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Why People Work

by Leonard R. Sayles

    Everyone needs to work but what does work mean to him? In the following essay Leonard R. Sayles explores the relationship between work and human beings' well-being.

    Jobs and work do much more than most of us realize to provide happiness and contentment. We're all used to thinking that work provides the material things of life—the goods and services that make possible our version of modern civilization. But we are much less conscious of the extent to which work provides the more intangible, but more crucial, psychological well-being that can make the difference between a full and an empty life.

    Why is it that most of us don't put work and human satisfaction together, except when it comes to the end product of work: automobiles and houses and good food?

    It's always useful to blame someone else and the Greeks of the ancient world deserve some blame here. At that time work was restricted to slaves and to those few free citizens who had not yet accumulated adequate independent resources. The "real" citizens of Greece—whom Plato and others talked about—expected to spend their time in free discussion and contemplation.

    The Middle Ages didn't help the reputation of work. It became more acceptable to engage in work. In fact, it was asserted that man had a religious duty to fulfill his "calling". To fail to work was immoral—worse, work was thought of as a punishment for the sins of man.

    It's not difficult to understand the tarnished reputation. Historically, work has been associated with slavery and sin, compulsion and punishment. And in our own day we are used to hearing the traditional complaints: "I can't wait for my vacation." "I wish I could stay home today." "My boss treats me poorly." "I've got too much work to do and not enough time to do it." Against this backdrop, it may well come as a surprise to learn that not only psychologists but other behavioral scientists have come to accept the positive contribution of work to the individual's happiness and sense of personal achievement. Work is more than a necessity for most human beings; it is the focus of their lives, the source of their identity and creativity.

    Rather than a punishment or a burden, work is the opportunity to realize one's potential. Many psychiatrists heading mental health clinics have observed its therapeutic effect. A good many patients who languish in clinics, depressed or obsessed, gain renewed self-confidence when gainfully employed and lose some, if not all, of their most acute symptoms. Increasingly, institutions dealing with mental health problems are establishing worships wherein those too sick to get a job in "outside" industry can work, while every effort is exerted to arrange "real" jobs for those well enough to work outside.

    And the reverse is true, too. For large numbers of people, the absence of work is debilitating. Retirement often brings many problems surrounding the "What do I do with myself?" question, even though there may be no financial cares. Large numbers of people regularly get headaches and other psychosomatic illnesses on weekends when they don't have their jobs to go to, and must fend for themselves. It has been observed that unemployment, quite aside from exerting financial pressures, brings enormous psychological malaise and that many individuals deteriorate rapidly when jobless.

    But why? Why should work be such a significant source of human satisfaction? A good share of the answer rests in the kind of pride that is stimulated by the job, by the activity of accomplishing. After all, large numbers of people continue working when there is no financial or other compulsion. They are independently wealthy; no one would be surprised if they spent their time at leisure. But something inside drives them to work: the unique satisfactions they derive from it.

Pride in Accomplishment

    The human being craves a sense of being accomplished, of being able to do things, with his hand, with his mind, with his will. Each of us wants to feel he or she has the ability to do something that is meaningful and that stands outside of us as a tribute to our inherent abilities. This extension of ourselves—in what our hands and minds can do—fills out our personality and expands our ego.

    It is easiest to see this in the craftsman who lovingly shapes some base material into an object that may be either useful or beautiful or both. You can see the carpenter or bricklayer or die-maker stand aside and admire the product of his personal skill.

    But even where there is no obvious end product that is solely attributable to one person's skill, researchers have found that employees find pride in accomplishment. Our own research in hospitals suggests that even the housekeeping and laundry staffs take pride in the fact that in their own ways they are helping to cure sick people—and thus accomplishing a good deal.

    We've watched programmers and engineers work fifteen and eighteen hours at a stretch, seven days a week, when a job really got tough and they knew that a crucial deadline had to be met, or when a major project would fall unless some tough problem were solved. Certainly some of this is loyalty and identification—giving back to the organization something in return for having provided them with good jobs—but a larger part of it is selfishness, in the good sense of the word. They received a substantial personal payoff from their efforts in the knowledge that they could tackle tough, almost insurmountable problems, yet overcome them. They enjoyed "making it,"—winning despite difficult odds; proving their capacities against the outsider: nature, a competitor, a complex problem; mastering something new every day.

    Even on simple jobs one can observe pride at work. Cleaning men and janitors will tell you that while the job looks uncomplicated, there are countless subtleties one needs to know, whose desk can be dusted and whose can't; how to get the most out of cleaning compounds; the best sequence to handle a variety of jobs; even how to sweep a great deal without getting tired. Machine operators often make comments like this:

   "See this machine? Anyone looking at it thinks you can master it in an hour or two; even the foreman does. But every machine has a personality of its own. I know just how fast I can run it on every different kind of material we get around here; what it will take and what it won't take; how to coax it along; how much oil; what every sound means that it makes. You know it actually takes a year before you know everything about a piece of equipment like this—so you feel it is just part of you, of your arms and legs and head."

