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日本男性面临身份危机(Japanese men have an identity crisis)
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他后来意识到，许多日本男性同样被传统男性角色的压力压得喘不过气来。
双语精读
Fukushima Michihito wanted to marry his girlfriend. But a decade ago he fell ill, had to stop working, and consequently broke up with her. "I thought: if I can't support my family, I shouldn't get married," he recalls.
福岛道仁想与女朋友结婚。但十年前他生病了，不得不停止工作，因此与女友分手。“我想：如果我不能养家，那么我就不应该结婚。”他回忆道。
He later realised that many Japanese men are similarly weighed down by pressure to fill the traditional male role. He now runs a "men's hotline" in the city of Osaka, which encourages men to discuss their anxieties.
他后来意识到，许多日本男性同样被传统男性角色的压力压得喘不过气来。现在他在大阪市经营着一条“男性热线”，鼓励男性讨论他们的焦虑。
In Japan, relations between men and women are shifting as marriage rates decline and more women enter the workforce. But the idea that men are breadwinners remains deeply entrenched.
在日本，随着结婚率下降和更多女性进入职场，男女关系正在发生变化。但是男人挣钱养家的观念仍然根深蒂固。
In 2022 only 17% of eligible men took parental leave, compared with 80% of women. Japanese women spend five times longer doing chores than men.
2022年，只有17%符合条件的男性休育儿假，而女性休产假的比例为80%。日本女性做家务的时间是男性的5倍。
A survey in 2022 by Lean In Tokyo, an activist group, suggested that over 60% of Japanese men feel awkward at work because of pressure to behave in a manly way. In Japan, which has the highest suicide rate in the G7, men are twice as likely to kill themselves as women.
社会活动组织“向前一步东京分部”在2022年进行的一项调查显示，超过60%的日本男性在工作中感到局促，因为要表现得像个男子汉给他们带来压力。日本的自杀率在七国集团中最高，而男性自杀的可能性是女性的两倍。
The hotline Mr Fukushima helps run was established in 1995. It was founded mainly in an effort to reduce domestic violence by giving anxious men an opportunity to air their grievances to a discreet stranger.
福岛帮助运营的热线成立于1995年。成立这条热线主要是为了减少家庭暴力，给焦虑的男人提供一个向谨慎的陌生人表达不满的机会。
Since then, the hotline has received calls on an expanding range of concerns, including relationships, sexuality and work. "More men are growing tired of behaving in a manly fashion, and want to be free," says Mr Fukushima.
从那以后，热线电话接到的问题越来越多，包括人际关系、性和工作。福岛说：“越来越多的男人厌倦了要表现得像个男人，他们想要自由。”
The government has also taken an interest in the problem. In 2010 it included an objective to promote "men's counselling" in its gender equality plan. There are now over 80 counselling centres offering this service.
政府也对这个问题产生了兴趣。2010年，日本政府在其性别平等计划中纳入了促进“男性咨询”的目标。目前有80多个咨询中心提供这项服务。
Japan's archetypal gender roles-the salaryman husband and stay-at-home mum-were cemented during the country's long post-war boom.
日本典型的性别角色——上班的丈夫，待在家里的妻子——在战后的长期繁荣中得到了巩固。
Following the oil crisis of the early 1970s, those rigid roles began to break down in many Western countries, as more and more women entered work in response to economic stagnation and labour shortages.
在20世纪70年代初的石油危机之后，随着越来越多的女性进入工作岗位以应对经济停滞和劳动力短缺，这些僵化的角色开始在许多西方国家被打破。
By contrast, Japan tried to overcome the crisis by extending men's working hours - then by inflating the great "bubble economy" of the 1980s. While Western countries went through a "transition point" in gender relations, says Tanaka Toshiyuki, a sociologist, "Japan missed the opportunity to change."
