2009年考研英语全题型高分强化教程(13)

Employment and unemployment

就业与失业

Text

How to apply for a job

　　Say you're a developer who's in the market for a job. You come across a job listing, perhaps something like the one I recently posted. It's a job you're interested in and you send in your resume. Here's what to do.

　　A cover letter is not just a standard part of your resume. A cover letter is designed to highlight the parts of your experience that are specific to the job to which you are applying. It's supposed to be the thing I see first and should draw me in, making me want to get the details from your resume. Don't stick your cover letter in an attachment and your resume in another attachment or your cover letter might not get seen. It's certainly not doing its job hidden in an attachment like that. If you are sending a resume by email, your cover letter belongs in the body of your email.

　　You need to proofread your cover letter carefully. This is my first introduction to you. This is your chance to impress me. If you have sloppy spelling, capitalization, and spelling in your cover letter I'll expect that your code as the same sort of problems. I'm not looking for Pulitzer-prize-winning stuff here, but most kids learn in first grade to capitalize proper nouns and the beginnings of sentences.

　　Your resume should tell me what languages you know, what technologies you have experience with, and how you've applied that experience. Unless you're applying for a job as a secretary, you don't need to tell me you're proficient at MS Word - if you're a software developer, I assume you're familiar enough the basic workings of a word processor to use it to open a document and read a spec. Do tell me what sort of systems you've built and what challenges you overcame while building them. Do tell me how you applied your knowledge of efficient database operation to decrease server load by 30%.

　　When I look at your resume I should get a sense of what size projects you've worked on. If you've worked with an internationally-known company, then I immediately understand you've had exposure to larger projects. If all of your experience was at no-name companies in North Dakota, then you need to tell me that the project you worked on had 15 developers and an annual budget of 3 million dollars. Otherwise I'm likely to think your prior experience was building simple ASP front ends to little Access databases.

　　And finally, follow the directions for applying for the job. If I went to the trouble of describing how you should apply, there's probably a good reason for it. If I ask for a plain-text resume, don't send a Word document or a link to your resume on your Web site. If I ask for a code sample, include it. If you can't follow those simple directions, how can I expect that you'll be able to follow a spec?

　　I don't even look at those emails I get with Word attachments, no code samples, no information about availability or your location. I simply file them away in case I ever have a need to hire a developer that doesn't know how to follow directions.

Reading Comprehension

1. Why did the author suggest that don't put your cover letter in another attachment of your resume?
[A] It's a waste of time.
[B] It is absurd.
[C] It will make your cover letter not do its job.
[D] There is no need to do so.

2. Why did the author emphasize the importance of proofread?
[A] Because it is a quality that a pupil should have.
[B] Proofreading can decrease errors from your cover letter.
[C] It will make you avoid some simple errors and will give your reader a good impression.
[D] It can make you win Pulitzer-prize.

3. Why did the author say that you should let the reader know what size project you've worked on？
[A] Because this will highlight your resume.
[B] Because you are required to do so.
[C] Because this will let your reader know you better.
[D]Because it can make your reader know your ability for larger projects.

4. What's the meaning of "went to the trouble" that mentioned in paragraph 6?
[A] To face puzzledom.
[B] An amount of effort and time that is needed to do something.
[C] Have some difficulties.
[D] Some problems can't be solve.

5. What's the meaning of the word "spec" which mentioned in paragraph 6?
[A] Rule.
[B] Law.
[C] A detailed instruction about how a piece of equipment should be made.
[D] An direction.

答案与题解：

1.[C]

细节题。准确定位到原文是解题的关键。本题出现在原文的第二段。题目问道作者为什么建议不要把求职信放在简历的另一个附件里，该题正确的理解应为如果把求职信放在另一个附件中则求职信将发挥不出它的作用。

2.[C]

细节题。本题的干扰项在B项。校对的确可以减少错误，但这并不是本文强调的重点。本文认为避免一些低级错误是给审查简历的人留下好印象的机会。

3.[D]

细节题。请看文中的第五段，"then I immediately understand you've had exposure to larger projects."这样我便知道你有做大型项目的能力，也就是选项中需要我们选出的答案：这样可以使你简历的读者知道你具备做大型项目的能力。

4.[B]

逻辑判断题。本题先要解决对原句的理解问题，词组"went to the trouble"指的是不厌其烦。然后再定位到原文，根据上下文逻辑，可以推知，作者是在讲他之所以不厌其烦的解释怎样申请工作的原因，所以B为正确选项。

5.[C]

推断题。从原文句式上看，这里是一个递进的关系，是逻辑上的顺延，所以一定是与"direction"同意的一个词。再加上逻辑上的递进关系，所以正确的解释应该是"制造某项设备的详细指令。"

Words:

1. capitalization资本化，股本，资本总额

2. spec投机，说明，规格

3. exposure暴露，曝光，揭发，方向

Notes：

1．A cover letter is designed to highlight the parts of... job to which you are applying.

