Mr Smith or John?

EnglishMr Smith or John?
　　Jackie: Hello, this is 6 minute English. I’m Jackie Dalton and with me today is Neil Edgeller. Hello, sir!
　　Neil: Sir! Very unusual, you don’t usually call me ‘sir’, Jackie!
　　Jackie: I don’t, usually - I usually call you Neil, don’t I?
　　Neil: Yes, you do.
　　Jackie: And that’s because we’re colleagues and the way we interact 1 in the office is pretty（漂亮的） informal really – it’s quite relaxed, we’re just use eachothers’ first names. And the reason I called you ‘sir’ is because thetopic of today’s programme is formality, or lack of formality at work.
　　So, do you work somewhere where you can behave in a relaxed wayaround colleagues, or do you have to be very polite and maybe a bitdistant? Is there a dress code 2?
　　Neil: Yes a dress-code is the rules for what you should wear in a certainsituation. So if a restaurant has a ‘no jeans’ policy, or dress-code, itmeans you have to wear smart trousers, you’re not allowed in if youwear jeans.
　　Jackie: Well in a moment, we’ll be talking a bit about how things havechanged here. First, I have a question for you. A survey was carried outin Britain into dress-codes at work. And I’d like you guess what percentage of people said they’d prefer to be given a precise 3 dresscode– in other words, would prefer to be told what kind of clothesthey should wear.
　　a) 5%b) 23%c) 85 %Neil: I’m going to say 5%.
　　Jackie: Well, we’ll find out at the end of the programme whether your answerwas correct. Would you say the BBC World Service is a fairly formalplace to work?
　　(discuss)they’re on first-name terms – they call each other by their first name scasual – relaxed, informalJackie: Well it wasn’t always so. Carrie has been around at the BBC for nearly30 years and things used to be quite different when she joined. Howwould she have to address her boss?
　　CarrieWell when I started in the BBC, my boss was very formal. He wore a suit and tie everyday to work and you had to call him ‘Mr’, so he was ‘Mr Bowman’. I wouldn’thave dreamt of calling him Eric, which was his first name. On the other hand, hedidn’t actually call us ‘Miss or Mrs’, we were called by our first name because wewere his underlings, we were his staff, but the boss was always called ‘Mr’ or ‘Mrs’.
　　But, actually, on most occasions 4, it would have been a ‘Mr’.
　　Jackie: Did you get that? She had to call her boss ‘Mr’. They certainly weren’ton first name terms. Well, Carrie also had to face even stricter rulesafter that. What did she have to do?
　　CarrieA couple of years after I started at the BBC, I moved to a different department and there was a lady in that department who ran an office with about six or seven staff init and the staff had to ask permission if they wanted to go to the toilet. They weren’tallowed to just leave the office. And in fact, she timed them sometimes too anddecided if they were too long in the toilet.
　　Jackie: Carrie had to ask permission to go to the toilet.
　　Neil: ask permission – to ask if you can do something.
　　Both: (discuss)BBC Learning 5 EnglishJackie: We’re quite lucky, sitting here in our jeans, or corduroys. There was atime when that would have been out of the question. What didnewsreaders at the BBC used to have to wear while they werepresenting?
　　CarrieLong, long before I joined, the newsreaders, which at that stage would have been onradio rather than on television had to wear dinner jackets to read the news, eventhough nobody could see them, other than other people in the studio.
　　Both: (discuss)dinner jacket – formal suit usually worn for a special event6 minute English ?dress-down Fridays – an arrangement where you can wear casualclothes at work on Fridays, but dress more formally for the rest of theweek.
　　Jackie: So a quick reminder 6 of some of the vocabulary we’ve looked at:
　　casual/informalformalfirst name termsdress codedress-down Fridaysdinner jacketto ask permissionJackie: And finally, the answer to this week’s tricky 7 question…85 per cent would prefer a precise dress codeWhat would you prefer Neil?
　　(discuss)That’s all for this week, join us again soon for more 6 minute English.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）




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1
interact

  
 


vi.相互作用，相互影响，互通信息


参考例句：





All things are interrelated and interact on each other.一切事物互相联系并相互作用。
The policeman advised the criminal to interact with the police.警察劝罪犯与警方合作。












2
code

  
 


n.代码，代号，密码；法典，法规，规划


参考例句：





What's the code for Tianjin?天津的代号是多少？
Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。












3
precise

  
 


adj.精确的，恰好的，极清楚的


参考例句：





At that precise moment, Miss Pulteney came into the office.就在那时，普尔特尼小姐走进了办公室。
A scientist must be precise in making tests.科学家做试验必须精确。












4
occasions

  
 


n.机会( occasion的名词复数 )；时刻；原因；需要


参考例句：





The prosecution stated that intercourse had occurred on several occasions. 控诉方称发生过数次性交。
He has been late on numerous occasions. 他已经迟到过无数次了。












5
learning

  
 


n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词


参考例句：





When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。












6
reminder

  
 


n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示


参考例句：





I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。












7
tricky

  
 


adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的


参考例句：





I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。