相反，日本克服危机的方式是延长男性的工作时间（以及后来在20世纪80年代让“泡沫经济”膨胀）。社会学家田中俊之说，西方国家经历了性别关系的“转折点”，“日本却错过了改变的机会”。
词汇预习
economic [高考]
美[ˌiːkəˈnɑːmɪk] | 英[ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk]
adj. 经济的，经济学的；有利可图的；节约的
economy [高考]
美[ɪˈkɑːnəmi] | 英[ɪˈkɒnəmi]
n. 经济；节约 adj. 经济的；廉价的
response [高考]
美[rɪˈspɑːns] | 英[rɪˈspɒns]
n. 反应；回答；响应；答复
contrast [高考]
美[ˈkɑːntræst , kənˈtræst] | 英[ˈkɒntrɑːst , kənˈtrɑːst]
n. 对比；差别；对照物 v. 对比；成对照 n. [计算机] 反差
bubble [高考]
美[ˈbʌbl] | 英[ˈbʌbl]
n. 气泡；泡影 v. 起泡；冒泡；充满...感情
parental [高考]
美[pəˈrentl] | 英[pəˈrentl]
adj. 父母的
similarly [高考]
美[ˈsɪmələrli] | 英[ˈsɪmələli]
adv. 相似地；类似地
objective [高考]
美[əbˈdʒektɪv] | 英[əbˈdʒektɪv]
adj. 客观的；真实的；宾语的 n. 目标；目的；[物]物镜；[语]宾语
transition [高考]
美[trænˈzɪʃn] | 英[trænˈzɪʃn]
n. 转变；过渡
consequently [高考]
美[ˈkɑːnsɪkwentli] | 英[ˈkɒnsɪkwəntli]
adv. 因此；所以
sociologist [高考]
美[ ˌsoʊsiˈɑːlədʒɪst] | 英[ ˌsəʊsiˈɒlədʒɪst]
n. 社会学家
eligible [高考]
美[ˈelɪdʒəbl] | 英[ˈelɪdʒəbl]
adj. 有资格的；合适的
workforce [高考]
美[ˈwɜːrkfɔːrs] | 英[ˈwɜːkfɔːs]
n. 劳动力；工人总数；职工总数
promote [高考]
美[prəˈmoʊt] | 英[prəˈməʊt]
vt. 促进；提升；升迁；发起；促销，推销
rate [高考]
美[reɪt] | 英[reɪt]
n. 比率；速度；价格；费用；等级 v. 认为；估价；定等级；值得；怒斥；责骂
range [高考]
美[reɪndʒ] | 英[reɪndʒ]
n.范围; 射程; 类别; （山脉，房屋等的）排列 vi.搜索; 变化; 延伸; 漫游 vt.排列; （按一定位置或顺序）排序; 把…分类; 徘徊 adj.牧场的，放牧区的
decade [高考]
美[ˈdekeɪd] | 英[ˈdekeɪd]
n. 十年，十年间，十年期（尤指一个年代)
decline [高考]
美[dɪˈklaɪn] | 英[dɪˈklaɪn]
v. 下降；减少；变弱；拒绝；倾斜 n. 减少，衰退
violence [高考]
美[ˈvaɪələns] | 英[ˈvaɪələns]
n. 猛烈；暴力；暴行；强暴
male [高考]
美[meɪl] | 英[meɪl]
adj. 男性的；雄性的 n. 男子；雄性动物
boom [高考]
美[buːm] | 英[buːm]
n. 繁荣；兴旺；激增；低沉声 n. 帆杠；吊杆；支臂；尾桁；水栅 vi. 急速增长；发出低沉声 vt. 使兴旺；促进
awkward [高考]
美[ˈɔːkwərd] | 英[ˈɔːkwəd]
adj. 尴尬的；笨拙的；（设计）别扭的
labour [高考]
美[ˈleɪbər] | 英[ˈleɪbə(r)]
n. 劳动；劳工；分娩 v. 努力；干苦力活；困难吃力地行进；反复说明 n. (英国)工党
equality [高考]
美[iˈkwɑːləti] | 英[iˈkwɒləti]
n. 同等；平等；[数]等式
rigid [高考]
美[ˈrɪdʒɪd] | 英[ˈrɪdʒɪd]
adj. 坚硬的；严格的；固执的；僵硬的；刻板的
in response [高考]
美[ɪn rɪˈspɑns] | 英[in riˈspɔns]
作为回答
domestic [高考]
美[dəˈmestɪk] | 英[dəˈmestɪk]
adj. 家庭的；国内的；驯养的 n. 佣人；家仆
gender [高考]
美[ˈdʒendər] | 英[ˈdʒendə(r)]
n. 性别；性（阳性、阴性和中性）
remains [高考]
美[rɪˈmeɪnz] | 英[rɪˈmeɪnz]
n. 剩余物；遗迹；遗体
suicide [高考]
美[ˈsuːɪsaɪd] | 英[ˈsuːɪsaɪd]
n. 自杀；自杀者；自取灭亡的行为 adj. 自杀性的
manly [四级]
美[ˈmænli] | 英[ˈmænli]
