Steve: You're late again, Mike. You have been late three times this month.
Mike : I'm really sorry, Steve. The traffic has been bad lately.
Steve: Do you catch a taxi to work every day?
Mike : Yep. When the traffic is OK, it only takes 20 minutes but when there are traffic jams, it can take 40 or even 50 minutes.
Steve: Have you thought about alternative transport?
Mike : What do you mean by 'alternative'?
Steve: Well, taxi is just one way to get to your destination. What about the bus or subway?
Mike : I never really thought about it, but I will give it a try.
Steve: Just try to be punctual, Mike. It's important.
史蒂文：你又迟到了，麦克。这个月你已经迟到三次了。
麦克：我真的非常抱歉。最近总是塞车。
史蒂文：你每天上班都是打车吗？
麦克：对。如果不堵车的话只需花20分钟。但如果堵车的话，可能就要花40甚至50分钟了。
史蒂文：那你有没有想过使用什么别的交通工具么？
麦克：你说的“别的”是指什么？
史蒂文：其实，乘坐出租车只是到达目的地的一种方法。公共汽车或者坐地铁怎么样？
麦克：我从来没想过那么做，不过我倒是可以试试。
史蒂文：麦克，你可要试着尽量准时。这很重要。
NEW WORDS 新单词
1) Traffic Jams: when the road is so busy that the vehicles do not move
交通拥堵
New York, London, Rome and Bangkok are famous for their traffic jams.
纽约、伦敦、罗马、曼谷等大城市都以交通拥堵。
2) Alternative: different, another option or choice
可选择的，可替代的
There are no alternatives to coffee and chocolate - nothing can replace them in my life.
没有任何东西可以替代咖啡和巧克力在我生活中的位置。
3) Destination: the place you want to go, target or goal
目的地，目标
Disney Land is a common destination for tourists visiting the USA.
迪斯尼乐园是很多游客到美国旅游的目的地。
4) Subway: trains that run underground
地铁
In New York it's called the 'Subway', in London it's called the 'Tube' and in Paris it's 'Le Metro'.
在纽约，地铁被称为“Subway"； 在伦敦，人们叫它“Tube”；而在巴黎则称“Le Metro”。
5) Punctual: on time
准时
If you ask a girl out on a date, it is very important to be punctual.
如果你与一个女孩子出来约会，准时是非常重要的。
LESSON 课文
Whenever you start a new job, one of the key things to ask is what time you start and what time you finish. Most company's business hours are 9AM to 5PM but some workers start at 8.30AM and finish at 6PM.
Some companies ask their staff to do shift-work. Shift-work means that you could start very early in the morning but finish earlier or start late in the night and then have all day to sleep.
Whatever the time it is good advice to get there a little early but not to leave early. If you are always early and stay late the boss will notice and may promote you.
Managers don't mind if you are late occasionally, but they will not be happy if you are late every day. Remember it's your responsibility to get to work on time.
在你开始一个新工作的时候，问清楚你的工作时间是非常重要的。 绝大多数公司的办公时间是从早上9点到下午5点，但也有些公司从早上8：30开始上班，有些要到晚上6：00才下班。
有些公司实行轮班工作制，所谓轮班工作制是指：你可以早点到公司，早走；或是晚到公司晚走。
无论如何，早一点到公司是好的，但不要提前离开。如果你总是早到晚走的话，老板会注意到你的，说不定还会给你升职的机会。
如果你偶尔迟到的话，经理一般不会说些什么，但如果你每天都迟到的话他可就要不高兴了。要记住：每天准时上班也是你工作职责的一部分。
Dialogue
Beth : Can you tell me the time please, Sally?
Sally: Sure, it's 8.55AM. Why do you ask?
Beth : I missed the subway this morning and I thought I would be late.
Sally: You're not late. In fact, you are a little early.
Beth : You know I ran all the way from the subway station to the office and now I am exhausted.
Sally: Beth, you are always early or on time, so being a little late one day isn't a big deal.
Beth : Thanks for noticing that I always try to be on time.
Sally: That's OK - I think you are a very good worker and always try your best.
Beth : Good to hear. I hope that I can get a big pay raise this year then?
Sally: Let me think about that one Beth.
贝丝：萨丽，你能告诉我现在几点了么？
萨丽：没问题，现在是上午8：55。为什么问这个？
贝丝：今天早上我没赶上地铁，所以我想我可能要晚了。
萨丽：你没晚，实际上你还早到了呢！
贝丝：你知道么，我可是一路从地铁站跑到公司来的，现在都累得不行了。
萨丽：贝丝，你每天都按时上班，甚至提前到达办公室，所以有晚一点儿的话真的算不了什么。
贝丝：真高兴你能注意到我总保持上班准时，谢谢你。
萨丽：没什么。我一直认为你是一名好员工，而且一直努力工作。
贝丝：能听到这些我真高兴。希望今年我的薪水能涨一些呢。
萨丽：让我考虑考虑，贝丝。
