Business English 商务一点通

Taking a message

 

The phone is ringing in Kate's apartment...

Kate: I'll get it! Hello! 218-5434

Kristi: Hello. Is that Annie Peters?

Kate: No, I'm her room-mate. She's out shopping.

Kristi: When will she be back, do you think?

Kate: I don't know. Hang on a moment, who wants her?

Kristi: I'm a friend of hers. Look, would you be so kind as to give her a message?

Kate: Hang on while I get a pen. Ok, what's the message?

Kristi: My name is Kristi Schmidt. I have an urgent message for Annie from a German friend. Could you please tell her to contact me – that's Kristi Schmidt, Room 688, the Terminal Hotel, Washdon. I'll be here for the next week.

Kate: Does she know your phone number?

Kristi: It's 222 493-4900. You won't forget to tell her it's urgent, will you?

Kate: Don't worry, I'll tell her.

Kristi: Thanks. Bye-bye.

Vocabulary:

Kind 友好的
People who do things to show that they care about other people.

Message 口信
A piece of written or spoken information which one person gives to another.

Urgent 紧急
Very important and needing you to take action immediately.

Contact 联系
To telephone someone or write to them.

 

 

Being late for work

John is late again to the office this morning….

John: Morning, darling!
Secretary: Late again, Mr. Berry! You’re in real trouble this time! The General Manager wants to see you.
John: I don’t believe you! What did he say!
Secretary: Just that he wanted to see you. He’s going to fire you. Mr. Berry!
John: Don’t be ridiculous! He can’t fire me; I do my job very well.
Secretary: Yes, he is. Wait a moment, please. It’s the General Manager’s secretary for you. Mr. Berry.
GM’s Secretary: Mr. Berry! The General Manager wanted to see you at 9 o’clock, and now it’s a quarter to ten. It’s no good, Mr. Berry. Will you please come here immediately!
John: Oh yeah, sure. I’m real sorry.
Secretary: You’re in trouble now! You’re in big trouble!

Vocabulary:

Ridiculous 荒唐的
Stupid or unreasonable and deserving to be laughed at

Quarter 四分之一, 一刻钟
One of four equal or almost equal parts of something; ¼

Immediately 立刻, 马上
Now or without waiting or thinking.

General Manager 总经理
The top manager of a company (also called CEO)Trouble 麻烦
Problems or difficulties

 

Calling to have some equipment fixed

 

John is calling Martin to repair his electronic secretary…

Martin: Hello. Martin Black speaking.
John: Hi! This is John Berry.
Martin: Sorry? I don’t remember your name, Mr.. Very. Which company are you from?
John: No, this is John Berry, from Plastic Box.
Martin: Oh yes, of course! How are you, John? Nice to talk to you! Are you happy with your new secretary?
John: That’s the reason I’m calling. There’s something wrong with it. Can you come and take a look?
Martin: Yes, John, I’ll be happy to come around. See you later!

 

New product presentation

Martin is introducing a new product to John…

Martin: I want to show you something incredible. This is an amazing new product, John. It’s a revolutionary product!
John: Is it a computer?
Martin: No, John. It isn’t a computer, it’s an automatic electronic secretary.
John: Gosh! What does it do?
Martin: It answers the phone. It types letters. It does everything.
John: Gee! Can you show me?
Martin: Yes, John, certainly! What’s the name of your company, John?
John: Plastic Box.
Martin: OK…..Listen to this!
Computer Secretary: Good morning, Plastic Box Company. This is John Berry’s secretary. Can I help you?
Martin: Yes…And if you’re not in the office.
Computer Secretary: Good morning. John Berry’s secretary here. I’m sorry, Mr Berry isn’t in the office this morning. Can I take a message?
John: Gee, she’s beautiful. I want to buy her!
Martin: Fine! Can you sign here, please?
John: There you are!
Martin: Thank you very much, John. See you again!
John: Good Bye!

Vocabulary

Amazing 令人惊异的
To cause someone to be extremely surprised

Revolutionary 革命性的
A very important change in the way that people do things

Automatic 自动的
Able to work or move by itself without needing the operation of a person

Secretary 秘书
A person with the job of preparing letters, arranging meetings, etc., for another.