    We're often misled by the gripes and complaints surrounding difficult work; deep down most people regard their own capacity to conquer the tough job the mark of their own unique personality. Grousing is just part of working. After all, how else do you know who you are, except as you can demonstrate the ability of your mind to control your limbs and hands and words? You are, in significant measure, what you can do.

    Some are deceived into thinking that people like to store up energy, to rest and save themselves as much as possible. Just the opposite. It is energy expenditure that is satisfying. Expending energy, in a sense, creates its own replacement—there is no reservoir such that the more you use the less you have. The measure of your capability is in being active and being able to control that activity so that it results in a tangible accomplishment you can claim as your own.

    Just watch an employee who must deal with countless other people because his or her job is at some central point in a communications network: a salesman at a busy counter, a stock broker on the phone, a customer representative. They will tell you how much skill and experience it takes to field countless questions and handle a welter of diverse personalities every hour of the day. Not everyone can interact with such persistence and over long hours, but those who do, pride themselves in a distinctive ability that contributes mightily to the running of the organization.

    But work is more than accomplishment and pride in being able to command the job, because except for a few artisans and artists most work takes place "out in the world," with and through other people.

Esprit de corps

    Perhaps an example will make the point:

    I remember viewing a half dozen men in a chair factory whose job it was to bend several pieces of steel and attach them so that a bridge chair would result. While there were ten or twelve of these "teams" that worked together, one in particular was known for its perfect coordination and lightning-like efforts. The men knew they were good. They would work in spurts for twenty or thirty minutes before taking a break—to show themselves, bystanders and other groups what it was to be superbly skilled and self-controlled, to be the best in the factory.

    When I talked with them, each expressed enormous pride in being a part of the fastest, best team. And this sense of belonging to an accomplished work group that both outsiders and insiders recognize can handle itself with extreme virtuosity is one of the distinctive satisfactions of the world of work. It is the same esprit de corps one can see in the military, where men will make enormous sacrifices to help their buddies to whom they have developed strong loyalties and who comprise the best darn outfit in the field.

    There is little satisfaction to be derived from being part of the inept, uncoordinated "team" that is always last in the formal or informal competition.

    Just as in athletics, a winning team produces a variety of social supports and satisfactions. It is both exciting and reassuring to be caught up in a network of friendships in which people can congratulate each other (and be admired and even a little envied by outsiders) for their competence, know-how and productivity. In a sense success breeds success; the successful group becomes more unified because people want to be associated with it and value their membership in the group. The bonds that hold the individual to the work group also are responsible for its effectiveness: cohesive groups more easily solve the problems of interdependence and cooperation than do the disunited or those which have little hold on their members.

    One further word about work group satisfactions. Unlike many other aspects of life, relationships among people at work tend to be simple, less complicated, somewhat less emotional. This is not to say there aren't arguments and jealousies, but, on the whole, behavioral research discloses that human relations at work are just easier, perhaps because they are more regular and predictable and thus simpler to adjust to than the sporadic, the more intense and less regular relationships in the community. And the work group also gently pressures its members to learn how to adjust to one another so that the "rough edges" are worked off because people know they must do certain things with and through one another each day.

    Beyond the team and the work group, there is the organization, whether it be company or hospital or university. The same pride in being part of a well-coordinated, successful unit is derived from being part of a large collectivity. Working for a company that is thought of as being one of the best in the community (because of its reputation for quality, perhaps, or the technical sophistication of its products, or its working conditions, or its social conscience) can provide employees with both status and self-confidence. They assume, usually with good reason, that others regard them more highly, even envy them, and that they are more astute and competent than the average because of this association with a "winner", a prestigious institution. We in truth bask in the reflected glory of the institution, and we seek ways of asserting our membership so that others will know and can recognize our good fortune.

(2014 words) TOP

课文一

人为什么劳动

莱昂纳多·塞勒斯

    每个人都必须劳动，可是劳动意味着什么？在下面这篇文章里，莱昂纳多·塞勒斯研究了劳动和人类幸福之间的关系。

    工作和劳动带来的幸福和满足感要比我们意识到的大得多。我们习惯于认为，劳动提供了生活的物质财富——它带来的商品和服务使我们的现代文明成为可能。可是，我们却很少意识到劳动带来的无形的、更关键的心理健康，它关系着我们的生活是充实还是空虚。

    为什么大多数人除了劳动转化为其最终产品：汽车、房子和珍馐美味的时候，并不能把劳动和满足感结合起来？

    责备别人总是有用的，而古老世界的希腊人负有一定责任。那时，劳动只局限于奴隶和少数没有积累到足够独立财富的自由民。柏拉图等人谈到的那些“真正”的希腊公民，只想把时间都花在自由辩论和冥想上。

    中世纪时期劳动的声誉也没能提高，劳动开始更多地为人们接受。但事实上，当时强调的是人要履行自己“使命”的宗教义务。不劳动是不道德的——更糟糕的是，劳动被看作是对人类罪孽的惩罚。

