00015-英語(yǔ)二自學(xué)教程-unit4

英語(yǔ)（二）全國(guó)高等教育自學(xué)考試講解人：GraceShaoUnit

4ThejoyofworkWorkisablessingIgrewupinLakeland,Louisiana,oneof12children.Wealllivedonmyparents'subsistencefarm.Wegrewcotton,sugarcane,corn,hogsandchickensandhadalargegarden,butitdidn'tbringinmuchcash.SowhenIwas12,Igotapart-timejobonadairyfarmdowntheroad,helpingtomilkcows.Wemilked65cowsat5inthemorning.andagainat2intheafternoon,sevendaysaweek.我在路易斯安那州萊克蘭長(zhǎng)大，是家中12個(gè)孩子的其中一個(gè)。我們都住在分母的自給自足的農(nóng)場(chǎng)。我們種棉花、甘蔗、玉米，養(yǎng)殖豬和雞，還有一個(gè)大花園，但沒(méi)有帶來(lái)很大的收益。所以當(dāng)我12歲的時(shí)候，我在馬路邊的一個(gè)奶牛場(chǎng)找到了一份兼職工作，幫忙擠牛奶。我們一周工作七天，早上5點(diǎn)擠65頭牛的奶，下午2點(diǎn)再擠一次。TextAWorkisablessingInthekitchenoneSaturdaybeforedaylight,Iremembercomplainingtomyfatherandgrandfatherabouthavingtogomilkthosecows.Myfathersaid,“Yaknow,boy,toworkisblessing.”一個(gè)星期六，天還沒(méi)亮的時(shí)候，我在廚房里向父親和祖父抱怨要去擠牛奶。我父親說(shuō):“孩子，你要知道，有工作可做是幸運(yùn)的。”TextAWorkisablessingIlookedatthosetwomenwhohadworkedharderthanIeverhad-myfatherekingoutalivingonthatfarm.andmygrandfatherfarmingandworkingasacarpenterduringthedepression.IhadafeelingIhadbeentoldsomethingreallyimportant,butittookmanyyearsbeforeitsankin.我看了看那兩個(gè)人，他們比我更努力地工作——我的父親在那個(gè)農(nóng)場(chǎng)勉強(qiáng)維持生計(jì)，而我的祖父在大蕭條時(shí)期既種地又當(dāng)木匠。我有一種感覺(jué)，有人告訴了我一件非常重要的事情，但過(guò)了很多年我才恍然大悟。TextAWorkisablessingGoingtocollegewasarareprivilegeforakidfromLakeland.MyfathertoldmeifIpickedsomethingtostudythatIlikeddoing,I'dalwayslookforwardtomywork.Buthealsoadded,“evenhavingajobyouhateisbetterthannothavingajobatall.”Iwantedtobeafarmer,butIjoinedtheROTC(reserveofficers'trainingcorps)programtohelppayforcollege.AndwhatstartedoutasanobligationtotheArmybecameawayoflifethatstayedcommittedtofor37years,threemonthsandthreedays.對(duì)于一個(gè)來(lái)自萊克蘭的孩子來(lái)說(shuō)，上大學(xué)是一種罕見(jiàn)的特權(quán)。我的父親告訴我，如果我選擇了我喜歡做的事情，我會(huì)一直期待我的工作，但他也補(bǔ)充說(shuō)，“即使有一份你討厭的工作也比沒(méi)有工作要好?！薄拔蚁氤蔀橐幻r(nóng)民，但我參加了預(yù)備軍官訓(xùn)練團(tuán)(ROTC)計(jì)劃，以幫助支付大學(xué)學(xué)費(fèi)。一開(kāi)始對(duì)軍隊(duì)的義務(wù)變成了一種生活方式，這種生活方式持續(xù)了37年3個(gè)月零3天。TextAWorkisablessingInthelate1980s,duringavisittoBangladesh,Isawawomanwithababyonherback,breakingbrickswithahammer,IaskedaBangladeshmilitaryescortwhytheyweren’tusingamachine,whichwouldhavebeenaloteasier.Hetoldmeamachinewouldputthatladyoutofwork.Breakingthosebricksmeantshecouldearnenoughmoneytofeedherselfandherbabythatday.Andasbadasthatwoman’sjobwas,itwasenoughtokeepasmallfamilyalive,itremindedmeofmyfather’swords:Toworkisablessing.在19世紀(jì)80年代末，有一次訪問(wèn)孟加拉國(guó)的過(guò)程中，我看見(jiàn)一個(gè)婦女背著一個(gè)嬰兒，用錘子砸磚。我問(wèn)一名孟加拉國(guó)軍隊(duì)的護(hù)衛(wèi)隊(duì)，為什么不用機(jī)器，那樣會(huì)容易得多。他告訴我一臺(tái)機(jī)器會(huì)使那位女士失業(yè)。打碎那些磚塊意味著她可以賺到足夠的錢來(lái)養(yǎng)活自己和她的孩子。盡管那個(gè)女人的工作很糟糕，但也足以維持一個(gè)小家庭的生計(jì)，這讓我想起了我父親的話:有工作可做是幸運(yùn)的。