Unit 4 Work

Word Pretest

1. There was a smile of contentment on the teacher’s face when he saw the students’ performance in the speech contest.

contentment n. — the state of being happy and satisfied

满意；满足

• content a.[ 不用于名词前 ] • be content to do sth. / be content with sth.• contented a. [ 用于名词前 ] • Happiness lies in contentment.

2. He gradually accumulated a large number of books.

accumulate v. — to gradually get more and more money, possessions, knowledge etc. over a period of time

积累，积聚

• accumulate a great amount of wealth

• accumulative a.

• accumulation n.

3. Many philosophers spend much of their time in contemplation.

contemplation n. [U] — quiet, serious thinking about sth., especially in order to understand it better

沉思，冥想 • be lost in contemplation• contemplate v. • contemplate doing sth. • contemplate the meaning of life• contemplative a.

考虑 , 深思 , 盘算

4. A nurse has many duties to fulfill in caring for the sick.

fulfill v. —to do something that is expected, hoped for or promised or to cause it to happen

实现，达到；履行，执行

• fulfill the needs/requirements

• fulfill one’s ambition/duties/contract

• fulfillment n.

5. There was no compulsion on him to go with her . He could stay at home if he liked.

compulsion n. [U] —a force or influence that makes sb. do sth. ; a strong desire [C]

强迫力；强烈欲望，冲动

• compulsive a.

• exercise/clean/work compulsively

• cf. compulsory a.

• 9-year compulsory education

难以抑制的；强迫性的

6. He has been exerting pressure on me to change my mind.

exert v. — to use your power, influence etc. in order to have a particular effect

施加；运用

• exert pressure/ influence on• exertion n.

7. The tired old man craved for water and sleep. crave v. — to have a strong or uncontrollable want

for something 渴望，渴求 • craving n.• have a craving for

8. Each person has his unique fingerprints.

unique a. — being the only existing one of its type

独一无二的；独特的

• uniqueness n.

9. Do you think that these higher-than-average temperatures are attributable to global warming?

attributable a. — caused by

归因于…的；由于…的

• attribute v.

• attribute sth. to sb./sth.

• attribution n.

把…归因于…；认为…由…造成的

10. Vitamins should not be used as a substitute for a

healthy diet.

substitute n. / v. — sth. new or different that you use instead of sth. else you used previously ； replacement

代替物，替代品

• substitute sth./sb. for sth. /sb.

=use sth. new or sb. instead of another thing or person

You can substitute oil for butter in this dish.

• replace sth. with sth.

The factory replaced most of its workers with robots.

用后者取代前者

用前者代替后者

Section A : Text I

Why People Work

If there were, in fact, some way of adding up the contribution to human satisfaction of the major human institutions in society, I would guess that work institutions contribute a surprisingly large share. Jobs and work do much more than most of us realize to provide happiness and contentment. We're all used to thinking that work provides the material things of life -- the goods and services that make possible our version of 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. 如果有某种方式可以计算出哪种主要的社会制度对人类满足感所作出的贡献最大，我认为是工作制度。

institution ： a custom or tradition that has existed for a long time and is accepted 制度；习俗 e.g.: the institution of marriage

Why is it that most of us do not put work and human satisfaction together, except when it comes to the end product of work: automobiles and houses and good food? It’s always useful to blame someone else, and the Greeks of the ancient world deserve some blame here. At that time, work was restricted to slaves and to those few free citizens who had not yet accumulated adequate independent resources. The “real” citizens of Greece —whom Plato and others talked about— expected to spend their time in free discussion and contemplation. The Middle Ages did not help the reputation of work. It was said that man had a religious duty to fulfill his "calling". To fail to work was immoral － worse, work was thought of as a punishment for the sins of man.

Historically, work has been associated with slavery and sin, compulsion and punishment. And in our own days we are used to hearing the traditional complaints: "I cannot wait for my vacation.” "I wish I could stay home today." "My boss treats me poorly." "I've got too much work to do and not enough time to do it." Against this background, it may well be a surprise to learn that not only psychologists but other behavioral scientists have come to accept the positive contribution of work to the individual's 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 their identity and creativity. Rather than a punishment or a burden, work is the opportunity to realize one's potential. Many psychiatrists heading mental health clinics have observed its curing effect. A good many depressed patients who do nothing in clinics gain renewed self-confidence when gainfully employed, and lose some, if not all, of their most acute symptoms. Increasingly, institutions dealing with mental health problems are establishing workshops in which those too sick to get a job in "outside" world can work. institution ： a large and important organization 机构