    因此，不难理解劳动声名狼藉。历史上，劳动一直同奴役、罪孽、强制和惩罚联系在一起。在我们的时代，我们习惯于听到这些传统的抱怨：“我简直等不及要放假。”“我真想今天能呆在家里。”“老板对我很苛刻。”“我要干的活儿这么多，却没有足够的时间干这些活。”在这种环境中，如果我们了解到，不仅心理学家，其它的行为科学家也都承认劳动对个人幸福和成就感的积极贡献，也许就会很吃惊。对大多数人来说，劳动不仅仅是一种必须，而是生命的焦点，是自我身份和创造力的源泉。

    劳动不是惩罚或负担，而是实现个人潜力的机会。很多主持心理健康诊疗所的精神病学家，都观察过劳动的治疗效果。很多病人在医院里郁闷憔悴、心情沮丧或被思绪困扰，当他们获得有益的工作时，就会找回自信，原来严重的症状也大都——如果不是全部的话——消失。越来越多的心理健康问题研究机构正在建立劳动场所，那些病情太重无法在“外部”产业中找到一份工作的人可以在其中工作，同时，他们也尽一切可能为那些可以在外面工作的人安排“真正的”工作。

     反过来也是一样。对许多人来说，不劳动会使人虚弱衰退。即使没有经济顾虑，退休也经常带来很多问题，问题的中心是“我该干什么？”很多人一到周末就犯头疼，或其它一些与身心相关的疾病，因为那时他们没有事可做，而不得不自己想办法消遣。我们发现，失业除了带来经济上的压力外，还带来巨大的心理不安，很多人失业后很快消沉下去。

    可是为什么呢？为什么劳动会成为人类满足感如此重要的源泉？答案的一部分在于这份工作和完成的活动能引发骄傲感。毕竟，很多人在没有经济或其它压力的情况下仍然劳动。他们能够自立、富有，就是整日休闲也没有人会奇怪。但某些内在的东西驱使他们去劳动——一种从劳动中获得的独特满足感。

成功的骄傲
    人们渴求成功的感觉，渴望运用自己的双手、智慧和意志去创造。我们每个人都希望自己有能力做些有意义的事，它是我们内在能力的外在标志。我们的双手和智慧所做的一切成为我们自身的延展——它能充实我们的个性，丰富我们的自我。

    这一点在手工艺人身上最容易见到。他充满感情地把原材料变成一件实用、美观或两者兼备的手工艺品。你会看到一个木匠、砖匠或制模工站在一边，欣赏着用自己的技巧完成的作品。

    即使没有能够明显地表现个人才能的最终产品，研究者发现劳动者仍然能从完成一件工作中获得自豪感。我们自己在医院的研究表明，即使是负责房间整洁和洗衣的职工，也自豪地感到自己在以自己的方式帮助病人痊愈——从而完成了一件有意义的事。

    我们还观察到，有时，程序设计师和工程师在工作中遇到很大困难，而他们知道工作必须如期完成；而有时，除非他们能解决某个棘手的问题，否则一项大的工程就面临着流产，这时他们就会每天连续工作15到18个小时，每周工作7天。当然，这部分是出于忠诚和与公司息息相关之感，他们要回报为自己提供了好工作的公司。但更大的一部分是利己的，当然是取其积极的意义。通过自己的努力，他们获得了一份丰厚的个人报酬——他们从中了解到自己能够对付巨大的、几乎是不可逾越的困难，并且克服这些困难。他们喜欢“成功”：克服巨大的困难而胜利；证明自己应付外界（可以是自然、竞争对手、或一个复杂的问题）的能力；每天都掌握新的东西。

     即使是从简单的工作中，也能看到劳动的骄傲感。清洁工和看门人会告诉你，尽管他们的工作看起来很简单，却需要细致入微：谁的办公桌可以清扫而谁的不可以；如何最好地利用清洁剂；干活的最佳顺序；甚至是如何做大量的清扫工作而不会疲惫。我们经常听到机器操作员这样说：

    “看到这台机器了吗？谁看到它都会觉得一两个小时就能掌握它，就是工头也会这样想。但每台机器都有自己的个性。我知道使用我们这里任何一种材料时我能开多快；它能做什么不能做什么；怎么能哄着它往前走；用多少油；它发出的每一个声音意味着什么。你知道，你得一年才能彻底搞清楚这东西——于是，你觉得它成了你的一部分，你的手，你的腿，你的头脑。”

    我们通常被对难活的抱怨所误导；而在内心深处，大多数人认为自己克服困难工作的能力是自己独特性的标志。牢骚埋怨只是劳动过程的一部分。毕竟，你怎么能知道你是谁，除非你能表现出自己用头脑控制肢体、手和语言的能力？在很重要的程度上，你就是你所能做的。

    有些人错误地认为，人要保存能量、尽量休息并保养自己。事实正好相反。恰恰是体能的消耗带来了满足感。从某种意义上说，体能消耗的同时产生体能的补充，因为人体内部并没有一种体能储存器，使用一点就会少一点。衡量一个人能力的标准在于他的行动和控制行动的能力，并取得可以声称属于自己的、看得见摸得着的成绩。

