英语PK台 第628期:上班族与通勤高峰

 Dialogue 1

Jingjing meets Mark for lunch.
京晶约马克一起吃午餐。
Jingjing: Sorry to keep you waiting, Mark. Were you here long?
京晶：很抱歉让你久等了，马克。你早就到了吧？
Mark: Well, I got here at the time we agreed to meet. But it's no problem. I just finished part of this book.
马克：嗯，我是按咱们约定的时间到的。不过，没关系，这本书我刚刚看了一部分。
Jingjing: Oh, you're still reading the same book after two weeks. I thought you'd be done with it by now.
京晶：哦，你看的还是两周前的那本书。我以为你早就看完了。
Mark: I thought so too. But I've been pretty busy.
马克：我也觉得看的有点慢。不过，我一直很忙
Jingjing: I know how it is. Actually, that's why I was a little late. I had to finish some work before I could leave the office.
京晶：我理解。其实，这也是我刚刚迟到了会儿的原因。我得先完成一些工作，才能离开办公室。
Mark: Hey, don't worry about it! I'm glad to have some time to relax. You know, we could just grab 1 something to eat here, at this coffee shop. It's the lunch rush now, and we're lucky to have a table.
马克：嘿，不用担心！能有时间放松一下，我挺高兴的。你知道，我们可以在这家咖啡店随便吃点什么。现在是午餐高峰时间，我们能占到一张桌子，挺幸运的。
Jingjing: Hmm, expensive or crowded: that's the choice of restaurants we have, surrounded by so many office buildings.
京晶：嗯，要么价格贵，要么人满为患——我们能选择的餐厅都是这样，周围有这么多写字楼。
Mark: I know you usually eat at your dining hall. So, I don't want you to feel stuck between some place that's hard on your nerves or one that's hard on your wallet. Anyway, I have a card for this coffee shop. Let me take care of our lunch.
马克：我知道你平时都在你们单位的食堂吃饭。所以，我不想选择让你感到紧张，或者消费太高的地方吃饭。对了，我有一张这家咖啡店的卡。这顿午餐我请了。
Jingjing: That sounds pretty good. Yeah, I don't feel like walking outside until it's time to go back to work.
京晶：听起来不错。是的，回去工作之前，我可不想在外面走来走去的。
Mark: Take a load off, Jingjing. Let me bring a menu over.
马克：你坐吧，京晶。我去拿菜单。
Jingjing: Just surprise me. Order whatever you think is good, when you go up to the counter.
京晶：可以给我点惊喜。你直接去前台点些你觉得不错的菜就行。
Mark: OK. I think I know what kinds of things you like. I'll be back in a little while.
马克：好。我想我知道你爱吃什么。稍等。
Jingjing: Oh, and get them to tell you the wifi password.
京晶：对了，帮我问一下前台餐厅的WiFi密码。
Mark: Just use that sticker on the table.
马克：桌子上贴着呢。
Jingjing: Whoops 2! I thought that was an advertisement. Yeah, I'll just scan 3 the QR code.
京晶：哎呦！我还以为那是广告。好，我这就扫二维码。
Mark: It worked for me. The wifi's pretty fast here.
马克：我用过他们家的WiFi，网速挺快的。
New words: 习语短语
I know how it is. 我理解你的情况
I understand your situation.
lunch rush 午餐高峰
the busy time at restaurants during the lunch hour (same with dinner rush)
hard on your nerves 令人紧张难受
(hard on ) difficult for you in a specific way (i.e. running is hard on your knees)
take a load off 坐下，休息
sit down, relax
surprise me 让我惊讶一下
go ahead and choose something for me, and I'll probably like it
QR code 二维码 
(quick response) a scannable 4 bar code that allows users to link directly to a website
Dialogue 2
Jingjing and Mark are waiting for their food.
京晶和马克正在等餐。
Jingjing: I'm kinda envious 5 of you, Mark. You don't have to sit in an office all day.
京晶：我有点羡慕你，马克。你不必整天坐在办公室。
Mark: Don't be. I commute 6 five days a week. I have to be on time. And I do forty hours of work per week.
