更大的灵活性时，很少有人认为这种呼吁不但适用于女子，同样也适应于男子。我们这个社会表现出似乎家庭职责对父亲来说并不象对母亲那么重要——似乎事业上的满足就是男人生活的全部。
Even more insulting is the recent media trend of regarding at-home wives as \symbols\— like an expensive car — flaunted by the supposedly few men who can afford such a luxury. The implication is that men with at-home wives have it easier than those whose wives work outside the home because they have the \of a full-time housekeeper. In reality, however, the men who are the sole wage earners for their families suffer a lot of stresses. The loss of a job — or even the threat of that happening — is obviously much more difficult when that job is the sole source of income for a family. By the same token, sole wage earners have less flexibility when it comes to leaving unsatisfying careers because of the loss of income such a job change entails. In addition, many husbands work overtime or second jobs to make more money needed for their families. For these men, it is the family that the job supports that makes it all worthwhile. It is the belief that having a mother at home is important to the children, which makes so many men gladly take on the burden of being a sole wage earner.
更让人感到侮辱的是最近媒体的这种倾向，即把家庭主妇看成是一种\地位的象征”——就像一辆名贵的汽车，只有据说少数男人才享受得起这种奢侈与豪华。这暗示家里有家庭主妇的男人比那些妻子在外工作的男人日子过得更舒适，因为他们拥有全职管家这种\奢侈品”。然而，实际上作为家庭惟一挣钱者的男人要承受很多压力。当他们的那份工作是家庭收入的惟一来源的时候，失业，或者甚至只不过是受到失业的威胁，对他们来说显然构成更大的困难。同样，家庭惟一的工资收入者在想辞去不太满意的工作时，其灵活程度也要小一些，因为这种工作变换会使他们失去收入。此外，为了给家庭挣更多的钱，许多丈夫超时工作或兼做第二职业。对于这些男人来说，正是这份工作所支撑的家庭，使得他们值得付出努力。很多男人相信母亲呆在家里对小孩十分重要，这种信
念使得他们乐意地担起家里惟一挣钱人的担子。
Today, there is widespread agreement among researchers that the absence of fathers from households causes serious problems for children and, consequently, for society at large. Yet, rather than holding up \too often society has thrown up its hands and decided that traditional fatherhood is at best obsolete and at worst dangerously reactionary. This has left many men questioning the value of their role as fathers. 目前，研究者们普遍认为家庭中没有父亲会对小孩——因此对整个社会——带来严重的问题。然而，我们这个社会并没有把\普通”父亲作为正面角色为未来的父亲树立榜样，相反地，却常常持放弃态度，认为传统的父道从最好的方面说是已经过时，从最坏的方面讲就是危险的反动。这使得许多男人对他们作为父亲的角色的价值提出疑问。
As a society, we need to realize that fathers are just as important to children as mothers are — not only for financial support, but for emotional support, education and discipline as well. It is not enough for us merely to recognize that fatherlessness is a problem — to stand beside the grave and mourn the loss of the \to replace him (ask anyone who has lost a father to death if that is possible). We must acknowledge how we have devalued fatherhood and work to show men how necessary, how important they are in their children's lives.
作为一个社会，我们需要认识到对于孩子来说，父亲是与母亲同等重要的，不仅仅在经济支持上，而且在感情依靠、教育和纪律训导方面都是如此。我们仅仅意识到没有父亲是一个问题是不够的，也不能只是站在坟墓旁边哀悼\顾家好男人”的去世，随后又找一个人来替代他（请问一问已失去父亲的人，这是否可能）。我们必须承认我们是如何贬低了父道的价值，我们必须努力向男人们显示，他们在孩子们的生活中是多么不可缺少，多么重要。
Those fathers who strive to be good family men by being there every day to love and support their families — those unsung heroes — need our recognition and our thanks for all they do. Because they deserve it.
那些每天都在努力去爱和支撑他们的家庭，力求做一个顾家好男人的父亲，那些无名英雄，需要我们的承认，他们所付出的一切需要我们的感谢，因为他们值得我们的认同和感激。
课后翻译：
1.随着职务的提升，他担负的责任也更大了。 (take on) With his promotion ,he has taken on greater responsibilities.
2. 他感到他再没有必要对约翰承担这样的责任。(make a commitment) He felt he did not have to make such a commitmentto John any more .
3. 闲暇时玛丽喜欢外出购物，与她相反，露茜却喜欢呆在家里看书。(as opposed to)
Mary likes go to shopping in her spare time ,as opposed to Lucy, who prefers to stay at home reading.
4. 充其量可以说他有抱负，用最糟糕的话来说，他是一个没有良心(conscience)或没有资格的权力追求者。(at best, at worst)
At best he's ambitious,at worst a power-seeker without conscience or qualifications .
5. 我们已尽全力说服他，但是却毫无进展。(strive，make no headway) We have striven to the full to convince him,but we have made no headway.
第2课文
Why Digital Culture Is Good for You?
The news media, along with social and behavioral scientists, have recently sent out a multitude of warnings about the many dangers that await us out there in cyberspace. The truth of the matter is that the Web is no more inherently dangerous than anything else in the world. It is not some amorphous entity capable of inflicting harmful outcomes on all who enter. In fact, in and of itself, the Web is fairly harmless. It has no special power to overtake its users and alter their very existence. Like the old tale that the vampire cannot harm you unless you invite it to cross your threshold, the Internet cannot corrupt without being invited. And, with the exception of children and the weak-willed, it cannot create what does not already exist...
最近，新闻媒体以及社会学家和行为学家们都发出大量警告指出：网络空间危险重重。其实，万维网与世界上其它任何事物一样并非天然地有害。它并非某种看不见摸不着的实体，能使危险降临进入它的每一个人。实际上，网络就其本身而言是相当无害的，它没有超越其使用者并改变他们的存在的特殊功能。正如古老的传说指出的一样，吸血鬼不请不会自入家门来伤害你，互联网也不会不请自来地使你堕落。除孩子和意志薄弱者外，它不可能造成本来就不存在的东西?
(1) Like alcohol, the Web simply magnifies what is already there: Experts are concerned that the masking that goes on online poses a danger for everyone who is a part of the Digital Culture. Before we know it, the experts tell us, we will all use fake identities, become fragmented, and will no longer be sure of just who we are. Wrong. The only people who feel compelled to mask, and otherwise misrepresent themselves online are the same people who are mysterious and unfrank in \s them one more tool to practice their deceit.
（1）如同酒精的作用一样，网络仅仅是将已有的事物放大：
专家们担心，网上盛行的隐藏装假对参与数字文化的人来说是危险的。他们告诉我们，我们不知不觉地全都会使用假身份，一个个变得残缺不全面目全非，以至于连自己都不敢肯定自己究竟是谁。全错。只有那些在\现实生活”中表现得诡秘莫测，毫不坦诚的人，才感到被迫要在网上伪装自己并用其它方法提供虚假情况。网络只不过为他们增添了一种实施欺骗的工具。