The practice of assigning masculine gender to neutral terms comes from the fact that every language reflects the prejudices of the society in which it evolved, and English evolved through most of its history in a male-centered, patriarchal society. Like any other language, however, English is always changing. One only has to read aloud sentences from the 19th century hooks assigned for this class to sense the shifts that have occurred in the last 150 years. When readers pick up something to read, they expect different conventions depending on the time in which the material was written. As writers in 1995, we need to be not only aware of the conventions that our readers may expect, but also conscious of the responses our words may elicit. In addition, we need to know how the shifting nature of language can make certain words awkward or misleading.

　　Man

　　Man once was a truly generic word referring to all humans, but has gradually narrowed in meaning to become a word that refers to adult male human beings. Anglo-Saxons used the word to refer to all people. One example of this occurs when an Anglo-Saxon writer refers to a seventh-century English princess as a wonderful man. Man paralleled the Latin word homo, a member of the human species. not vir, an adult male of the species. The Old English word for adult male was waepman and the old English word for adult woman was wifman. In the course of time, wifman evolved into the word woman. Man eventually ceased to be used to refer to individual women and replaced waepman as a specific term distinguishing an adult male from an adult female. But man continued to be used in generalizations about both sexes.

　　By the 18th century, the modern, narrow sense of man was firmly established as the predominant one. When Edmund Burke, writing of the French Revolution, used men in the old, inclusive way, he took pains to spell out his meaning: Such a deplorable havoc is made in the minds of men in France... Thomas Jefferson did not make the same distinction in declaring that all men are created equal and governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. In a time when women, having no vote, could neither give nor withhold consent, Jefferson had to be using the word men in its principal sense of males, and it probably never occurred to him that anyone would think otherwise. Looking at modern dictionaries indicate that the definition that links man with males is the predominant one. Studies of college students and school children indicate that even when the broad definitions of msn and men are taught, they tend to conjure up images of male people only. We would never use the sentence A girl grows up to be a man, because we assume the narrower definition of the word man.

　　The Pronoun Problem

　　The first grammars of modern English were written in the 16th and 17th centuries. They were mainly intended to help boys from upper class families prepare for the study of Latin, a language most scholars considered superior to English. The male authors of these earliest English grammars wrote for male readers in an age when few women were literate. The masculine-gender pronouns did not reflect a belief that masculine pronouns could refer to both sexes. The grammars of this period contain no indication that masculine pronouns were sex-inclusive when used in general references. Instead these pronouns reflected the reality of male cultural dominance and the male-centered world view that resulted.

　　He started to be used as a generic pronoun by grammarians who were trying to change a long-established tradition of using they as a singular pronoun. In 1850 an Act of Parliament gave official sanctionto the recently invented concept of the generic he. In the language used in acts of Parliament, the new law said, words importing the masculine gender shall be deemed and taken to include females. Although similar language in contracts and other legal documents subsequently helped reinforce this grammatical edict in all English-speaking countries, it was often conveniently ignored. In 1879, for example, a move to admit female physicians to the all-male Massachusetts Medical Society was effectively blocked on the grounds that the societys by-laws describing membership used the pronoun he.

　　Just as man is not truly generic in the 1990s, he is not a true generic pronoun. Studies have confirmed that most people understand he to refer to men only. Sentences like A doctor is a busy person; he must be able to balance a million obligations at once imply that all doctors are men. As a result of the fact that he is read by many as a masculine pronoun, many people, especially women, have come to feel that the generic pronouns excludes women. This means that more and more people find the use of such a pronoun problematic.

　　Solving the Pronoun Problem

　　They as a Singular -Most people, when writing and speaking informally, rely on singular they as a matter of course: If you love someone, set them free . If you pay attention to your own speech, youll probably catch yourself using the same construction yourself. Its enough to drive anyone out of their senses . I shouldnt like to punish anyone, even ii theyd done me wrong . Some people are annoyed by the incorrect grammar that this solution necessitates, but this construction is used more and more frequently.

　　He or She---Despite the charge of clumsiness, double-pronoun constructions have made a comeback: To be black in this country is simply too pervasive an experience for any writer to omit from her or his work, wrote Samuel R. Delany. Overuse of this solution can be awkward, however.

　　Pluralizing-A writer can often recast material in the plural. For instance, instead of As he advances in his program, the medical student has increasing opportunities for clinical work, try As they advance in their program, medical students have increasing opportunities for clinical work

　　Eliminating Pronouns--Avoid having to use pronouns at all; instead of a first grader can feed and dress himself, you could write, a first grader can eat find get dressed without assistance.

　　Further Alternatives--he she or s/he, using one instead of he, or using a new generic pronoun .

　　1. Man could be used to refer to female human being in the past.

　　2. In all men are created equal in Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson, the word men refer to both males and females whether they have vote right or not.

