新一代大學生的家政夢

Richard： Here you go， Anne. Be careful， the plate is hot.

Anne： Thanks， Richard. Wow， it looks amazing！ Like， five-star amazing.

Richard： I’m glad you approve， Anne. I’ve been brushing up on my cooking skills lately.

Anne： It seems like your hard work is paying off. You know， Richard， what with your job at the bank， ①I’m surprised you can find the time to put this much elbow grease into your cooking.

Richard： It isn’t easy. I’ve been putting in a lot of time keeping my apartment 1）spotless as well. I’ve been trying out new cleaning techniques， and I think I’ve perfected my skills.

Anne： I can see you take pride in it. ②A man’s home is his castle， as they say， but it seems like you’re going a little overboard. If I didn’t know better， I’d say you’re training to be a househusband.

Richard： ③Actually， you’re not far off. ④That’s what I wanted to run by you tonight—I’m thinking of changing careers and being a professional housekeeper.

Anne： ⑤Get out. ⑥You’re lying through your teeth.

Richard： ⑦Scout’s honor. I think I’d be good at it. ⑧You know I feel like I’m banging my head against the wall at the bank， so why not change to something new？

Anne： I can tell you why not. For one， you’re a man. It might be a man’s world， but housework is women’s work. Richard： You’re stuck in the past， Anne. If I want to do it， why not？ I do enjoy it； it’s more interesting than office life， and I feel like I’m really helping someone.

Anne： To each their own， I suppose. But surely you don’t think this is a solid career plan.

Richard： You’d be surprised. There are three levels of professional housekeepers， and it takes years to work your way to the top. A senior-level housekeeper can command a decent wage， and they’re in high demand.

Anne： I never knew that. I always thought housekeepers were just middle-aged women with nothing better to do.

Richard： Once upon a time， maybe. These days， more and more college grads are looking at housekeeping as a 2）viable career option.

Anne： Really？ But what about the future？ They can’t keep 3）scrubbing pans and changing 4）sheets their whole lives. It might be interesting for a few years， but for an educated young person， I’m sure it would get boring after a while.

Richard： That might be true for some people. If it gets boring， though， you can just switch jobs again. Housekeeping may not be the most respectable job in the public eye， but someone who has worked long and hard enough to be a senior-level housekeeper has demonstrated reliability， honesty， and a willingness to work. Not everybody can prove that.

Anne： I still can’t believe there’s enough demand for that kind of work.

Richard： There’s actually a shortage of trained housekeepers these days. Not many well-educated people choose this job， so the supply can’t keep up with demand. Anne： That sounds like a good business opportunity.

Richard： Seems you’ve got a nose for business. After becoming a senior housekeeper， I plan to open my own agency and start taking over the market.

Anne： Your choice is suddenly making more sense to me. Now， enough idle chatter！ On to the meal. Here’s to your new job！

Richard： Here， here！

理查德：接著，安妮。小心點，這個盤子很熱。

安妮：謝謝，理查德。哇，這（碟菜）看起來棒極了！就像五星級酒店做出來那么棒！

理查德：我很高興能夠得到你的認可，安妮。最近我一直在提高自己的廚藝。安妮：那看起來你的辛苦得到了回報。但是你知道的，理查德，你還有銀行的工作，我很意外你能抽出時間努力學習烹飪。

理查德：這很不容易。我花了很多時間來保持房子的潔凈。我一直在嘗試新的清潔技巧，而且我覺得我的方法得到了完善。

安妮：我看得出你為此感到自豪。就像人們所說的，自己的家自己說了算，但是你看起來有點走火入魔了。如果我沒理解錯的話，我覺得你在把自己訓練成一名家庭主男。

理查德：事實上，和你想得差不多。這就是我今晚想征求你意見的事——我想轉行，成為一名專業的家政人員。

安妮：你胡說。你這謊話說得太離譜了。

理查德：絕對是真的，我想我能勝任這份工作。你知道的，我感覺自己在銀行工作是白費心機，為什么不嘗試點新事物呢？

安妮：我可以告訴你為什么不行。其中一個原因，你是個男人，你得在男人的世界里，但是家政是女人的工作。

理查德：你太墨守成規了，安妮。如果我想干這份工作，為什么不行呢？我真的樂在其中。它比待在辦公室有趣多了，而且我感覺我真的在幫助別人。

安妮：我想，個人有個人的看法。但我很肯定你不會把它當作正業。

理查德：你會感到驚訝。有三個級別的專職家政人員，想要到最高級要工作好幾年的時間。一個高級的家政人員能有一份體面的薪水，而且他們也很搶手。安妮：我過去從來不知道。我總是認為家政人員都是無事可做的中年婦女。