    看一看这样一位雇员，他或她因为工作处于某个交流网络的核心，必须与数不清的人打交道，比如繁忙的柜台后的售货员，接听电话的证券经纪人或客户代理商。他们会告诉你每日里要圆满地解答数不清的问题、接待难以数计的不同客户，这需要多少技巧和经验。并不是所有的人都可以长期如此有耐心地从事这项工作，但那些做到的人，就会为自己的这一特殊能力而骄傲——这种能力为整个机构的运作作出了巨大贡献。

    不过，工作不仅仅意味着成就和能驾驭这份工作的自豪感，因为除了少数的工匠和艺术家外，大部分的工作都是与他人合作并通过他人“在外面的世界里”进行的。

    团队精神

   或许一个例子能说明这一点：
   我记得曾在一家制椅厂看到六个工人，他们的工作是将一些钢片弄弯并装上去，这样一把桥牌椅就完工了。在该工厂里这样一起工作的“团队”有十或十二个，其中有一个特别出名地配合娴熟、迅速敏捷。他们知道自己是优秀的，会一股劲地干上二十或三十分钟然后休息一下，向旁观者和其他组显示一下什么是精湛的技艺和良好的自制力，什么是厂里的佼佼者。

    当我同他们交谈时，每个人在言语之间都为自己是最好最快的一个团队成员而感到极大的自豪。这种属于一个内外都得到承认的成功团队的感觉，是劳动的世界带来的特殊的令人满意之处之一。在军队里我们同样可以找到这种团队精神，战友们之间相互忠诚，组成了“战场上最好的组合”，为了帮助自己的战友他们会作出巨大的牺牲。

    属于无论在正式或非正式的竞争中都是最后的懒散的、缺乏默契的“团队”，就很少会得到这种满足感。

    如同在体育运动中，一个获胜的队伍会带来各种各样的社会支持与满足感。如果能够身处于一个友谊的网络中，在那里成员间互相为对方的能力、技术和效率而高兴（并让外人羡慕甚至嫉妒）；这会令人兴奋、充满信心。从某种意义上说，成功带来了更多的成功；成功的团队会越来越团结一致，因为人们愿意成为其中一员并珍视这种成员资格。连系个人与团队间的纽带也是团队效率的一个制约因素。联系紧密的团队比之一盘散沙的团队更容易解决那些相互依存和合作的问题。

   关于从团队协作中获得满足感还有另外一点。与生活的众多其它方面不同，工作中的人际关系会更简单、不那么复杂、少一些感情色彩。这并不是说，工作中人际间没有争论与嫉妒，而是说按照行为学研究揭示的，工作中的人际关系更容易处理，因为较之生活中那些偶然、紧张、没有规律的人际关系，工作中的关系总体而言更显得有规律并可预见，因而也就容易适应。而团队也对每个成员有一些压力，使得他们学会相互适应，磨掉各自的“棱角”，因为他们知道自己每天都必须与他人协作并通过相互的努力来做某些事情。

    在团队和工作小组之上还有一个机构，无论它是一个公司、一家医院或一所大学。归属于一个协作良好的成功团队的自豪感，同样可以从一个更大的集体中获得。为一家被认为是界内最好的公司之一（因其良好的产品质量、高精尖的产品技术、优厚的工作条件或社会责任心）工作会给雇员带来一种地位和自信心。他们一般很有理由地认为，因为自己是一个“胜家”公司、受人尊敬的机构的一员，人们会高看甚至嫉妒他们，而自己也比一般的人更精明更有能力。我们确实是沐浴在由机构反射出来的荣誉中，而我们也会想方设法维护自己的成员关系，使别人知道且能认识到我们的好运气。

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Text 2

From 

Working

by Studs Terkel

Babe Secoli

    She's a checker at a supermarket. She's been at it for almost thirty years. "I started at twelve—a little, privately owned grocery store across the street from the house. They didn't have no cash registers. I used to mark the prices down on a paper bag."

    "When I got out of high school, I didn't want no secretary job. I wanted the grocery job. It was so interesting for a young girl. I just fell into it. I don't know no other work but this. It's hard work, but I like it. This is my life."

    We sell everything here, millions of items. From potato chips and pop—we even have a genuine pearl in a can of oysters. It sells for two somethin'. Snails with the shells that you put on the table, fanciness. There are items I never heard of we have here. I know the price of every one. Sometimes the boss asks me and I get a kick out of it. There isn't a thing you don't want that isn't in this store.

    You sort of memorize the prices. It just comes to you. I know half a gallon of milk is sixty-four cents; a gallon, $1.10. You look at the labels. A small can of peas, Raggedy Ann. Green Giant, that's a few pennies more. I know Green Giant's eighteen and I know Raggedy An is fourteen. I know Del Monte is twenty-two. But lately the prices jack up from one day to another. Margarine two days ago was forty-three cents. Today it's forty-nine. Now when I see Imperial comin' through, I know it's forty-nine cents. You just memorize. On the register is a list of some prices, that's for the part-time girls. I never look at it.

    I don't have to look at the keys on my register. I'm like the secretary that knows her typewriter. The touch. My hand fits. The number nine is my big middle finger. The thumb is number one, two and three and up. The side of my hand uses the bar for the total and all that.

