上外版大学英语写作精选第四册(10)

    We're often misled by the complaints surrounding difficult work； deep down most people regard their won capacity to conquer the tough job as the mark of their own unique personality. Complaining is just part of working After all， how else do you know who you are， except as you can demonstrate the ability of your mind to control you limbs ad hands and words？ You are， in significant measure， what you can do.

    Some are deceived into thinking that people like to store up energy， to rest and save themselves as much as possible. Just the opposite. It is energy expenditure that is satisfying.

    Just watch an employee who must deal with countless other people because his or her job is at some central point in a communications network： a salesman at a busy counter， a stock broker on the phone， a customer representative. They will tell you how much skill and experience it takes to answer countless questions and handle various kinds of personalities every hour of the day. Not everyone can interact with such persistence and over long hours， but those who do， pride themselves on a distinctive ability that contributes mightily to the running of the organization.

    But work is more than accomplishment and pride in being able to command the job， because except for a few craftsmen and artists most work takes place "out in the world，" with an through other people.

    Esprit de corps

    Perhasps an example will make the point：

    I remember viewing a half dozen me in a chair factory whose job it was to bend several pieces of steel and attach them so that a folding chair would result. While there were ten or twelve of these "teams" that worked together， one in particular was known for its perfect coordination and lightning-like efforts. The men knew they were good. They would work spurts for twenty or thirty minutes before taking a break —— to show themselves， bystanders and other groups what it was to be superbly skilled and self-controlled， to be the best in the factory.

    When I talked with them， each expressed enormous pride in being a part of the fastest， best team. And this sense of belonging to an accomplished work group is one of the distinctive satisfactions of the world of work.

    One further word about work group satisfactions. Unlike may other aspects of life， relationships among people at work tend to be simpler， less complicated， somewhat less emotional. This is not to say there aren't arguments and jealousies， but， on the whole， behavioral research discloses that human relations at work are just easier， perhaps because they are more regular and predictable and thus simpler to adjust to than the sporadic， the more intense and less regular relationships in the community. And the work group also gently pressures its members to learn how to adjust to one another so that the "rough edges" are worked off because people know they must do certain things with and through one another each day.

    Beyond the team and the work group， there is the organization， whether it be company or hospital or university. The same pride in being part of a well-coordinated， successful unit is derived from being part of a larger collectivity. Working for a company that is though of as being part of the best in the community can provide employees with both status and self-confidence. They assume， usually with good reason， that others regard them more highly， even envy them， and that they are more competent than the average because of this association with a "winner，" a prestigious institution. We in truth bask in the reflected glory of the institution， and we seek ways of asserting our membership so that others will know and can recognize our good fortune.

    Phrases  &  Expressions

    associate with connect with （often mentally） 把…与…联系在一起