2017年6月19日 星期一

The Legend of a Working Man 下一站,幸福


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2017/06/20 第319期 訂閱/退訂看歷史報份直接訂閱
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The Legend of a Working Man  下一站,幸福
by Bruce E. Bagnell

Can you imagine working at the same job for 60 years and having it end with the biggest surprise of your life?
你能想像從事同一份工作長達六十年,並以你人生中最大的驚喜劃下句點嗎?

  Most millennials think nothing of working at a job for a few years before leaving it for another, then another, and so on. Back in the good old days, most people appreciated job stability and worked at one job their whole lives before retiring. Even so, Angelo Fracassa of Detroit, Michigan, had a work record that few can equal. As a reward for showing up to work for six decades straight, he was celebrated on the last day of his long career with the biggest surprise of his life.
  Fracassa commuted into downtown Detroit from his home by bus. He always sat in the seat right behind the driver. His life was pure routine for a period spanning six decades as a devoted employee of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the tax collection agency of the United States. He had a master's degree in accounting and became one of the first employees in his unit to embrace new computer technology when it was introduced. On top of all that, he was usually friendly with everyone.
  On his last day on the job, he prepared to take his usual bus home. The first sign of anything unusual was the bus itself: on the scrolling board it proclaimed "Angelo's Express" instead of the usual destination. After he boarded the bus, he couldn't help but notice the dozens of red, white, and blue balloons filling the interior along with posters featuring pictures that were emblazoned with messages for him. At stop after stop, his family, friends, and colleagues boarded to celebrate with him. He had a hard time controlling his emotions. The sweet ride ended in a dinner party at an Italian restaurant, where speeches and toasts were given in honor of the man who set an example for all of his coworkers and dedicated working people everywhere.

1. According to the article, how are young workers today different from older ones?
(A) Younger ones use computers, but older ones don't.
(B) Older workers are more loyal to their jobs than younger ones.
(C) Older workers commute to work by bus, but younger ones drive their own cars.
(D) Young workers tend to work longer hours than their elders.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. What does the word "embrace" as used in the second paragraph most likely mean?
(A) To be on friendly terms with.
(B) To show strong emotional love for.
(C) To hold onto something tightly.
(D) To gladly accept or take up something new.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Which of the following statements about Fracassa's last day at work is true?
(A) He was given a large party in his IRS office.
(B) He was allowed to drive the bus home on his last day of work.
(C) His family, friends, and colleagues surprised him by decorating a bus.
(D) He was given a large bonus by the IRS for his long-term service.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. What example does the life of Fracassa set for the younger generation?
(A) A person can be fulfilled in life by staying with one job.
(B) Government workers are happier than those in the private sector.
(C) Accounting is a profession that has great rewards.
(D) People should take public transportation to reduce their carbon footprints.

 

millennial n. 千禧世代
revenue n. 收入,收益
accounting n. 會計,會計學
unit n. 單位;部門
scrolling board n. 跑馬燈告示牌
interior n. 內部 & a. 內部的
反: exterior n. 外表,外貌 & a. 外部的
emblazon vt. 印有;裝飾
bonus n. 獎金;紅利
sector n. 部門;行業
carbon footprint  碳足跡

  1. think nothing of...  毫不在乎……
    Some consider it impolite to ask people about their private affairs, while others think nothing of it.
    有些人認為詢問他人私事是不禮貌的,有些人卻不以為意。
  2. ..., and so on  ……等等/諸如此類
    同: ..., and so forth
    In that bookstore, there are novels, magazines, newspapers, and so on.
    那家書店有賣小說、雜誌和報紙等等。
  3. on top of that  除此之外
    We missed the bus, and on top of that, it started raining.
    我們錯過了那班公車,除此之外,當時還開始下雨。
  4. can't help but V  忍不住……,不禁……
    同: can't help V-ing
    Lisa couldn't help but laugh when she heard the good news.
    麗莎聽到那個好消息時忍不住笑了起來。
  5. have a hard time V-ing  做……有困難
    同: have difficulty V-ing
    = have trouble V-ing
    Jason has had a hard time getting that employee to cooperate with his team.
    傑森很難要那名職員和他的團隊配合。
  6. in honor of...  向……致敬;紀念……
    The school was founded in honor of the late president.
    那間學校是為紀念那位已故的校長而建立的。
  7. set an example for...  為……樹立榜樣
    The manager punches in on time every day to set an example for his employees.
    經理每天準時打卡上班,為員工樹立榜樣。
    *punch in / out  打卡上班/下班
  8. be loyal to...  對……忠誠/忠心
    Dogs are known to be very loyal to their owners.
    眾所周知,狗狗對牠們的主人非常忠心。
  9. be on friendly terms with...
    與……保持友善關係
    Sally is still on friendly terms with her ex-husband.
    莎莉與她的前夫仍保持友善的關係。
  10. hold onto...  堅守/抓緊……
    You should hold onto your dreams and not let them go.
    你應該抓緊自己的夢想不讓它們溜走。
  11. take up...  開始從事……(某項活動)
    After my father retired, he took up cooking as a hobby.
    我父親退休後,開始把烹飪當作一項嗜好。