Talking to an Airport Executive

Rowland is interviewing the sales and marketing manager of Southampton Airport in the UK…

Rowland: Jackie Daniels, you’re the sales and marketing manager here at Southampton Airport. What’s it like working at an airport?
Jackie: I’ve been at Southampton for three years now and I find it’s a very exciting environment to work in. We’re also quite a small team of people here, so there’s very much a good team spirit. Everybody helps each other out.
Rowland: How do passengers react when a flight has to be delayed?
Jackie: The frequent flyers are normally, um, pretty good. They’re sympathetic, they understand the reasons. Having said that, if it happens a bit too often they’re also fed-up.
Rowland: What are the main causes of a delay?
Jackie: The main ones we see here will be, um, the weather. There can also be air traffic control delays.
Rowland: So what’s the most important thing about working at an airport? What’s your main consideration?
Jackie: It’s got to be the customer service. If it wasn’t for the passengers we wouldn’t have a job and so our main role here is to make people’s transfer through the airport and their flight as pleasant as possible

Vocabulary:

React 反应
Do something because something else has happened.

Sympathetic 有同情心的
Being understanding and kind to someone because of some bad thing that has happened to them.

Air traffic control 空中交通管制
The organization which controls airplanes in the sky and allows them to take off or land.

Considerations 考虑
Things we need to think about.

Talking about our job

Marco is talking to Kristi about his job…

Kristi: So, Marco, you’re not a student any more, obviously.
Marco: No, certainly not! I’m working in the computer industry now. For ECS, Electronic Control and Security, in fact they’re a multinational corporation, their headquarters is in Los Angeles, and they have branches all over the world.
Kristi: Yes, I’ve heard of ECS, of course. What do you do for them, then? Are you some sort of computer buff?
Marco: Certainly not! Here, take a look at my card.
Kristi: “Marco Benini, Assistant Marketing Manager, Central Italy”. Good for you Marco!

Vocabulary:

Industry 产业
One part of the economy in which a company or person is in.

Multinational 多国的; 跨国的
In many different countries.

Branch 分枝机构; 分公司
Local office of a company, not the main Office. Some companies have lots of branches.

Buff 专家
Expert or person who knows a lot about something.

Applying for a job

Mr Conn is talking to John about a job…

Mr Conn: Good Afternoon. Take a seat Mr Berry. Now I have your letter of application here. I see that you worked for Plastic Box for a while. What was your position there, exactly?
John: I was marketing Manager.
Mr Conn: Were you indeed?
John: Well, to be absolutely exact, I was Junior Assistant Deputy Marketing Manager. But I could have become Marketing Manager in a few years. You see I was doing very well when I left.
Mr Conn: If you were doing so well, Mr Berry, then why did you leave after only nine months?
John: Well, I thought it was, like, time to change jobs, you know, time to move into a different field.

Vocabulary

Marketing 行销
Making people interested in a company’s products.

Junior 初级
Low position or place.

Deputy 代理人
Similar meaning to junior, but deputy means number two.

Field 领域
Industry or area or place.

Incredible 难以置信的
Impossible, or very difficult, to believe

 

Vocabulary:

Company 公司
An organization which sells goods or services in order to make money

Happy 愉快，高兴
Feeling, showing or causing pleasure or satisfaction

Reason 原因，理由
The cause of an event or situation or something which provides an excuse or explanation.

 

Tipping

Marco and Hassan are having a tour with their teacher David, and Hassan tips the guide a little too much…

Tour Guide: If you found my words helpful and interesting, please feel free to leave a few cents or dollars. Thank you.
Marco: How much did you tip him, Hassan?
Hassan: I gave him a $100 bill.
David: Really Hassan, that’s ridiculous! You can’t give someone a $100 tip!
Hassan: I’m sorry my teacher. For me, money is rubbish; and what do you do with rubbish? You throw it away.
Marco: If you’ve got any more of that sort of rubbish, Hassan, you can always throw it at me.
Hassan: Not at you, Marco, you are my friend.

 

Vocabulary:

Feel free to do something 随心所欲
Do something if you want to but don’t do it if you don’t want to.

Ridiculous 荒谬的
Very stupid and totally unreasonable.

Rubbish 垃圾
Waste material to be thrown away

Tip 小费
Money that you give people who provide you with good service.

Remember 记得
To be able to bring back a piece of information from your mind, or to keep a piece of information in your memoryHang on 不挂断，稍等
To wait for a short timeRoom-mate 室友
Someone who shares a room or apartment with you