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Dear Editors of Macquarie Dictionary, My name is Wendy, a second generation Chinese-Australian migra...
题目内容:
Dear Editors of Macquarie Dictionary,
My name is Wendy, a second generation Chinese-Australian migrant(移民)and a mother of two young children. I’m writing to express my disappointment in one of Macquarie Dictionary’s entries, namely the definition of the word “monolid”.
In both the paper version(7th edition)and online version of the Dictionary, Macquarie defines “monolid” as: “An upper eyelid without a fold, perceived by some in Asia to give an appearance of laziness.” This definition has disturbed me and many Asians living in Australia. Linguistically(从语言学角度讲), the term “monolid” is a pretty unbiased description of a physical characteristic that involves no feelings, common to over 50% of people of East Asian origin. It’s no different to other terms describing a physical feature including “blonde” or “freckle”.
Take a minute and consider this. Would it be appropriate if the definition of “blonde” became “having fair or light-coloured hair, thought by some in Western countries as possessing little or no intelligence”? Or would it be appropriate if the definition of “freckle” was “a small brownish spot in the skin or face, thought by some as creating an ugly appearance”?
In addition, it is also inappropriate that Macquarie Dictionary — a dictionary of choice by many Australian schools — defines a term in a way which may create negative racial connection for Australian children of East Asian origin. Both my kids are born with monolids, a constant reminder of their cultural background. It therefore breaks my heart to imagine a scene where they turn to the dictionary to find that their physical feature is associated with “laziness”. What if they get teased by their school friends that they are born “lazy”? What if my sensitive older son starts hating himself and his race classification for being associated with something negative?
For the reasons above, I urge Macquarie Dictionary to adjust the current definition of “monolid”. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Wendy
1.Why does the author write this letter?
A.To ask for information about a definition.
B.To express dissatisfaction with a definition.
C.To offer advice on how to define a word.
D.To give examples of defining physical features.
2.What does “unbiased” underlined in paragraph 2 probably mean?
A.General. B.Precise.
C.Subjective. D.Objective.
3.What is the function of paragraph 3?
A.Calling for readers’ attention.
B.Supporting the author’s position.
C.Raising the author’s concern.
D.Introducing two words in the dictionary.
4.In what way is the author worried about her children?
A.They might get into bad habits and be lazy.
B.They might choose to use the dictionary.
C.They might become victims of the definition.
D.They might have monolids.
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