Using English at Work：43 Meeting with the Boss(2)

Before you start on a trip, for example, you might want to get an update on the weather; if the weather is bad, you may change your trip.

"Progress" is how quickly something is moving forward toward¹ completion, or how quickly it is getting better or getting finished.

If someone asks about your progress in learning² English, they want to know if your English is getting better.

I hope it is, after listening to this course!

I go to my boss's office to give him an update on my progress, meaning that I want to tell him the latest news about how the report is coming along - how it is developing³, how it is going.

I know my boss is expecting the report on Monday and I want to let him know that it will be finished on schedule.

"On schedule" means⁴ on time or as we originally⁵ planned.

My boss tells me he needs the report on Monday.

Fortunately, I am going to be able to give it to him that day, so the report is on schedule.

If we say something isn't on schedule, then we mean we have to find more time to work on it, or else it won't be finished by the date when it's needed.

We may say, "Are the trains running on schedule?" meaning are they arriving to the stations - the train stations at the time that was originally planned.

If they're not on schedule, we would say, also, they are "behind schedule."

"Behind schedule" would mean, in this case, they are late.

If I'm behind schedule on my project that means that it will not be finished when I planned it to be finished.

Before I can go into my boss's office, however, he calls me into his office.

"To call someone into your office" means to ask someone to come into your office, usually for a private conversation that wasn't scheduled or planned.

Sometimes when a boss calls an employee⁶ into his or her office, the person gets nervous and scared because the boss may be mad or angry about something.

But in this case, I find there's nothing to worry about.

I go into my boss's office and he tells me to sit down.

My boss tells me that the regional manager is impressed with my work.

1 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

2 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

3 developing   

adj.发展中的

参考例句：

• Transport has always been the key to developing trade.运输一直是发展贸易的关键。
• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。

4 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

5 originally   

adv.本来，原来，最初，就起源而论，独创地

参考例句：

• Originally I didn't want to go.我本意不想去。
• After much discussion they settled on the plan originally proposed.他们讨论了很久，然后确定了原来提出的那个计划。

6 employee   

n.职员，员工，受雇人员

参考例句：

• Each employee received a like bonus.每个雇员都得到了相同数目的奖金。
• They brought around a new employee this morning.他们今天早晨请来了一位新雇员。