e.g. ： a medical/educational/financial institution

And the opposite is true, too. For large numbers of people, the absence of work is frightening. 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 headaches and other discomfort on weekends when they don't have their jobs to go to. It has been observed that unemployment, besides exerting financial pressures, brings enormous psychological problems and that many individuals get old rapidly when jobless. But why? Why should work be such a significant source of human satisfaction? The answer greatly lies in the kind of pride that is stimulated by the job, by the activity of accomplishing. After all, large numbers of people continue working when there is no financial or other compulsion. They are independently wealthy; no one would be surprised if they spent their time at leisure. But something inside drives them to work: the unique satisfactions they derive from it.

The human being craves a sense of being accomplished, of being able to do things, with his hand, with his mind, with his will. Each of us wants to feel he or she has the ability to do something that is meaningful. This extension of ourselves － in what our hands and minds can do － fills out our personality and expands our ego. It is easiest to see this in the craftsman who lovingly shapes some base material into an object that may be either useful or beautiful or both. You can see the carpenter or bricklayers or die-maker stand aside and admire the product of his personal skill. But even when there is no obvious end product that is solely attributable to one person's skill, researchers have found that employees find pride in accomplishment. Even the housekeeping and laundry staffs in a hospital take pride in the fact that in their own ways they are helping to cure sick people

－ and thus accomplishing a good deal.

It is probably not much more sensible to ask the question about working to live and living to work than it is to play the “live-to-eat or eat-to-live” theme. The important point is that human being would have to find some very effective substitutes for the personal satisfactions derived from working if they did not have to work. Many psychologists have real doubts about our capacities to use leisure — all the time in which we have to make our own decisions about what to do, whom to do it and when to do it — to provide an equivalent amount of pride and fulfillment. To be sure, it can be done. But most of mankind has learned to derive this satisfaction from the world of work.

Reading Comprehension

l. Jobs and work can provide . A. material happiness B. psychological happiness C. both of them

(Fact: Jobs and work do much more than most of us realize to provide happiness and contentment. Line 4)

Reading Comprehension

2. According to the article, free citizens in ancient Greece expected to spend their lives in .

A. thinking and debating B. working and resting C. reading and writing

(Fact: The real citizens of Greece --- whom Plato and others talked about --- expected to spend their time in free discussion and contemplation. Line 17)

Reading Comprehension

3. In the Middle Ages, work was thought of as . A. a punishment for the sins of man B. an opportunity to realize one's potential C. a source of one's identity and creativity

(Fact: To fail to work was immoral --- worse, work was thought of as a punishment for sins of man. Line 21)

Reading Comprehension

4. Some institutions dealing with mental health problems are establishing workshops because .

A. they need more financial support B. they want to provide patients with an opportunity to earn a

living C. they believe that work can help patients to gain renewed self-

confidence

(Fact: A good many depressed patients…gain renewed self-confidence when gainfully employed…Increasingly, institutions dealing with mental health problems are establishing workshops …… Line 35-39)

Reading Comprehension

5. For large numbers of people, the absence of work often brings .

A. mental comfort B. a sense of being accomplished C. psychological problems

(Fact: It has been observed that unemployment, besides exerting financial pressure, brings enormous psychological problems and that many individuals get old rapidly when jobless. Line45-47)

Reading Comprehension

6. According to the author, the most attractive part about work is _______.

A. time killing B. the activity of accomplishing C. the financial reward

(Fact: Why should work be such a significant source of human satisfaction ？ The answer greatly lies in the kind of pride that is stimulated by the job, by the activity of accomplishing. Line 48-50)

Reading Comprehension

7. The last paragraph suggests that the author believes that __. A. it is definitely more sensible to ask the question about

working to live and living to work than it is to play the “live-to-eat or eat-to-live” theme

B. only work can provide pride and fulfillment. C. leisure can provide pride and fulfillment.

(Fact: The important point is that human beings would have to find some very effective substitutes for the personal satisfactions derived from working if they did not have to work. ( 虚拟，与过去事实相反， people have to work)

Line 71-73)

Reading Comprehension

8. Which of the following statements is NOT true? A. Without financial or other compulsion, a lot of people

continue working in order to get the personal satisfactions that work provides.

B. Housekeeping and laundry people do not take pride in accomplishment.

C. If people do not have to work, they would not be able to find some substitutes for the equivalent amount of pride and fulfillment derived from working.

