Unit Two

The Company Man

CONTENTS

Lead-in

Text Study

Exercises

Oral Activities

LEAD-IN

The author: Ellen

Goodman

Ellen Goodman (1941-), journalist and columnist who writes for Newsweek, the Detroit Free Press, and the Boston Globe.

graduated (cum laude) from Radcliffe College. She was awarded the Pulitzer prize for Distinguished Commentary in 1980. She began her working career in 1963. She was named newspaper woman of the year by the New England Press Association in 1968, and columnist of the year by the New England Women's Press Association in 1975.

Since 1979, Goodman has published five collections of her columns dealing with contemporary themes:

Close to Home; At Large; Keeping in Touch; Making Sense; Value Judgments. Her Pulitzer Prize winning commentary

appears in more than 375 newspapers.

Goodman has a strong interest in social changes. She has discussed family, politics, ethics and male and female relationships.

Her columns have won vast numbers of readers for their keen, insightful observations and clever wit. She writes about what is in the news, on her mind, and of concern to women and men across the country.

The Company Man

This essay is taken from Close to Home. It describes a workaholic, the vice president of a company, who works himself to death and leaves behind a wife and three adult children.

TYPE A & TYPE B PERSONALITY

Friedman and Rosenman (1959) conducted studies on the link between stress and heart disease. One of the outcomes was the discovery of Type A and Type B personalities.

TYPE APeople who are classified as having Type A personality have characteristics like:

highly active, competitive, aggressive, hostile, impatient, fast talking and thinking.

TYPE AThey have a sense of time urgency, find it

difficult to relax, and often become impatient and angry when they get delayed (or if they are going to be late) or are around other people whom they view as incompetent. It is assumed that Type A people tend to have more risk of heart disease than Type B people.

Type B

People who are classified as having Type B personality are better at relaxing without feeling guilty and working without becoming anxious or agitated. Some of the other characteristics include being more relaxed about time (they don't get overly stressed about being late), and are not easily angered.

TYPE B

You probably know people who just seemed to be relaxed people who don’t get angry often; these are the characteristics of a Type B.

They are the opposite of Type A people.

Which do you generally belong to, Type A or Type B personality?

What pressures do you think are company staff under? Name a few of them.

1. Pressure from work ： not enough rest; endless work to fulfill even on holidays.

2. Pressure from competition of new staff ：competent new comers in the company bring about great pressure for the present ones.

3. Pressure of one’s own further development: these cause pressure and makes some white-collar workers worried. Some even recharge themselves while working.

4. Pressure from feeling: unsatisfying problems in family. Some are faced with divorce, marriage, remarry. All these impose pressures, because they make it difficult to concentrate on one’s work.

5. Pressure from interpersonal relationship: office philosophy

TEXT COMPREHENSION

Exercise II (P23) Answer the following questions. What have you learned from the first

sentence? Why are these adverbs “finally and precisely” used? Why does the author repeat it?

Key: Concise as it is, it provides information of “who”, “what”, “how” and “when”.

“Finally” suggests the doomed ending of the workaholic. “Precisely” emphasizes his devotion to work, as he died on a

Sunday, a day when people are supposed to take a rest.By repeating the author proves the tragic nature of Phil’s death. It

reveals the personality of the man and implies that the man is destined/doomed to be exhausted.

1.What was the man’s position in the company? Why does the author report it in detail?

Key: He was one of the six vice-presidents and one of the three possible successors to the president.

The author reports it in detail to show how successful he had been and importantly, to reveal how fierce the competition was in the company.

2. What do you learn from paragraph 5?

Key: To Phil, Saturday is not a day to relax, but only a time to change to a casual wear.

3.What did Phil’s wife mean when she answered “I already have”?

Key: She meant to say that Phil was so engrossed in work that he neglected his family. She had already lost him to his work for many years.

4. What is meant by the sentence “she would be well taken care of” in Paragraph 8?

Key: It means that the company Phil worked for would provide some financial help for his wife so as to relieve her of any possible worries about finance.

5. Why is the phrase “dearly beloved” repeated when referring to his children in Paragraph 9?

Key: The phrase “dearly beloved” is repeated to create a sarcastic effect for his relationship with his children was far from being close or intimate and he devoted too little to his children.

6. What do you think is the relationship like between Phil and the three children?

Key: Successful as he was as a corporate man, Phil was a failing father. His eldest son knew so little about him that he had to research his father by asking the neighbors what he was like. His daughter had nothing to say when staying along with him. And his younger son, also his favorite, remarked bitterly that his father and he only boarded at the home. The relationship between Phil and his children was distant and estranged.

