2021年经济学人 现代经济的发展取决于人们与他人的关系（2）

On the surface, this categorisation seems reasonable. How useful is it? Readers can take an online test (at assessyournetwork.com) to see which category they fall into. Bartleby did so and found (as he expected) that he did not fit into any of them. Indeed, the author’s research shows that one in three people does not have a clearly defined style and 20-25% could be classed as mixed (for example, they are simultaneously¹ brokers³ and expansionists). In other words, more than half of people cannot be neatly⁴ categorised.

从表面上看，这种分类似乎是合理的。但实用性怎么样呢？读者可以通过网址assessyournetwork.com参加在线测试，看看自己属于哪一类。本文作者进行了测试，正如他所料，他发现自己不适用于其中的任何一类。事实上，作者的研究表明，三分之一的人没有明确定义的社交风格，20-25%的人可以归类为混合型（例如，他们既是经纪人，又是扩张主义者）。换言之，超过一半的人都无法被恰到好处地分类。

To add to the muddle⁵, Ms King introduces sub-categories: co-operative brokers, arbitraging⁶ brokers, tortured brokers, and so on. Some people move from one category to another (like a certain Heidi Roizen, who, in a feat⁷ of management jargon⁸, “transitioned from an expansionist to a broker² to a convening⁹ nucleus”). At this point it seems wiser to admit that, to use an old phrase from the north of England, “there’s nowt so queer as folk”. Fortunately, the book is full of wisdom and entertaining anecdotes¹⁰ which show that stories can give more insight than attempts at scientific categorisation.

金女士还介绍了一些子类别，这就更让人糊涂了。子分类包括合作经纪人、套利经纪人、折磨经纪人等等。有些人会从一个类别转移到另一个类别（比如海蒂·罗伊岑，用这些管理术语分析，他的社交类别是从“扩张主义者过渡到经纪人，再变成了召集核心”）。在这一点上，更明智的做法似乎是承认那句来自英格兰北部的老话——“人间有百态”。幸运的是，这本书充满了智慧和有趣的趣闻轶事，这表明，相比试图进行科学分类，故事更能发人深省。

Two fun case studies outline a common problem—the tendency for people to have too narrow a focus. In one test, only one in four mobile-phone users noticed a clown who unicycled past them while they were looking at their screens. In another revealing story, Catholic seminarians strode past a distressed¹¹ bystander while in a hurry to give a lecture on the parable¹² of the good Samaritan. In the right network, the presence of a diverse set of participants may allow the group to see the bigger picture.

金女士通过两个有趣的案例研究勾勒出一个普遍问题，即人们关注的点过于狭窄。在一项测试中，只有四分之一的手机用户在看手机屏幕的同时还注意到一个小丑从他们身边骑车经过。在另一个具有启示性的故事中，匆匆赶去做关于好撒马利亚人寓言的演讲的天主教神学院的学生们大步经过了一个痛苦的旁观者。在正确的人际网络中，不同的参与者的存在可能会让团队看到更广阔的前景。

Old-fashioned concepts like courtesy can also help, Ms King argues. Simple gestures—a smile, a thank you—make colleagues more likeable and increase co-operation. In contrast, studies of workers who experience incivility find that their effort, time spent at work and commitment to the job all reduce. Ms King invokes¹³ the aphorism¹⁴ that “assholes” can be identified by observing how they treat people with less power. “Don’t be an asshole” is not a scientific statement. But it is still a pretty good management motto.

金女士认为，礼貌等传统观念也有助于社交。通过一个微笑，一句谢谢这样简单的举止会让同事更受欢迎，从而增进合作。相比之下，对那些曾经经历过不文明行为的员工进行研究发现，他们的努力、工作时间和对工作的投入都会减少。金女士引用了一句格言，通过观察一个人对待权力较小的人的方式能够辨别出他是不是“混蛋”。“别当混蛋”并不是科学的说法。但它仍然是一句很好的管理座右铭。

1 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

2 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

3 brokers   

n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• The firm in question was Alsbery & Co., whiskey brokers. 那家公司叫阿尔斯伯里公司，经销威士忌。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• From time to time a telephone would ring in the brokers' offices. 那两排经纪人房间里不时响着叮令的电话。 来自子夜部分

4 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

5 muddle   

n.困惑，混浊状态；vt.使混乱，使糊涂，使惊呆；vi.胡乱应付，混乱

参考例句：

• Everything in the room was in a muddle.房间里每一件东西都是乱七八糟的。
• Don't work in a rush and get into a muddle.克服忙乱现象。

6 arbitraging   

v.套汇，套利（arbitrage的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

7 feat   

n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的

参考例句：

• Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
• He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。

8 jargon   

n.术语，行话

参考例句：

• They will not hear critics with their horrible jargon.他们不愿意听到评论家们那些可怕的行话。
• It is important not to be overawed by the mathematical jargon.要紧的是不要被数学的术语所吓倒.

9 convening   

召开( convene的现在分词 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• When convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without sounding an alarm. 民10:7但招聚会众的时候、们要吹号、不要吹出大声。
• We warmly welcome the convening of Asia-Europe meeting in London. 热烈欢迎亚欧会议在伦敦召开。

10 anecdotes   

n.掌故，趣闻，轶事( anecdote的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• amusing anecdotes about his brief career as an actor 关于他短暂演员生涯的趣闻逸事
• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman. 他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

12 parable   

n.寓言，比喻

参考例句：

• This is an ancient parable.这是一个古老的寓言。
• The minister preached a sermon on the parable of the lost sheep.牧师讲道时用了亡羊的比喻。

13 invokes   

v.援引( invoke的第三人称单数 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• The Roundtable statement invokes the principles of the free market system. 企业界圆桌会议的声明援用了自由市场制度的原则。 来自辞典例句
• When no more storage is available, the system invokes a garbage collector. 当没有可用的存贮时，系统就调用无用单元收集程序。 来自辞典例句

14 aphorism   

n.格言，警语

参考例句：

• It is the aphorism of the Asian Games. 这是亚运会的格言。
• Probably the aphorism that there is no easy answer to what is very complex is true. 常言道,复杂的问题无简易的答案,这话大概是真的。