“橡皮族”是何种人群?借用一个最普遍的定义,他们就是如橡皮一般,“没有神经、没有痛感、没有效率、没有反应,不接受任何新生事物和意见,不在意批评表扬”的人。如同之前“中年危机”这个词的流行让我们关注中年群体的真正需求一样,“橡皮族”也迅速成为热门新词,在成为失却热情、处境尴尬的职场人士代名词的同时,也令我们审视和反思自己的职业发展规划和心态。
发音：美式发音 语速：130-140词/分钟 使用方法：精听+角色扮演
Sandra: Ugh. Shoot me now.
Stephanie: One of those days, huh?
Sandra: More like one of those years.
Stephanie: Come on, where is that team spirit Mr. Jacobs is always talking about?
Sandra: The only spirit I have is the bottle of whiskey waiting for me when I get home at the end of the day. I’ve been here for ten years. I don’t know why I keep
doing this.
Stephanie: Yeah, ten years is a long time. Have you considered branching out? Looking at other
career options?
Sandra: Oh, please! Who is going to hire an ①over the hill fogy like me? Besides, I don’t have time to be handing out resumes and going to job interviews. I’ve got it easy here. In a few years I’ll get my retirement package and ②I’ll be sitting pretty.
Stephanie: You’re right. ③Job hunting sure takes it out
of you.
Sandra: Oh, great! The system is down again. I’m going to talk to IT about this. At least that’ll knock half an hour off my day (Sandra exits.)
Tommy: ④Is Sandra making mountains out of molehills again?
Stephanie: I think so. What’s with that?
Tommy: ⑤That is a grade A example of what we call a disengaged employee.
Stephanie: Disengaged? Like they have no passion or motivation for their job anymore?
Tommy: Exactly. I read an article that said employees like Sandra cost the US economy up to $350 billion a year.
Stephanie: How can that be?
Tommy: Simply because they are completely unproductive. They really should go live on a farm somewhere. Better for us and for them.
Stephanie: Well, I’m getting back to work while I still have my passion. I don’t want to end up like that.
桑德拉:啊,杀了我吧!
史蒂芬妮:又到了怠工情绪高涨的日子啦,对吧?
桑德拉:简直年年如是。
史蒂芬妮:别这样嘛,雅各布斯先生经常强调的团队精神到哪里去了?
桑德拉:现在唯一能让我振奋一点的,就是晚上回家之后还有一瓶威士忌在召唤着我。我在这家公司都呆了10年了。我都不明白我干嘛还要继续做下去。
史蒂芬妮:是啊,10年算是一段挺长的时间了。你考虑过向外发展吗?找一找其他的职业发展契机?
桑德拉:哦,得了吧!有谁会雇请像我这样过了气的老古董?再说,我也没时间投递简历、参加面试什么的。我对这里的一切运作都已经了如指掌。再过几年我就可以领着退休金,舒舒服服地过日子了。
史蒂芬妮:你说得对。找工作的确让人筋疲力尽。
桑德拉:哦,真是妙极了!系统又崩溃了。我得去跟IT部门的人反映下这个问题。这起码可以消磨我半个小时的工作时间。(桑德拉出去了。)
汤米:桑德拉又小题大做、喋喋不休了?
史蒂芬妮:我想是吧。她究竟怎么了?
汤米:这就是一个所谓 “橡皮族”的最佳范本。
史蒂芬妮:橡皮族?是说他们对工作失去了热情和野心吗?
汤米:没错。我读过一篇报道,说像桑德拉这样的员工每年给美国经济造成的损失高达3500亿美元。
史蒂芬妮:这怎么可能?
汤米:很简单,就因为他们根本创造不了效益。他们真应该去农场之类的地方生活。这对我们、对他们都是好事。
史蒂芬妮:呃,我要趁着还有激情赶紧去工作了。我可不想到头来变成那个
样子。
小测试:以下列出的“橡皮族”的特征,有几项符合你的状态呢?如果答案中有超过5个钩钩,那大家就得检讨一下自己了,因为你就是名副其实的“橡皮族”。
□ 有一定的行业经验,工作时间两年以上
□ 对工作没有热情,得过且过
□ 认为工作与理想无法并存,甚至忘却了理想
□ 拖到最后时刻才完成工作
□ 斤斤计较,不是自己的工作坚决不做
□ 坚决不加班
□ 独来独往,不喜欢团队合作
□ 追求平庸,反正“枪打出头鸟”
Smart Sentences
① over the hill 过气的
over the hill: past one’s prime(过了顶峰,在衰退期)。例如:
Nick is among those to be laid off as he is considered over the hill by management.
因为管理层觉得尼克已经过了巅峰期,所以他被列入了裁员的名单中。
② I’ll be sitting pretty. (我就能)舒舒服服地过日子了。
sitting pretty: to be in a good, safe and comfortable position(处于有利的状态,如意)。例如:
With an easy but high-paying job and a loving husband, Nancy is now sitting pretty.
有一份轻松但收入不菲的工作和一个体贴的丈夫,南希现在的生活很如意。
③ Job hunting sure takes it out of you. 找工作的确让人筋疲力尽。
sth. takes it out of sb.: sth. requires a lot of energy or effort and makes sb. exhausted(使某人筋疲力尽)。例如:
Having a school-age child really takes it out of you.
家里有一个上学的孩子确实让人心力交瘁。
④ Is Sandra making mountains out of molehills again? 桑德拉又小题大做、喋喋不休了?
make a mountain out of a molehill: make an unimportant fact seem like serious one(小题大做)。例如:
Making mountains out of molehills is the mere interest of some reporters.
有些记者只对小题大做感兴趣。
⑤That is a grade A example of what we call a disengaged employee. 这就是一个所谓 “橡皮族”的最佳范本。
a grade A example of sth.: a perfect example of sth.(最佳例子)。例如:
My father is a grade A example of an energetic retired person.
我老爸是退休人员精力充沛的一个绝佳例子。