http://222.173.194.17/eng6636/lesson/qwbxenglish/sound/09.rm
【ADSE提高版文本】Absolutely Don't Study English General Version
Tape 1 A Day in the Life of a Typical American White Collar Worker
Tape 2 A Day in the Life of a College Student
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Situation 1 Getting Up in the Morning
(The alarm clock rings.)
Catherine: Honey, it's seven o'clock. Time to get up.
James: Okay, just a few more minutes.
Catherine: No. You told me to make sure you were up by seven.
James: I know but I can sleep till seven-thirty if I don't take a shower.
Catherine: James, you know that's impossible. You have a meeting with your boss and later with an important client.
James: Christ, I almost forgot. That's what happens when I don't get enough sleep.
Catherine: Enough sleep? You went to bed at ten. That's nine hours.
James: Do you have to be right all the time? But you are right; I'm getting up.
Catherine: Jump in the shower, that will make you feel better. And I'll make a pot of strong coffee, but what do you want for breakfast?
James: Something simple. How about a bagel and cream cheese.
Catherine: No problem. It'll be ready before you are.
James: Don't be so sure.
Catherine: Why wouldn't I be? You haven't beaten me yet.
James: True. But there's a first time for everything.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Situation 2 Breakfast
James: Ah... The coffee smells great. Is that bagel ready? I'm starving.
Catherine: It's ready just like it always is and just like I told you it would be.
James: What would I do without you? You're the best. (Takes a sip of coffee.) And this coffee is pretty good, too.
Catherine: We both know you just like me for my cooking.
James: That's not so. In fact, I'm the one who made dinner of the last two nights.
Catherine: Oh yeah. I guess that means it's my turn tonight.
James: Only if you want to. I don't mind cooking once a day, especially when the weather is nice / and I can barbecue.
Catherine: Okay, but let's get back to breakfast; can I get you anything else?
James: A little more coffee would be great, with a little more sugar in it this time, please.
Catherine: Sure. Do you want another bagel or some fruit?
James: No, thanks. I'm just not that hungry in the morning. You know that.
Catherine: I know, but I was reading in a magazine that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
James: I've heard that too, but I just can't force myself to eat when I'm not hungry.
Catherine: Why don't I pack you a snack for later in the morning? You could eat it around ten when you get hungry.
James: That's a great idea. I always regret not eating breakfast right at ten o'clock.
Catherine: What shall I make?
James: How about a beer?
Catherine: James, be serious.
James: Okay, how about an apple and some cheese?
Catherine: That's better. Just give me a minute to get it packed.
James: Take your time. I'm still early.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Situation 3 Driving to Work
Catherine: Here it is James. Now get going, I don't want you to be late.
James: Thanks, dear. I'll be home a little late tonight. Remember the client.
Catherine: Okay, but call if you are going to be home after ten.
James: I will. Bye.
Catherine: Bye.
(James gets in the car and leaves for work. He turns on the news.)
News: ...and there was an accident on highway 99. A truck turned over blocking westbound traffic for about two miles. Drivers on highway 99 west might want to take local road to work this morning. The current time is seven forty-three on this sunny morning, and the temperature is seventy-six degrees. The weather forecast for late today is mostly sunny, with some clouds forming in the afternoon and a slight chance of showers in the early evening. We'll keep you updated with more traffic and weather throughout the day, but now let's enjoy forty-five minutes of commercial-free rock and roll.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Situation 4 The Gas Station
James: Damn, I'm almost out of gas.
(James pulls into a gas station.)
Attendant: What can I do for you?
James: Fill it up with unleaded, please. And can you check the oil, too?
Attendant: Sure, pal.
(He opens the hood and checks the oil.)
Attendant: You're about a quart low, shall I put a quart in for you?
James: Please.
Attendant: You know, you could really use a new set of tires. The ones you have are badly worn. I could do that for you right now; it wouldn't take more than thirty minutes.
James: And the price?
Attendant: Well... that depends on how good a set of tires you want.
James: No. I'm late for work anyway. I'll just take the gas and oil today. How much will that be?
