公司老板Jerry召集手下Lisa和Ken开会，商量公司上市的问题。Lisa问Jerry，是不是真的下定决心了。

L: But Jerry, have you really thought this through? You would essentially be giving up the company that your great-grandfather built.

J: I intend to keep key family members on the Board of Directors and I intend to remain as CEO. This company is important to me. But if we really want to become the largest frozen food company in the country, it's time to move beyond mom-and-pop operations and play hardball.

针对Lisa提出的疑问，Jerry回答说，他并没打算将祖辈开办并经营至今的家族企业就这么拱手送给别人，他打算让重要家庭成员进董事会，然后亲自担任 CEO, Chief Executive officer, 首席执行官。Jerry 说，公司对他十分重要，但要想扩大规模，成为全国最大的冷冻食品公司，就要 move beyond mom-and-pop operations and play hardball. 这里所说的 mom-and-pop operations 是指家庭规模的小买卖，play hardball 意思是采取果断大胆的行动。

L: Well, it's an exciting idea...and also a bit terrifying. But....you know that old saying: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

K: At least the markets have been getting better recently; the Dow Jones Industrial Average topped 10,000 points the other day. This could be the beginning of an economic recovery.

Lisa说，公司上市的想法既令人兴奋，又让人害怕。但是英语里老话说，nothing ventured, nothing gained. 意思是不承担风险，就不会取得成就。Ken 说，好在现在市场正在走高，道琼斯工业指数前几天突破了万点大关，topped 10,000 points. 这可能意味着经济复苏的开始，the beginning of an economic recovery. Lisa接着说，

L: I think the smart thing is to use this down time to retool and reconfigure our operations. That way, if things do turn upwards we'll be in a stronger place than our competitors.

J: Exactly! So, I want you all to consider this idea... do the research and figure out if this is truly in our best interests. Let's meet again on Thursday to make a final decision.

Lisa说，她认为明智之举是用现在市场不是特别活跃的时期调整公司的经营运作。这样的话，一旦市场开始上扬，We'll be in a stronger place than our competitors. 跟竞争对手相比，我们就会居于更加有利的地位。Jerry 表示赞成，让大家回去都好好想想，星期四再开会最后决定。

Sarah转到新部门工作不久，在去吃午饭的路上遇到原来的同事Amanda.

S: Hi Amanda, how are you? I've missed working with you and the whole gang since my transfer last week.

A: We've missed you too. The office just isn't the same without you. How is your new job?

S: It's great. I really get to focus on what I like to do and everyone has been very nice and welcoming. However, I'm having a small problem with my new colleagues.

A: What happened?

Sarah告诉Amanda她很想念原来的同事，I missed working with you and the gang. 大家都知道，Gang有团伙的意思，在这里指常聚在一起的一群人。 Amanda也说，The office just isn't the same without you. Sarah走了，办公室好像就不一样了。虽然Sarah很喜欢她新的工作， 但是在跟新同事相处时却遇到了一些小麻烦，我们继续听。

S: Well, three people are celebrating their birthdays this month and the policy here is for everyone to contribute ten dollars to a card and cake for each person.

A: Wow, so you'll be out thirty dollars on your first week at work!

S: I know. It is a lot of money and I haven't gotten to know any of the people celebrating their birthdays well enough yet. At our old department, it was only three dollars for each birthday and there were only ten of us.

原来，这个月有三个新同事过生日，Sarah不得不跟着一起凑份子，买卡片和蛋糕为同事庆祝。They want her to contribute to the card and cake. Contribute is spelled c-o-n-t-r-i-b-u-t-e, contribute 是贡献的意思。这样一来，She will be out thirty dollars. 一下要出三十块。Sarah跟这些同事还不熟，所以觉得有点亏。Amanda安慰她说，

A: Well, every department is different. You wouldn't want your new co-workers to think you're a Grinch, right?

S: What is that? It doesn't sound like a good thing to be.