adj. 像男人的；强壮的；适于男人的 adv. 男子般地
activist [四级]
美[ˈæktəvɪst] | 英[ˈæktɪvɪst]
n. 活动分子；积极分子；激进分子
tired of [四级]
美 | 英
厌倦； 厌烦
offering [四级]
美[ˈɔːfərɪŋ] | 英[ˈɒfərɪŋ]
n. 供品；作品；出售物
chores [专四]
美[t'ʃɔz] | 英[t'ʃɔ:z]
n. 杂务；琐事；讨厌或繁重的工作
married [专四]
美[ˈmærid] | 英[ˈmærid]
adj. 已婚的；婚姻的；密切结合的 n. 已婚者
fell [专四]
美[fel] | 英[fel]
vt. 砍伐；击倒 n. 丘原；沼泽地 adj. 凶残的；毁灭性的
broke [专八]
美[broʊk] | 英[brəʊk]
adj. 一文不名的；破产的 v. 打碎；折断；违背；解决；中断（动词break的过去式）
stagnation [专八]
美[stæɡˈneʃən] | 英[stæɡ'neɪʃn]
n.（经济）不景气，停滞；（水）不流动
discreet [专八]
美[dɪˈskriːt] | 英[dɪˈskriːt]
adj. 谨慎的；不引人注意的；朴素的，简易的
重点讲解
Fukushima Michihito wanted to marry his girlfriend. But a decade ago he fell ill, had to stop working, and consequently broke up with her. “I thought: if I can't support my family, I shouldn't get married,” he recalls.
福岛道仁想与女朋友结婚。但十年前他生病了，不得不停止工作，因此与女友分手。“我想：如果我不能养家，那么我就不应该结婚。”他回忆道。
consequently adv.
【例】He didn't study for the exam, and consequently, he failed it.
他没有为考试复习，因此他没及格。
【拓展】consequence n. 结果；后果
consequent adj. 随之而来的；作为结果的
consequential adj. 产生重大结果的；重要的
weigh sb down 压得某人难以移动
【例】The heavy backpack weighed down the hiker.
沉重的背包压得徒步旅行者走不动路。
【拓展】weigh on sb 使背负心理负担
【例】The upcoming exams are weighing on her mind.
即将到来的考试让她焦虑不安。
He later realised that many Japanese men are similarly weighed down by pressure to fill the traditional male role. He now runs a “men's hotline” in the city of Osaka, which encourages men to discuss their anxieties.
他后来意识到，许多日本男性同样被传统男性角色的压力压得喘不过气来。现在他在大阪市经营着一条“男性热线”，鼓励男性讨论他们的焦虑。
consequently adv.
【例】He didn't study for the exam, and consequently, he failed it.
他没有为考试复习，因此他没及格。
【拓展】consequence n. 结果；后果
consequent adj. 随之而来的；作为结果的
consequential adj. 产生重大结果的；重要的
weigh sb down 压得某人难以移动
【例】The heavy backpack weighed down the hiker.
沉重的背包压得徒步旅行者走不动路。
【拓展】weigh on sb 使背负心理负担
【例】The upcoming exams are weighing on her mind.
即将到来的考试让她焦虑不安。
In Japan, relations between men and women are shifting as marriage rates decline and more women enter the workforce. But the idea that men are breadwinners remains deeply entrenched.
在日本，随着结婚率下降和更多女性进入职场，男女关系正在发生变化。但是男人挣钱养家的观念仍然根深蒂固。
entrenched adj. 根深蒂固的
【例】The old habits of the company were deeply entrenched and hard to change.
