Pride and Prejudice for the Modern Woman
Let us imagine how Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's
most famous work, might be updated, 200 years on.
Austen's popularity is rooted in her intelligence. But
today she would certainly have had a very different life, as would her
characters. Here's my own suggestion. . .
It is a truth finally and universally acknowledged
that a single woman with brains deserves to have equal opportunities to men,
however disadvantaged she may feel by sexism.
" My dear husband," said his hopeful wife
one day, " have you heard that the local store, standing empty for so
long, is taken over by a bright young businesswoman?"
Her dull and indifferent (漠不關(guān)心的) husband replied that he had not. "But it is, it
is," she replied excitedly. Mr Dull-Husband made no reply.
"Don't you want to know her plans?" she
cried with some impatience.
"Well, clearly you think it matters to your silly
little head. .. so I'd better listen. "
"Well, my dear, the rumour (傳言) is that she has already set up a string of
successful businesses in northern England, though how a woman can know
anything about that is beyond me. She will move in herself next month.
" "What is her name?" "Bingley. "
"Is she married or single?"
"What a question! And none of your business. But
her coming will be a fine thing for our five boys. " "How so? How can
it possibly affect them? "
"My dear love; those lazy boys need something to
wake them up. There are bound to be jobs going. "
" Is that her point in settling here? Surely as a
woman she has simply taken a fancy to the place. "
" Nonsense, my love, how little you've noticed
the world has changed. She's got a first-rate degree and some sort of business
qualification, I'm told. She surely needs one of our boys! Perhaps you might
give her a call. "
" Me? No. Perhaps you can take an interest. You
still have your looks, after all. She may even offer you a job. "
"Oh, that's not likely. These new chances belong to the younger
generation. But now you mention it, I think I'll go along all the same. "
And Mrs Bennet went along. That was 10 years ago. She
is now managing director of a FTSE-listed company.
... It would remain the case, of course, that Mrs
Bennet would be one of very few women on the company board, that her salary
would be lower than her male colleagues, her bonus of a more "female"
dimension and her lifespan (年限) among the city's
business leaders shorter than theirs. Still, she'd no doubt have enjoyed
Davos—and might even have hobnobbed (攀談) with
influential figures.
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the
passage?
A．Austen was
born 200 years ago.
B．Austen
rewrote Pride and Prejudice.
C．Austen's
success lies in her wisdom.
D．Austen's
updated work gains popularity.
2.The underlined part in the passage suggests that Mrs
Bennet ____.
A．had mixed
feelings of admiration and surprise about Bingley
B．felt kind of
worried and doubtful about Bingley
C．was extremely
anxious to meet Bingley
D．had a great
curiosity about Bingley
3.In the eyes of Mrs Bennet, Bingley surely needed one
of their boys to ____.
A．get married
to B．work for her
C．help her move
in D．take over her
store
4.What does the writer intend to tell us?
A．Women with
brains can also be as successful as men.
B．Women have to
pay a high price for success.
C．A judgment
must be made free from prejudice.
D．Sex
discrimination still exists nowadays.
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