    I use my three fingers—my thumb, my index finger, and my middle finger. The right hand. And my left hand is on the groceries. They put down their groceries. I got my hips pushin' on the button and it rolls around on the counter. When I feel I have enough groceries in front of me, I let go of my hip. I'm just movin'—the hips, the hand, and the register, the hips, the hand, and the register ...(As she demonstrates, her hands and hips move in the manner of an Oriental dancer.) You just keep goin', one, two, one, two. If you've got that rhythm, you're a fast checker. Your feet are flat on the floor and you're turning your head back and forth.

    Somebody talks to you. If you take your hand off the item, you're gonna forget what you were ringin'. It's the feel. When I'm pushin' the items through I'm always having my hand on the items. If somebody interrupts to ask me the price, I'll answer while I'm movin'. Like playin' a piano.

    I'm eight hours a day on my feet. It's just a physical tire of standing up. When I get home I get my second wind. As far as standin' there, I'm not tired. It's when I'm roamin' around tryin' to catch a shoplifter. There's a lot of shoplifters in here. When I see one, I'm ready to run for them.

    When my boss asks me how I know, I just know by the movements of their hands. And with their purses and their shopping bags and their clothing rearranged. You can just tell what they're doin' and I'm never wrong so far.

    The best kind shoplift. They're not doin' this because they need the money. A very nice class of people off Lake Shore Drive. They do it every day—men and women. Lately it's been more or less these hippies, livin' from day to day...

    It's meats. Some of these women have big purses. I caught one here last week. She had two big packages of sirloin strips in her purse. That amounted to ten dollars. When she came up to the register, I very politely said, "Would you like to pay for anything else, without me embarrassing you?" My boss is standing right there. I called him over. She looked at me sort of on the cocky side. I said, "I know you have meat in your purse. Before your neighbors see you, you either pay for it or take it out." She got very snappy. That's where my boss stepped in, "Why ‘d you take the meat?" She paid for it.

    Nobody knows it. I talk very politely. My boss doesn't do anything drastic. If they get rowdy, he'll raise his voice to embarrass ‘em. He tells them not to come back in the store again.

    I have one comin' in here, it's razor blades. He's a very nice dressed man in his early sixties. He doesn't need these razor blades any more than the man in the moon. I've been following him and he knows it. So he's layin' low on the razor blades. It's little petty things like this. They're mad at somebody, so they have to take their anger out on something.

    We had one lady, she pleaded with us that she wanted to come back—not to have her husband find out. My boss told her she was gonna be watched wherever she went. But that was just to put a little fright in her. Because she was just an elderly person. I would be too embarrassed to come into a store if this would happen. But I guess it's just the normal thing these days—any place you go. You have to feel sorry for people like this. I like ‘em all.

    My family gets the biggest kick out of the shoplifters: "What happened today?" (Laughs.) This is about the one with the meat in her purse. She didn't need that meat any more than the man in the moon.

   Some of ‘em, they get angry and perturbed at the prices, and they start swearin' at me. I just look at ‘em. You have to consider the source. I just don't answer them, because before you know it I'll get in a heated argument. The customer's always right. Doesn't she realize I have to buy the same food? I go shopping and pay the same prices. I'm not gettin' a discount. The shoplifters, they say to me, "Don't you want for something?" Yes, I want and I'm standing on my feet all day and I got varicose veins. But I don't walk out of here with a purse full of meat. When I want a piece of steak I buy a piece of steak.

    My feet, they hurt at times, very much so. When I was eighteen years old I put the bathing suit on and I could see the map on my leg. From standing, standing. And not the proper shoes. So I wear like nurse's shoes with good inner sole arch support, like Dr. Scholl's. They ease the pain and that's it. Sometimes I go to bed, I'm so tired that I can't sleep. My feet hurt as if I'm standing while I'm in bed.

    I love my job. I've got very nice bosses. I got a black manager and he's just beautiful. They don't bother you as long as you do your work. And the pay is terrific. I automatically get a raise because of the union. Retail Clerks. Right now I'm ready for retirement as far as the union goes. I have enough years. I'm as high up as I can go. I make $189 gross pay. When I retire I'll make close to five hundred dollars a month. This is because of the union. Full benefits. The business agents all know me by name. The young kids don't stop and think what good the union's done.

    Sometimes I feel some of these girls are overpaid. They don't do the work they're supposed to be doin'. Young girls who come in, they just go plunk, plunk, so slow. All the old customers, they say, "Let's go to Babe," because I'm fast. That's why I'm so tired while these young girls are going dancin' at night. They don't really put pride in their work. To me, this is living. At times, when I feel sick, I come to work feelin' I'll pep up here. Sometimes it doesn't. (Laughs.)

    I'm a checker and I'm very proud of it. There's some, they say, "A checker-ugh!" To me, it's like somebody being a teacher or a lawyer. I'm not ashamed that I wear a uniform and nurse's shoes and that I got varicose veins. I'm makin' an honest living. Whoever looks down on me, they're lower than I am.

