把美容院、高尔夫球场、游乐园、游泳池……都搬到公司里？也许只有Google才能有如此大胆创意！这个全球最大的网络搜索引擎公司无时无刻不在向世人展现其独特而新颖的创新理念。Google美国总部的不拘一格的工作环境让人耳目一新，羡煞旁人。在著名的《财富》杂志的专题“100 Best Companies to Work for”中，Google位列第一。亲爱的读者们，你们想亲身体验一下“打工皇帝”的生活吗？好好学习吧！^0^
——Tracy
Welcome to the headquarters of Google—the 1)ultra-successful internet search engine, which was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin as university students in 1996.
欢迎来到谷歌总部。谷歌公司在1996年由当时还是大学生的拉里·佩吉和谢尔盖·布林创立，它是一家超级成功的互联网搜索引擎公司。
The world’s favourite search engine launched its own advertising programme, mapping service and translating service. It has grown into a company worth around 50 billion pounds.
这家世界上最受欢迎的搜索引擎公司先后启动了自己的广告营运、地图服务和翻译服务。它已成为一个价值约500亿英镑的公司。
Google’s headquarters is situated in Mountain View, California in 2)Silicon Valley. Inside the hi-tech property, with its swimming pools and 3)gourmet restaurants, smiling groups of casually dressed young men and women can be seen strolling around. Throughout the corridors between the four buildings, there are all sorts of Google 4)memorabilia on display. They even employ guides who specialize in explaining Google’s history to people. There are 5)lava lamps everywhere, as well as free coke and candy all over the place. They’ve also got huge, multicolored exercise balls everywhere.
谷歌的总部坐落在美国加利福尼亚州硅谷的山景城。在这块以高科技装备的土地上，有游泳池和美食餐厅，面带微笑的年轻男女身穿休闲服到处溜达。在连接四座大楼的长廊里，陈列着各种关于谷歌的纪念品。公司甚至请专人向人们讲解谷歌的历史。大楼里随处可见熔岩灯，免费的可乐和糖果，以及五颜六色的硕大的健身球。
The 6,000 workers at the Google’s headquarters can turn up at whatever time they like, wear whatever they like and even take along their children or dogs. When not 6)beavering away at their work stations they can be seen playing 7)Scalextric or 8)Twister game, 9)duelling with 10)light sabres, or getting their hair cut.
在谷歌总部上班的6000名员工想什么时候来就什么时候来，爱穿什么就穿什么，他们甚至可以带着孩子和狗来上班。这些员工不干活的时候，你会看到他们正在玩Scalextric牌遥控轨道赛车、扭扭乐游戏，或者在用激光剑决斗，或是在理发。
The atmosphere in Google headquarters is absolutely casual. Couches are everywhere, so staff can have a lie down when they need to and take a break. They even often have meetings at the pool table or in the corridors.
谷歌总部的气氛是绝对轻松的，沙发随处可见，所以员工们随时都可以躺下来休息。他们甚至常常在桌球台旁或长廊里开会。
There’s a rule within Google: that there must be food within 100 feet of every employee. It’s said that there was once an engineer who felt a bit 11)ripped off about that rule because his nearest food counter was 120 feet away, so he asked for the error to be corrected, 12)tongue in cheek. The relevant department replied: “There’s a restaurant right above your desk, and you are definitely less than 100 feet from that one.” Maybe Google headquarters is the home to the most 13)pampered workers in the world.
在谷歌内部有一条规矩：离每个员工100英尺（约30米）的范围内都必须有食物。据说曾经有一名工程师觉得自己在这个规定上被剥夺了应享有的福利，因为最近的食物柜台离他有120英尺。因此，他开玩笑似地要求纠正这个错误。而相关部门答复说：“在你的桌子的上方就有一家餐厅，(编者注:此处指餐厅位于楼上)你离它肯定不到100英尺。”也许谷歌总部是这个世界上最被过度娇纵的员工之家了。
It is the dream environment for the ultra-intelligent programmers and engineers, most of whom have been at university all of their adult lives.
对于聪明绝顶的程序员和工程师来说，这里是一个理想的工作环境，他们当中大部分人的成年期都在过着大学校园式的生活。
“There are pool tables, cafes and lounges all over the place. It’s like a student house built on a millionaire’s budget. Writing computer code can be exhausting, but this place is like a fun-park and a resort rolled into one,” one said.
“这里桌球台、咖啡厅、休息室到处都是，就好像是一栋耗巨资建起来的学生宿舍。编写计算机码令人疲惫不堪，但这里就像是一处集乐园和度假胜地合二为一的地方。”一位员工如是说。
Rumor has it, a 14)dude who had just joined Google had not been able to find a flat, so he lived at Google headquarters for a month. He lived a lot better than Tom Hanks in 15)The Terminal. Meals are provided, couches are everywhere, there are showers in the bathrooms, a 16)gym and a 17)swimming machine. There are even pianos in music rooms. Better than the facilities at home! The dude didn’t leave Google headquarters for a month straight. 
传闻说曾有一个小伙子，在刚刚加盟谷歌时还没有找到住的地方，于是他就在谷歌总部住了一个月。在公司，他的居住条件可比汤姆·汉克斯在电影《幸福终点站》里栖身的地方好多了。这里一天三餐不用愁，沙发到处都是，洗手间里配备淋浴设施，还有健身房和游泳机。音乐室里甚至还有钢琴。这些设施比自己家里的那些强多了！足足一个月，他都没离开过谷歌总部半步。
The atmosphere may sound 18)bizarre—but it works. The firm keeps its 19)boffins so happy to prevent them being 20)poached by rivals.
这样的工作气氛可能听起来有点匪夷所思，但它很奏效。公司让自己的技术专家们如此高兴，这样就可以避免他们被竞争对手挖走。
Larry says that their approach to running a business, which has 21)outsiders thinking they are “out of control”, helps keep the opposition guessing.
拉里说他们经营企业的方式让那些局外人觉得他们处于“失控”状态，但这种做法也能让对手摸不着头脑。
He says: “I would rather have people think we are confused than let our competitors know what we are going to do.”
他说：“我宁愿让人们以为我们处于混乱局面，也不愿让竞争者知道我们下一步的行动。”
CEO Eric Schmidt adds: “When they saw how we operated—with lava lamps and 22)scooters all over the place—everybody thought we were idiots. Then they found out how well we were doing!”
公司的首席执行官埃里克·施密特补充道：“他们看到我们的运作方式——到处是熔岩灯和滑板车——所有人都以为我们是白痴。然后他们就会发现我们其实做得多么出色！”
Larry and Sergey always dress in black T-shirts—but put on white laboratory coats when approving workers’ internet inventions.
拉里和谢尔盖总是穿着黑色T恤——不过当他们满意员工的互联网创意时，则会身穿实验室的白大褂。
And despite being in control of one of the world’s biggest companies, their desks are 23)strewn with 24)Lego blocks. They also love coming up with bizarre ideas.
虽然他们管理着世界上最大的公司之一，他们的办公桌上却到处撒满了乐高积木。他们自己也喜欢想出一些奇怪的主意。
Sergey recently built a 25)bazooka-26)wielding robot, while Larry began work on a life-size statue of company CEO, Eric.
谢尔盖最近制造了一个操纵火箭筒的机器人，而拉里则开始制作一尊公司首席执行官埃里克真人般大小的塑像。
Currently on the list of approved company objectives is “building a space elevator to the moon.”
目前，在谷歌公司已通过的审批项目清单上写着这样一项：“建一个通往月球的太空阶梯。”