Can you imagine working at the same job for 60 years and having it end with the biggest surprise of your life?
注意
下列及物動詞習慣上均用動名詞作受詞:
imagine(想像)、admit(承認)、consider (考慮)、deny(否認)、 escape(逃掉)、 mind(介意)、quit(停止、戒)以及 risk(冒險)。
I can't imagine seeing a sight like this in person.
我無法想像親眼見到這樣一般景象。
*in person  親自
You must quit smoking right away.
你必須立即戒菸。

  1. stability n. 穩定,安定
    衍: stable a. 穩定的
    Mark's stability makes him a very reliable friend.
    馬克穩重的個性使他成為非常值得信賴的朋友。
    The patient was in stable condition shortly after the operation.
    手術後不久,病人的情況就穩定下來了。
  2. equal vt. 匹敵;等於 & a. 平等的
    No computer will ever equal the human brain.
    沒有一臺電腦能夠和人腦匹敵。
    People from all parts of society deserve equal treatment.
    來自社會各個領域的人士都應獲得平等的對待。
  3. reward n. & vt. 報酬
    衍: be rewarded with...  得到……作為犒賞
    Anyone who finds my lost dog will be eligible for a cash reward.
    凡是找到我走失狗狗的人就有資格獲得一筆獎金。
    *eligible a. 有資格的,合格的
    Billy did his chores efficiently and was rewarded with an ice cream cone.
    比利很有效率地做完他應做的家事,因而得到一支冰淇淋甜筒作為獎賞。
  4. commute vi. 通勤;往返
    衍: commute between A and B
    在 A 和 B 之間通勤
    Lily commutes between Taoyuan and Taipei every weekday.
    莉莉每個工作日都要在桃園和臺北之間通勤上下班。
  5. span vt.(時間)涵蓋;(空間)橫跨
    The nun's work with orphans spans over half a century.
    這位修女對孤兒們付出心力超過半個世紀之久。
    The ancient empire once spanned most of Central Asia.
    這個古老的帝國曾一度橫跨幾乎整個中亞。
  6. devoted a. 奉獻的;致力的
    衍: be devoted to N/V-ing  致力於……
    Dr. Wang has been devoted to exploring the frontiers of medicine.
    王醫生一直致力探索醫學的新領域。
    *frontier n. 新領域;邊境
  7. internal a. 內部的
    反: external a. 外部的
    We don't want any foreign countries to interfere in our internal affairs.
    我們不希望任何外國來干涉我們的內政。
    *interfere vi. 干涉,妨礙
    Fortunately, Andy suffered only external wounds when he crashed his bike.
    幸好,安迪撞壞自行車時只受到外傷。
  8. introduce vt. 引進;採用;介紹
    Manufacturers often introduce new products to keep their business booming.
    廠商為了讓生意興隆,經常推出新產品。
  9. proclaim vt. 宣告;公佈
    The judges proclaimed Miss South Africa the winner of the Miss World beauty contest.
    裁判宣佈南非小姐為世界小姐選美比賽冠軍。
  10. board vt. 登上(船、車、飛機等)
    As Helen boarded the ship, we said our farewell to one another.
    當海倫上船時,我們互道再見。
    *farewell n. 告別
  11. emotion n. 情緒,情感
    衍: emotional a. 情緒的,激動的;情緒化的
    Crying is a good way of letting out our emotions.
    哭泣是我們發洩情緒的好方法。
    I depend on my friends and family for emotional support.
    我依靠家人和朋友給我精神上的支持。

