UNIT 4
TEXT
Trying to make some money before entering university, the author applies for a teaching job. But the interview goes from bad to worse...
My First Job
While I was waiting to enter university, I saw advertised in a local newspaper a teaching post at a school in a suburb of London about ten miles from where I lived. Being very short money and wanting to do something useful, I applied, fearing as I did so, that without a degree and with no experience in teaching my chances of getting the job were slim.
However, three days later a letter arrived, asking me to go to Croydon for an interview. It proved an awkward journey: a train to Croydon station; a ten-minute bus ride and then a walk of at least a quarter to feel nervous.
The school was a red brick house with big windows, The front garden was a gravel square; four evergreen shrubs stood at each corner, where they struggled to survive the dust and fumes from a busy main from a busy main road.
It was clearly the headmaster himself that opened the door. He was short and fat. He had a sandy-coloured moustache, a wrinkled forehead and hardly any hair.
He looked at me with an air of surprised disapproval, as a colonel might look at a private whose bootlaces were undone. 'Ah yes,' he grunted. 'You'd better come inside.' The narrow, sunless hall smelled unpleasantly of stale cabbage; the walls were dirty with ink marks; it was all silent. His study, judging by the crumbs on the carpet, was also his dining-room. 'You'd better sit down,' he said, and proceeded to ask me a number of questions: what subjects I had taken in my General School Certificate; how old I was; what games I played; then fixing me suddenly with his bloodshot eyes, he asked me whether I thought games were a vital part of a boy's education. I mumbled something about not attaching too much importance to them. He grunted. I had said the wrong thing. The headmaster and I obviously had very little in common.
The school, he said, consisted of one class of twenty-four boys, ranging in age from seven to thirteen. I should have to teach all subjects except art, which he taught himself. Football and cricket were played in the Park, a mile away on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.
The teaching set-up filled me with fear. I should have to divide the class into three groups and teach them in turn at three different levels; and I was dismayed at the thought of teaching algebra and geometry-two subjects at which I had been completely incompetent at school. Worse perhaps was the idea of Saturday afternoon cricket; most of my friends would be enjoying leisure at that time.
I said shyly, 'What would my salary be?' 'Twelve pounds a week plus lunch.' Before I could protest, he got to his feet. 'Now', he said, 'you'd better meet my wife. She's the one who really runs this school.'
This was the last straw. I was very young: the prospect of working under a woman constituted the ultimate indignity.
NEW WORDS
apply
vi. write to ask for (a job, membership. etc.), esp. officially 申请
application
n.
interview
n. 面试；接见；会见
advertise
vt. make know to people by printing a notice in a newspaper, etc. or by broadcasting on television, ets. 为...做广告
advertisement
n.
local
of, special to, a place or district 当地的;地方性的
post
n. job or position 职位
suburb
n. outer area of a town or city, where people live 郊区
slim
a. small, slight; slender 微小的;苗条的
depress
vt. make sad 使沮丧
depression
n.
brick
n. 砖
gravel
n. 砾石
evergreen
a. with green leaves throughout the year 常绿的
shrub
n. low bush with several woody stems 灌木
fume
n. strong-smelling smoke, gas or vapour 浓烈难闻的烟,气,汽
headmaster
n. (中,小学的)校长
sandy-coloured
a. yellowish-red 沙色的,黄中带红的
moustache
n. hair growing on the upper lip 小胡子
disapproval
n. unfavorable opinion or feeling; dislike 不赞成;不满
colonel
n. 上校
private
n. soldier of the lowest rank 列兵;士兵
bootlace
n. shoelace for a high shoe or boot 靴带
undo
vt. untie, unfasten 解开;松开
ah
interj. (a cry of surprise, pity, pain, joy, dislike, etc.) 啊
grunt
vt. 咕哝着说出
unpleasantly
ad. 令人不愉快地
stale
a. not fresh 不新鲜的
cabbage
n. 卷心菜
crumb
n. very small, broken piece of bread or cake 面包屑;糕饼屑
carpet
n. heavy woven material fir covering floors or stairs 地毯
certificate
n. 证(明)书
bloodshot
a. (眼睛)充血的
vital
a. very necessary; of the greatest importance 必不可少的,极其重要的
mumble
vt. speak (words) unclearly 含糊地说
attach
vt. give (to); fasten (to) 把...给予;系,贴
importance
n. the quality of being important
obviously
ad. it can be easily seen; plainly 明显地，显然
obvious
a.