Attendant: Let's see. Forteen for the gas / and two-fifty for the oil / makes sisteen dollars and fifty cents.
James: Do you take credit cards?
Attendant: Only Visa and Master Card, not American Express.
James: Fine, here's my Visa.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Situation 5 Arriving at Work
Steve: Good morning, James. You're early. What's up?
James: Morning, Steve. Early is right. I've got two important meetings today; one with the boss and one with a client. You're pretty early yourself, something important?
Steve: Yeah, I'm meeting a client, too. Someone from a big computer company. I think their headquarters are in Taiwan, but this guy runs the New York office.
James: Wang Computers. That's my client, too. But I think the owner is a Chinese-American; I'm not sure if they even have an office in TaiWan. I guess we're working on this account together.
Steve: Good. To tell you the truth / I was a little scared. The account is really big; it's just too much work for one man. Say, what time do you meet with the boss, Mr. Barnes?
James: Ten-thirty, Why?
Steve: I was right. We are on this account together. I'm scheduled to meet with Mr. Barnes at ten-thirty, too.
James: Well then, partner, let's get busy preparing something for the meeting.
Steve: Good idea. Where should we begin?
James: I don't know about you / but I always begin big projects by going to the bathroom, and then with a hot cup of coffee. Can you wait for me?
Steve: Just hurry. I'll get the coffee ready.
James: That sounds like an excellent plan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Situation 6 Planning for the Meeting
James: I'm back.
Steve: Here is your coffee. You feeling better?
James: I feel like a Champ. Where should we begin?
Steve: As always, it's best to begin at the beginning. What have you prepared for your meeting with Wang?
James: Basically, I just have an outline of a presentation of our company's new software. I think our product is high quality and that the people from Wang will realize that once they hear a description of it.
Steve: Well James, that is a little too simple. We know the product is good, but we have to convince them of that too. Luckily, I put together a vedio presentation on my notebook computer using our software. If they like the presentation, and I am confident they will, then that automatically means that they like our company's product.
James: Steve, that's why you are at the top of sales. You think of everything in advance. I'm really just a computer software engineer; I can make this stuff but I can't sell it.
Steve: Of course you can't. That's why Mr. Barnes put us together. I'll take care of selling the software, and you can answer any tough technical question that the people from Wang might ask. I'm as bad at science as you are at sales.
James: Steve, you're too modest. You're great at sales, but I know you know something about computers too. I still remember when we first started working here; you taught me a thing or two about Apple Macintosh computers.
Steve: Sure I know about Macs, but that's just because I used one all through college. Plus, any dummy can use a Mac.
James: I couldn't.
Steve: Not at first. But after about three days, you were already better than me.
James: Okay, okay. So I'm a computer nerd.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Situation 7 The Secretary
Steve: I'll call my secretary and have her make copies of your outline.
James: Are you sure that's okay? I mean, she doesn't really work for me. What if she gets angry.
Steve: No problem. She works for me, and you and I are working on this project together. Watch and learn. (Steve picks up the phone.) Lisa, could you come in here please?
Lisa: I can but I won't. It's only eight fifty-five and I don't start work until nine o'clock.
James: Well, Steve, I guess she knows who's the boss.
Steve: Very funny. We'll just have to wait for five minutes, That's all.
James: Whatever you say.
(At two minutes after nine o'clock.)
Steve: Lisa, do you think you could come in here now?
Lisa: Of course, Mr. Dawson; I'll be right in. (Lisa comes into the office.) What do you need, sir?
Steve: Could you make Mr. Goddard here about twenty copies of his outline.
Lisa: Why, doesn't he have a secretary?
Steve: (A little angry.) Of course he does, but we're working on a project together and I would really appreciate it if you would just cooperate with me right now.
Lisa: All right, all right. You don't have to get mad. Did you say ten or twenty copies?
James: Actually, ten will be fine. It's a small group today.
Steve: But I said twenty, so make it twenty.
Lisa: Yes, sir, Mr. Dawson.