2013硕士研究生英语二Text4

Europe is not a gender-equality heaven.In particular, the corporate workplace will never be completely family—friendly until women are part of senior management decisions,and Europe's top corporate-governance positions remain overwhelmingly male. Indeed,women hold only 14 percent of positions on Europe corporate boards.

欧洲不是一个性别平等的天堂。特别是在职场上直到女性成为高级管理者前从来就不是家庭友好型，并且欧洲定级的企业管理职位压倒性的都是男人。的确，妇女仅占欧洲企业职位版图的14%。

family-friendly:表示家庭型友好。

The Europe Union is now considering legislation to compel corporate boards to maintain a certain proportion of women—up to 60 percent.This proposed mandate was born of frustration. Last year, Europe Commission Vice President Viviane Reding issued a call to voluntary action. Reding invited corporations to sign up for gender balance goal of 40 percent female board membership. But her appeal was considered a failure: only 24 companies took it up.

欧盟现在考虑通过立法来强制企业提高妇女的比例到60%。这项提议随着挫折诞生。去年，欧盟委员会副主席Viviane Reding发出自愿行动的呼吁。Viviane Reding邀请企业报名参加女性董事会成员占比40%的性别平衡的目标。但是她的呼吁被认为是失败的：因为只有24家企业参加。

born of:源自，出生于  。Vice President :副总统、副主席、副总经理；board:n. 木板；甲板；公告板；黑（白）板；董事会；伙食； 舞台 v. 登（飞机、车、船等）； 寄宿 。sign up for： 报名参加 。task sth up : 表示采纳

 Do we need quotas to ensure that women can continue to climb the corporate Ladder fairy as they balance work and family?

难道我们真的需要定额比例来确保女性在平衡工作和生活的同时，继续公平的晋升公司高层的吗？

“Personally, I don't like quotas,” Reding said recently.“But I like what the quotas do.” Quotas get action: they “open the way to equality and they break through the glass ceiling,” according to Reding, a result seen in France and other countries with legally binding provisions on placing women in top business positions.

最近，Reding 说：就个人而言，我不喜欢定额。但是我喜欢定额制所达到的结果。Reding认为，定额制之所以有效是因为：打开了性别平等的通道并且打破了女性面临的天花板。这个结果在法国和其他国家很明显，对于女性在进入企业高管职位他们都有强制法律规定。

I understand Reding's reluctance—and her frustration. I don't like quotas either; they run counter to my belief in meritocracy, governance by the capable. But, when one considers the obstacles to achieving the meritocratic ideal, it does look as if a fairer world must be temporarily ordered.

我理解Reding的不情愿和她的沮丧。我同样也不喜欢定额制。他们与我信仰的精英领导体制，能者居之的相违背。但是，考虑到实现精英管理理念所面临的障碍，一个更加平等的世界看来似乎必须有临时的秩序。

        reluctance:n. 不情愿, 【电】磁阻, 厌恶, 反抗 (to, at)。 frustration:n. 沮丧, 受挫, 挫败, 懊丧。run counter to sth：与某事相违背；counter在这里表示相反的。meritocracy:n. 精英领导体制, 英才管理制度, 精英管理班子。 governance :n. 管理, 统治, 统治方式, 管理方式 。look as if :看样子、看起来似乎。

After all, four decades of evidence has now shown that corporations in Europe as well as  the US are evading the meritocratic hiring and promotion of women to top position— no matter how much “soft pressure ” is put upon them. When women do break through to the summit of corporate power—as, for example, Sheryl Sandberg recently did at Facebook—they attract massive attention precisely because they remain the exception to the rule.

毕竟，四十年的证据已经表明：不管是欧洲还是美国的企业都在避免雇佣精英并且避免女性升到企业高层的位置---不管施加有多少软压力。当妇女进入企业管理的高层，-----比如：最近Sheryl Sandberg在Facebook中的例子，他们吸引了大量的关注，因为他们任然是这个规则的例外。

       after all:毕竟;居然;终究;竟然;居然 。as well as :同.....一样。

If appropriate pubic policies were in place to help all women—whether CEOs or their children's caregivers—and all families, Sandberg would be no more newsworthy than any other highly capable person living in a more just society.

      如果有适当的公共政策来帮助所有的女性，不管是CEO还是他们孩子的看护者---以及所有的家庭。生活在一个更加公平的社会Sandberg将不会比任何其他有能力的人更具有新闻价值。

附录：

1、157-160

2、2 hours