理查德：也許，曾經是這樣。現在，越來越多大學生把家政工作看作可行的職業選擇。

安妮：真的嗎？那么未來呢？他們不能一輩子刷鍋換床單吧？也許幾年內會感到很有趣，但是對于一個受過教育的年輕人，我相信過一段時間這份工作就會變得枯燥。

理查德：這也許會適用在一些人身上。如果真的感到枯燥，你也能重新換另一份工作。在大眾的眼光里，家政也許不是最受尊重的工作，但是那些工作努力、有一定資歷的人，就能變成高級家政人員。他們可靠、誠實而且勤勞。不是每個人都能做到這點的。

安妮：我還是不能相信這種工作的需求量是足夠的。

理查德：近年來確實缺乏訓練有素的家政人員。不是很多受過良好教育的人會選擇這份工作，所以供不應求。

安妮：這聽起來很有商機。

理查德：看起來你很有商業頭腦。成為高級家政人員后，我打算開一家屬于自己的家政公司，開始占有市場。

安妮：我突然更能理解你的選擇了，現在，廢話說夠了！說到這頓飯，這是你的新工作！

理查德：來啦，來啦！

Smart Sentences

① I’m surprised you can find the time to put this much elbow grease into your cooking. 我很意外你能抽出時間努力學習烹飪。

put elbow grease into sth.： work hard at sth.（為某事而努力）。例如：

Joe put a lot of elbow grease into cleaning the kitchen all Sunday.喬整個星期天都在為打掃廚房埋頭苦干。

② A man’s home is his castle， as they say. 就像人們所說的，自己的家自己說了算。

a man’s home is his castle： one has total command of one’s home（一個人對家里的一切有絕對控制權）。例如：

Didn’t I tell you to turn down the music over and over again？ This is my place. A man’s home is his castle.

我不是跟你說過好多次，把音樂的音量調小一點嗎？這是我的家，我說了算。

③ Actually， you’re not far off. 事實上，和你想得差不多。

far off： considerably away from the truth（離真相有相當距離）。例如：

The result of the match turned out to be far off from the prediction.比賽結果與預測相距甚遠。

④ That’s what I’d wanted to run by you tonight—I’m thinking of changing careers and being a professional housekeeper. 這就是我今晚想征求你意見的事——我想換職業，成為一名專業的家政人員。

run （sth.） by sb.： tell sb. about sth. to get his/her opinion（就某事征求某人的意見）。例如：

We need to run this by the boss again before going ahead with it.我們要再跟老板把這事兒說一次，然后再行動。

⑤ Get out. 你胡說。

get out： used to express doubt as to what’s said（表示對對方所說的話的懷疑），例如：Tom was fired？ Get out！湯姆被炒了？你胡說！

⑥ You’re lying through your teeth. 你這謊話說得太離譜了。

lie through one’s teeth： lie boldly（撒彌天大謊，無恥的謊話）。例如：

The man’s lying through his teeth. That meeting never happened.

這人的謊話太離譜了，根本就沒開什么會。

⑦ Scout’s honor. 絕對是真的。

Scout’s honor： an honorable promise， same as “I swear”（靠得住的承諾，等同于“I swear”）。例如：

—Come on. I don’t believe it. Jesse can’t possibly be laid off.

得了，我才不相信呢。杰西不可能被辭退的。

—Scout’s honor， Rose. I saw him pack up his things and leave the building.

絕對是真的，羅斯，我看到他收拾自己的東西，離開了大樓。

⑧ You know I feel like I’m banging my head against the wall at the bank， so why not change to something new？ 你知道的，我感覺自己在銀行工作是白費心機，為什么不嘗試點新事物呢？

bang one’s head against a wall： waste one’s time trying hard to accomplish sth. that is completely hopeless（白費力氣，枉費心機）。例如：

You’re banging your head against a wall trying to get that dog to behave properly.

你想調教那只狗簡直是白費心機。