英语学习资料：一双袜子(A Pair of Socks)

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　　“hold on, lad, i am going to buy only one pair!” “i know that,” said he, “but i want you to see how marvelously beautiful these are. aren’t they wonderful?” there was on his face an expression of solemn and holy rapture, as if he were revealing to me the mysteries of his religion. i became far more interested in him than in the socks. i looked at him in amazement. “my friend,” said i, “if you can keep this up, if this is not merely the enthusia ... that es from novelty, from having a new job, if you can keep up this zeal and excitement day after day, in ten years you will own every sock in the united states.” my amazement at his pride and joy in sale ... anship will be easily understood by all who read this article. in many shops the customer has to wait for someone to wait upon him. and when finally some clerk does deign to notice you, you are made to feel as if you were interrupting him. either he is absorbed in profound thought in which he hates to be disturbed or he is skylarking with a girl clerk and you feel like apologizing for thrusting yourself into such intimacy.

　　he displays no interest either in you or in the goods he is paid to sell. yet possibly that very clerk who is now so apathetic began his career with hope and enthusia ... . the daily grind was too much for him; the novelty wore off; his only pleasures were found outside of working hours. he became a mechanical, not inspired, sale ... an. after being mechanical, he became inpetent; then he saw younger clerks who had more zest in their work, promoted over him. he became sour. that was the last stage. his usefulness was over.

　　i have observed this melancholy decline in the lives of so many men in so many occupations that i have e to the conclusion that the surest road to failure is to do things mechanically. there are many teachers in schools and colleges who seem duller than the dullest of their pupils; they go through the motions of teaching, but they are as impersonal as a telephone.