这里难点在于对"cover letter"意思的把握，文中出现的这个词组是求职信的意思，是个特定表达法。另外注意被动语态在汉译时在这里应转化为主动语态。

本句应译为：设计一封求职信是用来给你的经历增辉的。这对于你申请工作特别的有利。

2．If you have sloppy spelling, capitalization,... as the same sort of problems.

这里，"sloppy spelling"的翻法值得注意。sloppy本意是潮湿的，溅污的，这里引申来指代字迹不整。

本句应译为：如果在你的求职信中字迹不整洁，有大小写错误甚至拼写错误，我会认为你的所作所为也会到处出错。

3．Unless you're applying for a job as a secretary, ...open a document and read a spec.

"secretary"是名词，有部长、大臣、书记、秘书等意思。这里指秘书工作。

本句应译为：除非你申请的是一项秘书工作，你不用告诉我你精通微软的文字操作系统。如果你是一个软件开发人员，我假设你对文字处理的基础工作很精通，熟知怎样打开文档和读取文件。

4．Do tell me what sort of systems ...overcame while building them.

这句话同下句话一起都属于强调句型，这里注意强调句的翻法。

本句应译为：要告诉我都做过什么类型的系统，克服了怎样的困难。

5．Do tell me how you applied your knowledge ...operation to decrease server load by 30%.

"server load"指的是服务器的负荷。注意在这里的强调句型的翻译。

课文参考译文：

怎样申请工作

　　假定你是一个到招聘会上找工作的研发人员，你拿上一张工作清单，或许有点像我比较近张贴出去的那张。这是一份你感兴趣的工作，你递上你的简历，下面是你要做的。

　　一封求职信不仅仅是你简历中一个标准的部分，求职信旨在为你的经历增加闪光点，这特别有助于你申请工作。它必须有新意，能吸引我，使我有想从简历中进一步了解你的愿望。不要把你的求职信同你的简历放在不同的附件里，否则你的求职信可能根本不会被打开。它就一直埋没在附件中发挥不了作用了。如果你用电子邮件寄送简历，你的求职信就要包涵在你的电子邮件里。

　　你需要仔细校对你求职信里的内容，这是我要跟你讲的第一句话。这也是你能给我留下印象的机会。如果在你的求职信中字迹不整洁，有大小写错误甚至拼写错误，我会认为你的所作所为也会到处出错。我并不是在挑能获得普利策奖的员工。但专有名词首字母以及句子的首字母应该大写的问题是大多数孩子们在一年级就学过了的。

　　你的简历中应该告诉我你都会哪些语言，都有哪些技能经验，以及熟练到什么程度。除非你申请的是一项秘书工作，你不需要告诉我你精通微软的文字操作系统。如果你是一个软件开发人员，我假设你对文字处理的基础工作很精通，熟知怎样打开文档及读取文件。要告诉我的是都做过什么类型的系统，克服了怎样的困难。要告诉我怎样运用你的知识使服务器更有效率地工作，以使其负荷量减少30%。

　　当我看你的简历的时候，我应该能知道你做过什么级别的项目。如果你曾为一个国际知名公司做项目，那么，我会马上知道你有做大型工程的能力。如果你所有的活儿都是给北达科州那些不知名的公司们干的，那么你就要告诉我你所从事的工程中要有15个以上的研发人员和300万美元的年预算。否则，我将会认为你先前的工作只是做一些简单的动态服务器主页，前后再链接上微不足道的数据库接口。

　　比较后，请遵循工作申请的要求。如果非要说我为什么要不厌其烦的向你讲怎样来申请，那么下面的说明可以解释。如果我要一份纯文本简历，就不要给我一份Word文档或是一个网页中关于你简历的链接。如果我要一份编程实例，那么就把它加在其中。如果这么简单的指示你都不能遵守，那么我怎么能认为以后你会按照规章办事呢？