Lesson 13 Work to Live or Live to Work？
Text What Does Work Mean to People？
A group of people from different walks of life are being interviewed about what role vork plays in their lives. Their attitudes, as we can see, vary. Interviewer： Mr. Fisher, you are an accountant and earn a good enough salary to enable you to live comfortably. What does your work mean to you？
Mr. Fisher： I regard it as a means to an end. Basically I'm a family man, and as long as I have a job which enables me to earn enough money to live well, I'm happy. I find a comfortable life compensates or the fact that I have a routine life and three weeks holiday per year. Interviewer： So in fact, you don't really mind what you do for a living？
Mr. Fisher： I didn't say that. I wouldn't want to be a manual worker, for instance.I enjoy my profession up to a point,but it certainly doesn't rule my life. As soon as I get home I forget about the office. I suppose you could say I work to live. Interviewer： Miss Burnes - as a school teacher in a working class area of London, how do.you feel about Mr. Fisher's attitude towards his work？
Miss Burnes： Personally,I couldn't work to live. I must enjoy whatever I do-even if the salary is low——otherwise I feel it isn't worth doing. Mr.Fisher： Of course Miss Burnes, you do have long holidays which must be a great compensation. Also, you aren't married and therefore have no family responsibilities……
Miss Burnes： Being single has nothing to do with it！ Even if I were married I' d still have to have a fulfilling profession. Interviewer： In other words, Miss Burnes, work plays one of the most important roles in your life？
Miss Burnes： Definitely！ It gives me the mental satisfaction I need and a role in society. Contrary to Mr. Fisher, I can say that I live to work. Interviewer： Of course, Mr.Fisher is employed by a company and Miss Burnes by a school and therefore both have a certain amount of guaranteed security.Mr.Evans' “history” is unusual. At the age of forty he gave up a good job in industry to do what he had always wanted to do ——become a journalist and photographer. He's self-employed and does freelance work. Mr. Evans, do you have any regrets？
Mr.Evans： Yes - one. That is that I didn't resign from my oth.er job when I was younger！。
Interviewer： What made you leave the business world？
Mr. Evans： Well - although I had a good salary and a job which involved a lot of travelling abroad, I always felt I was in the wrong job. I felt tense all the time and I suddenly realized that, in spite of security and what seemed to my friends to be an exciting job, I' d stopped enjoying simple but important things……' Mr.Fisher： Don't you consider your choice rather selfish？ What about your wife and family？
Mr.Evans： They're delighted. They see the change in me - find me more relaxed, and therefore my relationship with my wife and family has improved, because I'm not frustrated any more. It's because I'm doing what I want to do. Interviewer： Do you work as hard as before？
Mr.Evans： Yes - even harder. But I'm self-disciplined and I find that working hard for a few hours gives me time to play hard too. I have a more balanced life. Miss Burnes： So in fact, you too have a routine life？
Mr.Evans： Of course！ Everything becomes routine after a while. But it's up to us to make that routine a creative experience - Miss Burnes： Oh yes-I do.agree！
Mr.Evans： And we mustn't forget that“all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”……
II . Read Read the following passages. Underline the important viewpoints while reading.
l. Why Work？
Matthew：   Michael, do you go out to work？
Michael：   Not regularly, no. I…… I used to；I used to have a job in a publishing company, but I decided it wasn' t really what I wanted to do and that what I wanted to do wouldn't earn me much money, so I gave up working and luckily I had a private income from my family to support me   and now I do the things I want to do. Some of them get paid like lecturing and teaching, and others don't. Matthew：   What are the advantages of not having to go to work from nine till five？
Michael：   Ah…… there' re. . . there' re two advantages really. One is that if yeu feel tired you don't have to get up, and the other is that you can spend your time doing things you want to do rather than being forced to do the same thing all the time. Matthew：   But surely that's in a sense very self-indulgent and very lucky because most of us have to go out and earn our…… our livings……um.Do you feel justified in having this privileged position？
Michael：   Yes,because I think I ase it well. I do.things which I think are useful to people and the community and which I enjoy doing. Matthew：   Joan, do you think that in order to lead a balanced life, people need some form of work？
Joan：   Yes, I do, but I think it's equally important that their attitude to work…… um. …… should be positive. If orie is going to look on work as drudgery, something that one does so that one will enjoy one' s leisure or whatever comes after it, then…… then I don't think there……
there can be very much satisfaction in it. But it seems to me that whatever work one is actually doing…… er…… can become creative,and I think that this is what we all need to feel that we are creating something,in the same way that even when er…… a mother cooks a meal, she is creating, in her own way, something which…… which is very necessary to her family.