There is a widespread belief that people who get on in life may be successful not because they deserve (应得) it, but because of influential (有影响力的) friends or the right background. Sometimes it is quite harmless, while at the other extreme it can be very harmful. I once met a brilliant (有才能的) young engineer who worked in a chemical plant. Because of her knowledge and experience, she should have been promoted (提升) to Production Manager. Instead, the job went to a man who was totally unsuited for the position. Everyone knew that he only got it because he was politically acceptable to his leaders. This discouraged the young engineer and many other workmen.
All the same, we should not be pessimistic (悲观的). More and more, the modern world depends on having people who are in the job because they are good enough, not just because their face fits. There is a story of a factory owner who sent for an engineer to see to a machine, which would not work. He examined it, then took out a hammer and tapped it once. The machine started up right away. When he presented his bill, the owner protested, "This can’t be right! $100 just for tapping a machine with a hammer" The engineer wrote out a new bill: "For tapping a machine, $1; for knowing where to tap it, $99." What does the word "protested" (line 5, para.2) mean