Larry已經(jīng)開(kāi)始在一家公司做暑期工作。他正在向李華抱怨工作上的問(wèn)題。今天李華會(huì)學(xué)到兩個(gè)常用語(yǔ):swamped和to get axed。
LL: I've only been working there two days and I'm already totally swamped with work! It's unbelievable!
LH: Larry,你說(shuō) swamped with work,是不是說(shuō)你不知道怎么做這份工作?
LL: No, I know how to do the work. It's just that there is too much of it. To be swamped means to have too much work to do.
LH: 噢,我懂了,swamp一般是沼澤地的意思,你說(shuō)swamped with work就是工作太多,好象陷進(jìn)了沼澤地一樣,讓你覺(jué)得喘不過(guò)氣。那他們到底給你什么樣的工作?
LL: It's all relatively simple stuff like filing, typing, copying. It's just that there are piles of it and everyone wants it finished right now.
LH: 啊!歸檔、打字、復(fù)印都是很簡(jiǎn)單的事,可要是辦公室每個(gè)人都要你做這些事,每個(gè)人都要你馬上給他做,這確實(shí)難以對(duì)付。Larry,也許你該建議他們?cè)俣喙蛡€(gè)人來(lái)幫你??!
LL: I doubt that. Besides, I don't want them to think I'm lazy. I guess I just have to accept the fact that I'll be swamped with work for the rest of the summer.
LH: 真是的。一個(gè)暑假就陷在這些繁瑣的工作里,太沒(méi)勁了。我只想在暑假里輕松輕松。
LL: I was hoping to relax a little, too, but it doesn't look as though that's going to happen.
LH: 不過(guò)Larry,雖然你白天在公司里工作很忙,可是你晚上回到家可以輕松一下啦,因?yàn)槟悴槐叵駥W(xué)期當(dāng)中忙于寫(xiě)作業(yè)或交報(bào)告!
LL: That's true, but I'm so tired by the time I get home from being swamped all day that I don't have the energy to do anything fun.
LH: 這你就跟我不一樣了。我呀,再累也沒(méi)有關(guān)系,只要一聽(tīng)到玩,我就精神百倍了。不過(guò),Larry,我真希望能幫你一點(diǎn)忙。
LL: Oh, it's not your fault, Li Hua. I'm sorry for complaining like this.
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LH: 嗨!Larry!你的暑期工作現(xiàn)在怎么樣了!還是很忙嗎?
LL: It's even worse than ever! The management just axed one of the other employees and now they're giving me all of his work!
LH: Ax不是斧頭嗎?你說(shuō)你公司把那個(gè)雇員怎么啦?Axed?不是把他砍了吧?聽(tīng)起來(lái)好嚇人的!
LL: To ax someone is to fire them. The other guy was really unreliable so management decided to ax him.
LH: 噢,我明白了,to ax someone就是把某人開(kāi)除的意思。你真倒霉。公司把那個(gè)不可靠的人開(kāi)除了,他的工作也就落在你頭上。你們公司有沒(méi)有考慮雇用新人來(lái)接替他的工作?
LL: I have no idea. In the mean time, I have so much work that I'm running around all day long.
LH: 你真可伶,每天忙得暈頭轉(zhuǎn)向的。也許你可以問(wèn)問(wèn)他們什么時(shí)候會(huì)雇用一個(gè)新人?。?/p>
LL: I want to ask, but I'm afraid of getting axed, too.
LH: 你不過(guò)問(wèn)問(wèn)而已嘛!他們?yōu)槭裁匆_(kāi)除你呢?
LL: Well, I guess they wouldn't fire me, because I've been doing a good job although I'm swamped with work. I just don't want them to think that I'm lazy or that I'm complaining.
LH: 我肯定他們不會(huì)開(kāi)除你。他們也不傻,知道你做很多工作,而且還做得很好。你要不說(shuō),他們絕對(duì)不會(huì)再顧一個(gè)人。這樣不是省錢(qián)嘛!
LL: I guess you are right. I'm more likely to get axed for messing up rather than telling them I'm overworked.
LH: 沒(méi)錯(cuò)。老老實(shí)實(shí)地告訴他們你太忙,總比你忙不過(guò)來(lái),把事情搞砸了要好。
LL:Li Hua, you're so smart!
今天李華學(xué)到兩個(gè)常用語(yǔ)。第一個(gè)是swamped,是指陷入大量工作,或其他什么事。另一個(gè)常用語(yǔ)是to get axed,就是被開(kāi)除的意思。