马克：可别。我一周上五天班，还不能迟到。而且我每周都得工作40个小时。
Jingjing: Yeah, but you don't have to work an eight hour stretch every day.
京晶：没错，但你不必每天不停工作八小时。
Mark: Do you?
马克：你不也是吗？
Jingjing: Well, yeah! I have flex 7 time, to some extent. I don't have to be in until mid-morning. Obviously, I have to be at the studio in time to get ready for the broadcast each day.
京晶：嗯，是的！某种程度上，我的工作时间挺灵活的。早晨十点钟左右到单位就行。但，显然，我必须及时到演播室，为每天的播出做准备。
Mark: So, if you're tired, you can sleep in.
马克：所以，如果前一天太累，还可以睡个懒觉。
Jingjing: I guess I could cut my morning activities short. But that's my me time each day. After the broadcast, I use the late afternoon, the evening, and even the night to prepare content for upcoming shows. That usually keeps me at the office until after dinner time.
京晶：我想我可以把我早上的活动时间缩短些。但那是我每天的私人专属时间。做完节目后，我会利用下午晚些时候、傍晚，甚至晚上的时间，准备下次播出的内容。这通常让我晚餐时间后才能离开办公室。
Mark: So, you miss the rush hour. That sounds pretty enviable.
马克：所以，你上下班时可以错过早晚高峰。这很令人羡慕。
Jingjing: I guess it is. Nobody likes being stuck on a crowded subway or a bus. I'd rather work at the office for two extra hours, then have a smooth and shorter commute later in the evening.
京晶：也许吧。没人喜欢挤地铁、挤公交。我宁愿在办公室多工作两个小时，然后在傍晚晚些时候享受更短、顺畅的通勤。
Mark: I hope you don't have dinner too late. That's unhealthy.
马克：我希望你吃晚餐不要太晚。这对健康不利。
Jingjing: Nah, I can grab a snack. You know, there are so many convenience stores around here.
京晶：不会啦，我可以吃点零食。你知道，这附近有很多便利店。
Mark: It sounds like you manage your time pretty well. I know too many people who have to check in at exactly 9:00, or face a penalty 8.
马克：听起来你把自己的时间管理的不错。我认识很多人每天都必须9点之前打卡上班，否则就得挨罚。
Jingjing: Yeah, those fingerprint 9 machines are pretty common. We used to have one, but it stopped working. Our boss is happy with us as long as our projects are going well.
京晶：是的，指纹打卡机现在很常见。我们单位也有过一台，但后来不用了。只要我们的工作能顺利完成，我们的老板就对我们挺满意的。
Mark: That's a good way to handle it. Outside of customer service or tech support, punching the clock doesn't make much sense in today's workplace.
马克：这种方法不错。除了客服或技术支持方面的工作以外，在当今的工作场所，上下班打卡其实没什么意义。
Jingjing: There are lots of jobs that call for people to be there 9 to 5.
京晶：有很多工作要求员工必须早九晚五。
Mark: Yeah, I guess so. Oh, here comes our food already.
马克：是的，我想也是。哦，开始上餐了。
Jingjing: Thanks for ordering a lot! I didn't realize how hungry I was until I sat down here.
京晶：点这么多菜！谢谢啦！我坐下来才意识到自己有多饿。
New words: 习语短语
envious 妒忌的，令人羡慕的
adjective, about a person who wants what other people have (enviable is the adjective for the thing/situation people want to have)
flex time 自由时间
(flexible time) permission from your company to work arrive and leave work at different times, if enough hours are worked in a week and projects are finished
mid-morning 9:30 to 11:30 AM
(the mid-afternoon is 2:30 to 4:30)
sleep in 睡懒觉
continue sleeping, later than usual, in the morning
cut (something) short 在某事做完之前就停止
stop doing something before you've finished
me time 做自己喜欢做的事情的时间
a few minutes or hours when you do things you enjoy
keeps me at/in (some place) 要求某人待在某处
requires me to stay some place
rush hour 通勤高峰
8:00-9:00AM, 5:00-6:00PM
(the time during which most people are commuting to/from work
call for 要求
(phrasal verb) need/require