    What irritates me is when customers get very cocky with me. "Hurry up," or "Cash my check quick." I don't think this is right. You wait your time and I'll give you my full, undivided attention. You rush and you're gonna get nothin'. Like yesterday, I had two big orders on my counter and I push the groceries down, and she says, "I have to be somewhere in ten minutes. Hurry up and bag that." You don't talk that way to me or any other checker.

    I'm human, I'm working for a living. They belittle me sometimes. They use a little profanity sometimes. I stop right there and I go get the manager. Nobody is gonna call me a (cups hand over mouth, whispers) b-i-t-c-h. These are the higher class of people, like as if I'm their housekeeper or their maid. You don't even talk to a maid like this.

    I make mistakes, I'm not infallible. I apologize. I catch it right there and then. I tell my customers, "I overcharged you two pennies on this. I will take it off of your next item." So my customers don't watch me when I ring up. They trust me. But I had one this morning—with this person I say, "How are you?" That's the extent of our conversation. She says to me, "Wait. I want to check you." I just don't bother. I make like I don't even know she's there or I don't even hear her. She's ready for an argument. So I say, "Stop right there and then. I'll give you a receipt when I'm through. If there's any mistakes I'll correct them." These people, I can't understand them—and I can be bothered with their little trifles because I've got my next customer that wants to get out ...

    It hurts my feelings when they distrust me. I wouldn't cheat nobody, because it isn't going in my pocket. If I make an honest mistake, they call you a thief, they call you a ganef. I'm far from bein' a ganef.

    Sometimes I feel my face gettin' so red that I'm so aggravated, I'm a total wreck. My family says, "We better not talk to her today. She's had a bad day." They say, "What happened?" I'll look at ‘em and I'll start laughin', because this is not a policy to bring home your work. You leave your troubles at the store and vice versa. But there's days when you can't cope with it. But it irons out.

    "When you make a mistake, you get three chances. Then they take it out of your pay, which is right. You can't make a ten-dollar mistake every week. It's fishy. What's this nonsense? If I give a customer ten dollars too much, it's your own fault. That's why they got these registers with the amounts tendered on it. You don't have to stop and count. I've never had such mistakes. It happens mostly with some of these young kids."

    Years ago it was more friendlier, more sweeter. Now there's like tension in the air. A tension in the store. The minute you walk in you feel it. Everybody is fightin' with each other. They're pushin', pushin'—"I was first." Now it's an effort to say, "Hello, how are you?" It must be the way of people livin' today. Everything is so rush, rush, rush, and shovin'. Nobody's goin' anywhere. I think they're pushin' themselves to a grave, some of these people.

    A lot of traffic here. There's bumpin' into each other with shoppin' carts. Some of ‘em just do it intentionally. When I'm shoppin', they just jam you with the carts. That hits your ankle and you have a nice big bruise there. You know who does this the most? These old men that shop. These men. They're terrible and just jam you. Sometimes I go over and tap them on the shoulder: "Now why did you do this?" They look at you and they just start laughin'. It's just hatred in them, they're bitter. They hate themselves, maybe they don't feel good that day. They gotta take their anger out on somethin', so they just jam you. It's just ridiculous.

    I know some of these people are lonesome. They have really nobody. They got one or two items in their cart and they're just shoppin' for an hour, just dallying along, talkin' to other people. They tell them how they feel, what they did today. It's just that they want to get it out, these old people. And the young ones are rushin' to a PTA meeting or somethin', and they just glance at these people and got no time for ‘em.

    We have this little coffee nook and we serve free coffee. A lot of people come in for the coffee and just walk out. I have one old lady, she's got no place to go. She sits in front of the window for hours. She'll walk around the store, she'll come back. I found out she's all alone, this old lady. No family, no nothin'. From my register I see the whole bit.

    I wouldn't know how to go in a factory. It'd be like in a prison. Like this, I can look outside, see what the weather is like. I want a little fresh air, I walk out the front door, take a few sniffs of air, and come back in. I'm here forty-five minutes early every morning. I've never been late except for that big snowstorm. I never thought of any other work.

    I'm a couple of days away, I'm very lonesome for this place. When I'm on a vacation, I can't wait to go, but two or three days away, I start to get fidgety. I can't stand around and do nothin', I have to be busy at all times. I look forward to comin' to work. It's a great feelin'. I enjoy it somethin' terrible.

(2391 words)  TOP

课文二

选自

劳动

斯塔兹·德克尔

贝比斯·考利

    她是一家超市的收银员。已经干了几乎30年了。“我12岁就开始干这行了——在一家私人小杂货店里，就在这房子对面街上。那时候他们没有收款机。我总是把价格记在纸袋上。”

    “高中毕业时我不想当秘书。我想去杂货店上班。这对一个小女孩儿来说是那么有趣。我迷上了它。除了杂货店外我不知道还有其它什么工作。这很辛苦，可我喜欢它。这就是我的生活。”

    我们这里什么都卖，有几百万种商品。从土豆条到汽水应有尽有——甚至还有一颗真的珍珠在一罐牡蛎里。它卖两块多。还有放在桌上的带壳蜗牛，真有趣。店里还有些我从未听到过的东西。我知道所有商品的价格。有时老板问我，这时候我总是很开心。这儿没有你买不到的东西。