公司里的老习惯根深蒂固，很难改变。
【近义词】ingrained/deep-rooted/deep-seated adj. 根深蒂固的
【拓展】entrenchment n. 战壕
eligible adj.
1. 符合条件的；具备资格的
【例】He is eligible for the scholarship.
他符合领奖学金的条件。
2. 适合结婚的
【例】an eligible bachelor 合适的单身男性
In 2022 only 17% of eligible men took parental leave, compared with 80% of women. Japanese women spend five times longer doing chores than men.
2022年，只有17%符合条件的男性休育儿假，而女性休产假的比例为80%。日本女性做家务的时间是男性的5倍。
entrenched adj. 根深蒂固的
【例】The old habits of the company were deeply entrenched and hard to change.
公司里的老习惯根深蒂固，很难改变。
【近义词】ingrained/deep-rooted/deep-seated adj. 根深蒂固的
【拓展】entrenchment n. 战壕
eligible adj.
1. 符合条件的；具备资格的
【例】He is eligible for the scholarship.
他符合领奖学金的条件。
2. 适合结婚的
【例】an eligible bachelor 合适的单身男性
A survey in 2022 by Lean In Tokyo, an activist group, suggested that over 60% of Japanese men feel awkward at work because of pressure to behave in a manly way. In Japan, which has the highest suicide rate in the G7, men are twice as likely to kill themselves as women.
社会活动组织“向前一步东京分部”在2022年进行的一项调查显示，超过60%的日本男性在工作中感到局促，因为要表现得像个男子汉给他们带来压力。日本的自杀率在七国集团中最高，而男性自杀的可能性是女性的两倍。
air v.
1. 发言；公开发表
【例】to air one’s views 发表自己的观点
【近义词】voice v. 发言
2. 播放；播出
【例】The TV series will be aired next Monday.
这部电视剧将在下周一播出。
discreet adj. 言行谨慎的（为了保密或不造成尴尬）
【例】They carried out the negotiations in a discreet manner to avoid attracting attention.
他们谨慎低调地进行了谈判，避免引起关注。
【拓展】discretion n. 谨慎；慎重
【例】I admired your secretary's discretion in not saying where you had been on business.
我佩服你秘书的谨慎，她闭口不说你上哪儿出差去了。
The hotline Mr Fukushima helps run was established in 1995. It was founded mainly in an effort to reduce domestic violence by giving anxious men an opportunity to air their grievances to a discreet stranger.
福岛帮助运营的热线成立于1995年。成立这条热线主要是为了减少家庭暴力，给焦虑的男人提供一个向谨慎的陌生人表达不满的机会。
air v.
1. 发言；公开发表
【例】to air one’s views 发表自己的观点
【近义词】voice v. 发言
2. 播放；播出
【例】The TV series will be aired next Monday.
这部电视剧将在下周一播出。
discreet adj. 言行谨慎的（为了保密或不造成尴尬）
【例】They carried out the negotiations in a discreet manner to avoid attracting attention.
他们谨慎低调地进行了谈判，避免引起关注。
【拓展】discretion n. 谨慎；慎重
【例】I admired your secretary's discretion in not saying where you had been on business.
我佩服你秘书的谨慎，她闭口不说你上哪儿出差去了。
Since then, the hotline has received calls on an expanding range of concerns, including relationships, sexuality and work. “More men are growing tired of behaving in a manly fashion, and want to be free,” says Mr Fukushima.
从那以后，热线电话接到的问题越来越多，包括人际关系、性和工作。福岛说：“越来越多的男人厌倦了要表现得像个男人，他们想要自由。”
counselling n. 专业咨询；辅导
【例】to seek career counselling 寻求职业咨询
to receive marriage counselling 接受婚姻咨询
【拓展】counsel v. 提供咨询
【例】The doctor counselled operating at once.
医生建议立即动手术。
【反义词】consult v. 请教；获取咨询
【例】He consulted his lawyer before signing the contract.