　　3. In 1879, Massachusetts Medical Society refused to admit more than ten female physicians because the societys by-laws describing membership used the pronoun he.

　　4. The first grammars of modern English were written in order to help boys from the upper class prepare for the study of Latin.

　　5. Man paralleled the Latin word homowhich means ______.

　　6. Studies show that even when students are taught the broad definition of man and men, they think of ______.

　　7. Grammarians started to use he as a generic pronoun because they were trying to change a tradition of using they as ______.

　　8. When most people read the word he, they would understand it to rater to ______.

　　9. Although some people are annoyed by ______ of singular they, this construction is used more and more frequently to solve the pronoun problem.

　　10. Another way of solving the pronoun problem is to use ______ instead of the singular.

　　1. Y 2. N 3. NG 4. Y

　　5. a member of the human species

　　6. male people only

　　7. a singular pronoun

　　8. men only

　　9. the incorrect grammar

　　10. the plural

　　試題解答

　　Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension

　　解析：

　　1.根據(jù)Man部分第一段Man once was a truly generic word referring to all humans，but has gradually narrowed in meaning to become a word that refers to adult male human beings. Anglo-Saxons used the word to refer to all people. One example of this occurs when an Anglo- Saxon writer refers to a seventh-century English princess asa wonderful man.可見，man這個詞最初是泛指所有人的，到了17世紀(jì)還有作家把公主描述成a wonderful man.。故此句判斷為YES。

　　2.由Man部分第二段中的By the 18th century，the modern，narrow sense of man was firmly established as the predominant one...Jefferson had to be using the word men in its principal sense ofmales，and it probably never occurred to him that anyone would think otherwise.可知到了18世紀(jì)man這個詞已經(jīng)狹義指男性了。接著作者舉了兩個例子。第二個例子是杰斐遜的《獨立宣言》。由于當(dāng)時女性沒有選舉權(quán)，杰斐遜所用的man是專指男性的。故此句判斷為NO。

　　3.由The Pronoun Problem部分第二段最后一句In 1879，for example，a move to admit female physicians to the all-male Massachusetts Medical Society was effectively blocked on the grounds that the societys by-laws describing membership used the pronoun he.可知拒絕女醫(yī)生加入?yún)f(xié)會的原因是該協(xié)會的細(xì)則在描述其成員時用的是代詞he。因此;原文只是說明了拒絕接納女成員的原因，并沒有提及多少人被拒之門外。故信息不充分。此句判斷為NOT GIVEN。

　　4.根據(jù)The Pronoun Problem部分第一段第一、二句The first grammars of modern English were written in the 16th and 17th centuries.They were mainly，intended to help boys from upper class families prepare for the study of Latin，a language most scholars considered superior to English.可知現(xiàn)代英語的語法最初寫于16、17世紀(jì)，是為了上流社會家庭的男孩于學(xué)習(xí)拉丁語而寫的。故此句判斷為YES。

　　5.由Man部分第一段第三句Man paralleled the Latin word homo，a member of the human species，not vir，an adult male of the species.。可知此題正確答案為a member of the human species。

　　6.由Man部分第二段倒數(shù)第二句Studies of college students and school children indicate that even when the broad definitions ofmanandmenare taught, they tend to conjure up images of male people only.可見即使教學(xué)生了解了這兩個詞的廣義含義是指泛指人，他們?nèi)匀贿€是只想到男性.故本題正確答案為male people only。

　　7.由The Pronoun Problem部分第二段第一句Hestarted to be used as a generic pronoun by grammarians who were trying to change a long-established tradition of using theyas a singular pronoun.可知語法學(xué)家用he來作泛指代詞是試圖改變用they來作單數(shù)代詞的傳統(tǒng)。故此題正確答案為a singular pronoun。

　　8.由The Pronoun Problem部分第三段第二句Studies have confirmed that most people understandheto refer to men only.可見人們看到代詞he想到的只是男性。故此題答案為men only。

　　9.由Solving the Pronoun Problem部分第一段中的Most people，when writing and speaking informally，rely on singular they as a matter of course...Some people are annoyed by the incorrect grammar that this solution necessitates，but this construction is used more and more frequently.可見人們經(jīng)常把they用作單數(shù)代詞來解決代詞的性別歧視問題。盡管有人認(rèn)為這種用法不合語法，但它的使用頻率越來越高。故本題的正確答案是the incorrect grammar。

　　10.由Solving the Pronoun Problem部分第三段中的PluralizingA writer can often recast material in the plural.For Instance，instead ofAs he advances in his program，the medical student has increasing opportunities for clinical work，tryAs they advance in their program，medical students have increasing opportunities for clinical work.可見避免代詞的性別歧視的另一個方法是用復(fù)數(shù)替代單數(shù)。故此句正確答案為the plural。

　　The practice of assigning masculine gender to neutral terms comes from the fact that every language reflects the prejudices of the society in which it evolved, and English evolved through most of its history in a male-centered, patriarchal society. Like any other language, however, English is always changing. One only has to read aloud sentences from the 19th century hooks assigned for this class to sense the shifts that have occurred in the last 150 years. When readers pick up something to read, they expect different conventions depending on the time in which the material was written. As writers in 1995, we need to be not only aware of the conventions that our readers may expect, but also conscious of the responses our words may elicit. In addition, we need to know how the shifting nature of language can make certain words awkward or misleading.

