ESL Podcast 864 – Going to Business School

 　　Karla: I just heard that you’re taking a leave of absence to go to business school. Is that right?

 

　　Joaquin: Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and have finally taken the plunge¹. I need an MBA to get ahead in my career.

 

　　Karla: That’s great, but why don’t you go part- time?

 

　　Joaquin: I had considered taking classes on nights and weekends while I continue to work, but I’ve been admitted into an Ivy² League school, and I want to take full advantage of the opportunities there.

 

　　Karla: Isn’t graduate school expensive, especially an Ivy League school?

 

　　Joaquin: Yeah, but I think it’s worth it, and I’ve been saving up. I have an undergraduate degree in accounting³ and finance, but that’s not enough if I want to work in the upper echelons⁴ of this or any other company.

 

　　Karla: I graduated with a degree marketing⁵ and information systems. Maybe I should be thinking about getting an MBA.

 

　　Joaquin: I’d recommend it, if you want to go further in your career. I’ll lend you all of my test prep materials for the GMAT.

 

　　Karla: The GMAT? I’d forgotten about the GMAT. That may be a deal breaker for me.

 

　　Joaquin: Why? You don’t like taking tests?

 

　　Karla: I like taking tests as much as I like getting a kick upside the head – maybe even less!

 

　　Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

1 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

2 ivy   

n.常青藤，常春藤

参考例句：

• Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy.她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤。
• The wall is covered all over with ivy.墙上爬满了常春藤。

3 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

4 echelons   

n.（机构中的）等级，阶层( echelon的名词复数 )；（军舰、士兵、飞机等的）梯形编队

参考例句：

• Officers were drawn largely from the top echelons of society. 这些官员大都来自社会上层。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Except in the higher echelons, extensive classification has no place in the classification of vegetation. 除高阶类级之外，外延分类在植物分类中还是没有地位的。 来自辞典例句

5 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。