向前一步:第124期 真实地表达自己的想法与情绪(20)

 　　One of the hardest calls I've ever had to make was to tell Larry that I could not accept the job. 于是，我打了有史以来最痛苦的一个电话，告诉拉里我不能接受这份工作。

　　Larry pressed me on why, and I thought about telling him that I really wanted to try consulting in Los Angeles. Instead, I opened up.  拉里问我为什么，我本来打算找一个借口，结果我还是说了实话。

　　I explained that I was getting divorced and wanted to move far away from D C., which held too many painful memories. 我解释说自己马上要离婚，想离华盛顿这个让我伤心的城市越远越好，因为这里有太多痛苦的回忆。

　　A year later, when enough time had passed and I felt ready to return to D.C., I called Larry and asked if the opportunity was still available. 一年后，我觉得自己已经做好了返回华盛顿的准备，于是给拉里打电话，问他是否还有机会去财政部工作。

　　It was one of the easiest calls I have ever made, in part because I had been honest the year before. 这也是我打过的最轻松的电话之一，从某种意义上讲是因为我在一年前已告诉了他实情。

　　If I had told Larry that I was passing on the job for professional reasons, I would have appeared impulsive¹ when I reversed² that decision. 如果我当初告诉拉里拒绝那次工作机会是出于其他业务方面的原因，那么现在改变决定就显得非常鲁莽。

　　Since the real reason was personal, sharing it honestly was the best thing to do. 由于真实的原因出自个人情况，所以如实相告是最好的选择。

　　People often pretend that professional decisions are not affected³ by their personal lives. 人们常常假装职场上的决策不会受到个人生活的影响，

　　They are afraid to talk about their home situations at work as if one should never interfere⁴ with the other, when of course they can and do. 他们害怕在工作时谈起家里的私事，仿佛这二者毫无关联。

　　I know many women who won't discuss their children at work out of fear that their priorities⁵ will be questioned. 我认识很多不愿意在工作时间谈及家庭的女人，她们害怕别人提起工作和家庭孰先孰后的问题。

　　I hope this won't always be the case. 我希望这种情况有所改变。

　　My sister-in-law, Amy Schefler, had a college roommate, Abby Hemani, who is a partner in one of Boston's most prestigious⁶ law firms.  我的弟媳埃米·舍弗勒的大学室友阿比·赫曼妮是波士顿一家著名律师事务所的合伙人之一。

1 impulsive   

adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的

参考例句：

• She is impulsive in her actions.她的行为常出于冲动。
• He was neither an impulsive nor an emotional man,but a very honest and sincere one.他不是个一冲动就鲁莽行事的人，也不多愁善感.他为人十分正直、诚恳。

2 reversed   

v.（使）反转( reverse的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）颠倒；（使）翻转；推翻adj.颠倒的

参考例句：

• The new president reversed many of the policies of his predecessor. 新任总统彻底改变了其前任的许多政策。
• The appeal court reversed the original verdict and set the prisoner free. 上诉法庭撤销了原判，把那个犯人释放了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

5 priorities   

n.先( priority的名词复数 )；优先；优先权；优先考虑的事

参考例句：

• The document provided a revealing insight into the government's priorities. 这份文件使人看出政府的轻重缓急是怎样安排的。
• We must work together to fund only our most important priorities. 我们必须共同努力，只为最重要的项目提供资金。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

6 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。