　　Man

　　Man once was a truly generic word referring to all humans, but has gradually narrowed in meaning to become a word that refers to adult male human beings. Anglo-Saxons used the word to refer to all people. One example of this occurs when an Anglo-Saxon writer refers to a seventh-century English princess as a wonderful man. Man paralleled the Latin word homo, a member of the human species. not vir, an adult male of the species. The Old English word for adult male was waepman and the old English word for adult woman was wifman. In the course of time, wifman evolved into the word woman. Man eventually ceased to be used to refer to individual women and replaced waepman as a specific term distinguishing an adult male from an adult female. But man continued to be used in generalizations about both sexes.

　　By the 18th century, the modern, narrow sense of man was firmly established as the predominant one. When Edmund Burke, writing of the French Revolution, used men in the old, inclusive way, he took pains to spell out his meaning: Such a deplorable havoc is made in the minds of men in France... Thomas Jefferson did not make the same distinction in declaring that all men are created equal and governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. In a time when women, having no vote, could neither give nor withhold consent, Jefferson had to be using the word men in its principal sense of males, and it probably never occurred to him that anyone would think otherwise. Looking at modern dictionaries indicate that the definition that links man with males is the predominant one. Studies of college students and school children indicate that even when the broad definitions of msn and men are taught, they tend to conjure up images of male people only. We would never use the sentence A girl grows up to be a man, because we assume the narrower definition of the word man.

　　The Pronoun Problem

　　The first grammars of modern English were written in the 16th and 17th centuries. They were mainly intended to help boys from upper class families prepare for the study of Latin, a language most scholars considered superior to English. The male authors of these earliest English grammars wrote for male readers in an age when few women were literate. The masculine-gender pronouns did not reflect a belief that masculine pronouns could refer to both sexes. The grammars of this period contain no indication that masculine pronouns were sex-inclusive when used in general references. Instead these pronouns reflected the reality of male cultural dominance and the male-centered world view that resulted.

　　He started to be used as a generic pronoun by grammarians who were trying to change a long-established tradition of using they as a singular pronoun. In 1850 an Act of Parliament gave official sanctionto the recently invented concept of the generic he. In the language used in acts of Parliament, the new law said, words importing the masculine gender shall be deemed and taken to include females. Although similar language in contracts and other legal documents subsequently helped reinforce this grammatical edict in all English-speaking countries, it was often conveniently ignored. In 1879, for example, a move to admit female physicians to the all-male Massachusetts Medical Society was effectively blocked on the grounds that the societys by-laws describing membership used the pronoun he.

　　Just as man is not truly generic in the 1990s, he is not a true generic pronoun. Studies have confirmed that most people understand he to refer to men only. Sentences like A doctor is a busy person; he must be able to balance a million obligations at once imply that all doctors are men. As a result of the fact that he is read by many as a masculine pronoun, many people, especially women, have come to feel that the generic pronouns excludes women. This means that more and more people find the use of such a pronoun problematic.

　　Solving the Pronoun Problem

　　They as a Singular -Most people, when writing and speaking informally, rely on singular they as a matter of course: If you love someone, set them free . If you pay attention to your own speech, youll probably catch yourself using the same construction yourself. Its enough to drive anyone out of their senses . I shouldnt like to punish anyone, even ii theyd done me wrong . Some people are annoyed by the incorrect grammar that this solution necessitates, but this construction is used more and more frequently.

　　He or She---Despite the charge of clumsiness, double-pronoun constructions have made a comeback: To be black in this country is simply too pervasive an experience for any writer to omit from her or his work, wrote Samuel R. Delany. Overuse of this solution can be awkward, however.

　　Pluralizing-A writer can often recast material in the plural. For instance, instead of As he advances in his program, the medical student has increasing opportunities for clinical work, try As they advance in their program, medical students have increasing opportunities for clinical work

　　Eliminating Pronouns--Avoid having to use pronouns at all; instead of a first grader can feed and dress himself, you could write, a first grader can eat find get dressed without assistance.

　　Further Alternatives--he she or s/he, using one instead of he, or using a new generic pronoun .

　　1. Man could be used to refer to female human being in the past.

　　2. In all men are created equal in Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson, the word men refer to both males and females whether they have vote right or not.