签合同之前他咨询了他的律师。
【拓展】consultant n. 顾问
counsellor n. 辅导员
coach n. 咨询师；教练
The government has also taken an interest in the problem. In 2010 it included an objective to promote “men's counselling” in its gender equality plan. There are now over 80 counselling centres offering this service.
政府也对这个问题产生了兴趣。2010年，日本政府在其性别平等计划中纳入了促进“男性咨询”的目标。目前有80多个咨询中心提供这项服务。
counselling n. 专业咨询；辅导
【例】to seek career counselling 寻求职业咨询
to receive marriage counselling 接受婚姻咨询
【拓展】counsel v. 提供咨询
【例】The doctor counselled operating at once.
医生建议立即动手术。
【反义词】consult v. 请教；获取咨询
【例】He consulted his lawyer before signing the contract.
签合同之前他咨询了他的律师。
【拓展】consultant n. 顾问
counsellor n. 辅导员
coach n. 咨询师；教练
Japan's archetypal gender roles—the salaryman husband and stay-at-home mum—were cemented during the country's long post-war boom.
日本典型的性别角色——上班的丈夫，待在家里的妻子——在战后的长期繁荣中得到了巩固。
cement n. & v.
1. 作名词：水泥
【例】a cement floor 水泥地板
2. 作动词：巩固；加强
【例】to cement the relationship between two countries
加强两国的关系
【近义词】consolidate v. 加强；巩固
rigid adj. 僵硬的；僵化的
【例】rigid fingers from the cold
被冻僵的手指
a rigid attitude/rule
固执的态度/死板的规矩
【近义词】stiff adj. 僵硬的
【反义词】flexible adj. 灵活的
Following the oil crisis of the early 1970s, those rigid roles began to break down in many Western countries, as more and more women entered work in response to economic stagnation and labour shortages.
在20世纪70年代初的石油危机之后，随着越来越多的女性进入工作岗位以应对经济停滞和劳动力短缺，这些僵化的角色开始在许多西方国家被打破。
cement n. & v.
1. 作名词：水泥
【例】a cement floor 水泥地板
2. 作动词：巩固；加强
【例】to cement the relationship between two countries
加强两国的关系
【近义词】consolidate v. 加强；巩固
rigid adj. 僵硬的；僵化的
【例】rigid fingers from the cold
被冻僵的手指
a rigid attitude/rule
固执的态度/死板的规矩
【近义词】stiff adj. 僵硬的
【反义词】flexible adj. 灵活的
By contrast, Japan tried to overcome the crisis by extending men's working hours — then by inflating the great “bubble economy” of the 1980s. While Western countries went through a “transition point” in gender relations, says Tanaka Toshiyuki, a sociologist, “Japan missed the opportunity to change.”
相反，日本克服危机的方式是延长男性的工作时间（以及后来在20世纪80年代让“泡沫经济”膨胀）。社会学家田中俊之说，西方国家经历了性别关系的“转折点”，“日本却错过了改变的机会”。
inflate v. 使膨胀；使上涨
【例】to inflate a tire 给轮胎充气
to inflate prices 涨价
A small problem inflated into a public relations crisis.
一个小问题演变为一场公关危机。
课后练习
What can be learned about the gender notion in Japan?
A. The traditional gender relations remain unchanged.
B. Traditional gender roles have generated pressures for men.
C. An increasing number of men are doing household chores.
D. The perception of gender roles begin to adapt to the new reality.
What was the original purpose of the hotline that Mr. Fukushima helps run?
A. Fukushima tried to use the hotline to distract himself from his sadness.
B. It was created to give men an outlet for their complaints and frustration.
C. The hotline was a government project to promote gender equality in Japan.
D. The hotline initially focused on providing help for victims of domestic violence.
Why did Japan fail to change its gender roles?
A. Because Japan didn’t experience labour shortages in the 1970s.
B. Because Japan didn’t offer enough job opportunities for women.
C. Because Japan faced a more severe economic crisis than Western countries.
D. Because Japan didn’t engage women in work when dealing with the oil crisis.
What is the subject of the text?
A. The social impact of a men's hotline in Osaka.
B. Japanese women’s struggle against gender inequality.
C. Japanese government’s action in addressing gender issues.
D. The pressures on Japanese men caused by traditional gender roles.