礼节美语111讲
David Tang到Players杂志社求职面试，考官是杂志社经理Fred Dixon。
F: Ok...what do you think are your biggest weaknesses?
D: Hmm...I`d say that my biggest weakness is a tendency to be a bit of a perfectionist. Sometimes I get too close to the project and need to step back to get the whole picture.
F: All right. How would you say you react under pressure?
D: I`ve had to make a lot of major adjustments in my life such as moving to a new country, learning a new language and making new friends. I`d say it was all quite stressful but I faced each challenge as it came and step-by-step things got better. For me I think the key is not to let things pile up but instead to face each problem as it comes and attack it head-on.
David说自己最大的缺点是有点perfectionist，万事追求完美。有时过份投入， get too close to something， 需要退一步纵观全局to step back to get the whole picture. David承受压力的能力也不差，他觉得关键是不能让问题积累起来，not to let things pile up，而是遇到一个解决一个， attack it head-on，迎头痛击。
F: Ok. So what would you say is the one thing that`s most important to you in your job?
D: I`d say having good direction from my supervisors but also a high degree of freedom to implement creative ideas. I need guidance, but I don`t want my creativity to be stifled.
F: Can you tell me why you left your last job?
D: Well, I needed a challenge. I felt like I was in a comfort zone and I needed to shake things up in my life. I enjoyed my time at my last job, but I feel like I`m ready for the major leagues.
David 说，他想换工作是因为感觉自己是在一个各方面都驾轻就熟的地方，I was in a comfort zone, 需要变化，to shake things up. 他觉得I`m ready for the major leagues. 应该更上一层楼了。 Major League是职业棒球大联盟，代表棒球最高水平，高于minor league小联盟。
F: I noticed that you have recommendation letters from each of your previous supervisors. Their comments are all quite positive.
D: I`m honored that they value my work. I`ve found that I generally get along well with co-workers. I`m just not really into drama and I`m pretty easy-going.
F: Well...thanks for coming in today, David. We will be reviewing your info and you`ll get a callback within a week.
D: Great! And thanks for your time, Fred. I`ll be looking forward to your call.
David以前的上司都给他写了很好的推荐信。他说自己not into drama，不喜欢惹事生非，pretty easy-going，很好相处。Fred听上去对David很满意，说一周内给他回音。
流行美语第335课
Larry跟李华约好，下班后一起在餐馆吃饭，李华先到了一步。今天我们要学两个常用语：have a full plate和to kill time.
LH: (远远地) Hey, Larry! 我在这儿呢！
LL: Hi Lihua. Phew! It`s so good to finally sit down and relax.
LH: 你怎么累成这副样子？没不舒服吧？
LL: I`m just a bit tired...I`ve got quite a full plate at work right now; it`s been a very stressful couple of weeks.
LH: A full plate? 什么？你在办公室已经吃了满满一盘子饭菜？不是说好跟我一起吃饭的吗？
LL: Oh, I don`t mean a real plate of food, Li Hua, it`s just a figure of speech. Saying you have a full plate at work means that you are very busy, it doesn`t actually have anything to do with food.
LH: 哦，我明白了，说自己have a full plate意思就是在有限的时间里有许许多多的事情要做。
LL: That`s right. That`s exactly how I would describe my situation at the office right now.
LH: 那我期末考试前没日没夜地复习功课，也可以说I had a full plate？
LL: Yea, that would be a perfect example. Everyone feels like they have a lot on their plate when finals come around. Or, last fall when my friend Steve was working two part-time jobs while going to school - I could say he really had a full plate back then.
LH: 好，我明白了，说了这么半天a full plate, 我肚子已经咕咕叫了。服务员来了，你想好点什么了吗？
LL: You bet I am! I`ve had such a full plate at work, I didn`t even have time to eat lunch today!
LH: 什么？你居然忙得连午饭都没顾得上吃，早知道这样，我们应该去吃自助餐才对！
******
Larry和李华吃完晚饭，Larry一副酒足饭饱、心满意足的样子。
LL: (Sounding satisfied) Ah! That was a superb bacon-cheeseburger. Now if only I didn`t have to worry about going back to work tomorrow morning....
LH: 不想去上班？你开什么玩笑？我敢担保，象你这种闲不住的人，如果没工作，整天待在家里，一定会无聊得发疯。
LL: Lihua, You don`t know how lazy I can be. Killing time is one of the things I do best...
LH: Killing time? 什么是kill time?
LL: Killing time is just another way of saying "wasting time." Of course I wouldn`t actually kill anything!
LH: 哦，killing time就是中文里说的打发时间。
LL: That`s right. And I am an expert at killing time.
LH: 这一点我可以作证。你每天把大把的时间都用来打电子游戏，浪费时间的能力确实已经达到了“专家”的水平。
LL: Very funny...So I like to kill time with my Playstation on the weekends, there`s nothing wrong with that. And besides, I`m not the only one who knows how to kill time...I always see you playing those online games with your friends.
LH: 这倒是真的，上网玩游戏确实是消磨时间的好办法，可以让我放松。Well, I guess I am good at killing time too.
LL: Now if I didn`t have such a full plate at work, we could have more time to kill together.
LH: (哈哈)，要不这样吧，你明天下班来图书馆陪我看书，我准备考试，你消磨时间。
LL: Well...I think I`d rather go shoe shopping before staring at the walls in some library...
LH: Shoe shopping? 对啊，好主意，我们去逛鞋店。
LL: Uhh...Let`s just say I`d much rather kill some time at home rather than spending a few hours at the library or the shoe store.
LH: 想反悔，没那么容易，既然你主动提醒我，那就一定要陪我去逛街。
LL: (Reluctantly) OK,,,Can I at least listen to my mp3 player while you try on the shoes. Listening to music is a very relaxing way to kill time.
今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是have a full plate, 意思是在有限的时间里有好多事情要做。另一个是to kill time, 意思是打发时间，消磨时光。