[背景了解]
　　文章取自于2004年1月的閱讀真題，是關于職業女性的文章，選段有點長，希望耐心看下，自己先猜下劃線部分單詞的意思吧
　　[文章部分]
　　Some futurologists have assumed that the vast upsurge (劇增) of women in the workforce may portend a rejection of marriage. Many women, according to this hypothesis, would rather work than marry. The converse (反面) of this concern is that the prospects of becoming a multi-paycheck household could encourage marriages. In the past, only the earnings and financial prospects of the man counted in the marriage decision. Now, however, the earning ability of a woman can make her more attractive as a marriage partner. Data show that economic downturns tend to postpone marriage because the parties cannot afford to establish a family or are concerned about rainy days ahead. As the economy rebounds, the number of marriages also rises.
　　[單詞學習]
　　portend v.預示
　　hypothesis n.假設
　　prospect n.景色, 前景, 前途, 期望 vi.尋找, 勘探
　　downturn n.低迷時期
　　rebound n.回彈 v.回彈
　　[課后作業]
　　今天的作業就是翻譯下面幾個句子,來試下吧
　　1.What do these strange events portend?
　　2.People have proposed all sorts of hypotheses to explain why dinosaurs have become extinct.
　　3.The prospects for this year's wine harvest are poor.
　　4.There is a downturn in the market but it is hard to define exactly why.
　　5.The scheme rebounded on her in a way she had not expected.
　　答案：1.這些奇怪的事件預示著什么?
　　2.人們提出種種假設, 試圖說明恐龍為什么會滅絕。
　　3.今年葡萄酒的收成不好。
　　4.市場有下降趨勢，但很難準確地指明原因。
　　5.她未曾想到這計謀反倒使她自食其果。