101. Doing work: by hand or using machines?

Some people like doing work by hand. Others prefer to use machines. I definitely fall into the latter category. I use a machine for almost all of the work I do. The reasons why I prefer to use machines are that most hand work is tedious, machines are faster and more efficient, and I am more proficient with most machines.

Two things that I spend a copious amount of time doing are writing and sewing. Both of these endeavors border on pain if I do not have a computer or a sewing machine, respectively. What was once a fun task becomes very monotonous, and no longer enjoyable. Using a machine can turn ordinary tasks into exciting ones.

Using machines to do work is also much faster and more efficient than using your hands to do it. For example, if I wrote this essay by hand, rather than using the computer, it would probably take me at least five times as long. Hand sewing a shirt would take ten times longer than using a machine to do the same work.

Not only are machines faster and more efficient, I am much more proficient using machines than I am doing the same work by hand. I find that when I am sewing by hand, all of my seams are very uneven and crooked. However, when I sew on a machine, my seams are perfect. The machine helps to keep my hand in line, therefore I can turn out a much better product. It is the same for writing essays. My handwriting is messy at times. If I had write a paper, I cannot correct it as easily as if I had written it on the computer. My writing blurs together, and sometimes I cannot even read what I have written down. Machines are definitely a better way for me to work efficiently, proficiently, and enjoyably.

译文

101. 手工劳动，还是机械作业？

有的人喜欢手工劳动，有的人喜欢机器作业。我更倾向于后者。几乎所有我所做过的工作都是使用机器的。我之所以更愿意使用机器是因为大多数手工劳动都很单调，用机器可以更快捷、更高效，而且，大部分机器的使用方法我都很精通。

我的大部分时间都用在两件事情上：写作和缝纫。如果不分别使用电脑和缝纫机，做这两件事情就会处于痛苦的边缘。这项过去曾经有趣的工作变得单调乏味，不再是一种享受。使用机器可以让普通的工作变得令人兴奋。

机器作业比手工劳动要快得多，也更有效。比如说，如果这篇文章我用手写，而不是用电脑，那将可能多花费我至少5倍的时间。手工缝制一件衬衫会比机器缝纫多花费10倍的时间。

不仅仅是因为机器作业更快、更有效，相比手工劳动来说，我对使用机器要精通得多。我发现当我手工缝制时，我的接缝既不平又扭曲，而当我使用机器缝纫时，我的接缝处总是做得无可挑剔。机器使我的手总是能成直线工作，因此我可以做出好得多的产品。写文章也是一样的。我书写的笔迹有时会一团糟。如果手写文章，我无法像在电脑写作那样容易地改动字迹。我写的字会模糊一片，有时甚至连我自己都看不懂我写了什么。毫无疑问，使用机器会使我的工作更有效、更熟练、更愉悦。

Word List

• definitely ［ˈdefənitli］ adv. 确切地；无疑地
• category ［ˈkætigɔ:ri:］ n. 种类
• tedious ［ˈti:diəs］ adj. 单调乏味的
• proficient ［prəˈfiʃənt］ adj. 熟练的；精通的
• copious ［ˈkəupjəs］ adj. 很多的，丰富的
• sewing machine 缝纫机
• monotonous ［məˈna:tnəs］ adj. 单调的，无变化的
• uneven ［ʌnˈi:vən］ adj. 不平坦的；不均匀的
• crook ［kruk］ v. 使弯曲；诈骗