礼节美语112讲
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部门经理Paul Chen和他的上司Sue Krammer要开除一名雇员。
P: Sue, I really need your help with this one.
S: Oh? What`s the problem?
P: I`ve been asked to fire Tom Smith.
S: Oh...yeah...firing someone is hard. I`ve had to do it many times.
P: I hate it. It`s probably the worst part of my job as a manager.
S: But...it has to be done and somebody`s got to do it. In this case...you.
Peter要解雇Tom Smith, 问Sue该怎么做。 Sue说，开除手下确实是一件头痛的事情，但Somebody`s got to do it. 总要有人去做。
P: I know...I just want some advice on how to do this properly.
S: Well, let`s review Tom`s case, shall we? First question: Have you given him fair warning?
P: I believe so. I spoke to Tom in March and in May. I informed him he was on probation.
S: OK...so he knows he`s on thin ice. So this action isn`t going to be a complete surprise to him, right?
P: No. He should understand by now that the company is not really happy with his performance.
Paul说，他事先警告过Tom. I informed him he was on probation. On probation意思是留职查看。换句话说，He knows he`s on thin ice. On thin ice如履薄冰，在这的意思就是他知道公司对他的表现不满意，知道自己可能会丢饭碗。
S: I think you should simply give Tom a list of behaviors the company has found unacceptable and then fire him. You can`t allow him to drag you into an argument or debate. In this case you are merely the messenger and it`s really not personal.
P: And if he promises to change and do better?
S: You have to firmly but politely let him know that the time for improvement has passed.
Sue建议，可以列举Tom种种令人不满的表现，然后告诉他被解雇了，不给他争辩的机会。You can`t allow him to drag you into an argument or debate。因为Paul只是传达上级的决定，you are merely the messenger。你只不过是个传信的，It`s not personal. 不是针对个人，只是公事公办而已。如果Tom保证改过自新呢？ Sue建议，要 firmly but politely既坚定又客气地告诉他，没有机会了。
S: Are you planning on asking him to sign a release form?
P: Yes. The policy is if you voluntarily sign a paper accepting your termination, you get 6 weeks of severance pay. Otherwise, if you wish to challenge the decision, you get just two weeks.
S: Ok...good. So go ahead and call him in. Remember: keep it simple. Inform him of the decision and tell him why, then explain the severance deal.
P: Ok...here goes. (Picks up phone) Kathy, please ask Tom to come in...thanks.
Sue最后提醒Paul, 要keep it simple. 越简洁越好。
流行美语第336课
Larry星期五提前下班，去学校接李华。今天我们要学两个常用语：a pretty penny和sure-fire.
LL: (Bike bells ring) Hi, Li Hua, I`m right over here!
LH: Larry, 你怎么骑着自行车就跑来了，不是说好开你的新车来接我吗？
LL: I never said "new car", I said "new ride". What, you don`t like it?
LH: 我的妈呀，这就是你的new ride，新车吗？
LL: Yea, I just bought it yesterday...it cost me quite a pretty penny, too.
LH: A pretty penny? 一美分？这么新的车，不会只要一美分吧？哪有这种便宜事，是不是哪个女孩子送你的？
LL: No, Lihua, I didn`t pay just a penny for the bike. "A pretty penny" is a phrase that means a large amount of money - this was an expensive bike!
LH: 真有趣，原来a pretty penny意思是一大笔钱。
LL: That`s right. I`ll have you know that this is a state-of-the-art brand-name bicycle. I also bought this bike bell, two helmets and a seat for you to sit on in the back. All together it really did cost a pretty penny!
LH: 你既然舍得花a pretty penny买一辆自行车，干嘛不索性再加点钱买辆汽车呢？
LL: A car is way more expensive! After you buy a car, you have to pay for gas, pay for insurance, and not to mention upkeep...it all adds up to be quite a pretty penny - and way more money than I can afford.
LH: 那好，既然你没买汽车，一定省下不少钱，带我到那家新开的日本寿司店，好好打打牙祭如何？
LL: I thought we are trying to save money to go on vacation together? If you want to go somewhere exotic, airfare alone will cost a pretty penny.
LH: 别这么小气好不好。我们都好久没出去吃了，一次寿司肯定不会把你吃穷的。
LL: All right, all right. Hop on. Let`s go get some sushi tonight!
******
Larry和李华骑车来到日本寿司店。
LL: Hey, Li Hua, can you hold the door open for me? I want to bring the bike inside.
LH: 你把车锁在店门口不就行了吗？干嘛一定要推到店里来？
LL: Leave an expensive new bike outside? No way! That`s a sure-fire way to get your bike stolen.
LH: Sure-fire是什么意思啊？
LL: Sure-fire means "absolutely," or "beyond doubt." You use it to express that you are sure about something or that something will surely happen. And leaving my brand new bike outside is a sure-fire way to getting it stolen.
LH: 我明白了，sure-fire是肯定的意思。你是担心自己这么贵买的车，如果放在外面的话，一定会丢。
LL: Don`t forget. I spent a pretty penny on this bike. But hey, at least I`m willing to spend a pretty penny at this sushi restaurant, too. Eating sushi is definitely a sure-fire way to spend a lot of money.
LH: 寿司虽然贵，可是it`s also a sure-fire way to get me happy!
LL: Alright, let`s look at these menus. (Sign) How can food be so expensive if it`s not even cooked?
LH: Larry, 做寿司可不简单，要经过严格的培训呢！
LL: Oh, so that`s why sushi costs such a pretty penny?
LH: 没错。不仅包寿司需要功夫，做寿司用的材料也要特别新鲜才行，否则的话...
LL: I know, otherwise it`s a sure-fire way to get sick! I guess that`s why people are willing to spend a pretty penny on sushi.
LH: 就是啊，否则吃了不新鲜的寿司八成会拉肚子。Larry, 你看，这家店有绿茶冰激凌，我们点一个吧？
LL: Didn`t you just have ice cream last night? You know, Li Hua, eating ice cream all the time is a sure-fire way to put on weight.
LH: 不就是吃点冰激凌吗？如果撑得走不动了，坐你的自行车回家就是了。
LL: Yea, and once my bike breaks from the extra weight, it will cost a pretty penny to get it fixed again...
LH: 要不我来骑，你坐后面歇着？
LL: You know what, that doesn`t sound like a bad idea. Are you sure you know how to ride a bike with someone sitting on the back?
LH: 没试过，不过肯定没问题。
LL: ... Well, it`s a good thing I spent a pretty penny on these helmets.
今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是a pretty penny, 意思是一大笔钱。另一个是sure-fire, 意思是肯定会。