    我把价格都背下来。到时候它就会自动跑到你脑子里。半加仑牛奶64美分；一加仑是1.10美元。我看着商品的标签。一小瓶豌豆片，莱格迪·安牌的。绿色巨人牌的要贵几分钱。绿色巨人要18美分，莱格迪·安是14美分。而戴尔·蒙特要22美分。可最近价格一天比一天抬高。玛格利恩两天前是43美分，可今天就是49了。现在我一看到帝国牌的，就知道它是49美分。我就是把它们都记住。收款机上有一行价目表，那是给兼职的女孩们用的。我从不看 。

    收银时我根本不要看键盘。就像熟悉自己的打字机的秘书。我只触摸。我的手正好合适。中指正好在9上，大拇指是1，2，3，再往上。我用手的一侧按加法键，把价钱加起来。

    我用三个手指——拇指、食指和中指。是右手。左手放在货物上。他们把东西拿出来。我用臀部顶住按钮，东西就会滚到柜台上，我面前有足够的货品时，我的臀部就松开按纽。我一直在动——臀部、手、收款机，臀部、手、收款机……（在她演示时，她的双手和臀部像东方的舞蹈女郎一样运动着。）你不停地动，一、二、一、二。要是你掌握了节奏，效率就会很高。你的脚平踩在地板上，而你的头不停地前后摆。

    有些人会和你说话。如果你把手从东西上拿开，你就会忘记你正在敲的价钱。这是一种感觉。我收款时从不把手从东西上拿开。如果有人插话问价钱，我就边动边回答，就像是弹钢琴。

    我一天站8个小时。这只是身体上累。回到家后我会喘口气，恢复精力。站在那儿时我不并累。累的时候是在我四处逛悠抓小偷时。这儿有很多偷东西的。我看见一个，就要追上去抓住。

    老板问我是怎么知道他们偷了东西。我就是看他们的手怎么动。还有他们的钱包、购物袋，还有重新整理过的衣服。你就能看出来他们在干什么。我从来没弄错过。

    一流的偷窃。他们并不缺钱。很多是休德莱弗湖那边出身很好的人。他们每天都偷一点——男的，女的。最近是那些嬉皮士，天天都是。

    偷的是肉。一些女人带着大钱包。上星期我在这儿抓到一个。她把两大盒牛里脊肉条藏在钱包里。都有10美元。她来到收款机前，我礼貌对她说：“您愿意为其它东西付款，要不我会让您难堪的。”老板就站在那儿。我让他过来。她趾高气扬地看着我。我说：“我知道你在钱包里藏着肉。在你的邻居们看见你之前，你要么付钱，要么拿出来。”她变得十分恼怒。这时我的老板过来解围，“你为什么要拿肉？”她付了帐。

   没人知道。我说话很礼貌。老板也没有过激的行为。如果他们吵闹起来，老板就提高嗓门给他们难堪。告诉他们永远也不要再来。

    一天，有个人拿了剃刀片。他穿得很好，六十出头。他根本不再需要这些刀片。我一直跟着他，他也知道。所以他就躲躲藏藏。就是这样的小玩意儿。他们恨某些人，所以不得不把愤怒发泄在什么 东西上。

    还有一位女士。她求我们，说以后还想在我们店里买东西——害怕她丈夫知道。老板告诉她，在店里她会到处受到监视。但这只是吓唬她。因为她不过是个上了年纪的人。这要是换了我，就再也没脸来了。可我猜现在这是很平常的事——哪儿都是。你为这些人难过。我爱所有的人。

    我家里人可喜欢听我抓小偷的事了：“今天有什么故事？”（笑。）这是那个钱包里藏肉的女人。她根本不需要那些肉。

    有些人对价格不满意，他们会很生气，很激动，开始骂我。我只是看着他们。你得考虑原因。我不说话。因为你一不小心就会卷到一场大吵中去。顾客总是对的。难道她没意识到我也要买同样的食品？我也要买东西，也付同样的价钱。不会给我打折的。那些偷东西的人对我说：“难道你就不需要什么吗？”是的，我需要。我站了一整天，血管都肿了。可我不会带着装满肉的钱包从这儿走出去。要是我需要牛排，我就去买一块。

    我的脚有时会很疼。18岁时，因为长时间的站着，又没有合适的鞋子，穿上浴衣我都能看到腿上肿胀的脉纹。所以现在我穿护士穿的鞋子，里面有很好的弓形鞋底撑，就像斯格尔医生穿的那种。它们能减缓疼痛。有时我躺在床上累得睡不着。脚疼得就像还在站着一样。

    我喜欢我的工作，遇到的老板都很好。有一个黑人老板，他很帅。你只要干你的活他就不会打扰你。报酬好极了。我的薪水自动增加。因为有零售业员工联盟。现在我准备好了退休，只要联盟起作用。我干得年数已经足够。也尽力做到了最好。我的薪工总额是189美圆。退休后我每月会拿到接近500美圆。这是因为有联盟。我拿全部津贴。工会代表们都知道我的名字。可年轻人从不停下来想想联盟带来的好处。

