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上班族的副业
Side hustles

[2019年2月5日] 来源:BBC 随身英语(Take away English)   字号 [] [] []  

对一些人来说,工作是维持生计,养家糊口的一种方式。但是,越来越多的年轻人开始从事第二职业,以此追求自己真正的爱好,并将他们所掌握的技能变现,赚取额外收入,累计财富。本集节目关注做副业人数上升的原因。


调整语速:

Do you have a job? If you do, you'll know the world of work can be tough – long hours, tedious tasks and stress. But it can bring benefits too, such as a regular salary and, sometimes, job satisfaction. Maybe that's why more us are now taking on a side hustle – another name for a second job.

For some having two jobs is a necessity – a way to make ends meet and provide extra income. But it now seems that more people want to put their skills and passions into practice to make money. These tend to be entrepreneurial young people who want to work on their own projects alongside their main source of income.

According to Henley Business School, around one in four workers run at least one side hustle business, half of which were started in the past two years. Those aged 25 to 34 are most likely to be involved, with 37% thought to run a sideline of some kind. It calculates that the average side hustler makes about 20% of their income through their second job.

But what's interesting is that many millennials are turning their hand to new jobs not just for money and security. Research has found that almost three-quarters of people are following a passion or exploring a new challenge. BBC News spoke to Becci Mai Ford, who works some of the time for a telecommunications company to pay the bills, but spends the rest of her time developing her crafting company Ellbie Co. She says going full-time is "not financially worth it right now but it fuels my creative soul and makes me happy."

Mobile apps have also aided the more commercially minded side hustler. Peer-to-peer firms such as Uber, Deliveroo, AirBnb and TaskRabbit allow users to do everything from odd jobs to renting out homes and parking spaces from their mobile phone.

Of course having a side hustle means you are self-employed - or freelance - which can give you flexibility to work when you like, but it can be risky. You sometime work on a zero-hours contract and may not get offered enough work. Or what was originally your passion may become more of a chore. However, this could be the best way to try out a new career or follow a passion while not giving up the day job.

词汇表

tedious task 单调乏味的工作任务
salary 工资,薪水
job satisfaction 工作满意度
side hustle 副业
to make ends meet 收支平衡,维持生计
income 收入
passion 爱好,激情
entrepreneurial 企业家精神的,创业精神的
sideline 副业,兼职工作
turn one’s hand to 着手做(不同于平时的活动或工作)
security (工作、经济)保障
full-time 全职的
creative soul 有创造力的灵魂
peer-to-peer 点对点
odd jobs 零工,杂活
self-employed 自雇的
freelance 从事自由职业(的)
zero-hours contract 零时工合同
chore 乏味的例行工作
the day job 本职工作,正职

测验与练习

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. Why might you be forced to take a second job?

2. True or false? A side hustler has one extra job alongside their main job.

3. Which type of people are most likely to start a side hustle?

4. What technology has helped people who want a job that makes money easily and quickly?

5. Which word did Becci Mai use to mean it makes her feeling for doing her new business stronger?

2. 请在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. Times are hard – I've had to take on an evening job __________.
to make an end meet     to make ends meet     to makes end meet     to end and make

2. With an incredible annual ________, she had no choice but to accept the promotion.
security                          job satisfaction           salary                        zero-hours contract

3. We had to hire a __________ accountant to help clear the backlog of work we had to do.
freelance                        entrepreneurial           peer-to-peer              side hustler

4. The company advertised for someone who could _________ to any task that was need to be done in the factory.
turned their hand            turn their hand           turning their hand       turns a hand

5. Our dishwasher is broken so having to wash the plates by hand is a real _________.
passion                           tedious tasks             chore                         sideline

答案

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。

1. Why might you be forced to take a second job?
Having two jobs might be a way to make ends meet and provide extra income.

2. True or false? A side hustler has one extra job alongside their main job.
False. According to Henley Business School, around one in four workers run at least one side hustle business.

3. Which type of people are most likely to start a side hustle?
Those aged 25 to 34 – Millennials - are most likely to be involved with a side hustle.

4. What technology has helped people who want a job that makes money easily and quickly?
Mobile apps have also aided the more commercially minded side hustler.

5. Which word did Becci Mai use to mean it makes her feeling for doing her new business stronger?
'Fuels' – She said it's "not financially worth it right now but it fuels my creative soul and makes me happy."

2. 请在不参考课文的情况下完成下列练习。选择一个意思合适的单词填入句子的空格处。

1. Times are hard – I've had to take on an evening job to make ends meet.

2. With an incredible annual salary, she had no choice but to accept the promotion.

3. We had to hire a freelance accountant to help clear the backlog of work we had to do.

4. The company advertised for someone who could turn their hand to any task that was need to be done in the factory.

5. Our dishwasher is broken so having to wash the plates by hand is a real chore.