7. What is the implication of the ending?

Key: It implies the story of Phil sees no end: He will soon be replaced by an equally hardworking guy who may following in his steps and repeat the same tragedy. Bosses are always on the lookout for workaholics and they are never in short supply. The ending is full of sarcasm and bitterness.

8. Can you raise some aspects in Phil’s life to illustrate his being a workaholic?

Key: over-long working time, no hobby, monotonous diet, estranged relationship with family members…

Do you think it is a sheer waste of life to die so young for working so hard? How can you learn from the story of Phil? (open)

Structural Analysis

Paragraph (s)

Main idea

1

2-6

7-13

The introductory part which reports the sudden death of Phil and his devotion to work. This part reports how devoted the man was to his work.

This part describes Phil’s role in his family.

This is the end of the essay. After the cause of Phil’s death being restated, the author goes on to report the company president’s inquiry for his successor.

14-16

LANGUAGE POINTS

worried to death; frightened to death; bored to death; starve to death; put to death

to deathused after an adjective or a verb to emphasize the action, state, or feeling mentioned

e.g.

obituary 1) n. [C] a published notice of death, someti

mes with a brief account of the dead person’s life.

2) adj. e.g. an obituary notice 讣告

FUNERAL NOTICE

CANSON, Joyce ReaSept 5, 1941-Oct 12, 2006… Mother of Robert Beverly, Richard Beverly, and Sheila Daniels. Mother-in-law to Sheryl Beverly, Kim Beverly, and Darius Daniels. Beloved “Granny” to Robert, Anjalee, Sheila, Clarissa, Raven, and Kathryn. Sister to Charlotte Smith, Gloria Johnson (husband Ronald), and the late Jimmy Thorntona (late wife Polly). Daughter to the late Charles Canson and Emma Johnson. Survived by many cousins, nieces, nephews, and good friends. Friends and family are invited to attend a celebration of Joyce’s life, Tuesday, October 17, 2006 at 12 pm at Sierra 2 Center, 2791 24th Street, Sacramento, CA 95818.

coronary thrombosis obstruction of a coronary artery by a thrombus, often leading to destruction of heart muscle （心脏的）冠状动脉血栓症

. …one of six vice-presidents…1) 汉语中表示副职的头衔一般都冠以“副”字，英译时

需视词语的固定搭配或表达习惯等情况，可选择 vice, associate, assistant, deputy 等词。相应而言，vice 使用面较广。

副总统（或大学副校长）

vice president副主席（或系副主任）

vice chairman副总理

vice premier

副部长 vice minister

副省长 vice governor

副市长 vice mayor

副领事 vice consul

副校长（中小学） vice principal

2) 行政职务的副职头衔与学术头衔的“副”职称往往用不同的词表达，最为常用的英语词是 associate 。

副教授

associate professor

副研究员 associate research fellow

副主编 associate managing editor

副审判长 associate judge

副主任医师 associate senior doctor

3) 有些英语职位头衔，如 manager, headmaster, 其副职头衔可冠以 assistant 。

副总经理

assistant/deputy general manager,assistant/deputy managing director

大堂副理（宾馆）

assistant manager

4) 以 director 表示的职位的副职常以 deputy director 表示。此外， secretary, mayor, dean 等头衔的副职也可冠以 deputy 。

副秘书长 deputy secretary-general

副书记 deputy secretary

副市长 deputy mayor

副院长 deputy dean

conceivably (adv.): in a manner that can be imagined or believed.

e.g. If we persist in working that hard, conceivably we’ll harvest a promising progress in the future.

conceivablee.g. 难以想象这么小的孩子能跑这么快。It is hardly conceivable that such a small/li

ttle kid can run so fast. 她千方百计地赚钱。She earned money by every conceivable m

eans

a.

conceive 1) A patriot never conceives of betraying his/

her motherland in any case. to imagine; think2) To gain an upper hand in the cutthroat co

mpetitiveness, we have to conceive a plan to make ourselves superior.

to form or develop in the mind; map out3) I couldn’t conceive the implication of that

sentence, although he explained again. to comprehend mentally; understand4) She was told she couldn’t conceive. Henc

e she got no chance to be a mother. to become pregnant with (a child)

v.

executive1) n.2) a. of, relating to, capable of, or suited for

carrying out or executinge.g. An efficient executive must possess

great executive ability.execute

1) A government executes the decisions of the ruling party.

♠ (fml) to put into effect; carry out 2) The victim’s relatives expected to execute

the murder.♠ to put to death, especially by carrying

out a lawful sentence.

v.

overweight a. fat, obese, stout, pudgy, plump,

chubby,portlyThese adjectives mean having an

abundance and often an excess of flesh.

