I don't ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again. There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what it's like to work in a field dominated by men. I was never very
good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting. What I do find interesting
is the origin of the universe, the shape of space-time and the nature of black holes.
At 19, when I began studying astrophysics (天体物理学), it did not bother me in the least to be the
only woman in the classroom. But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as 3 post-doctor doing space
research, the issue started to bother me. My every achievement-jobs, research papers, awards-was
viewed through the lens of gender (性别) politics. So were my failures. Sometimes, when I was pushed
into an argument on left brain versus (相对于) right brain, or nature versus nurture (培育), I would
instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind.
Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would finally become my reply
to any and all provocations: I don't talk about that anymore. It took me 10 years to get back the
confidence I had at 19 and to realize that I didn't want to deal with gender issues. Why should curing
sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I don't study sociology or
political theory.
Today I research and teach at Barnard, a women's college in New York City. Recently, someone
asked me how many of the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction
at being able to answer: 45. I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific
research and a desire for children. And I don't dismiss those concerns. Still, I don't tell them "war"
stories. Instead, I have given them this: the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant (怀孕)
doing physics experiments. And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of
science. And that's a sight worth talking about.
1. From Paragraph 2, we can infer that people would attribute the author's failures to ______.
A. the very fact that she is a woman
B. her involvement in gender politics
C. her over-confidence as a female astrophysicist
D. the burden she bears in a male-dominated society
2. What did the author constantly fight against while doing her Ph.D. and post-doctoral research?
A. Lack of confidence in succeeding in space science.
B. Unfair accusations from both inside and outside her circle.
C. People's stereotyped(模式化的)attitude towards female scientists.
D. Widespread misconceptions about nature and nurture.
3. Why does the author feel great satisfaction when talking about her class?
A. Female students no longer have to worry about gender issues.
B. Her students' performance has brought back her confidence.
C. Her female students can do just as well as male students.
D. More female students are pursuing science than before.
4. What does the image the author presents to her students suggest?
A. Women students needn't have the concerns of her generation.
B. Women have more barriers on their way to academic success.
C. Women can balance a career in science and having a family.
D. Women now have fewer problems about science career.
