发布时间 : 星期日 文章unit 1-3 原文+翻译 汇总更新完毕开始阅读
Unit1
Wanted：Blue-Collar Workers
招聘蓝领工人
1 To many, America’s industrial heartland is a place that has too little work to offer its residents.But things look very different to Karen Wright, the CEO of Ariel Corporation in Ohio. Wright’s biggest problem isn’t a lack of work; it’s a lack of skilled workers. “We have a very skilled workforce, but they are getting older,” says Wright. “I don’t know where we are going to find replacements.” 对于很多人来说，美国的工业中心地带并不能给那里的居民提供许多就业岗位。但是，在卡伦-赖特看来，事情并非如此。作为俄亥俄州阿里尔公司的首席执行官，赖特面临的最大问题并不是缺乏就业岗位，而是缺乏熟练技术工人。“我们有一支非常熟练的劳动力队伍，但他们的年纪越来越大。”怀特说。“我不知道我们要去哪里寻找新鲜血液来替代他们。”
2. That may sound surprising, given that the state has suffered from lack of jobs for a generation. Yet across the heartland, one can almost find the same problem: a shortage of skilled workers. That shortage is surely a problem for manufacturers like Wright.
这听起来可能令人吃惊，因为这个国家整整一代人已经遭受了失业的痛苦。然而，纵观整个中心地带，我们几乎可以发现同样的问题：熟练工人短缺。这种短缺正是像赖特这样的制造商们所面临的一个共同问题。
3The skilled-labor shortage shows a remarkable recovery in American manufacturing. Since 2009, the number of job opportunities in manufacturing has been rising, with average annual earnings of $73,000, well above the average earnings in education, medical care, and many other fields. 熟练劳动力短缺表明美国制造业在明显复苏。2009年以来，制造业产生的就业岗位就一直在上升，年均收入73000美元，远远超过了教育、医疗和其他许多领域的平均收入水平。
4. The industrial recovery comes with a price: a quickly rising demand for skilled workers.The shortage of industrial skills points to a wide gap between the American education system and the demands of the world economy.For many years, Americans have been told that the future lies in high-end services, such as law, and “creative” professions, such as software-writing and systems design.This has led many bright students to think that the only real way to improve opportunities for the country’s middle class is to increase its chances to get higher education.
伴随工业的复苏是对熟练工人的需求的不断上升。工业技能的缺乏是由美国的教育体系和世界经济需求之间的巨大差距所导致的。多年来，美国的民众一直被灌输一种想法，即美国的未来是建立在诸如法律这样的高端服务或编写软件和系统设计这样的“创造性”行业之上的。这就使得许多聪颖的学生以为，只有增加接受高等教育的机会，才是跻身中产阶级的唯一出路。
5 Some manufacturers think the shortage of skilled workers results from the decline of vocational education. Today’s young people often do not regard craft work — plumbing, masonry, and carpentry, for instance — as popular, because they’ve been instructed to enter into college. “People go to college not because they want to but because their parents tell them that’s the thing to do,” says Jeff Kirk, manager of human relations at a company in Ohio. “Kids need to better know that much of what they learn in school is not really needed in the workplace. They don’t realize a pipefitter makes three times as much as a social worker.”
一些制造商认为技术工人的短缺源于职业教育的衰落。今天的年轻人并没有把手工艺行业看做热门行业，比如管道工、泥瓦工、木工等，因为他们从小就被教导要上大学。“人们去上大学，并不是因为他们自己想去上，而是因为父母告诉他们应该去上”俄亥俄州某公司的人事经理杰夫-柯克这样说道。“孩子们需要更清楚地了解，他们在学校学到的很多知识在工作场所里并不会真正用得上，而且他们不了解水管工的收入是社会工作者的三倍。”
6 Fortunately, more and more schools are coming to understand that message and passing it along to their students. One of these schools, Central Ohio Technical College, has recently expanded by 70 welding students and 50 machinists per year. Many of the college’s certificate programs are planned and partly supported by companies, which think that they’re making a wise investment. “You have a lot of people sitting in the city doing nothing. They did not succeed in college. But this way, they can find a way up,” says Kelly Wallace, head of the college’s Career and Technology Education Center.
