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大学英语精读(第三版) 第四册:Unit10B Work(1)

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Work

工作
Bertrand Russell
伯特兰·罗素
Whether work should be placed among the causes of happiness or among the causes of unhappiness may perhaps be regarded as a doubtful question. There is certainly much work which is exceedingly troublesome, and an excess of work is always very painful.I think, however,that,provided work is not excessive in amount, even the dullest work is to most people less painfulthan idleness.There are in work all grades, from mere relief of tediousness up to the profoundest delights, according to the nature of the work and the abilities of the worker.Most ofthe work that most people have to do is not in itself interesting, but even such work hascertain great advantages. To begin with, it fills a good many hours of the day without the need of deciding what one shall do. Most people, when they are left free to fill their own time according to their own choice, are at a loss to think of anything sufficiently pleasant to be worth doing. And whatever they decide on, they are troubled by the feeling that something else would have been pleasanter.To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization, and at present very few people have reached this level. Moreoverthe exercise of choice is in itself tiresome. Except to people with unusual initiative it ispositively agreeable to be told what to do at each hour of the day, provided the orders are not too unpleasant.Most of the idle rich suffer unspeakable boredom as the price of their freedom from drudgery. At times, they may find relief by hunting big game in Africa, or by flying round the world, but the number of such sensations is limited, especially after youth is past. Accordingly the more intelligent rich men work nearly as hard as if they werepoor,while rich women for the most part keep themselves busy with innumerable trifles of whose earth-shaking importance they are firmly persuaded.
工作应该被列为幸福的缘由,还是不幸的来源,这也许可以看作是个模棱两可的问题。确有很多工作令人极端烦恼,而过量的工作总是令人非常痛苦。然而,我却认为只要工作量不是过大,对大多数人而言即使是最乏味的工作也比无所事事好受些。工作有等级之分,根据工作的性质和工作者的能力,工作有仅为解闷的,也有带来无比快乐的。大多数人不得不从事的大部分工作本身并不怎么有意思,但即使这类工作也自有其好处。首先,它充实了白天的大量时光,使人无需考虑应该做些什么。如果人们能够根据自己的选择自行安排时间,大多数人会茫然无措,想不出有什么称心如意的事值得一做。而且不论他们决定做什么,他们总会心绪不宁地觉得做点别的事可能会更开心。能够明智地安排闲暇时间是文明社会的最后产物,而在目前几乎没有人达到这一境界。再说,选择本身就令人烦心。除了那些具有非凡的主动精神的人,人们肯定乐于听从别人吩咐自己何时该干何事,只要这些吩咐不过分令人不愉快。大多数无所事事的富人虽能免除劳作之苦,但为此得忍受着难以形容的无聊。有时他们可以去非洲狩猎,或环球飞行,从中找到解脱,但这类富于刺激的活动为数有限,尤其青年时期过后。所以,比较聪明的富人几乎像穷人那样辛勤地工作,而富有的太太小姐们则大多忙于无数鸡毛蒜皮的小事,可她们深信这些事有着惊天动地的重要性。

重点单词   查看全部解释    
troubled ['trʌbld]

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adj. 动乱的,不安的;混乱的;困惑的

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relief [ri'li:f]

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n. 减轻,解除,救济(品), 安慰,浮雕,对比

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boredom ['bɔ:dəm]

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n. 厌烦,厌倦,令人厌烦的事物

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excessive [ik'sesiv]

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adj. 过多的,过分的

 
agreeable [ə'gri:əbəl]

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adj. 愉快的,和蔼可亲的,欣然同意的,一致的

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except [ik'sept]

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vt. 除,除外
prep. & conj.

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unusual [ʌn'ju:ʒuəl]

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adj. 不平常的,异常的

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doubtful ['dautfəl]

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adj. 可疑的,疑心的,不确定的

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excess [ik'ses, 'ekses]

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n. 过量,超过,过剩
adj. 过量的,额外

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limited ['limitid]

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adj. 有限的,被限制的
动词limit的过

 

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