Using English at Work：49 Leaving Work(1)

You're listening to ESLPod.com's "Using English at Work." I'm your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, from the Center for Educational Development.

In our last lesson, our eighth lesson in "Using English at Work," we learned¹ vocabulary related² to having a meeting with the boss.

In this ninth lesson, we're going to talk about leaving work at the end of the day.

We'll get started by listening to the story read at a slow speed.

I look at the clock and it's already 5:30. It's quitting time!

I still need to put the finishing touches on my report, but I can do that on Monday morning before I submit³ it to my boss.

Some weeks I have to take work home and burn the midnight oil, but not this week.

I have everything under control and I don't need to work over the weekend.

I pack up my briefcase⁴ and shut down my computer.

I put some important papers back in their folder⁵ and leave it in my desk drawer for safekeeping.

I take the papers and files from my outbox and put them in my coworker's inbox.

But when I get back to my desk, another coworker has put some new memos⁶ and papers in my inbox!

I like to clear my desk as much as possible at the end of the week to avoid clutter⁷, and I guess everyone else does, too!

I look at my desk one last time to make sure I haven't left anything behind, and I'm ready to head home. Weekend, here I come!

When our story begins, I look at the clock and I see that it's already 5:30. It's quitting time!

"Quitting time" is the end of the workday, the time when people are supposed to leave the office and go home.

In reality, a lot of people work past the traditional quitting time, but in this story I'm able to leave at 5:30.

I say I still need to put the finishing touches on my report.

A "finishing touch" is a small change, detail, or perhaps addition that needs to be made in order to finish something.

When you're cooking, for example, a finishing touch might be to add some salt and pepper right at the end of the cooking process.

1 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

2 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

3 submit   

vi.(to)屈服，听从vt.呈送，提交；主张

参考例句：

• He was losing the fight but he would not submit. 他战败了,但不屈服。
• I will not submit to such treatment. 我不甘心忍受这样的待遇。

4 briefcase   

n.手提箱，公事皮包

参考例句：

• He packed a briefcase with what might be required.他把所有可能需要的东西都装进公文包。
• He requested the old man to look after the briefcase.他请求那位老人照看这个公事包。

5 folder   

n.纸夹，文件夹

参考例句：

• Peter returned the plan and charts to their folder.彼得把这份计划和表格放回文件夹中。
• He draws the document from its folder.他把文件从硬纸夹里抽出来。

6 memos   

n.备忘录( memo的名词复数 )；（美）内部通知

参考例句：

• Big shots get their dander up and memos start flying. 大人物们怒火中烧，备忘录四下乱飞。 来自辞典例句
• There was a pile of mail, memos and telephone messages on his desk. 他的办公桌上堆满着信件、备忘录和电话通知。 来自辞典例句

7 clutter   

n.零乱，杂乱；vt.弄乱，把…弄得杂乱

参考例句：

• The garage is in such a clutter that we can't find anything.车库如此凌乱，我们什么也找不到。
• We'll have to clear up all this clutter.我们得把这一切凌乱的东西整理清楚。