CH：Hi Amy, 我刚刚收到邀请，老板请我们去吃饭。
A：I received one, too.
C：你去吗？
A：Of course. Aren"t you?
C：我不太想去。
A：Why not? It"s going to be a nice party at an upscale restaurant.
C：我不想跟同事出去玩儿；他们跟我关系虽说都不错，但大家毕竟不是朋友。
A：I"m afraid that doesn"t matter. Part of the reason for inviting everyone is to build rapport among all of us who work together.
C：Rapport是什么意思啊。
A：Rapport means building relationships between people, establishing trust and mutual understanding.
C：跟同事搞好关系也不一定非得出去玩儿啊。
A：Attendance at the office party is a part of your job. To go or not to go is not a choice. The boss expects you to be there.
C：这么说是不能不去了。我要是有其它事呢？
A：It better be something important for you to forego the office party and risk offending the boss.
C：我可不想得罪老板，让我再想想吧。
******
到了第二天....
A：Well, CH, did you decide to go to the party?
C：去，不过我要带个朋友。
A：I hate to tell you this, but that would not be acceptable.
C：星期六晚上出去应酬，带个朋友还不行吗？
A：Unless your invitation says "and guest, " it would be poor etiquette to take someone with you.
C：那好，我打个照面，待一会儿就走。
A：That"s not going to work either. This is a seated dinner party so you have stay the entire time.
C：晚餐完了我总可以走了吧？
A：You must stay until our host, the boss, stands to indicate that dinner is over. Then good manners dictate you don"t leave before your thank him for the evening and tell him good-bye.
C：Amy, 我真没想到，公司派对还会这么郑重其事。还有什么要注意的吗？
A：Just a word of caution. If you drink alcoholic beverages, do it in moderation. Some people forget that rule and overdo it. Not only is it embarrassing, you could jeopardize your job.
C：这我知道，一定注意不会多喝。你能不能再总结一下，看看都有哪些注意事项。
A：Attendance is required. Read your invitation carefully so you know what the occasion is and if guests are included.
C：我知道，还有就是晚宴结束前不能告退。
A：That"s right. Don"t forget to say your good-byes. And go easy on the alcohol.
C：谢谢你，Amy，我一定照办。
礼节美语038讲
陈豪在北京的ABC美国公司工作，他的美国同事Amy好像显得不太高兴。
(Office ambience)
CH：Hi Amy, how are you?
A：I"m fine.
C：听上去你好像不太高兴？出什么事了吗？
A：As a matter of fact there is. I consider you a good friend as well as colleague. You know I have tried to help you as much as I can since you came to work at ABC.
C：是啊。这几个月来，你确实帮了我很多忙，我特别感激。
A：Unfortunately we have a problem right now. As we say in the United States, "I have a bone to pick with you".
C："A bone to pick with me?" 这是什么意思啊？
A：It means that I have a complaint about something that involves you.
C：我什么地方得罪你了吗？
A：Forgive me - I may be wrong, but I think you used my office while I was away last week.
C：没错，你出差的时候。我以为你不会介意呢。
A：I would not have minded if you had asked me first.
C：你走后我才想起来的。正好有个项目快到期了，我需要个安静的地方工作，所以就借用了你的宝地。
A：I understand, but you need to be aware that you shouldn"t make yourself at home in someone else"s office without first asking permission.
C：对不起，可你是怎么知道的呢？
A：We will have to continue this later. I have a meeting in five minutes.
******
当天下午陈豪和Amy又碰面了。
A：Chen Hao, you deserve to know what bothered me about your using my office without asking me first. You were not very considerate in some of the things you did.
C：你能说具体点儿吗？
A：It appears that you ate your lunch in my office.
C：你怎么知道的？
A：There were crumbs all over my desk.
C：那是我不对，应该打扫干净。
A：And how do you explain the missing paper clips? I was down to my last few, and when I came back, there weren"t any left.
C：对不起，最后几个回形针用了。
A：And that means that you went through my desk to find them.
C：可大家不都这样吗？我以为可以这样做呢。
A：Well, it"s not. Even with good friends. Just because people are not at their desk, doesn"t mean that you can make your self at home when they are not there.
C：你说得没错。不过我确实不是有意得罪你。
A：I accept your apology. In the future remember to ask permission before you use a coworker"s desk, office equipment or supplies. When you do receive permission, leave everything as you found it.
C：我以后知道了，谢谢你告诉我。
礼节美语039讲
陈豪在北京的ABC美国公司工作。他去找美国同事Amy。
(Office ambience)
CH：Amy, 你在，太好了。你看没看见Marshall, 他简直气死我了。我得马上找到他，把话说清楚。
A：I"m glad he is not around. I don"t know what he did, but you need to calm down before you talk to him.
C：冷静？
A：When we are angry, we say things that we don"t necessarily mean; but we can"t retract them after they are said.
C：我才不管呢！
A：Remember, you are going to have to work with him for a long time unless you plan to leave. If you chew him out now, you will have a difficult, if not impossible, time, rebuilding your relationship. Now tell me what the problem is.
C：他有个项目，要我帮忙。
A：So you agreed?
C：是啊，可以没成想，他错过了最后期限，反而跟老板说是我没有把数据给他，可他压根就没告诉我有什么限期。
A：I understand why you are upset, and rightfully so. I still suggest that you take time to calm yourself and then plan when and how you will confront him. You can"t simply run him down in the hall and have it out.
C：我就是要让大家都知道，来评评理。
A：It will only make matters worse. Let"s talk after work today and try to avoid Marshall in the meantime.
******
下班以后陈豪又见到了Amy。
A：Chen Hao, how are you feeling now? Still angry?
C：我还是不高兴，但已经不那么气了。不过，明天一大早，我还是要让他知道，我很不痛快。
A：May I suggest that you choose a time and place to talk to him?
C：那有什么区别吗？
A：First of all, don"t interrupt him when he is working. If the time is not right for him, he may resent your interruption and won"t be agreeable to hearing you out.
C：那应该选在什么地方呢？
A：Choose a place to meet with him where others cannot overhear your conversation. This issue is between you two, so keep it private. You don"t want to expose your problem to office gossip or draw anyone else in.
C：行。不过，除了昨天的事儿，我得一气儿都告诉他。他讲电话、吃东西声音都太大，纯属扰邻。
A：This will not be the time to take up all sorts of issues with him. Stay focused on what is bothering you now. Otherwise, he will just think that you are whining.
C：Amy, 你能不能再告诉我一遍，要怎么处理跟同事的纠纷？
A：First, take time to calm down. Select a private spot to talk. Plan what you will say and know what you want the outcome to be.
C：谢谢你，Amy.
美国习惯用语第431讲
今天我们要讲的习惯用语都由同一个词发展而来: steal。大家也许知道steal解释为“偷，”是以不正当手段取得原本属于别人的东西。我们要学的习惯用语都跟这个意思有关。第一个是：steal someone"s thunder。 Thunder这个词的意思是雷电。习惯用语steal someone"s thunder，指的是剽窃某人尚未发表的想法观点或发明创造。这种行为往往出于嫉妒或者企图攫取他人的成果和荣誉。