礼节美语 Business Etiquette 249 Cell Phone 1

 　　Sue¹跟坐在隔壁的同事George聊天。

　　Sue: Hey George, take a look at this article. It says several major airlines are considering allowing people to use their cell² phones while in the air.

　　George: Oh no, really? That's one of the worst ideas I've ever heard.

　　S: Oh? Why do you feel that way?

　　G: Well, I fly for business quite frequently³ and a plane is now one of the last places where I don't have to hear people chatting on cell phones. I really enjoy the peace and quiet.

　　S: But it would be so convenient⁴ if we were able to make calls during long flights. Just think of how much work we could get done!

　　Sue告诉George, 现在好几家航空公司都考虑允许乘客在飞行途中使用手机。George觉得这个主意简直糟糕透了，因为飞机是公共场所里所剩无几不用听别人打电话的地方之一，I really enjoy the peace and quiet. George 说自己很享受这种宁静，但是 Sue 觉得，如果能在飞机上打手机，就方便多了，好多事都能在飞机上处理完毕。

　　G: I think perhaps people are taking the idea of multitasking a little bit too far. I get calls from people on my cell phone and they say things like "Where were you? I've been trying to reach you all afternoon." Well, I was on the golf course and I turned off my cell phone...is that a crime⁵?

　　S: I see what you mean. We are so connected these days that there is hardly any time for peace and quiet. I'll tell you a secret that's a little embarrassing⁶: I leave my cell phone on all night long, just in case a call comes in.

　　George觉得有些人 take the idea of multitasking a little bit too far. to take something too far 意思是一件事做得过头了，multitasking is spelled m-u-l-t-i-t-a-s-k-i-n-g, multitasking, multitasking 意思是同时做好几件工作。George说，有时候去打高尔夫球，把手机关机 turn off the cell phone，就会有人因为找不到他而质问他到哪里去了，George跟Sue这些手机24小时开机的人形成了鲜明对照。

　　G: I know lots of people who do that. They say, "what if there is an emergency?" I guess I can understand why someone would feel that way, but I think sometimes we need to turn off our cell phones and tune⁷ out all the noise.

　　S: I can see your point. I get really frustrated⁸ by businesspeople that seem to never put down their cell phone. I have to listen to their long, boring conversations and there is really no way I can tune it out.

　　G: So people take calls every 2 or 3 minutes! Most of the time I think business conversations can probably wait until you get back to the office.

　　George认为，不能因为担心别人有急事，就把手机随时开机。Sue对George的看法表示赞同，说 I see your point. point在这里是观点的意思，有时候别人打电话，交谈内容很无聊，可是 There is no way I can tune it out. 我又没办法把这种噪音屏蔽掉，to tune something out 意思是不去管它，听而不闻。George 也觉得，其实很多跟工作有关的电话都可以等回办公室再打。

1 sue   

vt.控告，起诉；vi.请求，追求，起诉

参考例句：

• If you don't pay me the money,I'll sue you.如果你不付给我钱，我就告你。
• The war criminals sue for peace.战犯求和。

2 cell   

n.区，细胞，血球；小室，牢房；电池，光电管；基层组织

参考例句：

• Soap destroys the cell walls of bacteria.肥皂破坏细菌的细胞壁。
• They have locked the prisoners up in their cell.他们已把犯人监禁在小牢房里。

3 frequently   

adv.常常，屡次，经常地，频繁地

参考例句：

• Please write to me frequently.请经常给我来信。
• I like that you should call on me frequently.我喜欢你经常来拜访我。

4 convenient   

adj.便利的，方便的

参考例句：

• I have to find a convenient location for the shelves.我得找一合适的地方放这些书架。
• Come at any time that is convenient to you.你哪会儿方便就哪会儿来吧。

5 crime   

n.犯罪，罪行，罪恶

参考例句：

• You'll have to pay for your crime.你得为你的罪行付出代价。
• Crime in our big cities is on the increase.在我们大城市里犯罪率正在增长。

6 embarrassing   

adj.使人尴尬的，令人为难的v.（使）窘迫，（使）局促不安( embarrass的现在分词)

参考例句：

• His jokes didn't even raise a smile, which was embarrassing. 听了他讲的笑话，都没人笑一下，真是太尴尬了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I was in the embarrassing position of having completely forgotten her name. 当时我完全忘记了她的名字，很是尴尬。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

8 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》