对话文本

A: can we have dinner together?

G: sorry, I'll have to rush to my English class after work.

A: Oh, then how about tomorrow?

G: I'm terribly sorry that my classed are scheduled from Monday to Saturday.

A: that's all right. We can do it Sunday. But why do you study English so hard? You must be tired after a whole day's work. Why not simply take a break instead?

G: well, my work demands prompt me to learn English. Our company is planning to start a branch in Australia. I must prepare in advance since one day I may have to use English in my daily work.

A: oh, I see. You take the initiative to improve your English competency, and you have to pay the check, right?

G: absolutely. I have to do this, or someday I may lose the chance to earn my basic salary. Nowdays, when our company is recruting new employees, their English level is listed as an important criterion.

A: yeah, many companies are doing the same thing. They believe the lack of English-speaking personnel may hold back their plans of going global.

参考翻译


一起吃饭可以吗?
对不起,下班了我得赶紧去上英语课.
好吧,那明天怎么样?
实在是对不起,我的课从周一一直排到周五.
没关系,可以等周日吗.你学英语怎么这么用功啊?上了一天的班,肯定挺累的,为什么不回家休息呢?
是这样的,我的公司要求我去学英语.公司正计划在澳大利亚开一家分公司,我必须提前准备,因为我可能会在日常工作中用到英语.
哦,我明白了.你自己主动去学英语,提高英语水平,然后自己买单,是这样吗?
没错,我必须这样做,不然有一天我可能连基本工资都拿不到了.现在公司招人的时候把英语水平作为一个很重要的录用标准,
是啊,很多公司都是这样的.他们认为如果少了英语人才,可能会阻碍公司国际化的进程.

核心词汇
1.Prompt: to make somebody decide to do something; to cause something to happen 促使;导致;激起
The discovery of the bomb prompted an increase in security. 此次发现炸弹促使当局加强了安全工作.
His speech prompted an angry outburst from a man in the crowd. 他的讲话激起了人群中一男子的愤怒.
The thought of her daughter's wedding day prompted her to lose some weight. 对女儿婚期的操心使她消瘦不少.

2.Branch: a local office or shop/store belonging to a large company or organization 分支;分部;分行;分店
The bank has branches all over the country. 那家银行在全国各地设有分行.
Our New York branch is dealing with the matter. 我们的纽约分部正在处理这件事.

3.Initiative: the power or opportunity to act and gain an advantage before other people do 掌握有利条件的能力(或机会);主动权 singular
to seize/lose the initiative 掌握╱丧失先机
It was up to the US to take the initiative in repairing relations. 在修复关系方面应由美国采取主动.

4.Competency/competence: the ability to do something well 能力;胜任 uncountable countable ~ (in sth) ~ (in doing sth)
to gain a high level of competence in English 获得高水平的英语能力
professional/technical competence 专业╱技术能力

5.criterion: a standard or principle by which something is judged, or with the help of which a decision is made (评判或作决定的)标准,准则,原则 noun
The main criterion is value for money. 主要的标准是要划算.
What criteria are used for assessing a student's ability? 用什么标准来评定一个学生的能力?