【一起听英语】现代技术在工作中的运用

科学技术的发展给我们的工作也带来了很大的便利，然而，我们在工作中仍然会遇到各种各样的问题，尤其是技术问题......

Feifei: Hello and welcome to another episode 1 of 6 Minute English with me Feifei.

Neil: And me Neil.

Feifei: How are you Neil and what have you been up to?

Neil: I’m annoyed – I was doing all this work on the script for this programme on

my smartphone and it crashed! Because it’s my phone, I can’t get IT support

at work to sort it out for me.

Feifei: Serves you right for using your own device.

Neil: Yeah, I’m not alone though! A survey by a business technology company

called Avenade has found that 88% of executives 2 said employees were using

their own personal computing 3 technologies for business purposes.

Feifei: So you’re saying lots of people are using their own smartphones and laptops

instead of the company computers?

Neil: Yes, more or less: either instead of company technology, or as well as the

company technology, and in the name of further research I went out and did

my own very unscientific survey.

Examples

Woman 1: When we have a problem with our laptops, we would normally call IT

support really. So we can call them at any time but they don’t always sort

out the problems, so that in a way creates a problem, especially when we try

to catch a deadline.

Man 1: Sometimes I find it hard to speak with the IT department because it seems

to me that they speak one language and the rest of us speak a different

language. They use too many technical terms, I so sometimes find it very

frustrating 4 dealing 5 with technology.

Woman 2: I constantly come across problems with software update, such as Flash

Player which is required to play video and audio, but you need to have the

most updated version of Flash Player which we don’t always have, so that’s

the problem. It can be very frustrating if you don’t have it, and then you ask

for IT support, but sometimes they don’t know what you are talking about.

Feifei: So it’s not always easy to get everything up and running, even if it’s the

office computer.

6 Minute English © BBC Learning English 2013

Page 2 of 5

Neil: No, as I’m sure you know Feifei, there are always glitches 6, or problems, and

that’s when you need to be able to talk to your company’s IT support –

that’s information technology, to get things up and running again. But what

should you say? Oh look, it’s Business Betty! Hi Betty, great to have you

here as usual.

BB: Thank you Neil.

Neil: Love the hat!

BB: Thank you Neil! Always good to be here. Now, whatever device you’re using

and wherever you are, when you have a technological 7 problem you need to

be able to explain what the problem is, and you need to be able to

understand what the IT expert is saying to you. Let’s start with the problems.

Maybe you can’t connect to the internet.

Feifei: I can’t connect to the internet.

BB: You can’t print anything.

Feifei: I can’t print anything.

BB: Maybe you saved some files to your hard drive and they've disappeared,

Feifei.

Feifei: I saved some files to my hard drive and they have disappeared.

BB: So the IT support person might ask you a few questions. Has this happened

before?

Neil: Has this happened before?

BB: What operating system are you running?

Neil: What operating system are you running?

BB: What version of the software are you using?

Neil: What version of the software are you using?

BB: He or she might offer you some advice. For example: You need to install an

update.

Neil: You need to install an update.

BB: Try re-installing the programme.

Neil: Try re-installing the programme.

BB: Or the problem might be more difficult to fix. For example, they might say

your system needs a rebuild.

Neil: Your system needs a rebuild.

BB: Or maybe it can’t be fixed 8 at all!

6 Minute English © BBC Learning English 2013

Page 3 of 5

Neil: I’m afraid this can’t be fixed.

BB: Hopefully it won’t ever be that bad! And, of course, they might give the

advice most of us have heard at one time and which seems to work very

well: give your computer a re-boot – turn it off and on again.

Neil: Give your computer a re-boot – turn it off and on again.

Betty: So, there you have everything you need to keep the technology in your life

working well.

Neil: Brilliant Betty, thanks.

Betty: My pleasure. So if there’s nothing else, I'll be off. Bye for now.

Both: Bye Betty.

Neil: That’s our Betty. She knows all about IT issues you know!

Feifei: She is a legend… do you feel a technology role-play coming on?

Neil: Yeah, I’m the boss right?

Feifei: There isn’t a boss in this one, but you can be the IT support worker if you

like.

Neil: OK, alright. So you have an IT problem and you’re asking me for help, right?

Feifei: Yes, are you ready?

Neil: I'm ready!

Role-play

Neil: Hello, IT support, can I help you?

Feifei: Hello, yes, I’ve got a problem. I saved some files to my hard drive and they

have just disappeared.

Neil: Has this happened before?

Feifei: Yes, a couple of times.

Neil: Hmm. If it’s happened a couple of times, you might need to install an update.

Feifei: And if that doesn’t work?

Neil: Well, if that doesn’t work, your system needs a rebuild. Try installing the

update, and let me know how it goes.

Feifei: OK, thanks for your help.

Neil: You’re welcome.

Feifei: And that’s the end of today’s role-play!

Neil: How was it for you?

Feifei: It was great, Neil. You sounded like you actually knew what you were talking

about!

6 Minute English © BBC Learning English 2013

Page 4 of 5

Neil: Well, that’s because I’m brilliant. You can call me anytime you have a

problem Feifei.

Feifei: But you’re not really an IT expert, are you? You can’t even fix your own

smartphone!

Neil: Ah, don’t joke Feifei, I’ve lost the whole of the series!

Feifei: You are just going to have to write them again. Good luck to you for the

next time you’re dealing with any IT issues.

Neil: Yes, it’s good luck from me too and goodbye from both of us. Join us again

soon for another episode of 6 Minute English!

Both: Bye!