164. Overwrought and overtired过度紧张和过度劳累 overflow-packed
“They like to overload us with work, those guys. I am beginning to feel like a pack animal,” Bob Crowther exclaimed during the lunch break. “What’s more, the food they serve us is lousy. While they’re feasting on oysters and caviar, all we get is fried sausages and mashed potatoes packed into a styrofoam box.”
“I find this work overwhelming, and I’m overtired,” he went on. “All this overtime, and some of it without even paying proper overtime rates! They’re overtaxing us.”
Bob was clearly in bad shape: mentally, emotionally and physically. He was barely able to control himself. Marvin, one of his colleagues, tried to pacify him: “Hey, you’re overwrought, Bob! Cool it, OK? You’re only making things worse. Not only for yourself, but also for the rest of us.”
Bob would not give in. “We’re sitting here in this packed cafeteria, while they’re having a good time. And when we get back on the conveyor belt, it will be us having to cope with those overlapping tasks, handling the overflow of work. And they’re not even being overt about this. I mean, they don’t even come clean about what they really want us to do. I’m telling you, if I were in charge, I would go for a complete overhaul of the operation, overturn the whole thing, that’s what I’d do.”
“Aren’t you overlooking something, Bob?” asked Marvin. “Don’t you think a lot of what’s going on is just because of some oversight or other on the management’s part? Come on, they’re only human. It can’t be easy to oversee an operation as complex as this one.”
overflow vt.(使)泛滥,(使)溢出
overhaul n.彻底检查,大修
overlap vt.重叠,与…交搭,迭盖住
overload vt.使超载,使超过负荷
overlook vt.忽略,没注意到俯瞰,远眺
oversee vt.监督
oversight n.勘漏,失察,疏忽
overt adj.明显的,公然的,公开的
overtax vt.课税过重
overtime n.超时,加班adv.加班地
overtire vt.使过度疲劳
overturn vt.推翻,翻倒n.倾覆,破灭
overwhelm vt.战胜,压倒,泛滥
overwrought adj.过度紧张的,过劳的
oyster n.牡蛎
pacify vt.安抚,平息
pack vt.装,将…挤入,塞满
pack animal 能运输的动物(如驴等),役畜
packed adj.压紧的,压实的,拥挤的 |