8.in vain : 无效地;徒然
eg:All our work was in vain.我们的工作都白干了。
How can someone, hour after hour,day after day, year in and year out,
tightenapproximately the same nut to thesame bolt and not go mad?(1)That most
working people do not,in fact, go mad is due in large
measure to a
phenomenon so common that it isfound
wherever people labor in industry:
taking it easy. (2)It would take some kind of real
mental case to do all the work onecould all day long. No one expects it. Taking it easy on the job while someoneelse covers your work, or "
working on and off," as it is usuallycalled in America, is an established part of the
working life.
1.How can someone, hour after hour, dayafter day, year in and year out,
tightenapproximately the same nut to the samebolt and not go mad ? (para.1)
这是一个反意问句,意为:"一个人时复一时,日复一日,年复一年地把几乎同样的螺母拧到螺钉上,又怎么能不发疯呢?"
2.That most
working people do not,in fact, go mad is due in large
measure to a
phenomenon so common that it isfound
wherever people labor in industry:
taking it easy.(para.1)
That most
working people do not,in fact, go mad 是
主语从句,that 是只起连接作用,不在句中担任任何成分。
so common that 中,that引导结果
状语从句,句中的it是指前边的 a
phenomenon。
wherever people labor in industry:地点状语从句。
全句译为:"事实上大多数劳动人民之所以没有精神错乱,很多程度上应是由于一个
无论人们在哪个行业都普遍存在的现象,不紧不慢的干活。"
Working on and off, however, hasits limits. The rules are
infinitelyvaried, subtle, and
flexible, and, ofcourse, they are always changing. Management, up to a certain level at least,is aware of the practice, and in some industries employs entire cadres ofpeople to
curtail or put an end to it. (3)Simultaneously, the
workers aresubtly doing their best to keep it going and to extend it
wherever possible.
3.Management, up to a certainlevel at least, is aware of the practice, and in some industries
employs entire cadres of people to
curtail or put an end to it (para.2)
up to a certain level at least 修饰
management ,意思是"至少到了一定层次的管理部门"
the practice 指的是前一段提到的"干干停停"(on and off )
some industries "某些行业"
译为:"管理部门,至少达到某种层次的管理部门,是知道这个干法,因此在某些行业他们雇用整套骨干班子,以减少和杜绝这种干干停停的可能性。"
Every
worker has a highlydeveloped sense of how much work is expected of him. When he feels that theexpectation is
excessive, he tries to do something about it. This
instinct hasto do with the political nature of work itself, something every modern
workerunderstands.(4)The bosses want more from the
worker than they are
willing to give inreturn. (5)The
workers give work, and the bosses give money. The exchange is neverquite equal, and the discrepancy is called profit. Since the bosses cannot dowithout profit,
workers have an edge. A good
worker in a key spot could, solong as he kept up production, take all the coffee breaks he wanted,(6)and the bosses would very likely look the other way. He could alsochoose to cut down on the coffee breaks, apply himself, and increaseproduction, and then ask for and get more money. But that would be self-defeating,and he knows it. It would also place him in
competition with other
workers,which would be playing into the bosses' hands.(7)What he would rather do is create some slack for himself and enjoy his job more.(8)
4.This
instinct has to do with thepolitical nature of work itself, something every modern
worker understands.(para.3)
something 是the political nature of work itself 的同位语
译为:"这种本能与工作本身的政治性质有关,这一点每个现代工人都明白。"
5.The bosses want more from the
worker than they are
willing to give in return. (para.3)
in return:回报
"老板想从工人身上榨取比他愿意回报给个人的酬金更多的东西。"
6.A good
worker in a key spotcould, so long as he kept up production, take all the coffee breaks
he wanted. (para.3)
so long as:只要…就
"关键岗位上的一个好工人,只要他保证产量不降低,就能尽情地利用工间休息。"
7.It would also place him in
competition with other
workers, which would be playing into the bosses' hands.(para.3)
which 引导非限制性
定语从句,修饰前面整个句子。即"他和别的工人产生竞争"这件事。
8.What he would rather do is create someslack for himself and enjoy his job more. ( para.3)
What he would rather do
主语从句中有 do ,因此两个作表语的
动词不定式create: 和 enjoy: 前面都省略了to 。
At present on the West Coast, whena gang of longshoremen
working on cargo start a shift, they often dividethemselves into two equal groups and toss a coin. One group goes into the farreaches of the slip's hold and sits around. The other group starts loadingcargo, usually
working with a
vengeance, since each one of them is doing thework of two men. An hour later, the groups change places. In other words , although my fellow longshoremen and I are gettingpaid for eight hours, on occasion we work only four .If someone
