VOA标准英语2011--Daughters, Sons and Dogs Get a Day at th

Daughters, Sons and Dogs Get a Day at the Office

This past Thursday, we saw a lot of fresh new faces at our Voice of America Headquarters Building. It was "Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day," not just here but at job sites nationwide.
This annual event has evolved in ways its founders¹ probably never imagined.
In 1993, the Ms. Foundation, an arm of Ms. magazine and the women's movement, launched "Take Your Daughter to Work Day." Acting² on research about girls' relatively³ poor self-esteem, organizers thought it would be a good idea - if only for a day -- to show adolescent girls that they had great potential, including career possibilities besides being a wife and mother.
The idea caught on, so much so that boys and their parents got a little jealous. So, in 2003, the event became "Take Your Daughters and SONS to Work Day." In fact, there were even proposals to create a "Sons' Day"" to be held on a Sunday so that boys could stay home and do cleaning and cooking and be educated about topics such as sexism and violence against women. But Sons' Day never happened.
And the go-to-work idea kept growing.
In 1999, Pet Sitters International, an organization - based in North Carolina - whose members make a living watching after people's animals, came up with "Take Your DOG to Work Day."
This was not some nutty promotional stunt⁴ to give dog-lovers a romp⁵ in the halls with Fido and Fifi. There was a serious purpose, organizers said: to encourage co-workers, who might not realize how much joy a pet can bring, to consider adopting homeless animals from shelters and rescue groups.
The first year, 300 companies signed up. Twelve years later, on this coming June 24, more than 10,000 companies around the world are expected to open their doors to pooches.
One has to wonder, though, what this idea has unleashed⁶, so to speak. We know of at least 20 fervent⁷ CAT lovers in the building who are saying that if we let the dogs in, then Whiskers and Boots deserve their chance to come to work and catch that mouse that's raiding lunchtime leftovers⁸ down in the VOA newsroom.

1 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

2 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

3 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

4 stunt   

n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长

参考例句：

• Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
• Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。

5 romp   

n.欢闹；v.嬉闹玩笑

参考例句：

• The child went for a romp in the forest.那个孩子去森林快活一把。
• Dogs and little children romped happily in the garden.狗和小孩子们在花园里嬉戏。

6 unleashed   

v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The government's proposals unleashed a storm of protest in the press. 政府的提案引发了新闻界的抗议浪潮。
• The full force of his rage was unleashed against me. 他把所有的怒气都发泄在我身上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 fervent   

adj.热的，热烈的，热情的

参考例句：

• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。
• Austria was among the most fervent supporters of adolf hitler.奥地利是阿道夫希特勒最狂热的支持者之一。

8 leftovers   

n.剩余物，残留物，剩菜

参考例句：

• He can do miracles with a few kitchen leftovers.他能用厨房里几样剩饭做出一顿美餐。
• She made supper from leftovers she had thrown together.她用吃剩的食物拼凑成一顿晚饭。