職場關系戶——冷暖自知

Jessica： Hi， Terrence！ Good morning！

Terrence： Oh， hey， Jessica.

Jessica： Why so 1）glum？

Terrence： What？

Jessica： You’re looking even more 2）mopey than usual， which is saying something.

Terrence： You mean I usually look depressed？

Jessica： Sorry， sorry. I just meant you look a little more 3）preoccupied than usual.

Terrence： I suppose that’s true. Sorry for 4）snapping at you.

Jessica： No problem. Mind telling me what’s got you down？

Terrence： Well， I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately.

Jessica： Go on.

Terrence： It’s about this job.

Jessica： Really？ I thought you liked working here. You’ve been in this office already for， what， five years now？

Terrence： Exactly. Five years， no promotion， no progress. I’m beginning to think I chose the wrong career path.

Jessica： That’s pretty heavy. How did you decide to get into this industry in the first place？

Terrence： That’s just it： I didn’t.

Jessica： What do you mean you didn’t choose this industry？ Didn’t you apply for this job？

Terrence： Nope. The boss is a friend of my father’s. ①After I graduated I was worried about my job prospects， so my dad pulled a few strings and gave me an in at this company.

Jessica： Wait， the boss is a family friend？ You’ve never mentioned that before！

Terrence： Of course not. ②If I go around flapping my lips about having an in with the big wigs， the boss would be suspected of 5）favoritism. ③He’d have to be extra hard on me just to prove that he’s not giving me any special treatment.

Jessica： That’s true， I guess. ④Also， if the other people assume you got this job because of your father instead of your own qualifications， they might take you for a daddy’s boy.

Terrence： Right. ⑤So I keep that little fact very close to the chest.

Jessica： Then why are you sharing it with me now？

Terrence： ⑥Because I’ve decided to jump ship and set out on a new career.

Jessica： How exciting！ That takes guts. But what makes you think your new career will be any better than this one？

Terrence： ⑦Well， for one， I’m going to look before I leap this time. When my dad got me this job， I took it without doing my homework first. Looking back， I should have known it wasn’t the right fit for me.

Jessica： I guess if you find work on your own， you’ll be more selective.

Terrence： Exactly. And time is short； I have to climb the career ladder extra fast now！

Jessica： Why is that？

Terrence： If I’m not rich and well-connected before I’m 30， how can I be in a position to pull some strings and get jobs for my own kids？