A: A Grinch is a person who spoils the mood at a happy occasion by being selfish or unenthusiastic. You know - a party pooper.

S: I definitely don't want to be that! But, I still think it's unreasonable for them to ask me for such a big sum of money when we don't know each other very well. What should I do?

Amanda警告Sarah，如果她不出份子钱的话，同事会认为她是Grinch, Grinch is spelled g-r-i-n-c-h, grinch专门用来形容自私，而且没有情趣的人。Sarah当然不想让新同事觉得她是个败兴的人，a party pooper， 可她还是很不甘心，觉得新同事的要求不合理unreasonable. reasonable是有道理的，前面加上 un, unreasonable就变成了没有道理的。这笔份子钱，Sarah最后会出吗？我们下次继续听。

公司老板召集手下Lisa和Ken开会，商量公司上市的问题。上市有哪些风险呢？Ken说，

K: Well, the day we offer stock for sale is the day we will see how much faith there is in our company. If people don't think we're very valuable they won't buy our stock. And if no one buys our stock we'll lose a lot of prestige.

L: I think I see the wisdom in Jerry's logic. I see our company as entering a transitory period. We've done very well so far but if we want to see serious growth it might be time to ditch our old business model and go public.

Ken说，公司上市能看出公众对他们公司是不是有信心。Lisa觉得，Jerry主张公司上市融资增加公司规模的逻辑有道理，I see the wisdom in Jerry's logic. 她觉得，公司是应该进入一个转型期，a transitory period, 放弃原来的商业模式，改为上市。Lisa用的ditch is spelled d-i-t-c-h, ditch是放弃，抛弃的意思。

K: Yeah...maybe. But I have my doubts. Remember all those companies back during the dot-com bust? They made their IPOs and a short time later, they were history.

J: That's true. But don't forget, some of those companies made a killing.

K: Okay, let's say we make a decision to go public; what kind of price are we thinking about charging for our stock?

Ken表示，自己还是持怀疑态度。I have my doubts. Ken 提到的 dot-com bust 是指1995年到2000年间的网络泡沫，结果大批上市公司都成了 history. 形容某人或某事是 history，成为历史，意思是过气了，再也不重要了。但是 Jerry 也说，Don't forget, some of those companies made a killing. 别忘了，其中很多公司都足足捞了一大笔。make a killing 意思是取得了巨大成功，尤其是指赚了很多钱。如果真要上市，每股定价多少呢？

J: I don't think there's a lot of appetite for adventure in the market right now. People are looking for either a good deal or something safe. I think we should offer a good deal and not make our initial price too expensive.

L: That's probably wise. But Jerry, have you really thought this through? You would essentially be giving up the company that your great-grandfather built.

Jerry觉得，现在市场上大家都在找上算的或是安全稳妥的股票，there isn't a lot of appetite for adventure. 没有多少人愿意冒险，所以Jerry建议股票定价不要过高。Lisa同意Jerry的看法，又问Jerry是不是考虑清楚了，think something through 是仔细考虑的意思。Jerry 会不会动摇呢？我们下次继续听。

公司老板召集手下Lisa和Ken开会，商量公司上市的问题。Jerry说，

Jerry: Well, I've called you here today because we have to make a very important decision, one that affects the future of our company. As you know...we have been a privately held, family owned company for over 120 years, but it has come to my attention that it may be time to consider some major changes.

Lisa: You mean... like becoming a publicly traded company?

J: That's right. It's something we should give serious consideration to.

这家公司120多年来，一直是 privately held, family owned 私人持有、家族经营的公司。Jerry 说，it has come to my attention 意思是我注意到，如今应该考虑采取重大改革了。Lisa 问 Jerry 是不是想成为 a publicly traded company. 上市公司。 Ken 说，

Ken: Wow Jerry! That is a revolutionary idea. Can you tell us why you think this makes good business sense to you?

