2-4 对敬业精神的承认

Recognition of Dedication¹

 

Jane’s job was to monitor the assembly lines¹ at a cosmetics² manufacturer. Each hour she took note of the production level of each line and sent the information to the floor manager³.

　　

Jane counted output, matched⁴ it with a count of materials used, and then did it all over again. Nobody asked her why the lines were slow or fast. That wasn’t her job. Just count. Over the course of five years, Jane took note of a hundred factors that influenced the pace of the lines, factors she knew nobody else was paying attention to. For one, if the volume on the radio system was too low, the workers spoke³ to each other more often, slowing down their pace.

　　

The general manager casually⁴ asked her one time how things were going, expecting a generic⁵ response. He nearly fell over⁵ when Jane said production was down 2 percent and offered a list of the three most likely explanations.

　　

Jane finally became visible⁶ to management, and she was promoted to a job where she could put to use many of the observations she’d made over the years.

 

注释：

1.assembly line （工厂产品的）装配线

2.cosmetic² [kCz5metik] n. 化妆品，美容剂

3.floor manager （旅馆、百货公司等的）楼面主管

4.match [mAtF] vt. 使相配；使成对

5.fall over 跌倒；倒下；倒坍

6.visible [5vizEbl] adj. 引人注目的；明显的

 

对敬业精神的承认

 

　　简的工作是在一家化妆品厂检测流水线。她每小时记录下每条流水线的产出水平，将结果送交楼面主管。

　　她重复做同一件工作：清点产量，再清点与之相应的原料消耗量。没有人问过她为什么流水线运作时快时慢，那不是她份内的责任。她的活儿只是计数。但5年来，她记录下了影响流水线速度的100种因素。她知道别人谁也没有留意这些因素。比如有这样一种情况，假如无线电系统的音量太低，工人们之间互相说话就多一些，工作速度就慢了。

　　有一次，总经理随便问了问她工作的情况，并不指望得到超乎一般性的回答，可是她说生产下降了2％，并对造成下降最可能的原因提出了3种解释。这完全出乎总经理的意料。

　　简终于受到管理层的重视。她得到提升，在新职位上她能充分运用她多年观察的许多心得。

1 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

2 cosmetic   

n.化妆品；adj.化妆用的；装门面的；装饰性的

参考例句：

• These changes are purely cosmetic.这些改变纯粹是装饰门面。
• Laughter is the best cosmetic,so grin and wear it!微笑是最好的化妆品，所以请尽情微笑吧！

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 casually   

adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地

参考例句：

• She remarked casually that she was changing her job.她当时漫不经心地说要换工作。
• I casually mentioned that I might be interested in working abroad.我不经意地提到我可能会对出国工作感兴趣。

5 generic   

adj.一般的，普通的，共有的

参考例句：

• I usually buy generic clothes instead of name brands.我通常买普通的衣服，不买名牌。
• The generic woman appears to have an extraordinary faculty for swallowing the individual.一般妇女在婚后似乎有特别突出的抑制个性的能力。