Carolyn： （looking through the classifieds） This one…no…That one…no…

Edward： Hi， Carolyn. What are you up to？

Carolyn： Oh， hi， Edward. Im going through this list of job postings.

Edward： You dont sound so optimistic about them.

Carolyn： ①Finding a decent job in this market is worse than finding a needle in a haystack—its like finding a needle in the ocean！

Edward： Oh， dont be so down in the dumps. Surely its not as difficult as that.

Carolyn： What makes you so sure？ Have you found a job yet？

Edward： As a matter of fact， I have.

Carolyn： Really？ Where？ What kind？

Edward： Its a reception job in that new five-star hotel downtown.

Carolyn： A service job？ Really？ You took a service job after graduation？ ②I didnt think you would have to stoop to that level.

Edward： Why not？ Its a five-star hotel， not some back-alley flophouse.

Carolyn： But its still a service job. Were college grads， Ed. Dont you think the service sector is beneath us？

Edward： Not in the slightest. In fact， I bet you couldnt hack it in a service job to save your life.

Carolyn： What are you talking about？ I got the third highest marks in our class. I can take whatever a service job throws at me.

Edward： Thats where youre wrong. Learning facts and passing tests is completely different from working with people. Carolyn： How so？

Edward： Facts dont have egos. Facts dont get angry. Facts dont call your boss and threaten to get you fired. They just sit there on the page， waiting for you to learn them.

Carolyn： That sounds good to me. Why would you want to spend your time messing with pesky customers？

Edward： Because every job， everywhere， requires that you work with people. ③If you can keep your head above water in a service job， then managing office politics later in your career will be a breeze.

Carolyn： Well， whatever. You can spend your twenties carrying other peoples luggage if you want to. Im keeping my sights high and looking for a management job.

Edward： Any luck with that？

Carolyn： Well， there are a few listings here， but they all require a few years working experience.

Edward： Exactly. And where do you hope to get that experience？

Carolyn： Well， I may have to lower my sights a bit. I guess I could accept an entry-level position.

Edward： As long as the position is in a well-known company， right？ Maybe a high-class， international brand？

Carolyn： Of course！ And if possible， I would like to be able to interact with clients directly. That way， when I apply for a management position， they will know I can please the clients.

Edward： That sounds like a good idea. ④Youll need to show that you can follow all the guidelines， get along with everyone， solve difficult problems， think on your feet， and represent the company well.

Carolyn： Thats exactly right！

Edward： In that case， I have exactly the job for you. Carolyn： What is it？

Edward： How about a reception job at that new five-star hotel downtown？

卡洛琳：（正在看分类广告）这个……不行……那个……也不行……

爱德华：嗨，卡洛琳。你在干嘛呢？

卡洛琳：噢，嗨，爱德华。我在看这些招聘广告呢。

爱德华：听起来你的情况不太乐观。

卡洛琳：在如今这个就业市场，找到一份体面的工作比大海捞针还难。

爱德华：噢，别那么沮丧。肯定没有那么难的。

卡洛琳：你为什么这么肯定？你找到工作了吗？

爱德华：事实上，我找到了。

卡洛琳：真的吗？在哪儿？什么样的工作？

爱德华：这是一份在市区新开的一家五星级宾馆做前台的工作。

卡洛琳：一份服务工作？真的吗？你毕业后干一份服务工作？我没有想到你会堕落到那个地步。

爱德华：为什么不行呢？这是一家五星级的宾馆，不是什么廉价低级的旅馆。

卡洛琳：但这还是一份服务性的工作。我们是大学毕业生，爱德华。你不觉得服务业对我们来说档次太低了吗？

爱德华：一点也不觉得。事实上，我猜你不能胜任服务业的工作，而且难以维持生计。

卡洛琳：你在说什么？我在我们班是考第三名的。我可以应付任何服务工作。

爱德华：这就是你的误解了。知识和通过考试与和他人一起工作是完全不同的。

卡洛琳：为什么？

爱德华：知识不会有自尊，知识不会生气。知识不会给你老板打小报告而让你有被炒的威胁。知识只是在书本里，等着你去学习它们。

卡洛琳：这听起来很适合我。你为什么愿意花时间去跟讨厌的客人纠缠？

爱德华：因为每个地方的每份工作都需要你和他人一起共事。如果你能应付服务性的工作，那么在你（日后的）职业生涯中管理公司就是小菜一碟了。

卡洛琳：好吧，随便吧。如果你愿意，你可以用20几岁的美好年华来给别人拿行李。我要把眼光放高，寻找一份管理工作。

爱德华：那你找到了吗？

卡洛琳：好吧，这里有一些职位，但是它们都要求有几年的工作经验。

爱德华：对啊。你到哪里去取得这些经验呢？

卡洛琳：好吧，我也许要降低我的眼光一点。我想我可以接受一个初级职位。

爱德华：只要这个职位是出自一家出名的公司，对吧？也许得是一间高端的国际化公司对吧？

卡洛琳：当然！如果可能的话，我想直接与客户接触。这样的话，当我申请管理职位时，他们就会知道我能让客户满意。

爱德华：这听起来是个好主意。你需要证明你能遵守所有的规定、和每个人都能好好相处、解决难题、独立思考、很好地代表公司的（形象）。

卡洛琳：就是这样！

爱德华：这种情况，我倒是有一份工作给你。

卡洛琳：什么工作？

爱德华：一份在市区一家新开的五星级宾馆做前台的工作可以吗？

Smart Sentences

① Finding a decent job in this market is worse than finding a needle in a haystack—its like finding a needle in the ocean！ 在如今這个就业市场，找到一份体面的工作比大海捞针还难。

find a needle in a haystack： search for a hard-to-find thing（海底捞针）。例如：

Since the Bible was put online， searching for a quote is no longer like finding a needle in a haystack—its a piece of cake.

自从圣经放到网上后，搜索一句引言再也不像是大海捞针了——太容易了。

② I didnt think you would have to stoop to that level. 我没有想到你会堕落到那个地步。

stoop to sth.： degrade oneself or condescend to doing something（屈尊，堕落）。例如：

They have stooped to using gimmicks in order to get their way.

他们堕落到为达到目的而耍小花招的地步。

③ If you can keep your head above water in a service job， then managing office politics later in your career will be a breeze. 如果你能应付服务性的工作，那么在你（日后的）职业生涯中管理公司就是小菜一碟了。

keep ones head above water： manage to survive（使自己免于麻烦，凑合）。例如：

Weve got so many books to read this semester and Im trying hard to keep my head above water.这个学期我们要读的书很多，我正努力应付过去。

a breeze： sth. that takes little effort（不费吹灰之力的事）。例如：

Finishing the report before the deadline is a breeze for Jay.

在期限前完成那份報告对杰伊来说太容易了。

④ Youll need to show that you can follow all the guidelines， get along with everyone， solve difficult problems， think on your feet， and represent the company well. 你需要证明你能遵守所有的规定、和每个人都能好好相处、解决难题、独立思考、很好地代表公司的（形象）。

think on ones own feet： think of a solution quickly and independently（快速反应，独立思考）。例如：

A good customer service representative should be able to think on his feet.

一名好的客服人员应该要能快速反应，独立思考。