….Americans were incredulous.
incredulous: a. unwilling to believe sth.; disbelieving; doubtful. e.g. People are incredulous about ghosts. incredulity: n. e.g. He stared down the street in incredulity. antonym: credulous
Sentence Understanding
That there is prejudice against women is an idea that still strikes nearly all men--and, I am afraid, most women---as bizarre.
Almost all men and most women are not aware of their own and other people’s sexual prejudice against women. When someone asserts there is such prejudice in America, they will find it hard to believe.
strike: v. impress; give the impression of being… e.g. (1) How does the play strike you? (2) Does it strike you as very odd that he never talks about his family? (3) Jenny strikes me as a silly girl. bizarre: a. odd; strange
Sentence Understanding
Being the fist black woman elected to Congress has made me some kind of phenomenon. Because I am the first black woman to be elected to Congress, people think I am something extraordinary
Prejudice against blacks was invisible to most white Americans for many years. invisible: a. unseen e.g. The Stealth Fighter is an aircraft designed to be invisible to radar. For a long time, most white Americans did not realize that they were prejudiced against blacks.
Unit 7 I’d Rather Be Black Than Female
Language Points
US Congress: the House of Representatives & the Senate; congressman/ congresswoman/ senator phenomenon: n. someone or something extremely successful, often because of special qualities or abilities. e.g. The huge success of her books makes her a remarkable phenomenon. phenomenal: a. remarkable e.g.: (1)a phenomenal achievement; (2) a pianist of phenomenal talents; (3) Her rise to fame was quite phenomenal---in less than two years she was a household name.
We’re prejudiced? prejudiced: a. biased e.g. be prejudiced against minorities; prejudiced views prejudice: n. strong/ deep-rooted prejudice have/ hold/ air/ express prejudice
Sentence Understanding
I was the first to overcome both handicaps at once.
both handicaps: being both black and female. Handicap here means disadvantage.
It will be many years before whites--including those who consider themselves open-minded---become conscious of their own racial prejudice against blacks, and then give it up.
handicap: n. (1) physical or mental disability e.g. people with handicaps (2) disadvantage; difficulty; impediment e.g. Poor eyesight is a handicap to students. major/ serious handicap suffer from/ overcome/ cope with handicap
Sentence Understanding
It will take years for white--including those who think of themselves as liberals --- to discover and eliminate the racist attitudes they all actually have.
invariably: ad. always; at all times; on every occasion. lot: n. fate; destiny; fortune. e.g. to improve the lot of the poor.
Sentence Understanding
The best any of them can hope for is the honor of being district or county vice-chairman, a kind of separate-butequal position with which a woman is rewarded for years of faithful enveloped stuffing and card-party organizing.
Sentence Understanding
Of the two handicaps, being black is much less of a drawback than being female.
Being a woman is a greater disadvantage than being a black.
Sentence Understanding
I have done the work---all the tedious details that make the difference between victory and defeat on election day---while men reaped the rewards… Though my part in the campaign seemed to involve only some seemingly insignificant and boring odd jobs, it is these little jobs I’ve done that have made us win the election. That is to say, my work was critically important. But in the end, all the credit went to men.
brainwash: v. re-educate; influence; force someone to believe something. e.g. The government is trying to brainwash people into thinking that the current policy is effective. content: a. satisfied; pleased.
tedious: a. boring; monotonous; dull. make the difference: have a significant effect on ifference to your health. reap the rewards: to get the benefit that is the result of your own activities; to get the honor and important positions. e.g. : (1) In retirement he reaped the rewards of his earlier investment. (2) It may be some time before the company reaps the benefits of its current investments.