1、大学英语精读第四册 10 大耳朵英语 http:/ 2005-09-30 00:38:27 【打印】 Previous Unit | Next Unit | Back Unit TenClick the button to listen to the textDo you view work as a burden or an opportunity?Are you the kind of person who looks for ways to save your energy or the kind that finds spending your energy satisfying? W
2、hy do people like to complain about work? Find the answers to questions like these in thefollowing essay.WHY PEOPLE WORKLeonard R. SaylesJobs and work do much more than most of us realize to provide happi-ness and contentment. Were all used to thinking that work provides the material things of life
3、- the goods and services that make possible our modern civilization. But we are much less conscious of the extent to which work provides the more intangible, but more crucial, psychological well-being that can make the difference between a full and an empty life .Historically, work has been associat
4、ed with slavery and sin and punish-ment. And in our own day we are used to hearing the traditional complaints:“I cant wait for my vacation,“ “I wish I could stay home today,“ “My bosstreats me poorly,“ “Ive got too much work to do and not enough time to doit.“ Against this background, it may well co
5、me as a surprise to learn thatnot only psychologists but other behavioral scientists have come to acceptthe positive contribution of work to the individuals happiness and sense of personal achievement. Work is more than a necessity for most human beings; it is the focus of their lives, the source of
6、 their identity andcreativity.Rather than a punishment or a burden, work is the opportunity to reali-ze ones potential. Many psychiatrists heading mental health clinics have observed its healing effect. A good many patients who feel depressed inclinics gain renewed self-confidence when gainfully emp
7、loyed and lose some,if not all; of their most acute symptoms. Increasingly, institutions dealingwith mental health problems are establishing workshops wherein those too sick to get a job in “outside“ industry can work, while every effort is exerted to arrange “real“ jobs for those well enough to wor
8、k outside.And the reverse is true, too. For large numbers of people, the absence of work is harmful to their health. Retirement often brings many problems surrounding the “What do I do with myself?“ question, even though there may be no financial cares: Large numbers of people regularly get headache
9、sand other illnesses on weekends when they dont have their jobs to go to, and must fend far themselves. It has been observed that unemployment, quiteaside from exerting financial pressures, brings enormous psychological troubles and that many individuals deteriorate rapidly when jobless.But why? Why
10、 should work be such a significant source of human satis-faction? A good share of the answer rests in the kind of pride that is stimulated by the job, by the activity of accomplishing.Pride in AccomplishmentThe human being longs for a sense of being accomplished, of being ableto do things, with his
11、hand, with his mind, with his will. Each of us wantsto feel he or she has the ability to do something that is meaningful and that serves as a tribute to our inherent abilities.It is easiest to see this in the craftsman who lovingly shapes some cheap material into an object that may be either useful
12、or beautiful or both. You can see the carpenter or bricklayer stand aside and admire the product of his personal skill.But even where there is no obvious end product that is solely attribu-table to one persons skill, researchers have found that employees find pride in accomplishment. Our own researc
13、h in hospitals suggests that even the houskeeping and laundry staffs take pride in the fact that in their own ways they are helping to cure sick people - and thus accomplishing a good deal.Were often misled by the complaints surrounding difficult work; deep down most people regard their own capacity
14、 to conquer the tough job as themark of their own unique personality. Complaining is just part of working.After all, how else do you know who you are, except as you can demonstratethe ability of your mind to control you limbs and hands and words? Youare, in significant measure, what you can do.Some
15、are deceived into thinking that people like to store up energy, torest and save themselves as much as possible. Just the opposite. It is energy expenditure that is satisfying.Just watch an employee who must deal with countless other people be-cause his or her job is at some central point in a commun
16、ications network: a salesman at a busy counter, a stock broker on the phone, a customer repre-sentative. They will tell you how much skill and experience it takes to an-swer countless questions and handle various kinds of personalities every hour of the day. Not everyone can interact with such persi
17、stence and over long hours, but those who do, pride themselves on a distinctive ability that contributes mightily to the running of the organization.But work is more than accomplishment and pride in being able to com-mand the job, because except for a few craftsmen and artists most work takes place
18、“out in the world, “ with and through other people.Esprit de corpsPerhaps an example will make the point :I remember viewing a half dozen men in a chair factory whose job it was to bend several pieces of steel and attach them so that a folding chair would result. While there were ten or twelve of th
19、ese “teams“ that worked together, one in particular was known for its perfect coordination and lightning-like efforts. The men knew they were good. They would work inspurts for twenty or thirty minutes before taking a break - to show them-selves, bystanders and other groups what it was to be superbl
20、y skilled andself-controlled, to be the best in the factory.When I talked with them, each expressed enormous pride in being a partof the fastest, best team: And this sense of belonging to an accomplished work group is one of the distinctive satisfactions of the world of work.One further word about w
21、ork group satisfactions. Unlike many other aspects of life, relationships among people at work tend to be simpler; lesscomplicated, somewhat less emotional. This is not to say there arent arguments aiid jealousies, but, on the whole, behavioral research discloses thathuman relations at work are just