　　3. In 1879, Massachusetts Medical Society refused to admit more than ten female physicians because the societys by-laws describing membership used the pronoun he.

　　4. The first grammars of modern English were written in order to help boys from the upper class prepare for the study of Latin.

　　5. Man paralleled the Latin word homowhich means ______.

　　6. Studies show that even when students are taught the broad definition of man and men, they think of ______.

　　7. Grammarians started to use he as a generic pronoun because they were trying to change a tradition of using they as ______.

　　8. When most people read the word he, they would understand it to rater to ______.

　　9. Although some people are annoyed by ______ of singular they, this construction is used more and more frequently to solve the pronoun problem.

　　10. Another way of solving the pronoun problem is to use ______ instead of the singular.

　　1. Y 2. N 3. NG 4. Y

　　5. a member of the human species

　　6. male people only

　　7. a singular pronoun

　　8. men only

　　9. the incorrect grammar

　　10. the plural

　　試題解答

　　Part Ⅱ Reading Comprehension

　　解析：

　　1.根據(jù)Man部分第一段Man once was a truly generic word referring to all humans，but has gradually narrowed in meaning to become a word that refers to adult male human beings. Anglo-Saxons used the word to refer to all people. One example of this occurs when an Anglo- Saxon writer refers to a seventh-century English princess asa wonderful man.可見，man這個詞最初是泛指所有人的，到了17世紀(jì)還有作家把公主描述成a wonderful man.。故此句判斷為YES。

　　2.由Man部分第二段中的By the 18th century，the modern，narrow sense of man was firmly established as the predominant one...Jefferson had to be using the word men in its principal sense ofmales，and it probably never occurred to him that anyone would think otherwise.可知到了18世紀(jì)man這個詞已經(jīng)狹義指男性了。接著作者舉了兩個例子。第二個例子是杰斐遜的《獨立宣言》。由于當(dāng)時女性沒有選舉權(quán)，杰斐遜所用的man是專指男性的。故此句判斷為NO。

　　3.由The Pronoun Problem部分第二段最后一句In 1879，for example，a move to admit female physicians to the all-male Massachusetts Medical Society was effectively blocked on the grounds that the societys by-laws describing membership used the pronoun he.可知拒絕女醫(yī)生加入?yún)f(xié)會的原因是該協(xié)會的細(xì)則在描述其成員時用的是代詞he。因此;原文只是說明了拒絕接納女成員的原因，并沒有提及多少人被拒之門外。故信息不充分。此句判斷為NOT GIVEN。

　　4.根據(jù)The Pronoun Problem部分第一段第一、二句The first grammars of modern English were written in the 16th and 17th centuries.They were mainly，intended to help boys from upper class families prepare for the study of Latin，a language most scholars considered superior to English.可知現(xiàn)代英語的語法最初寫于16、17世紀(jì)，是為了上流社會家庭的男孩于學(xué)習(xí)拉丁語而寫的。故此句判斷為YES。

　　5.由Man部分第一段第三句Man paralleled the Latin word homo，a member of the human species，not vir，an adult male of the species.。可知此題正確答案為a member of the human species。

　　6.由Man部分第二段倒數(shù)第二句Studies of college students and school children indicate that even when the broad definitions ofmanandmenare taught, they tend to conjure up images of male people only.可見即使教學(xué)生了解了這兩個詞的廣義含義是指泛指人，他們?nèi)匀贿€是只想到男性.故本題正確答案為male people only。

　　7.由The Pronoun Problem部分第二段第一句Hestarted to be used as a generic pronoun by grammarians who were trying to change a long-established tradition of using theyas a singular pronoun.可知語法學(xué)家用he來作泛指代詞是試圖改變用they來作單數(shù)代詞的傳統(tǒng)。故此題正確答案為a singular pronoun。

　　8.由The Pronoun Problem部分第三段第二句Studies have confirmed that most people understandheto refer to men only.可見人們看到代詞he想到的只是男性。故此題答案為men only。

　　9.由Solving the Pronoun Problem部分第一段中的Most people，when writing and speaking informally，rely on singular they as a matter of course...Some people are annoyed by the incorrect grammar that this solution necessitates，but this construction is used more and more frequently.可見人們經(jīng)常把they用作單數(shù)代詞來解決代詞的性別歧視問題。盡管有人認(rèn)為這種用法不合語法，但它的使用頻率越來越高。故本題的正確答案是the incorrect grammar。

　　10.由Solving the Pronoun Problem部分第三段中的PluralizingA writer can often recast material in the plural.For Instance，instead ofAs he advances in his program，the medical student has increasing opportunities for clinical work，tryAs they advance in their program，medical students have increasing opportunities for clinical work.可見避免代詞的性別歧視的另一個方法是用復(fù)數(shù)替代單數(shù)。故此句正確答案為the plural。