世界500强CEO访谈 第67期:联邦快递弗雷德里克史密斯 世界将会改变(3)

 　　Reporter : How did you spend your spare time? Obviously, you were an athlete.

　　记者：您怎样打发自己的空闲时间呢？很明显，您以前是一名运动员。

　　Smith: I always loved to play sports and that was the biggest avocation¹ I had as a youngster. I suspect that I was unusual in the amount of reading I did. I loved to read when I was young, I love to read today. I still spend a tremendous amount of time doing that.

　　史密斯：我喜欢运动，那也是我年轻的时候最大的业余爱好。我甚至怀疑自己在阅读量方面有些不正常。我年轻的时候喜欢阅读，我现在仍然喜欢阅读，我仍然会花很多的时间在阅读上。

　　Reporter: Are there any other useful and influential² books that come to your mind from your childhood?

　　记者：您能想起童年的时候还读过一些什么样的有用的或是有影响力的书呢？

　　Smith: I remember reading a biography of General Lee, of course, which was obligatory³ for any kid from the South. Perhaps he was working for not a very good cause, but the way the man conducted his affairs and managed his life were exemplary. I think that had a very big effect on me.

　　史密斯：我记得我还读过一本有关于李将军的传记，当然那对于南部的孩子来说是必读的一本书。也许他的事业并非正义的，但他处理事务以及管理自己的人生的方式都是值得我们学习。我认为，那对我有很大的影响。

　　Reporter: How did you get along with your classmates?

　　记者：您怎样与班级的同学们相处呢？

　　Smith: I was okay in that regard. I had a lot of buddies⁴， and got in my share of scrapes and jams, the same way everybody does. The occasional schoolyard tussle⁵ and pulling a prank⁶ every once in a while，nothing really serious.

　　史密斯：我在那方面做得很好。像其他学生一样，我有很多能够与我同甘共苦的伙伴。偶尔也会参加一些校园的争斗，进行一些恶作剧等，但那些都不是严重的事情。

　　Reporter: When did you know what you wanted to do with your life?

　　记者：您什么时候有了自己生活的目标的呢？

　　Smith: I didn’t really decide that until I was in the Marine⁷ Corps⁸ and decided⁹ that I wanted to go into business.

　　史密斯：直到我在海军陆战队里的时候，我才决定了我想要进军商业领域。

　　Reporter: How were you affected¹⁰ by your Vietnam experience? Were they positive or negative?

　　记者：您在越南的经历给您的生活带来怎样的影响呢？那些影响是积极的还是消极的？

　　Smith: Profoundly, in many ways, some good, some bad. Obviously, the war was a very traumatic thing for all of us who participated in it. Clearly, one of the great historical mistakes of all times. Barbara Tuchman wrote a great book about the great historical mistakes: George III losing the colonies, the Catholic Church losing the monopoly on Christendom, and Johnson’s prosecution¹¹ of the Vietnam War. For those of us who were in it，it was very traumatic, as anything like that would be, but there were some good things about it, too. I learned an awful lot in the Marine Corps—particularly about, I think, how to treat people, lead people-which has played a big role in FedEx. A big part of the employee relations systems and all that we have at our company came from my experience in the service. The Marine Corps is the best when it comes to teaching people how folks. And so, it had a profound experience bad，some good.

　　史密斯：它从很多方面给我带来了很大的影响，有好的影响，也有不好的影响。当然，这场战争给每一个参加到其中的人带来了精神创伤。很显然，这是很大的一次历史错误。芭芭拉·塔奇曼写了一本有关重大历史错误的伟大的书。书中提到的错误就有：乔治三世失去了他的殖民地，天主教堂失去了在基督教世界的垄断权，约翰逊对于越南战争的诉讼。对于每一个参加到那次战争中的人来说，那都是一次精神上的巨大创伤，就像其他的战争一样，但是其实它也有好的一面。我在海军陆战队学到了很多东西，尤其是怎样对待别人， 怎样领导别人，后者对于联邦快递来说是很重要的一方面。我们公司的员工关系体系及其他的一些方面很大程度上都来自于我在海军陆战队里得到的经验。 在训练一个人如何领导他人方面，海军陆战队做的是最好的。因此我说，那次经历给我的影响很深，有好的方面的，也有不好的方面的。

1 avocation   

n.副业，业余爱好

参考例句：

• He was a printer by trade and naturalist by avocation.他从事印刷业，同时是个博物学爱好者。
• Learning foreign languages is just an avocation with me.学习外语只不过是我的一项业余爱好。

2 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

3 obligatory   

adj.强制性的，义务的，必须的

参考例句：

• It is obligatory for us to obey the laws.我们必须守法。
• It is obligatory on every citizen to safeguard our great motherland.保卫我们伟大的祖国是每一个公民应尽的义务。

4 buddies   

n.密友( buddy的名词复数 )；同伴；弟兄；（用于称呼男子，常带怒气）家伙v.（如密友、战友、伙伴、弟兄般）交往( buddy的第三人称单数 )；做朋友；亲近（…）；伴护艾滋病人

参考例句：

• We became great buddies. 我们成了非常好的朋友。 来自辞典例句
• The two of them have become great buddies. 他们俩成了要好的朋友。 来自辞典例句

5 tussle   

n.&v.扭打，搏斗，争辩

参考例句：

• They began to tussle with each other for the handgun.他们互相扭打起来，抢夺那支手枪。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

6 prank   

n.开玩笑，恶作剧；v.装饰；打扮；炫耀自己

参考例句：

• It was thought that the fire alarm had been set off as a prank.人们认为火警报警器响是个恶作剧。
• The dean was ranking the boys for pulling the prank.系主任正在惩罚那些恶作剧的男学生。

7 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

11 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。