新视野大学英语听说教程2 06a

　　For her first twenty-four years,she'd been known as Debbie—a name that didn't suit her good looks and elegant manner."My name has always made me think I should be a cook,"she complained."I just don't feel like a Debbie."
One day,while filling out an application form for a publishing job,the young woman impulsively¹ substituted her middle name,Lynne,for her first name Dbbbie."That was the smartest thing I ever did,"she says now."As soon as Istopped calling myself Debbie,I felt more comfortable with myself...and other people started to take me more seriously."Two years after her successful job interview,the former waitress is now a successful magazine editor.Friends and associates call her Lynne.
Naturally,the name change didn't cause Debbie/Lynne's professional achievement—but it surely helped if only by adding a bit of self-confidence to her talents. Social scientists say that what you're called can affect your life.Throughtout history,names have not merely identified people but also described them."As his name is,so is he."says the Bible,and Webster's Dictionary inclludes the following definition of name:"a word or words expressing some quality considered characteristic or descriptive of a person or a thing,often expressing approval or disapproval²".Note well
"approval or disapproval".For better or worst,qualities such as friendliness³ or reserve ,
plainness or charm may be suggested by your name and conveyed to other people before they even meet you.
Namea become attached to specific images,as anyone who's been called "a plain Jane"or"justan average Joe"can show.The latter name particularly bothers me since my name is Joe ,which some think makes me more qualified⁴ to be a baseball player than,say,an art critic.Yet,despite this disadvantage,I did manage to become an art critic for a time.Even so,one prominent magazine consistently refused to print "Joe"in my by-line,using my first initials,J.S.,instead.I suspect that if I were a more refined Arthur or Adrian,the name would have appeared complete.
Of course,names with a positive sense can work for you and even encourage new acquaintance,A recent survey showed that American men thought Susan to be the most attractive female name,while women believed Richard and David were the most
attractive for men.One woman Iknow turned down a blind date with a man named Harry⁵ because "he sounded dull".Several everings later,she came up to me at a party,pressing for an introduction to a very impressive man;they'd been cxchanging glances all evening."Oh,"Isaid."You mean Harry,"She was ill at ease.
Though most of us would like to think ourselves free from such prejudiced notions,we're all guilty of name stereotyping⁶ to some extent. Confess:Wouldn't you be surprised to meet Bertha?A Pope Mel?Often,we project name-based stereotypes⁷ on people,as one woman friend discovered while taking charge of a nursery school's group of four-year-olds."There I was,trying to get a little active boy named Jujian to sit quiently and read a book—and pushing a thoughtful creature named Rory to play ball.I had their personalities⁸ confused because of their names!"
Apparently⁹,such prejudices can affect classroom achievement as well.In a study conducted by Herbert Harari of San Diego State University,and John Mcdavid of Georgia State University,teachers gave consistently lower grades on essays apparently written by boys named Elmer and Hubert than they awarded to the same papers when the writers' names wre given as Michael and David.However,teacher prerjudice isn't the only source of classroom difference.Dr.Thonas V.Busse and louisa Seraydarian of Temple University found those girls with names such as Linda,Diane,Barbara,Carol,and Cindy performed better on objectively graded IQ and achievement tests than did girls with less appealing names.)A companion study showed girls' popularity with their peers was also related to the popularity of their names—although the connecction was less chear for boys.)
Though your parents probably meant name to last a lifetime,remember that when they picked it they'd hardly met you,and the hopes and dreams they valued when they chose it may not match yours.If your name no longer seems to fit you,don't despair;you aren't stuck with the label.Movie stars regularly change their names,and with some determination,you can,too.

1 impulsively   

adv.冲动地

参考例句：

• She leant forward and kissed him impulsively. 她倾身向前，感情冲动地吻了他。
• Every good, true, vigorous feeling I had gathered came impulsively round him. 我的一切良好、真诚而又强烈的感情都紧紧围绕着他涌现出来。

2 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。

3 friendliness   

n.友谊，亲切，亲密

参考例句：

• Behind the mask of friendliness,I know he really dislikes me.在友善的面具后面，我知道他其实并不喜欢我。
• His manner was a blend of friendliness and respect.他的态度友善且毕恭毕敬。

4 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

5 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

6 stereotyping   

v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I realize that I'm stereotyping. 我认识到我搞的是老一套。 来自辞典例句
• There is none of the gender stereotyping usually evident in school uniforms. 有没有人的性别刻板印象通常是显而易见的。 来自互联网

7 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

9 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。