杰西卡：嗨，特倫斯！早上好！

特倫斯：哦，嘿，杰西卡。

杰西卡：為什么那么憂郁？

特倫斯：什么？

杰西卡：你看起來比平常更無精打采，這肯定說明什么。

特倫斯：你是說我經常看起來萎靡不振嗎？

杰西卡：對不起，對不起。我只是說你看起來比平常更心事重重一點。

特倫斯：我想是這樣的。對不起，對你大聲說話了。

杰西卡：沒關系。介意告訴我什么事讓你不開心嗎？

特倫斯：好吧，我最近一直在想很多事情。

杰西卡：說下去。

特倫斯：是關于這份工作的事。

杰西卡：真的嗎？我以為你喜歡在這里工作。到現在為止，你來這家公司已經五年了吧？

特倫斯：確實是。五年了，沒有升職，沒有進步。我開始覺得自己選擇了錯誤的職業道路。

杰西卡：這很難說。你剛開始是怎么選擇這一行的？

特倫斯：這就是問題：我沒有選擇這一行。

杰西卡：你說沒有選擇這一行是什么意思？你沒有應聘這份工作嗎？

特倫斯：沒有。老板是我爸爸的一個朋友。畢業后我擔心自己的就業前景，所以我爸爸就走后門為我在這家公司謀得一職。

杰西卡：等等，老板是你家的一個朋友？你過去從來沒有說過這事！

特倫斯：我當然不說。如果我到處亂說進來這里是因為公司的頭兒，老板就會有偏袒員工的嫌疑。他就不得不對我特別地嚴厲，以證明他沒有給我任何特殊的對待。

杰西卡：我想是這樣的。同時，如果別人認為你得到這份工作不是因為你有資格，而是因為你的爸爸，他們可能會覺得你是個長不大的人。

特倫斯：對。所以我要保守這個秘密。

杰西卡：那你為什么現在告訴我呢？特倫斯：因為我打算跳槽，開始新的職業。

杰西卡：太讓人激動了！這需要勇氣。但是你怎么知道新職業會比現在的工作好呢？

特倫斯：嗯，其中一個原因是，我這次會三思而后行。當爸爸給我找到這份工作時，我沒有事先做足功課就接受了它。回想起來，我應該知道這不是適合我的工作。

杰西卡：我想如果你能夠自主地找工作，會有更多的選擇。

特倫斯：絕對是的。而且時間不多了，我必須迅速把事業發展起來。

杰西卡：為什么？

特倫斯：在30歲之前，如果我不富有，沒有很好的關系網，我怎么能給自己的孩子走后門找工作呢？

Smart Sentences

① After I graduated I was worried about my job prospects， so my dad pulled a few strings and gave me an in at this company. 畢業后我擔心自己的就業前景，所以我爸爸就走后門為我在這家公司謀得一職。

pull strings： use your influence with other people in order to get sth. done， often unfairly（通過私人關系，走后門）。例如：

Terry is sure she can pull a few strings and get you a ticket for the concert.

特里肯定她能通過關系，給你弄一張音樂會的票。

② If I go around flapping my lips about having an in with the big wigs， the boss would be suspected of favoritism. 如果我到處亂說進來這里是因為公司的頭兒，老板就會有偏袒員工的嫌疑。

flap one’s lips： talk aimlessly or excessively（瞎扯，胡說）。例如：

Don’t sit here flapping your lips. Get back to work.

別坐在這兒瞎掰了，回去干活吧。

a big wig： a very important person（要人，重要人物）。例如：

Tomorrow’s conference will be full of big wigs. There will be no place for us.

明天的會議上全都是大人物，沒有我們的位置。

③ He’d have to be extra hard on me just to prove that he’s not giving me any special treatment. 他就不得不對我特別地嚴厲，以證明他沒有給我任何特殊的對待。

be hard on sb.： demand much from sb.（對某人過分嚴厲）。例如：

It’s known that Mr. Johnson is very hard on new comers.人人都知道約翰遜先生對新人要求很嚴。

④ Also， if the other people assume you got this job because of your father instead of your own qualifications， they might take you for a daddy’s boy. 同時，如果別人認為你得到這份工作不是因為你有資格，而是因為你的爸爸，他們可能會覺得你是個長不大的人。

a daddy’s boy： a boy or man whose life is under his father’s constant protection； not a grown man（長不大的男人）。例如：

He broke up with his girlfriend again because his father disapproved. No wonder he was depicted as a daddy’s boy.他又一次因為父親不同意而與女朋友分手了，難怪大家都說他長不大。

⑤ So I keep that little fact very close to the chest. 所以我要保守這個秘密。

keep sth. close to one’s chest： not tell anyone about sth.（對某事保守秘密）。例如：

I never know how much Danny makes. He keeps that close to his chest.

我從來不知道丹尼的收入是多少，這事他保密。

⑥ Because I’ve decided to jump ship and set out on a new career. 因為我打算跳槽，開始新的職業。

jump ship： leave any post or position for a new one.（跳槽）。例如：

None of the salespersons liked the new commission policies， so they all jumped ship as soon as other jobs opened up.

銷售員全都不喜歡新的提成文案，所以一旦有新的工作機會，就都走了。

⑦ Well， for one， I’m going to look before I leap this time. 嗯，其中一個原因是，我這次會三思而后行。

look before you leap： think carefully about what you are about to do before you actually do it（三思而后行）。例如：

If you’re thinking of buying a house with your financial conditions， my advice is， look before you leap.

以你現在的經濟條件，如果你想買房子，我勸你還是三思而后行。