The most neutral term is overweight.1) “Fat” is the most usual and direct

adjective to describe people with excess flesh, but it is not polite.

e.g. That guy is not merely overweight but utterly fat.

2) “Obese”:[o'bis] (fml or medical) (of people) very fat (Doctors use obese to describe people who are so overweight that they are unhealthy.)

e.g. Obese patients are advised to change their diet.

3) “Stout” is sometimes used as a polite term to describe fatness. In stricter application “stout” indicates overall heaviness of the body. ( 身体胖得匀称 )

e.g. Even slim girls can become stout housewives.

4) “Pudgy” (infml) means short and fat.e.g. His pudgy fingers look really funny.5) To be polite, we can use “plump”

applies to a slight or attractive fullness of figure.

e.g. Everybody loves Rita, the plump, rosy little girl.

6) “Chubby” indicates pleasant roundness in babies and cheeks.

e.g. a chubby toddler; chubby cheeks7) portly: (literary) fat and round — used especially about an old man

e.g. The bishop was a portly middle-aged gentleman.

EXERCISES

1. It is impolite to describe people with excess flesh using ____, but ___________ is okay, for it’s neutral.

2. Doctors suggest people have less fast food, in order not to be ______.

3. There was a time when the ____________ figure caught on.

4. The ______ kid has funny _______ fingers.

pudgy chubby

plump/stout

obese

overweight fat

survive v. live longer than sb. else, usually sb. closely related to you

Practice

那老太太的子女都先她而去世了。

The old lady has survived all her children.

. …DOING ENOUGH ODD JOBS TO STAY…

1) What an odd desk! We’ve never seen it.

★ strange2) 1, 3, 5 and 7 are odd numbers.★ (of numbers) that can not be

divided by two; not even3) She is wearing two odd shoes.★ Of one of a pair, set, series, etc

when the other(s) is/are missing4) She made a toy out of odd pieces

of the cloth.★ extra; surplus; left over

a.

5) Twenty-odd years later, you will be middle-aged.

★ (usu placed directly after a number) a little more than

6) He takes some odd bit of exercises, but nothing regular.

★occasional; not regular or fixedodd jobs

small jobs of various types, usu done for other people

odds (assignment)

. …THE FIFTY-ONE-YEAR OLD DECEASED HAD MEANT MUCH …

dead, deceased, departed, late, inanimatedead 常表语，指“死的”；deceased 指人“最近死的”，多用于法律；departed 指“最近死的”，多用于宗教，是委婉语，

仅指死者；late“ 已故的”，多用于刚死的人；inanimate 意为“没有生命的，没有生气的”。

EXERCISES

1. The tiger has been _____ for at least two days according to the expert.

2. The ________ man left no will or legacy. 3. In a funeral, the priest prays for the

________. 4. The story is about the ____ hero.5. Their _________ conversation is about

the _________ stone.

late inanimate

departed

deceased

dead

inanimate

. … NEED HIM TO STRAIGHTEN OUT THE FINANCES —THE STOCK OPTIONS AND ALL THAT.

1) straighten out♣ straighten sth outTo settle or resolve sth; to remove

difficulties from sthe.g. With mutual help, we can

straighten each other’s confusion ASAP.

♣ straighten sb out(infml) to remove doubt or ignorance

in one’s minde.g. Traditionally a teacher is

expected to straighten puzzled students out.

THE FINANCES

the stock options and all that

and all that (jazz, rubbish, etc)

(idm) (infml) and other similar things

e.g. I got fed up with mathematics for its figures, tables, formulae and all that staff.

. …A HEART-ATTACK NATURAL.(n.) person considered ideally suited for a role,

a job, an activity, etce.g. The black are regarded as naturals for

sports. He doesn’t spend much time in learning

playing violin, for he seems to be a natural for it.. …to make inquiries about his replacement.

v. demand, require, claim, request

1). demand 表示强烈要求。若主语是人，包含依据权利要求；若主语是物，含义为需求或要求，可直接接宾语。

2). require 虽然有时可以与 demand 换用，但 require 的确切含义应当是对所要求的事要绝对服从，有时这种要求带有法律的或规章的强迫性。

3). claim 要求承认自己对某物的所有权。4). request 指“通过正式手续或非常有礼貌、客气地

请求”， 常用于 “恐怕对方由于种种原因不能答应”的场合。

EXERCISES

1. The boss _________ that Mary finish the project before next Monday.

2. You are sincerely ________ to be present at the gathering.

3. Every citizen may _____ the protection of the law.

4. Students are _________ to attend classes.

claim

requested

demanded

required

He had no outside “extracurricular interests,” unless, of course, you think about a monthly golf game that way. (Paragraph 4)

Paraphrase:He had dedicated all his time to his work and had no hobby at all, except that he played a golf game every month, which cannot be taken as a hobby anyway.