幸运的是，越来越多的学校正在接受这一消息，并将其传递给学生。其他俄亥俄州中部技术学院每年都要扩招70名焊接专业和50名机修专业的学生。许多学院的认证项目由公司规划并得到其部分扶持，因为他们认为这是一项明智的投资。学院职业与技术教育中心得负责人凯利-华莱士说：“这个城市里许多人都无所事事。他们没能进大学，但是有了这一途径，他们可以找到一条出路。”
Unit 2
A Special Taxi 一辆特别的出租车
1My friend, Jack, was a taxi driver. We became friends quite by accident. Five years ago, I made a trip to Chicago. After I got out of O’Hare International Airport, I took a taxi to the Sears Tower.
我的朋友杰克是位出租车司机。我们成为朋友非常偶然。五年前，我去了一趟芝加哥。走出奥哈尔国际机场我打了一辆出租车去希尔斯大厦。
2The moment Isteppedinto the cab, I realized it was different. The floor was covered with a rug. There were smallreproductionsofpaintings by van Gogh and Gauguin inside the cab. And the windows were spotless. I told the driver I had never ridden in a more attractive taxi.
坐上出租车的那一刻，我就感到这辆车与众不同。脚下铺着小地毯，车里挂着梵高和高更的小仿制画，玻璃窗一尘不染。我对司机说这是我坐过最漂亮的出租车。
3 “I like to hear my passengers say that,” he replied. “How long have you beendecoratingyour cab?” I asked.
“我喜欢听乘客们这么说，”他回答道。“你的出租车这样装饰有多长时间了？”我问道。
4 “It’s not mine,” he said. “It’s a company cab. I gotthe idea years ago when I had a job as a clean-up man for the taxi company.Each car that came in at the end of the day was like a garbage pit. Cigarette butts and matches covered the floor. Sticky stuff like peanut butter was on the seats or door handles. I thought that if the company and the drivers would give people a car worth keeping clean, they might be moreconsiderate.”
“这不是我的出租车，”他说道，“这是公司的车。我几年前在出租车公司做清洁工的时候有了这个想法。每天收工时，开回来的每辆出租车就像一个垃圾坑。满地都是烟蒂和火柴。像花生酱之类粘糊的东西粘在座位或门把手上。我想如果公司和司机们能给人们一辆值得保持干净的汽车，人们也许会更爱车内环境。”
5 “As soon asI got my taxilicense, I tried out my ideas.I put a lot of extra decorations into the cab they gave me to drive. I got a nice light rug and some flowers. When eachpassenger got out, I checked tomake surethat everything wasin orderfor the nextfare.After abouta month of my bringing in a spotless cab, the bossreservedthe same car for me each day.That was when Iput upthe reproductions of great paintings. “一拿到出租车驾驶执照，我就这么做了。我在他们让我驾驶的出租车内加了一些装饰。我放了条好看的薄毯和一些花。每位乘客下车后，我会检查一下，以确保下一次载客时每件东西都整齐。大约一个月，我的车都保保持得一尘不染，此后，老板每天预留同一辆车给我开。从哪个时候开始我就挂上了这些名画的仿制品。”
6 “How many years have you been a taxi driver?” I asked.
“你开出租车有多少年了？”我问道。
7 “I started driving ten years ago, and I’ve never been disappointed by people in all that time. I’ve never had to pick up a single cigarette butt. No peanut butter or ends of icecream cones. No garbage. Like I say, people appreciate beautiful things. If we planted more flowers and trees in the city and make the buildings more attractive, more people would be inclined to keep the city clean.”
“我十年前开始开出租车，人们从来没有令我失望过。我从来连个烟头都没捡过，没有花生酱和冰淇淋残渣，也没有垃圾。正如我说的，人们喜欢美丽的事物。如果我们在城市里种植更多的花草树木，并且使建筑物更漂亮，那么会有越来越多的人愿望保持城市整洁。”
8 Later, we became good friends.I was impressedby the taxi-driver, who hadhit ona great truth, I thought.A sense of beautycomes withthe gift of life. Most people don’t have to be instructed about the rarity of beauty. They respond when they find it. And, if they are made to feel a part of it, they will try toadd toit. 后来我们成为好朋友，这位出租车司机给我留下了深刻的印象，我认为他发现了一个伟大的真理。美感与生俱来，大部分人生本就懂得美的珍贵，不会对美无动于衷。并且，只要让他们感受到一点点美，他们就会努力去锦上添花。