2006年NPR美国国家公共电台一月-A Generational Gap in Work Philosophy

Steve Inskeep: Commentator¹ Baxter Black has his own way of trying to teach young people, though it is not as easy as it used to be.

Baxter Black: Yes, Virginia, things have changed. A 20-something couple I know has occasionally sought my counsel. They are married, both animal science graduates and still seeking direction. He is a typical ag boy, strong, honest, has a good work ethic² with a background in purebred cattle, and he can weld. She grew up running a few gummer cows with her dad, working at a feedlot, processing cattle, weighing grain trucks, president of the FFA. Now she is working at a feed mill and going to night school to get a master's degree to get a teaching certificate.

Baxter Black: Well, I have suggested since the time they were married that they would be the perfect couple to run some ranch³ or livestock⁴ farm. They are the ideal pair, the absentee owner's dream. But their standard reply to me is, 'we don't wanna work 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.' And I say, 'what is wrong with these kids?' I tell them, 'I've never had an 8-to-5 job. What in the world would I do with two days off a week, in a row.' Well, I look at the 21st century veterinary profession. New grads don't want night calls, weekend duty, investment in partnership⁵. They want to raise a family, spend quality time with their children. They don't want to live a hundred miles from the amenities⁶ of good schools, shopping and sophisticated entertainment. And I say, 'what is the matter with these kids? Don't they know it's not supposed to be easy? You are supposed to be bone-tired at the end of the day and then go out to a C-section in the middle of a night on a frozen hillside.'

Baxter Black: I remind them that the early bird gets the worm. Then they say they are not working for worms. They remind me that all work and no play makes Jack⁷ a dull boy. And I say to them, 'Dull isn't all that bad.' And they say, 'Money isn't everything.' And I say, 'You don't work for money. You work for work's sake.' And then they say, 'Work isn't everything.'

Baxter Black: I remember my childhood years, visited my relatives in Oklahoma. My uncles were farmers, and carpenters and bricklayers. And we'd go by and watch them work, all except Uncle Leonard. He would take the week off and he'd drive us kids around to pick up bullets at the firing range or hunt rose rocks or arrowheads, take us fishing, to the sale, to the zoo or squirrel hunting.

Baxter Black: The other uncles chastised⁸ him for not having his priorities straight. 'He should be plowing⁹ or putting up hay or helping¹⁰ them carry hod.' Well, it goes without saying that Uncle Leonard was everybody's favorate uncle. I don't know how I got off on talking about Uncle Leonard. Now where was I?

Steve Inskeep: Those are the comments of Baxter Black, hard-working cowboy, poet, philosopher and former large animal veterinarian.

Note:

ag: 农业的
C-section: a caesarean
rose rock: The rose rock is the official state rock of Oklahoma. It is found nowhere else but central Oklahoma. It is most common in Cleveland County.

1 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

2 ethic   

n.道德标准，行为准则

参考例句：

• They instilled the work ethic into their children.他们在孩子们的心中注入了职业道德的理念。
• The connotation of education ethic is rooted in human nature's mobility.教育伦理的内涵根源于人本性的变动性。

3 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

4 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

5 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

6 amenities   

n.令人愉快的事物；礼仪；礼节；便利设施；礼仪( amenity的名词复数 )；便利设施；（环境等的）舒适；（性情等的）愉快

参考例句：

• The campsite is close to all local amenities. 营地紧靠当地所有的便利设施。
• Parks and a theatre are just some of the town's local amenities. 公园和戏院只是市镇娱乐设施的一部分。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

8 chastised   

v.严惩（某人）（尤指责打）( chastise的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He chastised the team for their lack of commitment. 他指责队伍未竭尽全力。
• The Securities Commission chastised the firm but imposed no fine. 证券委员会严厉批评了那家公司，不过没有处以罚款。 来自辞典例句

9 plowing   

v.耕( plow的现在分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• "There are things more important now than plowing, Sugar. "如今有比耕种更重要的事情要做呀，宝贝儿。 来自飘（部分）
• Since his wife's death, he has been plowing a lonely furrow. 从他妻子死后，他一直过着孤独的生活。 来自辞典例句

10 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。