TextAWorkisablessingServingintheU.S.Armyoverseas,IsawalotofpeoplelikethatwomaninBangladesh.AndIhavecometobelievethatpeoplewithoutjobsarenotfree.Theyarevictimsofcrime,theideologyofterrorism,poorhealth,depressionandsocialunrest,thesevictimsbecometheillegalimmigrants,theslavesofhumantrafficking,thedrugdealers,andthestreetgangmembers.IhaveseenitoverandoveragainontheU.S.border,inSomalia,theCongo,AfghanistanandinNewOrleans.Peoplewhohavejobscanhaveahome,sendtheirkidstoschool,developasenseofpride,contributetothegoodofthecommunity,andevenhelpothers.Whenwecanwork,wearefree.Weareblessed.TextAWorkisablessing我在海外美軍服役時(shí)，看到很多人都像那個(gè)孟加拉國(guó)的女人。我開(kāi)始相信，沒(méi)有工作的人是不自由的。他們是犯罪活動(dòng)、恐怖主義觀念、健康殺手、經(jīng)濟(jì)蕭條和社會(huì)動(dòng)蕩的受害者，這些受害者成為非法移民、人口販運(yùn)的奴隸、毒品販子和街頭幫派成員。在美國(guó)邊境、索馬里、剛果、阿富汗和新奧爾良，我一次又一次地看到這種情況。有工作的人可以有一個(gè)家，送孩子上學(xué)，培養(yǎng)自豪感，為社區(qū)做貢獻(xiàn)，甚至幫助別人。當(dāng)我們可以工作時(shí)，我們是自由的。我們是幸運(yùn)的。TextAWorkisablessingIdon’tthinkIwilleverquitworking.I’mretiredfromtheArmy,butI’mstillworkingtohelppeoplebepreparedfordisaster.AndImaygettodoalittlefarmingsomeday,too.I’mnotgoingtostop.Ibelieveinmyfather’swords.Ibelieveintheblessingofwork.我想我永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)停止工作。我從軍隊(duì)退役了，但我仍在努力爭(zhēng)取幫助人們?yōu)闉?zāi)難做好準(zhǔn)備。也許有一天我也能做點(diǎn)農(nóng)活。我不會(huì)停下來(lái)的。我相信我父親的話。我相信工作使人幸褔。TextAHowtostartyourownbusinessTheparadoxofstartingyourownbusinessliesinthesimultaneouschallengeandreward,makingitanexperienceunlikeanyother.Somanybusinessesfail,andmostentrepreneursexcludethemselvesfromthepossibility.Thetragicrealityisthatwhenbusinessesfail,thepassionoftendieswithit.Byfollowingsomesoundadviceandbeingpreparedfortheprocess,youwilldecreaseyourchancesoflosingalotmorethanyoubargainedfor.IhaverecentlystartedabusinessandhavelearnedsomecruciallessonsintheprocessthatIfeelprivilegedtosharewithyou.TextBHowtostartyourownbusiness創(chuàng)業(yè)的悖論在于挑戰(zhàn)與回報(bào)同時(shí)并存，這使得創(chuàng)業(yè)成為一種與眾不同的體驗(yàn)。很多創(chuàng)業(yè)都失敗了，大多數(shù)創(chuàng)業(yè)者都把自己排除在外?？杀默F(xiàn)實(shí)是，當(dāng)企業(yè)失敗時(shí)，激情往往隨之消失。通過(guò)遵循一些合理的建議并做好準(zhǔn)備，你失去的機(jī)會(huì)將會(huì)比你預(yù)期的少很多。我最近開(kāi)始了一項(xiàng)業(yè)務(wù)，并在這個(gè)過(guò)程中學(xué)會(huì)了一些重要的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，我感到很榮幸與大家分享。TextBHowtostartyourownbusiness1.Identifyyourmotivation.whodoyouwanttostartyourownbusiness?Tohavemoretime?Tomakemoremoney?Tobeyourownboss?Tohavecreativecontroloverwhatyoulovetodo?Writeoutallofyourmotivatingfactorsandprioritizethem.Whenyouseethemlisted,youmightseeapatterninthatyou’rejustunhappyatyourcurrentjobandstartingyourownbusinessisn’ttheanswer.識(shí)別你的動(dòng)機(jī)。你想為誰(shuí)創(chuàng)業(yè)(創(chuàng)業(yè)的目的)?有更多的時(shí)間?為了賺更多的錢?做自己的老板?對(duì)你喜歡做的事情有創(chuàng)意控制?把你所有的激勵(lì)因素寫(xiě)出來(lái)，并按優(yōu)先順序排列。當(dāng)你看到它們被列出來(lái)的時(shí)候，你可能會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)一種模型:你只是對(duì)目前的工作不滿意，創(chuàng)業(yè)并不是解決問(wèn)題的辦法。