“人只有一辈子”:一场疫情,让美国后浪更敢冒险了
【导语】
近期,一股“活在当下,及时行乐”的YOLO风潮正影响着美国的年轻人。一些人辞去了劳碌的工作,开始专注搞副业;或者放弃了安稳的美差,开始为梦想放手一搏。疫情中的这一年,让他们开始意识到,工作不是最重要的,是时候开始步入转变生活形态的新篇章了。YOLO是什么意思?它究竟象征着一个什么样的趋势?
【挖空练习】
Welcome to the YOLO _________
“你只能活一次”:欢迎来到冒险经济
By Kevin Roose
_________ strange is happening _________ the exhausted millennial workers _________ America. After a year _________ hunched _________ their MacBooks, enduring back-to-back Zooms, they are flipping the carefully arranged chessboards of their lives and deciding _________ risk it all.
在疲惫不堪的美国千禧一代职场人士中,有一种奇怪的现象正发生。在过去的一年里,他们弯腰摆弄着苹果笔记本,忍受一个接一个的Zoom视频会议。而现在,他们掀翻精心安排的人生棋盘,决定赌上一切去冒险。
Some are abandoning cushy and stable jobs to start a new business, turn a side hustle _________ a full-time gig or _________ work on that screenplay. _________ some of _________ are just _________ jobs, others are stepping _________ the career treadmill altogether.
有些人放弃了舒适稳定的工作,开始了新的事业;有些人开始全身心搞副业,或者终于开始创作剧本。一些人只是换了工作,但也有人完全放弃了枯燥无味的打工生涯。
If this movement has a rallying cry, it's "YOLO" — "you only live _________," an acronym deployed _________ cheerful risk-takers. It has come to characterize the attitude that has captured a _________type _________bored office worker in recent _________.
如果说这个运动有什么口号的话,那就是“YOLO”(你只能活一次),这个首字母缩略词经常被兴奋的冒险人士拿来用。最近几个月,它已经成为某类无聊的办公室职员的典型态度。
Not everyone can afford _________throw caution to the wind. But for a _________number of people _________financial cushions and in-demand skills, the dread and anxiety of the _________year are giving way to a new __________________professional fearlessness. The pandemic changed their priorities, and they _________they didn't have to live _________this.
不是所有人都能把谨慎置之脑后。越来越多人因为坐拥财务缓冲能力,或者掌握着稀缺技能,对于他们来说,一种新的无惧失业精神,正在代替过去一年的恐惧和焦虑。疫情改变了他们看重的事的优先级,他们意识到,没有必要像过去一样生活。
“It feels like we've been so _________into careers for the past decade, and this is our opportunity _________switch it up," said Nate Moseley, 29, a _________at a major clothing retailer. “The idea of _________right back to the pre-Covid setup sounds so unappealing _________this past year," he said. "If not now, when will I _________do this "
29岁的内特·莫斯利是一家大型服装零售商的采购员,他说:“感觉在过去的十年里,我们都被职业束缚住了,这是我们改变的机会。”他还说:“经过这一年,回到新冠之前的生活听起来并不那么有吸引力了。如果现在不去做,我什么时候才能改变?”
答案:
Welcome to the YOLO Economy
“你只能活一次”:欢迎来到冒险经济
By Kevin Roose
Something strange is happening to the exhausted millennial workers of America. After a year spent hunched over their MacBooks, enduring back-to-back Zooms, they are flipping the carefully arranged chessboards of their lives and deciding to risk it all.
在疲惫不堪的美国千禧一代职场人士中,有一种奇怪的现象正发生。在过去的一年里,他们弯腰摆弄着苹果笔记本,忍受一个接一个的Zoom视频会议。而现在,他们掀翻精心安排的人生棋盘,决定赌上一切去冒险。
Some are abandoning cushy and stable jobs to start a new business, turn a side hustle into a full-time gig or finally work on that screenplay. While some of them are just changing jobs, others are stepping off the career treadmill altogether.
有些人放弃了舒适稳定的工作,开始了新的事业;有些人开始全身心搞副业,或者终于开始创作剧本。一些人只是换了工作,但也有人完全放弃了枯燥无味的打工生涯。
If this movement has a rallying cry, it's "YOLO" — "you only live once," an acronym deployed by cheerful risk-takers. It has come to characterize the attitude that has captured a certain type of bored office worker in recent months.
如果说这个运动有什么口号的话,那就是“YOLO”(你只能活一次),这个首字母缩略词经常被兴奋的冒险人士拿来用。最近几个月,它已经成为某类无聊的办公室职员的典型态度。
Not everyone can afford to throw caution to the wind. But for a growing number of people with financial cushions and in-demand skills, the dread and anxiety of the past year are giving way to a new kind of professional fearlessness. The pandemic changed their priorities, and they realized they didn't have to live like this.
