53. Is money the most important aspect of a job?

I understand that nowadays it is very important for people to earn a lot of money. As a matter of fact, many people equate money with success: the more money you earn, the more successful you are. However, the financial aspect is not the most important aspect of a job. The work environment and camaraderie with one's coworkers, the personal fulfillment from one's occupation, and the opportunity to balance professional and personal lives are much more important.

People who spend forty hours a week or more at their place of employment should enjoy their work environment, especially the company of their coworkers. After all, the prospect of having to spend any amount of time in a room or a building with people who one does not respect, who are unpleasant, or, even worse, hostile, will have a very negative effect on one's disposition and mental health. A few more dollars in the bank account cannot compensate for this.

Similarly, one should derive a special fulfillment or pleasure from doing one's job. Normally, a person will spend at least a third of his/her adult life at work (eight hours or more every day). One should not waste this time by doing work that is boring or tedious even if it is well paid. The money earned will only enrich the life away from work but not enhance the work experience.

Finally, the personal life can only be enjoyed adequately if there is enough time away from the professional life. Affluence affords many nice things, such as houses or cars or television sets, but a person who has to work night and day will not be able to derive any pleasure from them. Also, a father or a mother who makes a lot of money might be able to provide his or her family with a comfortable life, but how much good does that do if he or she never sees them? Time spent with family, especially children, is invaluable, and thus a job with long hours might cost a person more than it affords.

译文

53. 钱是工作中最应看重的吗？

我知道现在这个社会挣钱多很重要。实际上，人们认为有钱的人就是成功的人。你挣得越多就越成功。但是，在找工作时金钱并不是最重要的。工作环境、同事关系、工作中能否获得成就感、工作时间与业余时间分配是否合理等比金钱更重要。

一般每周需要工作四十个小时甚至更多，所以人们应该满意自己的工作环境，特别是与同事之间的关系。毕竟，同不值得尊重的、令人不愉快的或者充满敌意的同事在同一房间或同一大厦里工作会影响你的心情、进而危害你的精神健康。这样的话即使账户里多几个美元也补偿不了你的损失。

同样，你也应从工作中获得成就感和乐趣。通常，一个成年人三分之一的时间都在工作（按每天工作八小时或更多计算）。所以即使报酬很高，你也不应把这部分时间浪费在单调的、令人厌烦的工作上。你挣的钱，只能使你的生活比较宽裕但是不能提高你的工作经验。

最后，只有有足够的业余时间才能享受生活。 有钱可以买到很多好东西，如房子、车子、电视机等。可是如果你从早干到晚，那就根本没有时间来享用它们。同样，挣很多钱的父母能给家庭带来舒适的生活，可是如果他们整天和家人不见面，挣那么多钱又有什么用呢？抽出时间和家人，特别是孩子在一起的价值是不可估量的。所以，长时间的工作可能使你失去的比得到的更多。

Word List

• nowadays ［ˈnauəˌdeiz］ adv. 当今，现在
• mental ［ˈmentl］ adj. 精神的，智力的
• equate ［iˈkweit］ v. 相等，等同
• account ［əˈkaunt］ n. 计算；账目
• financial［fə ˈnænʃəl］ adj.金融的，财政的
• compensate ［ˈkampənˌseit］v. 偿还，补偿；付报酬
• camaraderie ［ˌka:məˈra:dəri:］ n. 同志之爱，友情
• derive ［diˈraiv］v. 得自，起源
• coworker ［ˈkəuˌwə:kə］ n. 同事，合作者
• enhance ［enˈhæns］ v. 提高，增强
• fulfillment ［fulˈfilmənt］ n. 履行，实行
• adequately ［ˈædikwitli］ adv. 充分地
• hostile ［ˈha:stəl］ adj. 敌对的，地方的
• affluence ［ˈæfluəns］ n. 富裕，富足
• disposition ［ˌdispəˈziʃən］ n. 部署
• afford ［əˈfɔ:d］ v. 提供，给予；供应的起