Part B Reading Practice A “Career-Life” Cr In the new movie Up in the Air, Anna Kendrick stars opposite George Clooney as Natalie Keener, an ambitious new college graduate who takes a job at a company whose business is to fire people. Natalie quickly gets to work developing a videoconferencing system that saves the company millions by performing terminations online. While on a cross-country trip to learn the rope,however, Natalie is shaken by the emotional implications of her prized job and quits. These days, many people---young and old---are experiencing a career-life cr, asking: “What do I do when I realize my dream job isn’t so wonderful after all?” Not long after Christine Hassler, 33 years old, of Los Angeles landed a prestigious and lucrative job as a Hollywood agent, she found herself arriving at work with knots in her stomach and counting the minutes until the weekend. “I didn’t like the job, and I didn’t like the person I was becoming while doing it-stressed out, irritable and unmotivated,” she says. Recognize the Impact Securing a position in your most desired field is a major achievement, and when the day-to-day work doesn’t turn out to be as great as you thought it would be, it’s normal to feel depressed, disappointed and confused. You may feel powerless to make a decision, and this state of limbo can cause you to experience physical symptoms like insomnia, malaise and stomachaches. Examine Expectations The way to cope is first to examine your expectations. Says Ms. Hassler: “Often, the first few years at a job aren’t the most thrilling because you’re learning the ropes, and it may be unreasonable to think that you’ll be jumping out of bed to go to work every day, or that you’ll get promoted before you’ve had time to prove yourself.” Plan on the Sidelines If you’re certain that you’ve made a wrong turn not to get mired in feelings of negativity. “If you go to work every day with a woe-is-me attitude, you are going to feel even worse,” says Ms. Hassler, who ually left Hollywood to become a life coach and book author. She suggests talking about your feelings with a friend or mentor, but keeping your face on at work. Maintain your work reputation and in your free time you can start putting plans in place to transition your career. Begin researching positions that are a better fit for your skills and interests, start saving money, and attend networking activities in different industries so that you can get plugged into their communities. Take the Pressure Off And don’t do anything rash. Although it’s normal to make a career detour, it’s also hard work, so you’ll be well served to consider your next move carefully. Putting pressure on yourself to find the perfect career right now will not make it happen any faster, so remove the sense of urgency. “Relax and spend some time getting to know yourself,” says Ms. Hassler. “As we get a clearer picture of who we are, then what we want to do becomes easier to identify.” New Words, Phrases and Expressions fire /’faɪə/ n. bright flames produced by things that are burning, an occurrence of uncontrolled burning which destroys buildings, forests, or other things. a burning pile of wood, coal, or other fuel that you make.火;火灾;炉火; secure /sɪ’kjʊə/ adj. safe , certain.安全的;无虑的;有把握的;稳当的 vt. invite , court , preserve , spell.保护;弄到;招致;缚住 vi. call it quits , place out of service.获得安全;船抛锚;停止工作 prestigious /prɛˈstɪdʒəs/ adj. exerting influence by reason of high status or prestige,having an illustrious reputation.有名望的,享有声望的 lucrative /ˈlu:krətɪv/ adj. producing much money or a large profit , paying.有利可图的,赚钱的;合算的 irritable /’ɪrɪtəb(ə)l/ adj. easily irritated or annoyed, capable of responding to stimuli.易怒的,敏感的 symptoms /’sɪmptəmz/ n. an illness is something wrong with your body or mind that is a sign of the illness, a bad situation is something that happens which is considered to be a sign of this situation. 症状,征兆症状 mentor /mentɔ:(r)/ n. a wise and trusted guide and advisor有经验可信赖的顾问 vt. serve as a teacher or trusted counselor做...的良师 reputation /repjʊ’teɪʃ(ə)n/ n. something means to be known or remembered for it,prestige.名声, 声望 transition /træn’zɪʃ(ə)n/ n. the process in which something changes from one state to another, conversion.n. 转型,过渡 rash /ræʃ/ n. an area of red spots that appears on your skin when you are ill or have a bad reaction to something that you have eaten or touched, 皮疹, adj. they act without thinking carefully first, and therefore make mistakes or behave foolishly.轻率的 detour /’diːtʊə / n. a roundabout road (especially one that is used temporarily while a main route is blocked). 绕道; 弯路 vt. travel via a detour绕路,绕道 limbo /lɪmbəʊ/ n. (theology) in Roman Catholicism, the place of unbaptized but innocent or righteous souls (such as infants and virtuous individuals), an imaginary place for lost or neglected things, [宗]地狱的外缘,不稳定 a cross-country trip 跨国旅行 turn out 发生;最后是,结果是 take off 起飞;脱下;离开 do out打扫;收拾 Notes 1. If you’re certain that you’ve made a wrong turn not to get mired in feelings of negativity. mire n. 泥潭;[地理] 泥沼 vi. 陷于泥坑;陷入困境 vt. 使陷于泥坑;使陷入困境 Why have you got us into this mire?, " he asked为什么要让我们陷入这样的泥沼中? The second is that there is no chance of the housing sector leading the present economy anywhere, except deeper into the mire. 第二点是,美国楼市目前不可能带领经济走出衰退,而只会把经济推入更深的泥潭。 2. Securing a position in your most desired field is a major achievement, and when the day-to-day work doesn’t turn out to be as great as you thought it would be, it’s normal to feel depressed,disappointed and confused. 本句是一个复合句,主句是Securing a position ...major achievement 和it’s normal to feel depressed, disappointed and confused。第一个句子中when引导时间状语从句,securing a position...field是动名词短语作主语。 3.It may be unreasonable to think that you’ll be jumping out of bed to go to work every day, or that you’ll get promoted before you’ve had time to prove yourself. 本句it是形式主语,真正的主语是think that you’ll be jumping out of bed to go to work every day, or that you’ll get promoted before you’ve had time to prove yourself.