(Fact: Even the housekeeping and laundry staffs in a hospital take pride in the fact that in their own ways they are helping to cure sick people --- and thus accomplishing a good deal. Line 66-68)

Word Search (p. 55)l. well-being 2. clinics 3. ego 4. attributable 5 . stall6. tool up 7. recruit 8. cram 9. forfeit 10. corny

Vocabulary Building

Use of English (p. 56 )1. By the time I opened the can its contents were no longer fit to drink. By the time I opened the can its contents had gone off ．2. I’ll explain how it works before you try it yourself. I’ll go over how it works before you try it yourself.3. I was told that it would be repaired free of charge, but

the man in the shop refuses to honour his promise ． I was told that it would be repaired free of

charge ， but the man in the shop has gone back on his promise ．

Vocabulary Building

OFF

OVER

BACK ON

4. The book was so popular that there weren’t enough copies to supply the demand.

The book was so popular that there weren’t enough copies to go round ．

5. His shop has now stopped trading after making heavy losses.

His shop has gone out of business after making heavy losses ．

6. The trade has deteriorated and staff are being laid off. The trade has gone from

bad to worse and staff are being laid off ．

Vocabulary Building

ROUND

OUT OF BUSINESS

FROM BAD TO WORSE

Stem (p.56) expression — express: showing of sth. depression — depress: a mental state in which you are sad and feel that you cannot enjoy anything impression — impress: a person or thing is what you think they are like ; a mark or outline that it has left after being pressed hard onto a surface oppression — oppress: the cruel or unfair treatment compression — compress: becoming smaller or pressed together suppression — suppress: prevent it from continuing ;control or refrain from showing

•

consist : be formed from, be composed of persist — persistence: its continuing to exist / do assist — assistance: help sb. to do exist — existence: be present in the world subsist — subsistence : to survive, to live resist — resistance: refusal to accept ; fighting back against

exceed: greater or larger than

succeed: manage to do

Stem (p.57)

1 ． B 2 ． A 3 ． D 4 ． A 5 ． A 6 ． C

Synonyms (p.57)1 ． graceful 2 ． spontaneously 3 ． oppose 4 ． usual 5 ． client

Cloze (p. 58)staff maximize objectives participate potentialskills easier appointed specific commitment

Have you noticed the fact that growing numbers of fast-talking(能说会道 ), hard-driving women are breaking into the male domain(=area) of corporate sales? Selling has always been a woman’s game, of course. Behind the nation’s retail sales counters, seven out of every ten clerks are women. Women also predominate in the ranks of real-estate agents. Yet it is only in recent years that women have begun to land(=get) the well-paid jobs in the sales forces( 销售队伍 ) of business and industry, where they are selling steel, farm equipment, lumber, pharmaceuticals, electronic equipment and other products. “For me, sales is the fastest, most efficient way of being well paid for the effort I put out,” said 32-year-old Joyce Walker, who spends roughly eight in every 10 working days away from her New York apartment and on the road selling advertising space. Miss Walker travels in style, dining only in the better restaurants, staying only in the better hotels. On checking in, she sprays the room with Ciara, her favorite perfume, and orders fresh flowers. Life as a traveling saleswoman may also mean arriving at small airports at 2 am with a 100-pound sample case and no porter in sight. It may mean driving 300 miles a day and lunching on a hamburger and coffee from a tray on the car seat. It may mean listening to vulgar jokes at sales meetings, and getting the restaurant table next to the kitchen.

Changes are occurring in the traditional nine-to-five workday. Many people today are seeking flexibility at work. Parents, for instance, may want more time for family. Students hope to fit employment into a busy class schedule. And some people look for work after retirement. Whatever the situation, they're not alone in wanting a job or career that's a much better match for their lives. Many employers are exploring new options, such as flextime, compressed workweeks, and job sharing. With flextime, employees have a choice of starting and stopping times for their workdays. As long as they are present during a midday core period of six hours, they can choose to arrive any time between 7 and 9 am and leave any time between 3 and 5 pm. Compressed workweeks are another option. In this scheme, employees work longer shifts(=period 轮班 ) but fewer days. In one bank’s computer department, employees work three twelve-hour days, at the end of which they have a four-day “weekend”. Shared jobs are also becoming more popular. Two employees split the hours, work, and benefits of a single full-time job— a situation ideal for parents of young children and others who do not want a full-time job. Alternatives such as these may soon help solve the problems of rush-hour commuting and child care as well as increase employee morale.