reading thisfeels a sense of moral
outrage because we are sitting down on the job, I amsorry.(9)I have searched my mind in vain for a
polite way to tell that reader togo to hell.(10)
9.If someone
reading this feels asense of moral
outrage because we are sitting down on the job, I am sorry.(para.4)
this 指前面提到的内容。
a sense of moral
outrage "一种义愤的感觉"
sitting down on the job "停下来不干活"
10.I have searched my mind in vainfor a
polite way to tell that reader to go to hell. (para.4)
in vain 无效地,徒劳地 to go to hell. 见鬼去
"我绞尽脑汁,可是找不到一种礼貌的说法告诉这位读者,见他的鬼去吧。"
If you are that reader, I wouldrecommend that you
abandon your
outrage and begin thinking about doingsomething similar for yourself.(11)You probably already have, even ifyou won't admit it. White
collar office
workers, too, have come under criticismtime is being spent around the Mr. Coffee machine, and some people (would youbelieve it?) have even been having personal conversations on company time. Infact, one office-system
expert recently said that he had yet to
encounter abusiness work place that was functioning at more than about 60percent
efficiency. (12)
11.If you are that reader, I wouldrecommend that you
abandon your
outrage and begin thinking about doingsomething similar for yourself. (para.5)
would recommend: "我会建议你 … "
如果你是那位读者,我会建议你不要愤怒,并开始思考你自己也干些类似的事。
12.Infact, one off-system
expert recently said that he had yet to
encounter abusiness work place that was functioning at more than about 60 percent
efficiency. (para.5)
had yet to
encounter "还没有遇到…"
Management often struggles hare toset up a situation where work is done in
series: a
worker receives an article of manufacture, does something to it, and passes iton to another
worker, who does something else to it and then passes it on tothe next guy, and so on.. the
assembly line is aperfect example of this. Managers like this type of manufacture because it ismore
efficient -that is ,it achieves more production.They also like it for another reason, even if they will not admit it: it makesit very difficult for the
worker to do anything other than work. (13)
13.They also like it for anotherreason, even if they will not admit it: it makes it very difficult for the
worker to do anything other than work. (para.6)
other than "除了… 以外"
Frederick W. Taylor, the
efficiencyexpert who early in this century conducted the time-and -motionstudies that led to the
assembly-line process, tried to reduce
workers torobots, all in the name of greater production.(14)His staff of
experts, each armedwith clipboard and stopwatch,
studied individual
workers with a view towardeliminating unnecessary
movement. (15)They soon found a great deal ofopposition from the
workers.
14.FrederickW. Taylor, the
efficiencyexpert who early in this century conducted thetime-and-motion studies that led to the
assembly-line process, tried to reduce
workers to robots, all in the name of greater production. (para.7)
主语有一个很长的同位语,其中有两个
定语从句,有who 和that 引导。
全句译为:"效率专家Frederick W. Taylor,(佛雷德里克。泰勒)早在本世纪初就进行了时间与动作的研究,从而导致了装配线生产过程的出现。他还试图将工人变成机器人,这都是以提高产量的名义进行的。"
15.His staff of
experts, eacharmed with clipboard and stopwatch,
studied individual
workers with a viewtoward eliminating unnecessary
movement.
each armed with clipboard andstopwatch, 过去分词短语为独立结构,作伴随状语,each是分词独立结构的逻辑主语,armed为过去分词,意思是:"被 … 武装"
Most people not directly engagedin daily work express
disapproval when they hear of people
working on and off. (16)A
studiedcampaign with carefully chosen language -"a full day'swork for a full day's pay," "
taking a free ride" -has beenpushed by certain employers to
discredit the practice, and their success issuch that I
rarely discuss it except with other
workers.(17) My
response is personal, and a feel no need to defend it: If I amgetting a free ride, how come I am so tired when I go home at the end of ashift?
16.Most people not directlyengaged in daily work express
disapproval when they hear of people
working onand off.
not directly engaged in daily work和
working on and off.都是分词短语作定语修饰people不直接从事日常工作的大多数人,当他们听到人们干干停停的做法时,表示不赞成。
17.A
studiedcampaign withcarefully chosen language---" a full day's work for a full day'spay," "
taking a free ride"--- has been pushed by certainemployers to
discredit the practice, and their success is such that I
rarelydiscuss it except with other
workers.
a
studiedcampaign "一场经过研究的运动"
such that 引导结果
状语从句,"如此以至于… "
全句大意为:"某些雇主大力发动一场周密策划的运动,使用精心措词的口号--给一天钱干一天活,只拿钱不干活,-- 来败坏干干停停这种做法的名声。"