J: We've been doing quite well on our own and we could probably survive like this for quite a few more years to come, but if we really want to take it to the next level, we are going to have to consider finding more investors. We simply don't have the funds to make any serious investments towards obtaining a bigger market share. We need funds to grow.

上市从商业角度看，有没有道理呢？换句话说，does it make good business sense? Jerry 解释说，公司保持现状再维持几年肯定没有问题，但如果想 take it to the next level 更上一层楼的话， 就要找到更多的投资人。公司要争取 a bigger market share 更大的市场份额，需要资金，有了资金，才能成长。

K: So our goal in making an initial public offering is to solicit investors? But then we'll have to accept a Board of Directors chosen by our stockholders. Wouldn't that limit us in many ways?

J: There will certainly be some limitations. But if you consider the massive capital investment that we'll receive, you'll understand that this could take our company from being a medium tier firm to one of the big players.

L: What are the risks of making the decision to become a publicly traded company?

首次公开募股initial public offering也就是公司上市，简称 IPO。上市公司由股东 stockholders 推选董事会 Board of Directors，当然会给公司决策带来一些限制，但是Jerry说，与此同时，上市能筹集到大笔资金，让他们的公司从一个中等层次的公司，变成 one of the big players 举足轻重的大公司之一。从家族企业变成上市公司可能会有哪些风险呢？我们下次继续听。

公司董事David和Ken谈话，觉得公司CEO Vincent不称职。David说，

David: One of Vincent's biggest problems is his tendency to micro-manage everything. He sticks his nose into everything instead of leaving the day-to-day decisions to the guys who know what they're doing.

K: That's true. He also seems rather uncertain and indecisive about many things.

D: Yeah...we need a leader who can inspire us. The CEO needs to be a coach, not a referee. You know...not everyone is cut out to be a leader.

K: I think one of the primary skills a leader needs is the ability to listen.

David觉得 Vincent 最大的问题之一是喜欢 micro-manage 管得太细。He sticks his nose into everything. 不论什么事他都要插手，to stick one's nose into something 意思是插手某事。Ken 也说，Vincent 在很多问题上优柔寡断，而且不会听取意见。David 还说，not everyone is cut out to be a leader. 不是人人都能当领导的。to be cut out for something 意思是适合做某事。

D: Vincent is terrible at that. He frequently seems to completely misunderstand what we're trying to get across. Just between you and me, I've spoken to a few other board members and they say if there is a vote of no confidence, they'll vote "no."

K: But will Vincent be forced to resign if there is such a vote?

D: No...but it will do one of two things: one, it will serve as a wake-up call and he might change his style - or two: he might step down if he realizes he's lost the support of the board.

David已经跟其他一些董事会成员打过招呼，他们都表示，如果有不信任案，他们会投不信任票。这样可能会有两种结果，it will either serve as a wake-up call. 要么会给Vincent 敲响警钟，让他自觉改变管理风格，要么会让 Vincent 意识到，自己已经失去董事会的支持，自觉下台。

K: Shouldn't we try to find a way to give him a chance to avoid embarrassment?

D: Yes we should. I'll be writing him a private letter next week and expressing our thoughts on the matter. I'd appreciate it if you would sign the letter as well.

K: Humm...well, I guess that's the best way. We'll give him a chance to either improve or resign.

D: And if he rejects those options, we'll try a vote of no confidence.

K: Ok, David....I'm on board. Let's give it a shot.

Ken建议 give him a chance to avoid embarrassment 设法避免让Vincent难堪，David表示赞同，决定先给 Vincent写封私人信件，阐述他们的意见，希望Ken能在上面联署。Ken承认，这可能是最好的方式，说，I'm on board. 算我一个，Let's give it a shot. 咱们试试看。

公司董事会成员David找Ken谈话，显得很神秘。

David: Hey, Ken...I need to talk to you.

K: Sure...what's up?

D: Can we step into the conference room? This is a more private conversation.

K: Sure...

D: Ok...I'm just going to lay it all out on the table: What do you think of Vincent's management style?