flexible working: 弹性工作时间（雇主允许员工选择工作时间，其余时间任其支配，如带孩子等）

Somebody ought to defend the workaholic. These people are unjustly accused, abused, and often termed sick or on the border of pathology. One-third of American business and commerce is carried(=supported by) on the shoulders of workaholics. The ratio might exist in art and science too. Workaholics are the achievers, the excellers. There is a national conspiracy(=plan to do sth. bad) against excellence-----an undue admiration of commonness and mediocrity. It is as though we are against those who make uncommon sacrifices because they enjoy doing something. Some popular psychologists say that the workaholic has an inferiority complex which leads to overcompensation. This is certainly not the case . Inferiority, or low esteem, describes laziness more accurately than it describes dedication. We do not seem to realize that very little excellence is achieved by living a well-balanced life. Edison, Ford, Einstein, Freud all had single-minded devotion to work whereby they sacrificed many things, including family and friendship. The accusation is made that workaholic bear guilt by not being good parents or spouses. But guilt can exist in the balanced life also. Consider how many “normal” people find, at middle age, that they have never done anything well —they are going to settle for less than what they could have become.

我们似乎并未意识到，过着一种平衡的生活是很难取得杰出的成就的。

The main purpose of a résumé is to convince an employer to grant you an interview. There are two kinds. One is the familiar “tombstone” that lists where you went to school and where you’ve worked in time order. The other is what is called the “functional” résumé —descriptive, fun to read, unique to you and much more likely to land you an interview. It’s handy to have a “tombstone” for certain occasions. But prospective(=future) employers throw away most of those unrequested “tombstone” lists, preferring to interview the quick than the dead. What follows are tips on writing a functional resume that will get read—a résumé that makes you come alive and look interesting to employers. Put yourself first: In order to write a résumé others will read with enthusiasm, you have to feel important about yourself. Sell what you can do, not who you are: Practice translating your personality traits, characters, accomplishments and achievements into skill areas. Be specific, be concrete, and be brief! Turn bad news into good: Everybody has had disappointments in work. If you have to mention yours, look for the positive side. Never apologize: If you have no special training or higher education, just don’t mention education. Some think they have no ability, but everyone does. One of yours may just be the ticket an employer would be glad to punch — if only you show it. 只要展示出自我，总有雇主会欣赏你。

“functional” résumé ：实用型简历

“tombstone” résumé ：墓碑式简历（罗列记事）

When offices are planned, not enough attention is paid to the correct use of space and individual and company needs. Bad planning can frustrate the manager and employee and reduce their level of performance. There is a growing realization that investment in people means that their needs should be analyzed and provided for. The best way is to consider not just the physical aspects of a building but the complex individual and group relationships which need to be understood. A man's personal preference is always for his own separate office that provides privacy and special advantages for him. However, it is quite uneconomic for most organizations to provide such privacy. Moreover, the company needs for good communications, smooth exchange of ideas and paper work, and flexibility demand a different planning. Perhaps the best balance between the needs of most of the employees, and the needs of the company are to be found in landscape offices（景观式办公室布置 ） . Developed in Germany, landscaping seeks to achieve good communications and information flow by the correct side-by-side placing of departments. Its aim is to provide a pleasing working environment for all, coupled with economic use of space. Employees are grouped together according to the specific work flow and desirable relationships. Such groups are identified and separated by movable screens, and the manager is able to change office layout to cope with different working methods.

Who Makes It to the Top How do you rise to the top in business? What personal qualities, skills, and background are needed? This question is frequently asked by students preparing to enter the work force and by men and women already in the business world. Some companies want executives who combine administrative ability with a specialty in some branch of knowledge, such as mathematics or engineering. Other companies look for people skilled in human relations. For them, good management is the art of solving“people problems”. These are interesting insights, but what are the specific traits that will assist people to climb the ladder of success? This question was put to management recruiters — the people who hire executives for leading companies. “Who makes it to the top?” they were asked. Here is their reply.

In the late nineteenth century, everybody knew how to succeed in business. The answer was hard work and clean living. But people might not make it in the business world of today. Business executives live in a pressure cooker everyday now, dealing with such complex matters as law, taxes, corporate politics, consumerism, minority jobs, environmental protection and many more. What does it take to succeed in American business? Opinions vary widely. Given approximately equal qualifications and circumstances, some claim the success factor is largely a matter of luck —being in the right place at the right time. Others speak of an almost monomaniacal devotion to work, combined with a degree of ruthlessness. To get a better perspective on who makes it to the top—and why —five men were interviewed —management consultants and executive recruiters for some of the biggest corporations in the country. Here are their informed opinions.