    有时侯我觉得这些女孩子拿的钱太多。她们应该做得更好。那些年轻的女孩子，啪嗒，啪嗒，那么慢。所有的老顾客都说：“咱们去贝比那儿。”因为我快。这就是为什么我这么累，而那些年轻女孩子晚上却跳舞去。她们并不为自己的工作骄傲。而对我来说，这就是生活。有时候我感觉不舒服，来上班时我想也许在这儿我能好起来。有时也不能。（笑。）

    我是个收银员，而且很自豪。有些人会说：“一个收银员，啊唷！”可我觉得这跟当个教师或律师没什么差别。我穿着一身制服、护士的鞋、血管肿着，可我一点都不自卑。我诚实地赚钱。任何看不起我的人，还没有我高贵。

    让我生气的是那些对我趾高气扬的人。“快点”，或“快点找钱。”我觉得这不对。你是在等，而我也在全力以赴地为你工作。你太急的话就什么也得不到。就像昨天，我柜台上有两大份货物，我把东西挪过来，她说：“我十分钟后有事，快点装。”你不会对我或对任何一个收银员这样说话的。

    我是人，我工作是为生活。有时他们看不起我。有时还侮辱我。当时我立即停下来去找经理。没有人叫我（手拢在嘴上）婊——子。这是那些上等人，就好像我是他们的管家或女佣。就是对佣人也不能这样说话。

    我也会犯错误。我不可能永不出错。我会道歉。我会当场发现错误。我对顾客说：“这个我多打了两分钱，下一个我再给您扣掉。”我敲键盘的时候我的顾客们根本不看我。他们相信我。可今天早上有个人。我对她说，“你好？”我们的谈话仅限于此。她对我说：“等等。我想查查。”我一点儿也不生气。就好像她根本不在那儿，我也没听到她的话。她等着吵架呢。于是我说：“别那样。完了我会给你一张收条。如果有错误我会纠正的。”我不懂这些人——这些小事也让我烦恼，因为我还有下一个顾客等着结帐。

    一些顾客不信任我，这让我很难过。我不会欺骗任何人。因为钱不会落进我的腰包。要是我无心犯了错，他们就叫我小偷、骗子。我可不是骗子。

    有时我气得涨红了脸，情绪坏透了，人都要跨掉。家里人会说：“今天最好别跟她说话。她已经受够了。”或者问我：“怎么了？”我看着他们，然后就会开始笑，因为你不能把工作带回家里。你把烦恼留在店里，反过来也是。不过有时候你真的撑不下去。可这些烦恼都会自己消除的。

    “如果你出了错，你有三次机会。然后他们会扣你的工资，这没错。你不会每星期都出一个十美元的错。这不可能。真是胡说。要是我多找了顾客十美元，那是我的错。所以他们用收款机，上面会把总价打出来。你不需要停下来算。我从未出过这样的错误。出错的大都是那些年轻人。”

    几年前人们更友好、更亲切。现在空气中有种紧张气氛。店里也是。你一进去就会感觉到。人人都在相互竞争。你推我搡——“我是第一。”现在你不大容易说，“嗨，你好！”这样的话了。也许这就是现代人的生活方式。大家都在奔命、奔命、奔命，你推我我挤你。没人知道要干什么。我想他们是要把自己挤到坟墓里去。

    这里人很多。购物车难免相互碰撞。可有些人是故意的。买东西的时候，有人故意用车子挤你，你脚踝上就擦破了一大块。你知道谁最爱这么干？那些老年人。是他们。他们糟透了，就是去撞你。有时我会走过去，拍拍他们的肩，说,“你为什么这样做？”他们就会看着我，然后开始大笑。这是因为他们心中的怨恨。他们总是怀恨在心。他们恨自己，也许那天他们心情不好。他们要把怨恨发泄在什么地方。于是他们就去挤你。这很荒唐。

    我知道这些人有的很孤独。没什么亲人。他们一逛一个小时，可车子里只有一两件东西。他们只是闲逛，互相聊聊天。跟别人说说自己的感受，今天都干了什么。他们只是想说出来，这些老人。可那些年轻人都忙着参加家长教师会会议之类的事，只不过扫他们一眼，根本没工夫听他们 。

    我们这里有个小咖啡座，供应免费咖啡。很多人进来只是喝咖啡，然后就出去。有一个老太太，她没别的地方可去。在窗前一坐几个小时。在店里逛逛，然后再回来。我发现她孤独极了。没有家人，什么也没有。我站在这儿能看到一切。

    我不知道在工厂工作会怎么样，肯定像个监狱。在这儿，我能看到外面，知道天气怎么样。如果我需要一点新鲜空气，就从前门走出去，用力吸几口气再回来。每天我提早45分钟到这儿。我从来没迟到过，除了那次下大雪。我也从没想过做其它工作。

    离开这儿一两天我就会很寂寞，想回来。放假前我总是急不可耐，可离开两三天后我就会烦躁不安。我就是不能无所事事，什么都不干，必须得忙个不停。我想回去上班。那感觉真好。我非常喜欢。

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