VOA标准英语2008年-On the Job, Biases Can Be Deep and Subtle

Most U.S. companies act swiftly and forcefully to root out discrimination based on race, sex, age, or appearance when they discover it. And there are good reasons to do so: intolerance on the job hurts morale¹ and productivity. It's illegal under civil-rights laws. And offending companies can face expensive lawsuits² and ruinous publicity³.
　
Steve Robbins' book of short stories about diversity emphasized its importance, not just to worker morale but also to a company's credibility and image

But Steve Robbins, a business consultant⁴ who specializes in diversity issues, points out that not all intolerance on the job is clear-cut, easy to spot, or even conscious and deliberate. In a country in which, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll this month, 3 in 10 Americans still admit to feelings of racial bias⁵, prejudice can bubble up in subtle ways.
　
Leadership that include men and women and different ethnic⁶ groups is more than a cosmetic⁷ statement. It tells employees that varied⁸ viewpoints are welcome

So-called harmless jokes around the office water cooler aren't so harmless to those being mocked. And Robbins says such behavior can fester when executives and department heads – no matter how sensitive and enlightened they may see themselves – are part of what he calls an all-white boys' club; they can easily miss offensive innuendos⁹ or shrug¹⁰ them off as no big deal.
　
Humor in the workplace can be a tonic¹¹. Or it can be toxic¹², if the jokes are at one person or one group's expense

Other signs of what Robbins calls unintentional intolerance at work include high turnover¹³ among women and people of color. He says it's a red flag when these folks get the lion's share of poor performance evaluations¹⁴. Workplace stress, lack of promotion¹⁵ opportunities, and what he calls flat-out exclusion¹⁶ can sometimes explain their inadequate¹⁷ productivity.

Steve Robbins notes that biases¹⁸ can be deeply and darkly held and are hard to change. But companies that allow even unintented intolerance to turn into offensive behavior are asking for trouble. Big trouble.

[Steve Robbins is the author of What If? Short Stories to Spark Diversity Dialogue, published by Davies-Black.]

 

1 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

2 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

3 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

4 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

5 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

7 cosmetic   

n.化妆品；adj.化妆用的；装门面的；装饰性的

参考例句：

• These changes are purely cosmetic.这些改变纯粹是装饰门面。
• Laughter is the best cosmetic,so grin and wear it!微笑是最好的化妆品，所以请尽情微笑吧！

8 varied   

adj.多样的，多变化的

参考例句：

• The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
• The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

9 innuendos   

n.影射的话( innuendo的名词复数 )；讽刺的话；含沙射影；暗讽

参考例句：

• Miss Moneypenny:Some day, you will have to make good on your innuendos. 彭妮：有朝一日，你会报偿你的暗示。 来自互联网
• Don't spread gossip, rumor, innuendos, unkindness, malicious words or physical anger. 不要散布谣言、闲话。 来自互联网

10 shrug   

v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等)

参考例句：

• With a shrug,he went out of the room.他耸一下肩，走出了房间。
• I admire the way she is able to shrug off unfair criticism.我很佩服她能对错误的批评意见不予理会。

11 tonic   

n./adj.滋补品，补药，强身的，健体的

参考例句：

• It will be marketed as a tonic for the elderly.这将作为老年人滋补品在市场上销售。
• Sea air is Nature's best tonic for mind and body.海上的空气是大自然赋予的对人们身心的最佳补品。

12 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

13 turnover   

n.人员流动率，人事变动率；营业额，成交量

参考例句：

• The store greatly reduced the prices to make a quick turnover.这家商店实行大减价以迅速周转资金。
• Our turnover actually increased last year.去年我们的营业额竟然增加了。

14 evaluations   

估价( evaluation的名词复数 )； 赋值； 估计价值； [医学]诊断

参考例句：

• In fact, our moral evaluations are merely expressions of our desires. 事实上，我们的道德评价只是我们欲望的表达形式。 来自哲学部分
• Properly speaking, however, these evaluations and insights are not within the concept of official notice. 但准确地讲，这些评估和深远见识并未包括在官方通知概念里。

15 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

16 exclusion   

n.拒绝，排除，排斥，远足，远途旅行

参考例句：

• Don't revise a few topics to the exclusion of all others.不要修改少数论题以致排除所有其他的。
• He plays golf to the exclusion of all other sports.他专打高尔夫球，其他运动一概不参加。

17 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

18 biases   

偏见( bias的名词复数 )； 偏爱； 特殊能力； 斜纹

参考例句：

• Stereotypes represent designer or researcher biases and assumptions, rather than factual data. 它代表设计师或者研究者的偏见和假设，而不是实际的数据。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• The net effect of biases on international comparisons is easily summarized. 偏差对国际比较的基本影响容易概括。