【生词预览】

tardiness拖延，unacceptable不可接受的

【笑话原文】

Is There Another Door?

Being the office supervisor, I had to have a word with a new employee who never arrived at work on time. I explained that her tardiness was unacceptable and that other employees had noticed that she was walking in late every day. After listening to my complaints, she agreed that this was a problem and even offered a solution, “Is there another door I could use?”

【中文译文】

还有没有别的门？

一个新雇员从来不按时上班。作为办公室主管，我得说几句。我对她解释说，她这样拖拖拉拉是不行的。其他同事都注意到她每天都迟到。听完我的话之后，她承认这是个问题，她还提出一个解决办法：“还有没有别的门可以走？”

【词汇讲解】

1.have a word说些什么。与word有关的惯用语：have no words for sth.无法用语言形容某物；get the word了解了；eat one’s words收回前言／承认错误；at a word立即；say the word吩咐一下；upon my word说实在话。

2.arrive到达。arrive in Rome到达罗马；arrive from Rome从罗马到达。“来临”：The time has arrived for you to study.是你学习的时间了。“被送来”：Day after day, the blossoms continued to arrive.日复一日，鲜花不断送来。口语里，还有“成功”的意思：The book was his greatest success; with it, he arrived.这本书是他最大的成就，他靠它出了名。“碰巧发生”：It arrived that the master had already departed.碰巧主人已离开了。

3.on time准时，于指定时间：The train arrived on time.火车准时到达。注意与“in time”（及时）的区分：Do you think we shall be in time for the train?你看我们来得及赶上火车吗？

4.unacceptable不可接受的／不能令人满意的／不受欢迎的。The proposal was unacceptable.这个建议不能接受。He was unacceptable to her.她感到他不合意。

5.complaint抱怨。Our complaints fell on deaf ears.我们的抱怨被置若罔闻。还有“疾病”、“诉讼”的意思：childish complaints小儿常见病；take a complaint to the police向警方提出控告.

6.offer提出。offer还有很多含义，比如“奉献”：offer oneself to God把自己奉献给上帝。“呈现”：John offered an embarrassed, almost hurt expression.约翰的脸上现出一种窘迫乃至自尊心受到伤害的表情。