英語(yǔ)四級(jí)必讀美文10：站出來(lái)，承認(rèn)自己是同性戀

Out of the Office Closet

站出來(lái)，承認(rèn)自己是同性戀

If you're gay or lesbian and you're closeted at your office, you're not alone. Despite major strides in acceptance over the last 15 years, many still struggle with the decision to come out at work.

如果你是個(gè)同性戀，又在辦公室掩飾自己性取向的話(huà)，那你并不是孤單的。盡管過(guò)去15年社會(huì)對(duì)同性戀的態(tài)度有了巨大進(jìn)步，但很多人仍然對(duì)是否在辦公重“出柜”猶豫不決。

A recent Harris poll conducted with Out & Equal and Witeck-Combs Communications indicated that 44% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender(LGBT) participants feel unable to talk freely to co-workers about their partners, and up to 78% don't feel comfortable bringing their partners to corporate social functions.

美國(guó)哈里斯輿論調(diào)查所近期攜手反歧視組織Out & Equal以及衛(wèi)特康公關(guān)與廣告公司進(jìn)行的一次調(diào)查顯示，44%的女同性戀、男同性戀、雙性戀者與跨性別者(LGBT)都覺(jué)得無(wú)法自由和同事談?wù)撍麄兊陌閭H，而至多達(dá)78%的人都覺(jué)得將伴侶帶去公司活動(dòng)會(huì)不自在。

(1)Thirty-one-year-old Bozman of Chicago has been out to his close friends since college, but remained closeted while rising through the ranks at Starbucks' corporate headquarters. "I didn't know if telling people I was gay would limit my ability to move up in the company, "he says. "I was intimidated and at the same time jealous of people who could just be themselves. I'd make up stories about being with women, and if a co-worker drove me home, I'd have him drop me off down the street so he wouldn't know I lived in a gay neighborhood."

(1)芝加哥31歲的博茨曼從大學(xué)時(shí)代就對(duì)他的好朋友公開(kāi)了性取向，但盡管他在星巴克(Starbucks)公司總部的職位不斷上升，他仍然沒(méi)有出柜。博茨曼說(shuō)，我不知道如果我告訴別人自己是同性戀，這是否會(huì)影響到我在公司的晉升。我很為難，同時(shí)又羨慕那些可以公開(kāi)自己性取向的人。我編造自己和女人的風(fēng)流韻事，如果同事開(kāi)車(chē)送我回家的話(huà)，我會(huì)在附近街道下車(chē)，不想讓他知道我住在一個(gè)同性戀社區(qū)。

"No One Cared"

“沒(méi)人在意。”

Eventually, after returning to his roots as a Starbucks store manager and working for a boss who was also gay, Mr. Bozman decided to stop lying. "When people asked me about my personal life or where I was on the weekend, 1just told the truth. It turned out that no one cared, and I was happier and much more comfortable."

最后，在重新做回一名星巴克門(mén)店經(jīng)理，而且發(fā)現(xiàn)上司也是個(gè)同性戀后，博茨曼決定不再撒謊掩蓋自己的秘密。他說(shuō)，當(dāng)人們問(wèn)到我的個(gè)人生活，或是我周末做什么的時(shí)候，我會(huì)告訴他們真相。結(jié)果根本就沒(méi)人在意，然后我就覺(jué)得更加快樂(lè)，大大放松了下來(lái)。

Many experts agree that Mr. Bozman and other LGBT individuals are correct to have reservations about making their sexual orientation public. "There's no federal law that safeguards people from being fired because are gay, and only 16 states have such protections," says Mustanski, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago. (2) "While the constant stress of monitoring themselves can take its toll, LGBT people have to balance the freedom to be themselves with their employability."

很多專(zhuān)家認(rèn)為，博茨曼和其他LGBT人群在公開(kāi)他們性取向一事上有所保留是正確的。芝加哥伊利諾伊大學(xué)精神病學(xué)助理教授穆斯坦斯基表示，美國(guó)沒(méi)有聯(lián)邦法律保護(hù)同性戀不會(huì)因?yàn)槌龉穸唤夤?，只?6個(gè)州有這樣的保護(hù)規(guī)定。(2)他說(shuō)，盡管持續(xù)壓抑自己不是好事，但LBGT人群必須在公開(kāi)性取向和工作之間作出平衡。

Is Your Office Gay Friendly?