K: Well, Vincent has only been CEO for a couple of years and ... well...um...

D: I don't want to put you on the spot. Here's what I'm getting at: I don't think Vincent is the man for the job.

原来，David找Ken谈话，是因为觉得公司首席执行官 Vincent is not the man for the job. 不称职。David 说，I don't want to put you on the spot. 意思是我不是故意为难你。to put someone on the spot 意思是让某人回答很难回答的问题。David 在上面那段话里还说 I'm just going to lay it all out on the table. 我就直截了当说吧。to lay something out 是讲清楚；on the table 意思是放在桌面上讨论。Ken 问 David 为什么觉得 Vincent 不称职。

K: Really? And what led you to this conclusion?

D: As I see it, he lacks the proper vision. His style is more about survival, and he's not taking the company anywhere.

He's treading water instead of swimming.

K: Well, I confess I've had my doubts about his abilities before. It seems he mainly got the job because his famous aunt pulled some strings.

David觉得Vincent缺乏远见，lacks the proper vision. 只能维持现状，不能推动发展，就好像在水里，He's treading water instead of swimming. 光是原地踩水，不向前游。Ken说，Vincent 担任CEO, 靠的是自己姑姑的关系，His aunt pulled some strings. to pull some strings 意思是动用关系。

D: I've been with this firm for 26 years and I'd hate to see it go down the drain due to poor leadership skills.

K: Me too. But what can we do? This isn't a reality TV show...we can't just vote him out.

D: Yes and no...We can't ask for a show of hands on who thinks he should be fired, but we can introduce a vote of no confidence at the next board meeting.

K: Interesting idea. You might be on to something.

David 说，自己在公司已经26年了，不想看着公司go down the drain就这么垮掉。to go down the drain 是失败，白费的意思。David 觉得，虽然这不是电视真人秀 reality TV show，不能让大家表决把他赶下台，a show of hands 是举手表决的意思，但是可以在下个董事会上提出一份 a vote of no confidence 不信任提案。

David跟Sandra聊天，谈到办公室里的勾心斗角是难以避免的，所以只能想办法面对。Sandra 说，

S: Maybe I need to toughen up. You know that old saying: If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."

D: Maybe...but have you tried talking to Tim about this?

S: No...I'm not really a confrontational person.

D: Well, who don't you give it a shot. Use unemotional language and just be very clear and firm about how you feel. Tell him about the things you like about his work ethic and then tell him the areas you don't like.

老话说，If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. 意思是如果承受不了压力，就索性不要干。David 问 Sandra 有没有试着找 Tim 谈谈。Sandra 说自己不喜欢跟别人对抗。confrontation is spelled c-o-n-f-r-o-n-t-a-t-i-o-n, confrontation 是对抗的意思，变成形容词就是 confrontational. David 建议 Sandra 不妨找 Tim 谈一下试试看，give it a shot. 告诉 Tim 自己很赞赏他的 work ethic 工作态度，但是同时也把对他不满的地方告诉他。

S: That's a pretty good idea.

D: And remember...it takes two to tango. You can't have a power struggle without two people, at least two people. You can choose to participate or not.

S: You make some good points.

D: The next time Tim cuts you down in a meeting, don't react. Just let his comments hang there and people will see how petty he's being.

David 补充说，it takes two to tango. tango is spelled t-a-n-g-o, tango. It takes two to tango 就是中文里说的一个巴掌拍不响，还有另外一种说法是 it takes two to make a quarrel. 也是这个意思。David 建议，下次 Tim 再故意贬低 Sandra, 最好不去理他。这里说的 cut someone down 有贬低某人的意思，后面还可以加 to size, to cut someone down to size. David 说，just let his comments hang there 意思是不要去接他的话碴儿，这样别人就会看出他是多么的狭隘，小心眼。

S: I guess I have to remember that all of us are human and humans have egos and will lash out when threatened.

D: That's right! Sometimes I think our office is pretty much like the zoo. We're just office apes!

