牛津英语模块11第一单元Reading版块的全文和翻译。
So many jobs to choose from!
The last year of high school is a time for hard work and also a time for reflection. At this time, you have to start thinking about the future and what you want to do after graduation. In this article, I’m going to discuss some of the options available to you and whether popular careers, more unusual jobs or everyday jobs are better suited to you.
When choosing a career, you should consider all the aspects of a job. Some job may seem very dull but are very important to society while others can appear very exciting but are actually very difficult and boring. One example is the so called ‘glamorous job’ of being a model or an actor. Would you like to be famous, wear diamonds, go to parties relax on cushions in private jets or helicopters? In reality, these people have to spend long hours traveling, with all their baggage packed in suitcase or trunks, and only a very small number of them are successful. Many actors, actresses and models hold ordinary, less glamorous jobs, often working as waiters or waitresses, in order to support themselves. Meanwhile, those who are successful and famous have to deal with constant media attention. They have to be very thick-skinned to deal with all kinds of criticism. They’re also under huge pressure to appear young and beautiful. Most actors and models are always on a diet, and many have painful surgery to make their faces and bodies look more attractive. It doesn’t seem that glamorous now, does it? Maybe a career as a local grocer of flour- covered baker would be a better option.
Other popular professions for young people include careers in law or business. Many people have ambitions to become successful as a lawyer or business person, but they don’t consider the stress and pressure that come with these jobs. These can be well-paid and interesting jobs, but you also have to very long hours. Also, sometimes as a boss in the business world, you have to make different decisions that hurt people, and being a lawyer can involve facing tough moral issues.
In contrast, some people find more unusual jobs that are better suited to their talents and interests. A few years ago, when I was hiking in the Grand Canyon National Park in the USA, I met a man who had a very unusual job. He was living by a stream in a tent surrounded by technical equipment, and his only neighbours were the birds and squirrels in the nearby trees. His job was to check the noise pollution in the park zones. He loved camping, and his job was like a holiday for him. It was very easy to see that he enjoyed doing his job. There are many other people doing unusual jobs, such as a beer taster at a brewery, who probably consumes one liter of beer per year, a person who design fireworks displays and a person who tests rides for amusement parks. All these people love their jobs, which might not be popular, but are interesting regardless.
Similarly, many ordinary jobs may look dull, but they are as essential as water to our society. As we go through our daily lives, we meet different kinds of people——shop assistants, who sell us things in shops; drivers, who drive trams and buses transporting us around the city; barbers, who cut our hair in barbershops and cleaners, who clear up our rubbish. These jobs may not seem very attractive, but they