下一站,幸福
你能想像從事同一份工作長達六十年,並以你人生中最大的驚喜劃下句點嗎?
  大多數千禧世代不在乎從事一份工作幾年後就跳槽,然後再換下一個工作,依此類推。在過去的美好時光中,大多數人都重視工作穩定性,且曾經一份工作一做就是一輩子,直到退休為止。即便如此,來自密西根州底特律的安傑羅•弗拉卡薩擁有一段很少人能夠望其項背的工作紀錄。作為連續六十年至工作崗位報到的獎賞,他在漫長職涯的最後一天獲得他人生中最大驚喜的表揚。
  弗拉卡薩搭乘公車往返於他的家與底特律市中心。他總是坐在司機正後方的位置。他的生活就是一段橫跨六十年、擔任國稅局(美國的稅收徵管機構)忠誠員工的標準例行公事。他擁有會計學的碩士學位,並在新的電腦科技引進時,他也是所屬單位中第一批欣然接受電腦科技的員工之一。除此之外,他通常對所有人都十分友善。
  在他工作的最後一天,他準備一如往常地搭乘公車回家。首先展現出不尋常跡象的是公車本身,車上跑馬燈告示牌顯示著:「安傑羅快車」而不是往常的終點站名。他登上公車之後,不禁注意到車子內部充斥著許多紅色、白色以及藍色的氣球,以及有許多圖片為亮點的海報,上頭印有給他的信息。一站接著一站,他的家人、朋友以及同事都紛紛上車與他一同慶祝。他難掩激動之情。這趟美好的旅程以一場舉辦於某家義大利餐廳的晚餐派對劃下句點,大家紛紛致詞和敬酒以向這位為所有同事以及其他地方工作敬業人士樹立榜樣的先生致敬。

1. 根據本文,現今的年輕工作人口與較為年長的工作人口有什麼不同?
(A) 較年輕的人使用電腦,而較為年長者則不使用電腦。
(B) 與年輕人相比,較為年長的員工對於他們的工作更為忠誠。
(C) 較為年長的員工搭乘公車通勤上班,而較年輕的員工則自己開車。
(D) 年輕員工的工時往往比年長員工還要長。
題解:根據本文第一段,大多數千禧世代不在乎從事一份工作幾年後就跳槽,然後再換下一個工作,依此類推。在過去的美好時光中,大多數人都重視工作穩定性,且曾經一份工作一做就是一輩子,故 (B) 項應為正選。
2. 本文第二段所使用的"embrace"一詞最接近的意思是什麼?
(A) 與……關係融洽。
(B) 對……展現強烈的關愛。
(C) 緊緊抓住某物。
(D) 欣然地接受或學習新的事物。
題解:根據本文第二段,在新的電腦科技引進時,他也是所屬單位中第一批欣然接受電腦科技的員工之一,embrace 在此表「欣然地接受或學習新的事物」之意,故 (D) 項應為正選。
3. 關於弗拉卡薩工作的最後一天,下列哪一項敘述是正確的?
(A) 大家替他在他的國稅局辦公室舉行一場盛大派對。
(B) 他獲准在他工作的最後一天開公車回家。
(C) 他的家人、朋友以及同事一起裝飾一輛公車來給他驚喜。
(D) 國稅局因為他長期的服務而頒發給他大筆的獎金。
題解:根據本文第三段,公車內部充斥著許多紅色、白色以及藍色的氣球,以及有許多圖片為亮點的海報,而他的家人、朋友以及同事都紛紛上車與他一同慶祝,故 (C) 項應為正選。
4. 弗拉卡薩的人生為年輕一代樹立了什麼榜樣?
(A) 堅守一份工作能使人的一生充實。
(B) 公務員比私營企業的員工還要快樂。
(C) 會計是一項酬勞可觀的職業。
(D) 人們應該搭乘大眾交通工具以減少他們的碳足跡。
題解:根據全文,堅守一份工作長達六十年的弗拉卡薩值得所有人的敬佩,並在最後一天獲得他人生中最大驚喜的表揚,故 (A) 項應為正選。

答案: 1. B 2. D 3. C 4. A

 
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