2017考研英語《經濟學人》閱讀：社會舞臺上的社會階層

考研英語來源：新東方網整理 2016-01-07　

考研英語閱讀百分之八十都出自一些英美報刊雜志The Economist (《經濟學家》 ), Times(《時代周刊》等等，所以考生平時做閱讀訓練的時候可以多看看這些文章，小編也會分享一些出自這些雜志的中英文雙語閱讀，大家可以看看。下面是關于社會舞臺上的社會階層的一篇文章，大家讀讀看。

Class on stage

社會舞臺上的社會階層

Charlie and the aspiration factory

查理和巧克力工廠

Why British theatre is obsessed with socialmobility

為何英國戲劇如此癡迷社會流動性主題

THERE are several ways of retelling “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. In 2005 Hollywoodfocused on Willy Wonka, the factory's owner, portraying him as a purple-gloved man-child. Anew musical production of Roald Dahl's children's story at the Theatre Royal in Londonconcentrates on the up-from-poverty fortune of Charlie Bucket, the boy who finds the goldenticket. Mr Wonka lurks in beggar's dress at the side of the stage, as if selecting a specimen fora social experiment.

《查理和巧克力工廠》有好多個復述版本。2005年的好萊塢版從工廠主威利·王卡下手，劇中他是一位帶著紫色手套，充滿孩子氣的男子。倫敦皇家劇院新上演的羅爾德·達爾兒童故事音樂劇則側重于表現窮孩子查理發現金券，脫貧的經歷。在該劇中，王卡衣著襤褸如乞丐隱藏著自己的身份，好似要選一個標本做社會實驗。

Tales of upward social mobility attempted or achieved are crowding the London stage. “BillyElliott”, the story of a miner's son who contends with bereavement, strikes and the north-southdivide to make it as a ballet dancer, recently celebrated its four-millionth visitor. “Port”, anaccount of a Stockport girl's attempts to escape her girm origins, was a success at the NationalTheatre this spring. Last year “In Basildon” depicted strivers in the quintessential upwardly-mobile Essex town.

倫敦舞臺上充斥著各種嘗試或成功轉為上流社會的故事。舞動人生，最近剛迎來它四百萬訪問者，它講述的是一個關于一個礦工兒子不顧家人的反對，社會罷工及南北的分裂，毅然選擇成為芭蕾舞者的故事。Port，關于一個斯托克波特女孩試圖擺脫其悲慘出身的故事，在國家劇院熱映取得巨大成功。去年上映的《在巴斯爾頓》描述的是一群奮斗者在埃塞克斯鎮—一個典型的向上爬人群的小鎮。

It is a venerable theatrical (and literary) theme, but it is being handled in a different way.John Osborne's 1956 play “Look Back in Anger” showed a working-class man's fury at themiddle class he had married into. By the 1970s and 1980s writers were looking down theirnoses at social climbers, in plays like “Top Girls” and “Abigail's Party”, in which a middle-classarriviste serves cheesy nibbles and the wrong kind of wine.

這是個可敬的戲劇藝術主題，它卻以不同的方式呈現出來。約翰·奧斯本的1956年的劇本《憤怒中回顧》呈現的是一個通過婚姻，一個工人階級轉變為中產階級，處于中產階級他的不滿與憤怒。20世紀七八十年代，作家們著眼于眼前的向上爬的社會群體，戲劇《巔峰女孩》，《阿比蓋爾的政黨》中產階級暴發戶就像低劣的老鼠，不合時宜的紅酒。

Social mobility receded as a topic for a while, as playwrights like David Hare turned toscrutinising the state of the nation. Now it has returned—and is depicted much moresympathetically. Dominic Cooke, who directed “In Basildon” at the Royal Court Theatre, saysthis may be a delayed reaction to the collapse of state socialism in Europe. Left-wing writerscan no longer look to an alternative ideal. Instead they focus on how people navigate Britishsociety.

當劇作家諸如戴維海爾等轉身開始審視國情，向上層社會爬的話題才稍微退熱。而今，這個話題又成為熱議，并且現在更多地是表現出一種同情。在皇家宮廷劇院上演的戲劇《在巴斯爾頓》的導演多米尼克這樣說道，這也許是國家社會主義在歐洲崩潰的延遲效應。左派作家無法尋求到另一個理想，于是他們將目光投向人們如何操縱英國社會。

A possible reason for the sympathetic tone is that upward mobility can no longer be taken forgranted. In 2011 researchers at the London School of Economics concluded thatintergenerational social mobility, assessed by income for children born between 1970 and2000, had stalled. Another study, by Essex University academics, found matters had notimproved during the slump.

也許出現這種同情的語調還有另一個原因，那就是向上層社會爬不再是種理所當然的想法。2011年，倫敦經濟學院的調查人員通過評估1970至2000年為孩子存儲的收入，總結道:兩代人的社會流動性停滯不前。另一項由埃塞克斯大學學者進行的研究發現各項問題并沒有在經濟衰退期得到改善。

So it is fantastic fun to see people make it. Charlie Bucket does so spectacularly. At the end of“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” he is a pint-size entrepreneur, with an immigrantworkforce of Oompa-Loompas to ensure he does not tumble back down the social ladder.

所以看看人們演繹它也很有趣。查理令人啼笑皆非。在“查理和巧克力工廠”的結局，他是一個小型的企業家,有一群奧古倫伯人在巧克力工廠工作，以確保他永遠不會從社會的樓梯中跌落下來。

1.obsessed with 癡迷

例句:What he's obsessed with is finding high-growth companies that investors areunderestimating.

奧格納真正著迷的是尋找被投資者低估的高成長公司。

2.focus on 致力于;使聚焦于

例句:Their talks are expected to focus on arms control.

他們的會談預計會集中討論軍備控制問題。

3.concentrate on 專心于，把思想集中于

例句:After a fourth-place finish in Sydney in2000 he retired from top-level rowing toconcentrate on his career as a practice director of performance development consultancy,lane4.

在2000年悉尼奧運會上取得第四名的成績后，他選擇了激流勇退，在關注績效與個人發展的咨詢公司lane4當起了一名業務主管。

4.attempt to 嘗試，企圖

例句:This is an attempt to put flesh on what has been a very bare skeleton plan up to now.

這是一次試圖使至今還只是框架的計劃充實起來的嘗試。