consist (of)
vi. be made up (of) 组成，构成
range
vi. vary between certain limits （在一定的范围内）变动
cricket
n. 板球
set-up
n. arrangement
dismay
vt. make discouraged or afraid 使灰心，使害怕
algebra
n. 代数学
geometry
n. 几何学
incompetent
a. completely unskillful; not good enough at doing a job, etc. 无能力的；不胜任的
competent
a. opposite of incompetent
leisure
n. free time; time which one can spend as one likes 闲暇；悠闲
salary
n. fixed (usually monthly) pay for regular work 薪水
plus
prep. with the addition of 加（上）
protest
vi. express a strong objection 抗议；反对
straw
n. 稻草；麦杆
prospect
vi. sth. expected or considered probable; possibility 期望中的事；展望；前景
constitute
vt. form; make up; be 组成，构成
ultimate
a. greatest; utmost; last or final 最大的；终极的，最终的
indignity
n. injury to one's dignity; insult 侮辱
PHRASES & EXPRESSIONS
be short of
not having enough of 缺少
smell of
have, give out the smell of 有...的气味
judging by
forming an opinion based on
attach importance to
consider important 重视
in common
shared with someone else 共有的,共同的
consist of
be made up of
in turn
one after another 轮流
PROPER NAMES
London
伦敦(英国首都)
Croydon
克洛伊登(英国地名)
参考译文——我的第一份工作
为了想在进大学前赚些钱，作者申请了一份教职。但面试情况却越来越糟……
我的第一份工作
罗伯特·贝斯特
在我等着进大学期间，我在一份地方报纸上看到一则广告，说是在离我住处大约十英里的伦敦某郊区，有所学校要招聘一名教师。我因为手头很拮据，同时也想干点有用的事，于是便提出了申请，但在提出申请的同时我也担心，自己一无学位，二无教学经验，得到这份工作的可能性是微乎其微的。
然而，三天之后，却来了一封信，叫我到克罗伊顿去面试。这一路去那儿原来还真麻烦：先乘火车到克罗伊顿车站，再乘十分钟的公共汽车，然后还要步行至少四分之一英里。结果，我在六月一个炎热的上午到了那儿，因为心情非常沮丧，竟不感到紧张了。
学校是一座装着大窗户的红砖房子。前庭园是个铺着砂砾的正方形：四个角上各有一丛冬青灌木，它们经受着从繁忙的大街上吹来的尘烟，挣扎着活下去。
开门的显然是校长本人。他又矮又胖，留着沙色的小胡子，前额上布满皱纹，头发差不多已经秃光。
他带着一种吃惊的、不以为然的神态看着我，就像一位上校看着一名没系好靴带的二等兵一样。“哦，”他咕哝着说：“你最好到里面来。”那狭窄的、不见阳光的走廊里散发出一股腐烂的卷心菜味，闻上去很不舒服；墙上墨迹斑斑，显得很脏；周围一片静寂。根据地毯上的面包屑来判断，他的书房也是他的餐室。“你最好坐下，”他说，接着便问了我许多问题：为了得到普通学校证书我学过哪些课程；我多大岁数了；我会玩些什么游戏；问到这里他突然用他那双充满血丝的眼睛盯住我，问我是否认为游戏是儿童教育的一个极为重要的组成部分。我含含糊糊地说了些不必太重视游戏之类的话。他咕哝了几句。我说了错话。我和校长显然没有多少共同语言。
他说，学校只有一个班，二十四名男生，年龄从七岁到十三岁不等，除了美术课他亲自教以外，其余所有的课程都得由我来教。星期三和星期六的下午要到一英里以外的公园去踢足球，打板球。
整个教学计划把我吓坏了。我得把全班学生分成三个组，按三种不同的程度轮流给他们上课；想到要教代数和几何这两门我在读书时学得极差的科目，我感到很害怕。更糟糕的也许是星期六下午打板球的安排，因为这时候我的朋友大都会在悠闲地自得其乐。
我怯生生地问：“我的薪水是多少?”“每周十二镑外加中饭。”还没等我来得及提出异议，他已经站了起来。“好了，”他说，“你最好见见我的妻子。她才是这所学校真正的主管人。”
我再也无法忍受了。我当时很年轻：在一个女人手下工作的前景构成了最大的侮辱。
