友达英语》礼节美语》losing a job can be positive

Mickey刚失业，跟朋友Suzanne 一起吃饭，Suzanne 劝他说，这未必不是件好事。她说，

S: Back at my old job there were some days where I barely used my brain at all! I just did the same thing over and over again.

M: So what happened after you got fired? Did a new opportunity come your way?

S: Not exactly. It took me about a year to figure out that opportunities weren't going to come my way.... I learnt that you have to create your own opportunities.

M: So that's when you started your company.

S: Yeah! I always had an interest in gardening, so I thought to myself: There must be a lot of people who also have this interest and would like to have a garden but don't have the time to set one up.

Suzanne说，原来工作的时候，总是同样的工作来回做，did the same thing over and over again. 完全不用动大脑，失业后，她用一年的时间才发现，机会不会自己找上门来，opportunities weren't going to come my way, 还不如自己去创造机会。于是她决定自己开公司，帮助那些喜欢园艺但是没有时间整理花园的人整理花园。

M: So now you go around making custom-designed gardens for homes and offices, right?

S: Yes! I never would've thought in a million years that my interest in gardening would turn into a career! If I hadn't gotten fired, I would've never found my calling!

M: That's cool....and it does offer me some hope. I guess I need to do some thinking about what I really want to do.

S: I'm not saying it's going to be easy.... I spent almost one year doing odd jobs and trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Not having a stable income can be difficult.

因此，Suzanne 开了一家公司，专门为公司和家庭 custom-design 量身定做花园。她说，要不是被解雇，她死也不会想到自己的爱好竟然会成为职业，in a million years 是一种夸张的说法，就是无论如何也不会的意思。正是被解雇，才让她最终找到了自己的 calling, calling is spelled c-a-l-l-i-n-g, calling, 一个人最适合的职业。Suzanne 说，不过，这个过程也很艰难，她足足打了一年零工才走出低谷，odd jobs 是零工的意思。Mickey 听后深受启发。

M: Yeah....right now I have some savings so I'll be good for about six months...but if I can't find something after that it's going to start getting tough.

S: Do you have a 'dream' or something you've always wanted to do?

M: Well, I have always had the idea of opening a bicycle store. I'm talking about selling rare, vintage or special custom-made bicycles.

Mickey说，自己存款有限，撑半年还行，再久就扛不住了。Suzanne 问他有没有什么梦想。Mickey 说，他一直想开一家自行车店，专卖那些不多见，古香古色，或是订做的自行车。他在这里用的 vintage is spelled v-i-n t-a-g-e, vintage 意思是老式的，古典的。

S: Interesting! Cycling is quite a trend these days and if you can find bicycles that no one else has....it just might work!

M: I've always been interested in bicycles and I know a lot about them. I never thought I would have a chance to open a bike store.

S: Give it some thought! This could be your calling in life!!

M: I'll think about it! Thanks, Suzanne! Now let's eat!

Suzanne 说， Mickey 想开自行车店的梦想很有意思，因为现在很流行骑车，it's quite a trend. Suzanne 觉得 Mickey 可以认真地琢磨琢磨， give it some thought 好好想想，没准真能行。Mickey 听了很受鼓舞，说从来没想到，自己这辈子真能有机会开一家自行车店，实现梦想。

友达英语》礼节美语》 You Are What You Wear

Cathy 早上上班见到同事 Adam.

Cathy: Hi, Adam, nice tie.

Adam: Thanks.

C: By the way, can I ask you a personal question?

A: Ask away!

C: How come you're the only one at the office who wears a tie to work every day? I'm not criticizing your fashion choices, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to.

A: No. I'm happy to answer that question! I assume you're like most people: you prefer to wear comfortable clothing whenever possible, right?

Cathy 问了 Adam 个personal question 私人问题，问Adam 为什么每天上班都西装领带的，而公司的着装标准并不严格，所以其他人一般都是怎么舒服怎么穿。Cathy 还补充说，I'm not criticizing your fashion choices. 意思是说我不是想对你的穿着指手划脚，而是好奇。Cathy