Thomas A. Buffum, head of the executive recruiting firm of Thomas A. Buffum Associates in Boston: “The men who rise the highest and stay there are those who never stop growing and learning. These flexible fellows seldom stall on the corporate ladder or get shaken off. Can you adapt to the new management framework — do things 'their way' ? Or are you so used to your old methods that you'll resent any changes?”

Charles Ferguson, another consultant, agrees: “How to cope with change — that's the key to success or failure for many businessmen. Change comes in several forms. One is the constant flux of the job itself because of shifting conditions in the company and the industry. Once the requirements of the job changed, a different set of skills was needed. Executives must be able to handle change in broad segments of industry, society, and government. But perhaps the change that is most challenging of all is that within themselves: family or financial change, declining health, age and 'burnout' from overwork. The executive who realizes he is changing is the one who will be able to handle it.”

William B. Beeson, manager of executive recruitment for Lawrence-Leiter &. Company in Kansas City, looked at it in another way: “It has been said of everyone from Robert McNamara (a former president of the Ford Motor Company who later served as US Secretary of Defense under President Kennedy and Johnson) to Edward Carlson (the president of an airline) that their rise to the top of their companies came largely because they were at the right place at the right time. There may be some truth in that, but the question is why they were in the right place. I think their own career decision must have had a lot to do with it. “Have you ever drawn up an honest balance sheet on yourself — really put down what you are good at on one side, and what you are not so good at on the other? It is not easy. Those weaknesses are hard to admit. But if you will make this painful self-analysis at least once every six months, you'll be in a better position to focus your energies toward the kind of position that will make you successful —and happy.”

To make it big, executives must possess four basic skills: First, drive. Business success takes an unusual amount of energy. A successful executive —almost by definition —is a striver. According to one industry psychologist, 86.5 percent of top managers have a higher activity level than the average middle manager. Second, people sense. Some say being able to judge people is more important than a high IQ. The skill can be instinctual, but in most cases it's painstakingly learned. Third, communications ability. An executive gets things done through other people. That means his communications must come through loud and clear. Different executives make themselves understood in different ways. Some transmit ideas best face to face; others are masters of the telephone call; still others are persuasive writers. One way or another, they all communicate clearly. "

"Fourth, calm under pressure, or as Hemingway put it, 'grace under pressure. 'No businessman will get very far if he chokes up".

"An example: One unusually able vice-president blew a chance for the presidency because he froze while making an important product presentation to the chairman. The company had invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in research and development, and tooling up for production would take millions. With so much at stake, the chairman had a great many hard questions. Despite thorough knowledge of the subject, the vice-president became just a little unsure under questioning. A few months later, when the president's job became vacant, someone else was chosen to fill it.

Bridgeford Hunt, president of another executive recruiting firm, points to the responsibility of the company. “Although every man must finally rely upon himself to be successful,” he said, “let’s also understand that part of the responsibility lies elsewhere — within the management of his company.” Sometimes an executive becomes a round peg in a square hole because his company hasn’t structured his job to take advantage of his known strengths.

“It may be that they defined the job, then tried to cram the man into it. Or perhaps the company failed to allow for possible personality conflict.”

“What can the individual do about it? He can make himself as broad a person as he can, increasing his understanding of economic, social, and technical problems. He can realize that, as Joseph C. Wilson of Xerox once said, ‘Leadership in the years ahead, at all levels of society, will require intellectual capacity beyond mere technical, managerial, or professional skills. Tomorrow’s leaders will face increasing pressures to expand their knowledge and abilities, or forfeit their right to leadership.” Another point that was stressed was top management cohesiveness. “Although the term ‘management team’ sounds a little corny, it is literally correct. Top management is indeed a team and every player must count on his teammates. “An example of this was given by the president of a large company. He said that he had decided to fire his vice-president. Why? Because he missed deadlines, was late for appointments and, most important, failed to meet the objectives he’d set for himself. To put it another way, he let himself down — along with everybody else on the management team.”

Key to Section B: (p. 59-62)1. A 2. C 3. B 4. F 5. T 6. F 7. A 8. C9. D 10.B 11.C 12.B 13.T 14. F 15.T

Key to Section C: (p. 63-65)1. F 2. T 3. F 4. T 5. F 6. T 7. F 8. T9. F 10. T