be composed of the best that both genders bring to the table ..." Wel , she

pauses, maybe not before she dies, perhaps in her daughter's lifetime.

Language Points:

1 When Monica applied for a job as an administrative assistant in 1971, she was asked whether she would rather work for a male or a female attorney. (Para. 1) Meaning: Monica was asked if she would like to work for a male or a female lawyer when

she applied for a managing job at a law firm in 1971.

Sentence structure note:“would rather”句型

1 would rather 的意思是“宁愿；宁可；更；最好；还是…为好”，后接动词原形，表示优先

选择的一种方式。其否定形式是would rather not do sth., would rather 没有人称和数的变

化，所有的人称一律用would rather。例如：

*If you/he would rather be alone, we’l al leave here.如果你/他宁愿独自呆着，那我们会都

离开这儿。

2 would rather 后接从句时，从句中的谓语动词用一般过去时，表示希望或宁愿某人按某特

定的方式做某事，这个结构常常表达的是现在或将来的行为。例如：

*I’d rather you didn’t make any comment on the issue for the time being.我想目前你还是

不要对此事发表任何评论。

2 “I felt that a male-boss/female-employee relationship was more natural, needing no personal a ccommodation whatsoever.” (Para. 1)

Meaning: I felt that there was no need to compromise in a relationship between a male boss and a female employee since it was more natural.

3 But 20 years later, when she was asked the same question, she said, “I was pleasantly surprised that female bosses are much more accessible to their employees; they’re much more sensitive and intimate with their employees.” (Para. 1)

Meaning: However, when she was asked the same question 20 years later, She responded that it was a nice surprise to find out that female bosses had been much easier to approach, more understanding, and closer to their workers.

Meaning beyond words:Her answer was entirely different from what she had responded