《美式商务习语》第三课.doc

1、大家学习网Chapter 3. Challenges/difficultiesIm feeling very frustrated. I have so much work to do and Im still waiting for tech support to up grade my system to improve the processing speed. I feel like Im doing the job of three people. I tried multitasking, but even when I talk on phone and read and ans

2、wer my emails at the same time. I cant get everything done. Im also having problems with my staff. I have one person who always makes waves and causes arguments with the rest of the staff. Whenever there is a bottleneck and work builtup so we fall behind schedule, she is usually responsible. Our bud

3、get has been cut so I have to find ways to save money. This means I have to cut corners on hiring so I cant bring on any new people. I just have to make do with current team. I was talking with Joe, the other supervisor during the break. Hes in the same boat. He said his job has become a pain in the

4、 neck. His boss is always in his face about something. We both feel like we are between a rock and a hard place. My wife is going to have a babyso I need to have a steady income. Joe is about 25 years older than I am. He was planning to retire next year. But he put all his eggs in one basket and inv

5、ested in a high tech stock that was supposed to make him a million dollars. Then the market went south, and now he is really up a creek. He doesnt want to tell his wife about his bad investment. So now he has to keep working for la lot longer than hes expected. 习语 1: upgrade Definition: Improve, upd

6、ate, or chang for the betterupgrade更新,提升He needs to upgrade his job skills so hell be more employable.为了更好地找工作, 他需要提升他的工作技能.I upgraded my computer system so I could work faster.因为我提升了我的计算机系统,所以我能更快捷处理我的工作.You need to upgrade your wardrobe, you should buy some new clothes.你衣柜里的衣服该更新了. 你该买点新的衣服了.习语 2:

7、 multi-tasking Definition: Doing more than one thing at the same time大家学习网multi-tasking同时做几件事情, 身兼数职I cant keep up with my work. I need to try multi-tasking so I can get everything done.我赶不上进度. 为了能完成任务我得同时做几个工作.He got a ticket for multi-tasking while he was driving. He was talking on the car phone a

8、ndlooking up another phone number while he was at the wheel.因为他驾车时还同时干其它的事情,他吃了张罚单. 他当时一边开车,还一边打着电话, 同时还在查另一个电话号码.Everyone in this company works on several projects at once. We do a lot of multitasking.公司里的每个人都在同时做着好几个项目. 我们都身兼数职.习语 3: make waves Definition: To cause trouble or problemmake waves制造纠纷

9、, 挑起事端I dont want him on my team. Becasue he always makes waves and upsets the others. 我不想和他一起工作. 因为他总是挑起事端,与人不和.She made waves wherever she went. So she didnt ususally stay long in one company.她无论到哪儿都要挑起纠纷, 所以她在哪个公司都待不长.Telling everybody about this budget problem is not a good idea. It would just m

10、ake waves.让人人都知道预算困难不见得是一个好主意. 它可能还会引起麻烦.习语 4: bottleneck Definition: A person or place that stops or slows the easy flow of ideas or productsbottleneck 瓶颈, 制约点There is a bottleneck in manufacturing at the third station on the assembly line. We need to make some changes in the process there.生产流水线上第三

11、段是制约我们生产的瓶颈, 我们得在那里做些调整改变这种情况.That department is always a bottleneck for us when we try to get anything done quickly. They always delay the process. 每当我们努力加快工作进度时, 那个部门总是个瓶颈. 他们老是拖延进度.大家学习网There is a bottleneck in the marketing department. Theyre short staffed so that what the delay is.时场部的瓶颈是缺少人手,所

12、以导致拖延问题. 习语 5: cut corners Definition: Save money or time by substituting inferior materials or not carrying out all therequired stepscut corners偷工减料, 省工省料The company cut corners on the new product by using less expensive part in the design. 这家公司在这个新产品生产上偷工减料,他们在设计中使用廉价的零件.We have to fine way to cut

13、 corners on this project because weve already gone over our budget. 由于我们已经在这个项目上超过了预算, 所以我们不得不省工省料.We are running short on time so we have to cut some corners in the assembly process.我们剩下的时间不多了, 所以我们不得不在生产线上减少一些步骤. 习语 6: make do Definition: Complete a task using only the available supplies or people

14、make do凑和, 将就 I dont have enough yellow paper so we have to make do with white.黄色的纸不够用了,我们只好拿白色的纸将就一下吧.She ran out of butter so she made do with oil for the recipe.因为她用完了黄油,这个菜她就用菜油凑和着做了. We dont have any tea. We have to make do with coffee.茶叶没有了. 我们只好用咖啡将就一下了.习语 7: in the same boat Definition: If y

