職業虛景——說好的美好前程呢？

David： Hey Claire， do you feel like your job prospects are trending in the right direction？

Claire： I guess so. Why do you ask？

David： Because I get the distinct feeling that our superiors are not being as forthright as they claim to be， as far as if and when we’ll be able to move up in the company.

Claire： They do have a tendency to lay it on a bit thick with their wild prognostications.

David： I know， right？ ①Like， “You’ll be head of marketing in no time flat，” or “I see upper management in your future young man.” Yet， with all their 1）boisterous claims， I’ve got nothing to show for it but a dollar-an-hour raise and an extra weekend shift.

Claire： So， does this sort of thing happen all the time， giving 1 hope to devoted employees？

David： As a matter of fact， tons of companies， including the biggest of them all， McDonalds， have a way of painting this altogether inaccurate， unattainable picture of what’s to come. And it’s called a career 2）veneer.

Claire： Wow—what a catchy name for such an unfair practice.

David： And the ones who benefit most are industry superpowers like Mickey D’s and Walmart， who， more than anyone， can take advantage of their employees’ financial struggles. Think about it： if these workers are barely able to make ends meet， then they’re more likely to accept whatever small advancement they’re given in the company， even if it’s far less than what they were previously promised.

Claire： I see. ②And it really puts us poor workers between a rock and a hard place， because the 3）conglomerate has all the power and 4）leverage and we have absolutely none. So what can we do？

David： ③Sorry to say， not a whole lot. The only choice is either to stick it out or quit. Claire： But most people can’t afford to quit， since the only reason they have such a low-level job is because， for whatever reason， be it a lack of education or a criminal record， they can’t work anywhere else.

David： Unfortunately， that doesn’t stop the world’s bosses from filling 5）subordinates’ heads with unrealistic 6）aspirations.

Claire： But how can they get away with it？ Can’t we hire a lawyer and see how it plays out in the courts？

David： Many have had similar 7）notions， only to realize that the ongoing 8）cavalcade of fees would eventually drive them to bankruptcy. ④While， for a multi-national company， they have the world’s best lawyers on 24-hour retainer， and those hundred thousand dollar fees are just a drop in the bucket for these evil empires.

Claire： So it’s hopeless？

David： Sorry to disappoint.

Claire： Well， that sucks.

David： Tell me about it…

大衛：嗨，克萊爾，你有沒有覺得你的工作前景正朝著正確的方向前進？

克萊爾：我想是有吧。為什么這么問？

大衛：因為我明顯地感覺到，就我們是否能夠在公司得到晉升這點而言，我們的領導們并沒有他們聲稱的那樣直率。

克萊爾：他們確實會傾向于夸大他們口中的宏圖前景。

大衛：我知道的，好嗎？比如說，“你會很快就能提升為市場部主管”，或者說，“小伙子，我看得出來你未來會在高級管理層大展宏圖”。然而，相信著他們喧鬧的聲明，除了每小時一美元的加班費和額外的周末輪班，我一無所獲。

克萊爾：所以，給予盡心盡力工作的員工虛無的希望，這種事情是不是老是發生？

大衛：事實上，無數的公司，包括它們當中最大的公司，比如麥當勞，都設法描繪著既不準確又無法觸及的未來畫面。而它被稱作職業虛景。

克萊爾：哇——對于這樣一種不公平的行為來說，這真是個引人注目的名字。

大衛：最受益的那些行業里的巨頭，像麥當勞和沃爾瑪，他們比其他任何一間公司都更能利用員工的為財務問題而掙扎的狀況。想想看：如果這些員工幾乎沒有辦法平衡收支，那他們就更傾向于接受他們在公司獲得的任何一種小進步，即便它們與當初許諾的相差甚遠。

克萊爾：我知道。因為企業集團擁有全部的勢力和手段，而我們卻一無所有，這真的把我們這些可憐的員工逼到一種進退兩難的境地。那我們能怎么辦呢？

大衛：很遺憾，做不了什么。唯一的選擇是要么堅持要么放棄。

克萊爾：但是大部分的人并不能承擔放棄的后果，因為他們選擇這樣一份低級工作的唯一原因，不管是什么原因，可能是因為缺乏教育或是礙于犯罪記錄，他們并不能在其他地方工作。

大衛：不幸的是，那也不能阻止世界的老板們在下屬的腦袋塞滿不現實的愿望。

克萊爾：但是他們是怎么避免這種事情的？難道我們不能雇傭一個律師去看看這種事情在法庭上該被怎樣審判？

大衛：許多員工擁有相似的想法，（但最后）只會意識到一系列持續上升的費用最終會導致他們破產。然而，對于一個跨國公司來說，他們有全世界最好的律師無時無刻提供服務，而那幾十萬的費用對于這些黑心大集團來說只不過是滄海一粟。

克萊爾：所以沒希望了嗎？

大衛：很遺憾讓你失望了。

克萊爾：好吧，真是糟透了。

大衛：跟我說說吧……

Smart Sentences

① Like， “You’ll be head of marketing in no time flat，” or “I see upper management in your future young man.”

比如說，“你會很快就能提升為市場部主管”，或者說，“小伙子，我看得出來你未來會在高級管理層大展宏圖”。

in no time flat： very quickly； immediately（很快，馬上）。例如：I can fix the machine in no time flat.

我馬上就能把機器修好。

② And it really puts us poor workers between a rock and a hard place， because the conglomerate has all the power and leverage and we have absolutely none.

因為企業集團擁有全部的勢力和手段，而我們卻一無所有，這真的把我們這些可憐的員工逼到一種進退兩難的境地。

between a rock and a hard place： confronted with equally unpleasant alternatives（進退兩難，難以抉擇）。例如：

My wife needs money for her surgery and my constant care， but I need to work longer hours to earn extra money so I’m now caught between a rock and a hard place.

我妻子等著錢做手術，也需要我照顧，但我必須延長工作時間，多掙點錢，這讓我陷入了一個兩難境地。

③ Sorry to say， not a whole lot.

很遺憾，做不了什么。

not a whole lot： very limited amount； not very much（少量）。例如：—What are you planning to do before the college entrance exam？

大學入學考試前你打算做什么？

—Well， not a whole lot. It’s too late to do anything now.

呃，不打算做什么，現在做什么都晚了。

④ While， for a multi-national company， they have the world’s best lawyers on 24-hour retainer， and those hundred thousand dollar fees are just a drop in the bucket for these evil empires.

然而，對于一個跨國公司來說，他們有全世界最好的律師無時無刻提供服務，而那幾十萬的費用對于這些黑心大集團來說只不過是滄海一粟。

a drop in the bucket： a small and inadequate quantity（滄海一粟，九牛一毛）。例如：

Justin lost thousands of dollars in the stock market crash， but that was just a drop in the bucket for him.

賈斯汀在股市崩盤時損失了好幾千塊錢，不過那對他來說只不過是九牛一毛。