礼节美语 Business Etiquette 247 Art for an Office 1

 　　公司主管 James找到公关部主任 Felicia.

　　James: Hey, Felicia...do you have time for a quick conversation?

　　Felicia: Sure, boss. What's up?

　　J: I was walking through the hallways of our office yesterday and it struck me that we could use a little beautification around here.

　　F: Are you thinking about repainting the hallways?

　　J: Well, actually I was considering buying some art to display around the office and factory grounds. I think we could all benefit from a little touch of culture, don't you think?

　　F: Yes...that's a great idea. I think looking at beautiful things helps lift morale¹.

　　公司主管James说，自己昨天经过公司走廊，突然觉得，We could use a little beautification around here. 我们的工作环境需要美化一下。beautification is spelled b-e-a-u-t-i-f-i-c-a-t-i-o-n, beautification 是名词，意思是美化。原来，James是想购置一些艺术作品，给公司增添些许文化气息。Felicia 表示赞成，她觉得，看到赏心悦目的东西，也有助于 lift morale 提高员工士气。James 说：

　　J: Yeah, that's what I was thinking. It might brighten up the office and lift people's spirits a bit as well. I'm not really sure about what kind of art to buy though.

　　F: That is a tricky² issue. Everyone has different tastes. You know the old expression: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder³."

　　J: What about you Felicia? What kind of art do you like?

　　F: Well, actually I like abstract modern art. I love the works of Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock.

　　J: I see. So you're a bit of a modernist, huh?

　　每个人对艺术的偏好都不一样，Everyone has different tastes. taste is spelled t-a-s-t-e, taste 在这里是名词，意思是品味。俗话说： Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 只要看的人喜欢，那就是美。这句话经常被用在情感方面，相当于中文里所说的情人眼里出西施。Felicia 说，她偏爱 abstract modern art 抽象派现代艺术。为什么呢？

　　F: I feel modern art is open to interpretation⁴. Each person looks at the painting with a different understanding and gets a different message from it. Sometimes I find landscape paintings or more traditional art to be a bit boring.

　　J: Yes, I would agree with that. I don't want any pictures of fruit in bowls hanging on our walls...it needs to be something inspirational!

　　F: How about you, boss? What kind of art inspires you?

　　J: I'm a big fan of photography. I like real images captured by a camera. They're so genuine, and I find that I don't get tired of looking at them over and over again.

　　Felicia 喜欢抽象派现代艺术作品是因为：It is open to interpretation. 这类艺术作品给观众留下了解释的空间，每个人对抽象派艺术作品的解读都可能不一样。James 说，他最喜欢摄影作品。I'm a big fan of photography. 用相机捕捉的真实画面，令人百看不厌。

1 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

2 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

3 beholder   

n.观看者，旁观者

参考例句：

• Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 看起来觉得美就是美。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It has been said that art is a tryst, for in the joy of it maker and beholder meet. 有人说艺术是一种幽会，因为艺术家和欣赏者可在幽会的乐趣中相遇在一起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。