Dialogue A
Burt is in Kate's cubicle1.
Burt: Kate, can I ask you…Hey, what's wrong?
Kate: Don't you hear that?
Burt: Hear what? I don't hear anything.
Kate: That loud drumming2 sound! It's Bob! He is so bothersome. I hate sitting behind him.
Burt: I thought he was a nice guy. Is he really that bad?
Kate: It's not really him that I hate. It's his bad habits. They're driving me up the wall!
Burt: Well, what does he do?
Dialogue B
Kate: He drums his fingers while he's reading. Besides that, he doesn't take out his trash often enough.
Burt: I see what you mean.
Kate: And whenever he comes to ask me questions, he tends to spill coffee on my desk.
Burt: I'm sure that's just by accident.
Kate: I know, but he does it every time and I have to clean it up!
Burt: If you can't tolerate his bad habits, it is best to talk to him about them.
Dialogue A
伯特在凯特的办公室小隔间里。
伯 特：凯特，借问一下……喂，怎么了？
凯 特：你没听到吗？
伯 特：听到什么？我什么都没听到。
凯 特：那个很吵的敲击声！是鲍伯啦！他好烦哦。我超讨厌坐在他后面。
伯 特：我以为他人还不错。他真的有那么糟吗？
凯 特：我也不是真的讨厌他的人啦。我是讨厌他的坏习惯。我真的被搞到快要抓狂了。
伯 特：嗯，他会做些什么啊？
Dialogue B
凯 特：他在看东西时会用手指敲桌子。此外，他也不常把垃圾拿出来倒。
伯 特：我了解妳的意思。
凯 特：而且每当他来问我问题时，他往往会把咖啡溅到我桌上。
伯 特：我敢肯定那只是意外而已。
凯 特：我知道，但他每次都这样，我还得要善后！
伯 特：妳若不能忍受他的坏习惯，就最好要跟他说。
Building Your Vocabulary
1. bothersome a. 讨厌的，引起麻烦的
My neighbor is so bothersome. He always parks his car in front of my house.
我邻居很讨厌。他总是把车停在我家门口。
2. spill vt. 使泼出
I'm sorry that I spilled milk on your coat.
不好意思把牛奶溅到你外套上。
3. tolerate vt. 容忍，忍受
Roger can't tolerate the pain in his back.
罗杰受不了他背上的疼痛。
Phrases for Learning
1. drive + 人 + up the wall 使某人非常恼火
That smell is driving me up the wall.
那股臭味快把我逼疯了。
2. tend to + 原形动词 易于∕往往会……
Alice tends to forget to turn off the lights.
艾丽丝往往会忘记关灯。
3. by accident 意外地；碰巧
Martin cut his finger by accident.
马丁无意间割伤了手指。
参考字词
1. cubicle n.（办公室里的）小隔间
2. drum vt. 有节奏地击打（本文中亦以现在分词作形容词用）
drum one's fingers 某人用手指扣击东西
Enjoy Box
同事间的相处哲学
许多人一天当中大半的时间都处在职场里，跟同事的互动也自然十分频繁。然而部份同事的习惯实在令人不敢领教，有些人的缺点是跟工作相关：没有时间观念、不愿意加班或协助同事、衣着不够专业等。有的缺点则属比较个人方面，如同本篇对话中描述的状况一样。一开始我们可能对同事的坏习惯不以为意，但日子久了以后，或多或少就会产生一些抱怨。倘若您能自行释怀，设身处地为人着想，或是告诉自己问题其实并不严重，这样的做法固然最好。不过要是同事的坏习惯真的很恼人，并且已经严重到影响您的工作的话，您可以请那位同事的好朋友予以提醒。若您得亲自跟他说，切记要表达得自然且不露痕迹才好，也就是从婉转到正面以对。无论如何，切忌要顾及到同事的自尊，这样大家日后才能和谐地继续共事。
Tips In Use
They're driving me up the wall!
（我真的被搞到快要抓狂了！）
本句词组"drive + 人 + up the wall"的用法非常生动，把某人逼到想要去撞墙壁的境界也就是『把某人搞疯了』。以下为各位介绍相似的用法：
drive + 人 + up the wall 令某人抓狂
= drive + 人 + nuts
= drive + 人 + bananas
= drive + 人 + crazy
= drive + 人 + insane
The screaming baby is driving me nuts.
（这个尖叫的宝宝快把我搞疯了。） |