你的辦公室對(duì)同性戀寬容嗎?

In deciding whether to come out at work, what are the most important considerations?

在決定是否在辦公室么可刊主取向的時(shí)候，什么考慮因素是最重要的?

First, make sure it's a safe thing for you to do. "Assess anti-gay sentiment at your workplace beforehand," says Dr. Mustanski. "You don't want to be the victim of violence." The Human Rights Campaign Web site is an excellent resource evaluate whether your organization is LGBT-friendly.

首先，確保你這么做是安全的。穆斯坦斯基說(shuō)，你需要事先評(píng)估下你的工作場(chǎng)所對(duì)同性戀的抵觸態(tài)度。你不想成為暴力的受害者。人權(quán)運(yùn)動(dòng)組織網(wǎng)站是你評(píng)估你的組織是否對(duì)LGBT人群寬容的最好資源。

Your next step is to choose who you want to tell and the most suitable way to bring up the subject with those people. "Social practices vary by office, so use heterosexual relationship as a benchmark," suggests Dr. Mustanski. "How do non-LGBT people discuss their personal matters? Can you just work it into the conversation? (3) You do want to practice how to respond to inappropriate question, and be prepared that some co-workers may be hurt that you didn't confide in them sooner."

接下來(lái)你要做的是，選擇把自己的性取向告訴哪些人以及和他們說(shuō)這個(gè)話(huà)題的最合適方式。穆斯坦斯基說(shuō)，各個(gè)辦公室的社交方式各有不同，因此你可以把異性關(guān)系作為基準(zhǔn)。那些非LBGT的人是怎么討論他們的個(gè)人事情的?你是否可以把出柜穿插進(jìn)談話(huà)?(3)你確實(shí)需要練習(xí)一下如何應(yīng)對(duì)不適合的問(wèn)題，做好心理準(zhǔn)備一些同事可能會(huì)因?yàn)槟阋郧安徽f(shuō)實(shí)話(huà)而覺(jué)得傷心。

Finally, make sure you 're ready. "Don't allow yourself to feel pressured, because once you do it, there's no going back. It has to be the right time for you, and it has to be something that's going to make your day easier," says Mr. Bozman.

最后，確信你已經(jīng)準(zhǔn)備好了。博茨曼說(shuō)，別讓自己感到壓抑，因?yàn)槟阋坏┏龉瘢蜎](méi)有回頭路了。這必須是你選擇的正確時(shí)刻，必須是能讓你生活輕松的事情。

四級(jí)句型講解

1. Thirty-one-year-old Vince Bozman of Chicago has been out to his close friends since college, but remained closeted while rising through the ranks at Starbucks' corporate headquarters.

本句是由but連接的兩個(gè)并列的簡(jiǎn)單句。第二個(gè)句子中，省略了主語(yǔ)，而while rising through...headquarters為時(shí)間狀語(yǔ)從句的省略形式。

語(yǔ)法重點(diǎn)：并列結(jié)構(gòu)

2. "While the constant stress of monitoring themselves can take its toll, LGBT people have to balance the freedom to be themselves with their employability. "

本句是一個(gè)復(fù)合句，主句是LGBT...employability， while引導(dǎo)讓步狀語(yǔ)從句，意為“盡管”。

語(yǔ)法重點(diǎn)：讓步狀語(yǔ)從句

3. You do want to practice how to respond to inappropriate questions, and be prepared that some co-workers may be hurt that you didn't confide in them sooner.'

本句是一個(gè)復(fù)合句。how to...questions不定式短語(yǔ)作practice的賓語(yǔ)。第一個(gè)that引導(dǎo)賓語(yǔ)從句，作prepare的賓語(yǔ)。第二個(gè)that引導(dǎo)原因狀語(yǔ)從句，解釋說(shuō)明be hurt的原因。

語(yǔ)法重點(diǎn)：不定式短語(yǔ)作賓語(yǔ)，賓語(yǔ)從句，原因狀語(yǔ)從句