S: That's a funny thought! Thanks for your advice, David. I feel better already.

D: You're very welcome! See you tomorrow!

Sandra 也说，人都有 ego, ego 是自我，自大的意思，在感到自身受到威胁的情况下，就会 lash out, lash out意思是求助于口头或是肢体上的攻击。Sandra最后对David表示感谢，说自己跟David谈了这么一会儿，I feel better already. 我已经感觉好多了。

David跟Sandra聊天，说起自己以前有个同事，特别喜欢name-drop. David说，

D: We would be in a meeting and she would say. "Yesterday I was chatting with Tom." She meant Tom Solomon...our CEO.

S: Basically she was trying to impress people by using the CEO's name...but who knows if she really talked to him?

D: You don't know...and name-dropping is a really bad habit. It gives everyone else negative feelings about you. If you have a good idea, just speak up. You don't need to use someone else as a cover.

David 举例说，他们开着开着会，那个同事就会突然说，我昨天跟 Tom 聊天，大家都知道，Tom 是公司首席执行官CEO。David说这样做其实是个坏习惯，会让别人对你有负面看法。如果你有什么好主意，just speak up. 直截了当说出来就好了，you don't need to use someone else as a cover. 不用打着别人的旗号。

S: Yeah... Tim does that too sometimes. But the worst thing he does is try to push me to the sidelines.

D: What do you mean?

S: When we have meetings sometimes people bring up my accomplishments and Tim always has to jump in and say something like, "Yes, but that was last year. We need fresh thinking this year." Why can't he just be nice?

Sandra说，她对Tim最反感的地方是，he tried to push me to the sidelines. sidelines is spelled s-i-d-e-l-i-n-e-s, sidelines 边线，to push someone to the sidelines 就是排挤某人的意思。另外一种说法是 stay on the sidelines 站在边线上，意思是不积极参与。Sandra举例说，比如开会时，只要一有人提到 Sandra 以前的工作成绩，Tim 就会马上说，那都是去年的事了，我们需要新思维 fresh thinking. 以此削弱 Sandra 的影响和份量。

D: Well like you said earlier, he might feel threatened by you. He sees you as a rising star and he's afraid you'll shine brighter than he'll. Some people don't know how to react in situations like that.

S: I don't hate Tim. He'not totally bad; in fact he's pretty clever sometimes. I just hate all the office power struggles!

D: Unfortunately every workplace has its wars for power. That's how the game is played.

David 觉得，Tim可能真是觉得Sandra对自己构成威胁。他怕你会 shine brighter than he'll 比他更耀眼，这里也可以用 outshine, He's afraid you'll outshine him. Sandra 说，其实她不恨 Tim, 她是不喜欢办公室里的权力之争，all the office power struggles. 然而，所有工作场所都难免有这种争权夺利，勾心斗角，按照 David 的话说，That's how the game is played. 如果遇到这种争权夺利的情况，有什么好的处理办法吗？我们下次继续听。

David在走廊上遇到同事Sandra，Sandra看上去很生气。

David: Hey Sandra, what's wrong? You look furious!

Sandra: I've had it with Tim! I think I'm going to quit!

D: But Sandra...you love your job! You spent months trying to get this position. It's perfect for you!

S: Yeah...I know. But I'm sick and tired of all the office power struggles!

D: What kind of power struggles are you talking about?

David 看见同事 Sandra 怒气冲冲的 you look furious 问她出了什么事。Sandra 说受够了 Tim，I've had it with Tim. 表达受够了某人某事可以说 have had it with someone or something. 比如 I've had it with Jackie. She won't stop complaining. 意思是我真受不了Jackie，她老是抱怨个没完没了。Sandra 说，I'm sick and tired of all the office power struggles. to be sick and tired of something 是受够了的另外一种表达方式。原来，Sandra 是对办公室的争权夺利感到厌倦。她说的 Tim 是个什么样的人呢？

S: Basically, I think Tim is threatened by me. I'm doing a better job than he is so he's trying to sabotage my career!

