Be quiet
By Ronald Jamesddled

I have been to China five times since the year 2000. I am engaged to a Chinese woman and have spent most of my time with Chinese people. I love the food, preferring it to Western food, and I admire many things about China. But as a foreign visitor to China, I have experienced a variety of "culture clashes" and "culture shocks".

My biggest culture shock right now is dealing with "noise pollution". I recently rented a nice apartment at Wo Long Xiao Cheng only to discover that an army garrison is practically next-door. Every morning at 5:30 an army bugle plays a wake-up tune and then throughout the day and evening we all get to listen to army music and the sound of the soldiers shouting while they do their drills. What is an army garrison doing in the middle of a residential area? Why isn't there more consideration given to the hundreds of citizens living in the neighborhood?

Peace and quiet is a highly cherished commodity in the West, especially in the neighborhoods where we live. But in China, noise in many forms, seems to be an accepted part of life. I find myself missing simple peace and quiet.

Fortunately there are oases of tranquility such as the Xiamen Botanical Gardens where one can escape, at least temporarily, the clamor and din of city streets.

 

 

跟Suky一起看Friends
By Suky

三男三女超级好朋友,坚持自我主张,耍宝第一名,糗事一箩筐...Friends的好戏演不完.这次,Great things are happening at work and in Joey's personal life. Joey时来运转,在<我们的日子>里一直处于昏迷状态,将接受脑部移植手术.Rachel和Phoebe拾到帅哥的手机,守株待兔等人家打电话过来,好同人家约会.

1. He's too cute to be straight.
他太帅了,不太可能是异性恋.
Straight or gay?异性恋还是同性恋?Rachel和Phoebe无法判断.美国口语经常用cute表示男生长得帅.

2. Too cocky
太自信啦!
得意忘形,Rachel抢先拿到了手机,对Phoebe说too slow!却不小心被Phoebe抢走了.

3. I'm the guy in the coma.
我是那个昏迷的人.
"in the coma"处于昏迷状态.以前Suky曾经和大家总结过,心情很好是in good humor,兴致勃勃是in spirits.看来这个in似乎和人的精神状态很有关系啊...

4. He was hanging out with me and said, "You're half Scottish right?"
他昨天和我出去,对我说:"你有一半苏格兰血统,是吗?"
"hang out"闲逛.They normally hang out in the pub. 她们通常上酒吧闲荡.还有个短语和hang out有关,let it all hang out,轻松随意,不拘小节.

5. The essence of the character is rooted in her confidence.
角色的精髓在于她的自信.
这句话没有什么技巧,却很好用.比如对于Suky说,就希望有一天,大家能和我说:the essence of Cool English is rooted in the editors' and Suky's effort.

6. It'll give you a chance to shake things up.
这给你一个机会重新开始.
"shake things up"把东西摇散了,再立起来,不就是重新组合,重整旗鼓吗?当然,重整旗鼓还有很多种表达方法,比如lift up my head也是很形象的一种.
大家一定很关心开篇中Rachel和Phoebe与手机帅哥的fairy tale for the digital age,可惜得很,机主却是那男生的老板,老板岁数不小啦.
在实际的英语会话中,我们会发现越来越多的口语原来是这样地随兴所致,得心应手.

 

 

Friendships at work
By the Chef

Dear Chef,
Recently I got promoted to manager but after a couple of months working in the new position I have found I have less friends everyday in the company. My co-workers who used to be my friends are now feeling more and more uncomfortable going out and spending some time with me after work. I think I am still the same guy, but I feel it is hard to explain that. Do you have any good ideas about how I can solve this problem and keep my friendships in spite of the fact that I am now managing them?
Mike

Dear Mike,

Thanks for your email and I totally understand your situation.

Getting promoted probably shows that the company appreciates your hard work and your professional skills, which you should be proud of. However, working as a manager might be a bit harmful to your relationships with your workmates if you don't deal with it wisely.

Higher positions can be intimidating to your workmates, while it also has certain advantages in maintaining friendship. More responsibilities might take more of your working time to drift you away from your friends, but at the same time it gives you more power or chances to show your care towards them. Try to be available to them whenever you are needed, if not as much as before. More importantly trying to establish a way of communication between you and your friends will also help a lot to maintain your friendships. Never consider your workmates as working for you-the manager, but consider them as if they are just working with you just like the old times. In other words, if you are still the same guy, then try to show it to your friends. If you genuinely want to help someone, I think they can feel it.

However, if you ever find the friendship was damaged not by you, but by your friends because of something like their jealousy of your promotion, then I think you had better start reconsidering whether this friendship is really worth it.

The Chef

Vocabulary
promotion 升职
intimidate 使害怕
maintain 保持

 

 

Crossword Puzzle
本栏目内容由 www.1cm.com.cn 提供



Across
5. A kind of animal that's mostly found living in Africa.
7. A book or bound collection of maps.

Down
1. A famous brand of watches.
2. To bring into debt; to place under obligation.
3. An identification certificate.
4. Dangerous.
6. The guy who invented the telephone.
7. To harass or disturb by repeated acts.

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Cartoon English

 

 

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