22、 easier, perhaps because they are more reg-ular and predictable and thus simpler to adjust to than the sporadic; the more intense and less regular relationships in the community. And the workgroup also gently pressures its members to learn how to adjust to one ano-ther so that the “rough edges“ are
23、worked off because people know they must do certain things with and through one another each day.Beyond the team and the work group, there is the organization, whether it be company or hospital or university. The same pride in being part ofa well-coordinated, successful unit is derived from being pa
24、rt of a larger collectivity. Working for a company that is thought of as being one of the best in the community can provide employees with both status and self-confidence. They assume, usually with good reason, that others regardthem more highly, even envy them, and that they are more competent than
25、 the average because of this association with a “winner,“ a prestigious institution. We in truth bask in the reflected glory of the institution, and we seek ways of asserting our membership so that others will know and can recognize our good fortune. Click the button to listen to the pronunciations
26、of new words New Wordscontentment n.happiness; satisfaction 满足civilization n.文明intangible a.that can not be touched or grasped 触摸不到的crucial a.decisive; critical 决定性的,关键的psychological a.of the soul or mind 心理的historically ad.in the course of history, u accordancewith or iri respect to historyassociat
27、e vt.connect or bring together in onesmind 联想slavery n.the system of having slaves; the condi-tion of being a slave 奴隶制度; 奴隶身份sin n.behavior that is against the principlesof morality; an immoral act 罪孽punishment n.punishing or being punished 惩罚complaint plaining; a statement expressingunhappiness, p
28、ain, dissatisfaction 抱怨behavioral a.of or having to do with behavior 行为的contribution n.act of contributing; sth. contributednecessity n.sth. that is necessary; the condition ofbeing necessary, needed or unavoidable必需品; 必要性focus n.the central point; centre of interest焦点creativity n.the ability to pro
29、duce new and originalideas and things; inventiveness 创造性clinic n.building or part of a hospital wheredoctors give specialized medicaltreatment and advice; a medical ins-titution for special purposes 诊所heal v.(cause to) become healthy 治愈,愈合,痊愈depressed a.sad; low in spirits精神抑郁的,情绪居丧的depress vt.make
30、sad, low in spiritsrenew vt.reestablish give new life and freshnessto 使更性gainfully ad.profitablyacute a.severe; strong 严重的, 急性的symptom a.a change in the bodys condition thatindicates illness 症状institution n.a society, club, college or any organi-zation established for some public orsocial purpose 公共
31、机构workshop n.a room or building which contains toolsor machinery for making or repairingthings 车间;广场wherein conj.in whichexert vt.use (strength, skill, etc.) 尽力reverse n.the opposite; the other way round, theback 相反,背面absence n.non-existence; lackharmful a.causing or likely to cause harmretirement n
32、.instance of retiring or being retired;condition of being retired 退休financial a.relating to money 财政的; 金融的weekend n.Saturday and Sunday, esp. when consideredas a holiday from workfend viprovide (for) 供养; 照料unemployment n.the state of being unemployedsignificant a.of noticeable importance or effect 重
33、大的significance n.satisfaction n.the state of being satisfied 满足satisfactory a.accomplished a.skilled, expert 有才艺的; 有造诣的tribute n.material evidence of ones worth,virtue, etc.inherent a.existing as a natural and permanent:part or quality of 内在的, 生来的craftsman n.a highly skilled workman 手艺人,(名)工匠brickla
34、yer n.a workman who builds with bricksattributable a.that can be attributed 可归因于的attribute vt.把归因为housekeeping n.management of a home and its affairs家政staff n.the group of workers who carry on a job(全体)员工capacity n.ability, power; the amount that sth. canhold or produce 能力; 容量tough a.difficult to do
35、 or deal with 艰巨的unique a.being the only one of its type 独特的limb n.the leg, arm, or wing of an animal 肢,翼opposite n.a person or thing that is entirelydifferent from another 对立面, 对立物countless a.very many; too many to be countedbroker n.person who buys and sells for others 经纪人, 掮客stock broker n.a pers
36、on who buys and sells stocks andbonds for others for a commission 证券经纪人representative n.a person acting in place of one or moreothers 代表interact vi.act on each other 相互作用persistence n.the act or fact of keeping on doing sth.in spite of difficulty or opposition坚持persist vi.distinctive a.clearly marki
37、ng a person or thing as di-from others 特殊的;与众不同的mightily ad.with power and strength; greatlyesprit de corps n.(French) spirit of loyalty and devotionwhich unites the members of a groupor society 团体精神，集体荣誉感coordination n.harmonious adjustment or working together协调coordinate vt.lightning闪电bystander n.
38、a person standing near but not takingpart in an event or activity; onlooker旁观者superbly ad.magnificently; first classaspect n.one side or view of a subject 方面relationship n.a friendship between people; connection关系disclose vt.make known; show by uncovering 揭示sporadic a.occurring now and then; occasio
39、nal 零星发生的 ;偶尔的collectivity n.people collectively, especially asforming a community or state 集体collective a.status n.(high) social or professional position地位, 身份envy vt.feel admiration or ill-will toward (sb.)because he has the good fortune onewishes to have 羡慕；妒忌winner n.one that wins or seems desti
40、ned to winor be successfulprestigious a.having respect that results from thegood reputation (of a person, nation,etc. ) 有声望的bask vi.sit or lie in enjoyable warmth andlight (舒适地)取暖, 享受reflect vt.throw beck (light, heat, sound or image)反射; 反映assert vt.demonstrate the existence of ; declareforcefully 宣
41、称, 断言membership n.the state of being a member, of a club,society, etc. ; all the members of aclub, society, etc.Phrases 自行谋生aside frombesides, apart from 除了以外long fordesire (to have) sth. strongly 渴望take pride infeel pleased and happy because of 为而感到得意store upput away for future use 储存, 储备pride oneself onregard as a special reason for pride orsatisfaction 以自豪make the ones pointprove that sth. is true 证明一个论点in particularespeciallyat workbusy at a job; doing workon the wholeconsidering everything; in generalwork offget rid of, dispose 除去, 清除Previous Unit | Next Unit | Back