不是所有人都能把谨慎置之脑后。越来越多人因为坐拥财务缓冲能力,或者掌握着稀缺技能,对于他们来说,一种新的无惧失业精神,正在代替过去一年的恐惧和焦虑。疫情改变了他们看重的事的优先级,他们意识到,没有必要像过去一样生活。
“It feels like we've been so locked into careers for the past decade, and this is our opportunity to switch it up," said Nate Moseley, 29, a buyer at a major clothing retailer. “The idea of going right back to the pre-Covid setup sounds so unappealing after this past year," he said. "If not now, when will I ever do this "
29岁的内特·莫斯利是一家大型服装零售商的采购员,他说:“感觉在过去的十年里,我们都被职业束缚住了,这是我们改变的机会。”他还说:“经过这一年,回到新冠之前的生活听起来并不那么有吸引力了。如果现在不去做,我什么时候才能改变?”
【拓展】
英国著名教育家Thomas Huxley的著名演讲Life is a chessboard节选:
The player on the other side is hidden from us. We know that his play is always fair, just and patient. But also we know, to our cost, that he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance.
生词好句
1.YOLO
你只能活一次(You Only Live Once 的缩写)
拓展:
YOLO economy 冒险经济
2.millennial
英 [m leni l]
adj. 千禧年的(Millennial Generation指20世纪末,1980年代和1990年代初期出生的这样一群人,又被称为Generation Y)
拓展:
Generation Z
Z世代(90年代后期,尤其是2000年以后出生的这批美国人)
3.hunch
英 [h nt ] 美 [h nt ]
v. 弓背,弯腰
4.endure
英 [ n d ] 美 [ n d r]
vt. 忍受,忍耐
5.back-to-back
英 [ b kt b k] 美 [ b kt b k]
adj. 一个接一个的(coming one after another)
6.risk it all
赌上一切
7.a cushy job
没什么挑战、待遇还不差的工作
拓展:
cushy
UK / k i/ US / k i/
adj. 轻松的;容易的;轻松又容易赚钱的
cushy来自于cushion(靠垫)
8.side hustle
副业
拓展:
hustle
UK / h s l/ US / h s l/
n. 精力充沛的活动(energetic activity)
bustle n. 走来走去忙忙碌碌的状态
hustle and bustle 城市生活中熙熙攘攘、热闹拥挤的状态
9.gig
英 [ɡ ɡ] 美 [ɡ ɡ]
n. 零活儿
拓展:
full-time gig 副业当主业,全身心投入的副业
gig economy 零工经济
10.step off the career treadmill
告别枯燥无味的职场生涯
拓展:
mill n. 磨坊
tread n. 踏板 v. 行走,步行
treadmill n. 漫长而枯燥的工作或者生活方式;跑步机
11.rallying cry
运动口号
拓展:
rally v. 集合,召集
cry n. 呼喊,呼叫,口号
12.deploy
英 [d pl ] 美 [d pl ]
v. 利用
拓展:
deploy vs use
"use"所表示的"用",单纯指一个动作,一个行为。
"deploy"所表示的"用",是指有目的、有策略地来调用或者利用某个东西。
【常见搭配】
fully deploy resources 充分利用资源
deploy one's skills 发挥、利用自己的技能
deploy a strategy 利用某个策略
13.characterize
英 [ k r kt ra z] 美 [ ker kt ra z]
vt. …通常表现为,…呈现…特征
拓展:
A characterizes B
A是B的典型特征(A is a characteristic of B)
characteristic n. 特征,特点
Poor concentration, decreased creativity, and worse temper characterize work fatigue.
Work fatigue is characterized by poor concentration, decreased creativity and worse temper.
工作疲劳通常表现为注意力下降、创造性减弱、以及脾气变差。
Chinese education is still characterized by an emphasis on exam results.
中国的教育制度仍旧是以强调考试结果为特征的。
14.capture
英 [ k pt ] 美 [ k pt r]
vt. 占据,俘获(人的心智)
15.afford to do something
能够承受做某事,有做某件事情的资本
16.throw caution to the wind
不再谨小慎行;不顾一切,豁出去了
拓展:
caution n. 谨慎,小心
17.financial cushion
金融或者财务上的缓冲能力
18.in-demand
adj. 需求当中的;紧缺的
拓展:
in-demand skills 社会紧缺的技能
19.give way to
被替代,被取代(be replaced by)
20.priority
英 [pra r ti] 美 [pra r ti]
拓展:
n. 优先级;首要考虑,最重要的事情
21.switch up
为了变得更好而做出改变
22.setup
美 [ set p]
n. 设定