D: So he talks about you behind your back?

S: Yes. He's all nice and friendly to my face. But the second I turn around he stabs me in the back!

D: You know I had a worker like that once. She was always taking credit for my ideas.

Sandra 觉得，自己比Tim能力强，对Tim构成威胁，所以他才会故意给自己找麻烦，sabotage is spelled s-a-b-o-t-a-g-e, sabotage, sabotage 是故意破坏的意思。David 问，so he talks about you behind your back? to talk about someone behind someone's back 背后说某人坏话。Sandra 说，他当着我的面很友善，我一转身离开，他就背后捅我一刀，He stabs me in the back. David颇有同感，说自己也遇到过这种人，以前就有个女同事总把David想出的好主意说成是自己的，She was always taking credit for my ideas. to take credit for something 意思是把某种成绩归功于自己。

D: After a while I learned to document my work very clearly so the boss knew 100% that this was my work.

S: That's a good idea. I should keep a better record of my correspondence with the clients so if necessary I can prove it was my effort.

D: My co-worker had a whole bunch of bad office habits. She liked to name-drop...we would be in a meeting and she would say, "yesterday I was chatting with Tom." She meant Tom Solomon...our CEO.

David 又说，自己那个讨厌的同事有很多坏毛病，其中之一就是 name-drop, name-drop意思是提起名人，以便提高自己的身价，喜欢这样做的人就是 name-dropper. name-drop为什么是坏习惯呢？我们下次继续听。

Lenny说服同事Susan去参加万圣节派对，Susan不知道该穿什么，Lenny说，

L: Back when I was a kid, everyone came dressed as a ghost or a mummy or a vampire. These days there are lots of costumes available and people try their best to come up with original ideas.

Susan: (sarcastic) Great! You just added to my pressure! I have no idea what kind of costume to wear.

L: What's your favorite horror movie?

S: I actually like Japanese ghost stories. Western horror movies don't scare me; they just make me sick to my stomach. Japanese ghost stories terrify me, though.

Lenny告诉Susan说，他小时候那会儿，大家无非是穿成吸血鬼和僵尸什么的，但如今，各式各样万圣节的装扮和道具商店里应有尽有，people try their best to come with original ideas. to come up with 是想出，original 是新颖的，独到的，这句话意思是大家都想方设法与众不同。Lenny 给Susan 出主意，问她最喜欢看的鬼电影是什么。Susan 说自己不爱看西方恐怖片 horror movie，因为 they just make me sick to my stomach. 看了只会让我恶心。sick to one's stomach 是恶心的意思。相反的，日本的恐怖片却能把她吓个半死。

L: Then come as a Japanese ghost! you can wear a white sheet and get a long wig! Push your hair in front of your face and you'd make a great ghost!

S: How about a witch? I'm a woman...and remember...women like to look nice. I want to be scary...but I want to look good, too!

L: Sure...you'd make a very attractive witch!

Lenny建议Susan索性装扮成一个日本恐怖片里走出来的鬼，身上披个白床单，戴个长长的假发，假发是 wig, 然后把假发全都盖在脸上，活脱脱就是一个讨债的恶鬼。Susan 嫌丑不愿意，说自己更愿意扮成一个漂亮的女巫。

S: How about you? What are you coming as?

L: I'm coming as a serial killer! I've got fake blood and a huge fake knife! It's going to be cool!

S: Sounds like fun...OK...I'm in.

L: Wonderful! See you at the party!

S: Thanks for talking me into it!

L: You're welcome!

Susan 问 Lenny 要装扮成什么。Lenny 说自己要穿成一个 serial killer 连环杀手，serial is spelled s-e-r-i-a-l, serial, serial 是连续的意思。Susan 最后说，sounds like fun...OK...I'm in. 意思是听起来真好玩，我加入，她还感谢 Lenny 说服自己参加，to talk someone into something 意思是说服某人做某事。