15、ou say that two or people are in the same boat, you mean that they are in the same unpleasant or difficult situationin the same boat处境相同,处于相同的不利或困难的情况下 大家学习网They are bother engineers who worked for start-up companies and then left to start their own companies. They are in the same boat.他们俩都是工程师, 都曾在

16、创业公司做过, 后来有都撤并开始组建自己的公司. 现在他们俩人的处境很相似.Bother women have just had their first babies. They are in the same boat.这两个妇女都刚刚有了她们的第一个婴儿. 她们的处境差不多.Youre looking for new job too? I guess were in the same boat.你也在找新工作? 我猜测我们俩的处境一样.习语 8: pain in the neck Definition: If you think that someone or something is v

17、ery annoying, you can say that theyare a pain in the neck讨厌的人或事情 This project has had a problem from the beginning. Its a pain in the neck.这个项目从一开始就有问题. 真是件麻烦事儿.I left that job because that was a pain in the neck.我不干了, 我讨厌透了那个工作.Its going to be a difficult job. Im afraid it would be a pain in the ne

18、ck.这会是个很难对付的工作. 弄不好还是件麻烦事儿.习语 9:in someones face Definition: If someone gets in your face, they annoy or upset you by behaving in a very direct or agressive wayin someones face当面行为举止无礼 That salesman was really in my face. I didnt like him. He stood very close and was very loud. 那个推销员很讨人烦. 我一点也不喜欢他.

19、他大声说话而且站得离你很近.She is a difficult person to work with because she is always in your face. She likes to argue.她是个很难相处的人, 说话办事很令人讨厌. 而且总爱同别人争吵.习语 10: between a rock and a hard place Definition: Be in a difficult position, unable to escape大家学习网between a rock and a hard place进退两难的境地 Shes caught between i

20、n a rock and a hard place. She needs to invest in research and development to be competitive, but she has to spend all her money just to keep the company going. 她现在进退两难. 为提升竞争能力她需要在研发方面投入资金, 但是公司的正常运转已经耗尽了她所有的资金.He is between a rock and a hard place. If he does what his mother wants, his wife will b

21、e angry; if he does what his wife wants, his mother will be angry.他处在进退两难的境地. 他要是按照他老娘说的做,他老婆不高兴; 要是听老婆的话,他老娘有会生他的气. The manager wants speed, but the client wants quality. Were caught between a rock and a hard place.经理想要的是进度,而客户要的是质量. 我们现在真是进退两难啊!习语 11: put all ones eggs in one basket Definition: pu

22、t all ones money or energy in one placeput all ones eggs in one basket孤注一掷 Dont put all your eggs in one basket， its less risky to have more than one investment.别把你的钱都放在一种投资上. 多种形式的投资风险会小一些.She put all her eggs in one basket, so when the price of gold dropped, she lost everything.她把她所有的钱都放在一种投资上了, 结

23、果金价一掉,她全赔光了.He decided to apply to several business schools. He didnt want to put all his eggs in one basket.他决定多报几个商务学校. 他可不想孤注一掷,把宝只压在一个学校上.习语 12: the market goes south Definition: value declines and goes downthe market goes south市场下滑, 价格走低 We were doing well with our investment for retirement unt

24、il the market went south. Now were all worried.过去我们为退休以后生活而准备的投资一直表现不错. 想不到市场一下子走下坡路. 我们现在都很担心.大家学习网That country was exporting coffee for the a good price. But then the market went south and their economy is really hurting now.以前咖啡价格一直不错, 那个国家靠出口咖啡创汇. 但是咖啡价格一路走低, 现在他们经济受到打击.Those products are sellin

25、g well. I think the market for them is going south.这些产品目前很畅销. 不过我觉得这些产品将会越来越不好做.习语 13: up a creek (without a peddle) Definition: in a difficult situationup a creek处境艰难, 逆水行舟 If the programmer leaves without giving us any notice, well be up a creek without a peddle. 要是这个程序员不打一声招呼就跳槽的话, 我们就倒大霉了!Our child-care provider quit yesterday. Were really up a creek trying to work with our newtwins.昨天看护我们孩子的(保姆) 不干. 弄这两个刚出生的双胞胎,把我们累的够呛.Well be in bad situation if they cancelled this project. Well really be up a creek. 他们要是砍了这个项目,我们的日子就难过了. 我们的处境将十分艰难.大家学习网提供 托业论坛：http:/ 论坛： http:/