TextBHowtostartyourownbusiness2.Identifyyourpassion.Whatdoyoulovetodo?Whatskillsandknowledgedoyouuniquelybringtothetable?Whatgetsyouexcitedaboutyourwork?Keepthatpassionattheforefrontofyourbusinessplan,yourmarketingstrategies,andyourdailyroutine.Ifyoukeepyourpassioninplansight,youwillstayfocusedonthepurposeofyourbusinessandnotsolelyonthelogistics.識(shí)別你的激情。你喜歡做什么?你有什么拿得出手的獨(dú)特的技能和知識(shí)?什么讓你對(duì)你的工作富有激情?把這份激情放在你的商業(yè)計(jì)劃、營(yíng)銷策略和日常事務(wù)的最前面。如果你將你的熱情放在計(jì)劃中，你將會(huì)專注于你的生意的目的，而不僅僅是生意的運(yùn)營(yíng)。TextBHowtostartyourownbusiness3.Identifyyourmarket.Ifyouarestartingyourbusinesslocally,researchyourcompetitors.Determineifthereisroominthemarketforyourbusiness.Whatwillyoudodifferentlytodrawincustomers?Whatnichemarketaretheotherbusinessesmissing?Ifyouarestartinganlnternetcompany,researchtherequirementforyourownuniqueWebpresence.Yourbusinesscannotsurvivewithoutcustomers,sodoenoughresearchonthefrontandtodetermineifthereareenoughpotentialclientstokeepyourbusinessalive.識(shí)別你的市場(chǎng)。如果你是在本地創(chuàng)業(yè)，調(diào)查一下你的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手。確定你的生意在市場(chǎng)上是否有空間。為了吸引顧客，你會(huì)采取什么不同的做法?市場(chǎng)上有什么被遺漏的細(xì)分市場(chǎng)?如果你創(chuàng)辦了一家互聯(lián)網(wǎng)公司，研究清楚公司需要的獨(dú)特的網(wǎng)絡(luò)形象。沒(méi)有客戶，你的企業(yè)就無(wú)法生存，所以要在前期做足夠的調(diào)查，以確定是否有足夠的潛在客戶來(lái)維持你的企業(yè)生存。TextBHowtostartyourownbusiness4.Identifyyourfinances.Ifyouhaveeverpurchasedanewhome,youknowthatthefinancialobligationsextendbeyondthedownpaymentandthemortgage.Youhavetobuyfurniture,trashcans,agaragedooropener,lightfixturesandlandscapingequipment,andbeforeyouknowit,you’refarexceededyourfinancialboundaries.Thatcanhappenjustaseasilyinabusiness.Doexhaustivefinancialplanning.Meetwithafinancialadvisororsomeoneatyourbanktoexaminethefinancialviabilityofyourbusinessandtheprocessofgettingitupandrunning.Planwiselyanddonotassumethebestaboutyourbusiness.Bepreparedforfinanciallossandgetadviceonhowtoalleviatethatburdeninthefuture.TextBHowtostartyourownbusiness識(shí)別你的財(cái)務(wù)狀況。如果你曾經(jīng)買過(guò)新房，你就會(huì)知道經(jīng)濟(jì)上的負(fù)擔(dān)不僅僅是首付款和抵押貸款。你得買家具、垃圾桶、車庫(kù)開(kāi)門器、燈具和景觀設(shè)備，而在你意識(shí)到這些之前，你已經(jīng)遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超出了你的財(cái)務(wù)能承受的極限。這在商業(yè)中很容易發(fā)生。做詳盡的財(cái)務(wù)計(jì)劃。與你的銀行的財(cái)務(wù)顧問(wèn)或其他人會(huì)面，檢查你的業(yè)務(wù)在財(cái)務(wù)上的可行性，以及啟動(dòng)和運(yùn)行的過(guò)程。要做明智的計(jì)劃，不要假設(shè)最好的結(jié)果。為經(jīng)濟(jì)損失做好準(zhǔn)備，并就如何在未來(lái)減輕這種負(fù)擔(dān)征求意見(jiàn)。TextBHowtostartyourownbusiness5.Identifyyoursupportsystem.Seekoutadvicefromseasonedbusinessowners,eventhoseinyourownfield.Developrelationshipswithpeoplewhocanoffersoundadviceandcriticismthatyoumightnotsee.Ifthereisabusinessownerinyourcommunityorinyournetworkthatyouaspiretomodel,examinehisorherbusin