Exercise

She had, according to her daughter, given up trying to compete with his work years ago, when the children were small. (Paragraph 7)

Paraphrase:Their daughter said that, when the children were still small, her father had become a company man and her mother had given up any attempt to keep him at home.

1) widow n.→ widowed a.

e.g. 她守寡十年了。

一个寡母要抚养四个孩子长大成人确实不易。She has been a widow for ten years.

It’s really not easy for a widowed mother to rear up four children.

2) nerve n. → nervous a. → nerveless a.

e.g. 当赛车手要有胆量。

她胆怯地一笑。

刀子从她那无力的手中落下。

It takes nerve to be a racing driver.

She gave a nervous laugh.

The knife fell from her nerveless fingers.

3) precise a. →precision n. → precisely adv.

e.g. 那东西正好在她遗落的那个地点找到了。

你的报告不够准确。

那正是我的意思。

It was found at the precise spot where she had left it.

Your report lacks precision.

That is precisely what I mean.

4) compete v. → competitive a. → competition n.

e.g. 几家公司正为争取一项合同而互相竞争。

我们公司在世界市场上已不占优势。

他获诗歌比赛第一名。

Several companies are competing (against / with each other) for the contract / to gain the contract.

Our firm is no longer competitive in world markets.

He came first in the poetry competition.

5) execute v. → execution n.

e.g.他因叛国罪被处死。

这些计划最终得以实施。He was executed for treason.

The plans were finally put into execution.

6) preside v.→ president n. → presidency n.

e.g.首相主持内阁会议。

他被任命为板球俱乐部会长。

他获选连任总统。

The Prime Minister presides at meetings of the Cabinet.

He was made president of the cricket club.

He was elected to a second presidency.

7) marry v. → marital a. → marriage n.

e.g.哪位牧师来为他们主持婚礼 ?

拉丽莎 40几岁，徐娘半老，爱喝酒，婚姻也不如意。

她的第一次婚姻维持了五年。

Which priest is going to marry them?

A fading woman in her 40s, Larisa had both drinking and marital problems.

Her first marriage ended after five years.

8) company n. → accompany v. → companion n.

e.g.观其友则知其人。

我得要求你陪我去一趟警察局。

狗是忠实的伙伴。

You may know a man by the company he keeps.

I must ask you to accompany me to the police station.

A dog is a faithful companion.

4) I doubt that they are able to get the problems before the deadline.

1) The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a fatal disease. Thousands of people in Asia have

it in the past two years.

died of________

2) Chinese fans often have to to watch the live transmission of European football matches.

stay up________

3) Sometimes I don’t understand Jeremy; he seems to have hurt the feelings of everyone who him including his wife.

cares for__________

straightened out__________________

Fill in the blank in each sentence with an appropriate phrasal verb or collocation from the text.

5) It was curious that the children should have their grandparents easily from the old photographs.

picked out___________

e.g.现在有很多人死于癌症。

Nowadays many people die of cancer.

die of: stop living or come to the end of one’s life because of some disease

e.g. 她答应孩子们可以晚点儿睡，看他们最喜爱的电视节目。

She promised the children they could stay up for their favourite TV programme.

stay up: remain awake; not go to bed

e.g. 他深深地爱着她。He cares for her deeply.

care for: like or love

e.g. 我们会把情况弄清的。 We’ll get the case straightened out.

straighten out: deal with a problem or a confused situation and make it better, especially by organizing things

e.g. 很容易从人群中辨认出他，因为他个子很高。It’s easy to pick him out in a crowd because he is very tall.

pick out: recognize sb. or sth. in a group of people or things

immediately

1. He worked himself to death, finally and precisely, at 3:00 a.m. Sunday morning.

Synonym: exactly

2. It said that he died of a coronary thrombosis — I think that was it — but everyone among his friends and acquaintances knew it instantly.

Synonym:

3. He was a perfect Type A, a workaholic, a classic, they said to each other and shook their heads — and thought for five or ten minutes about the way they lived.Antonyms:

slacker, idler, loafer

4. He is survived by his wife, Helen, forty-eight years old, a good woman of no particular marketable skills, who worked in an office before marrying and mothering.

Synonym:outlived

5. In the day and a half before the funeral, he went around the neighborhood researching his father, asking the neighbors what he was like. They were embarrassed.

Synonyms:disconcerted, abashed

6. At the funeral, the sixty-year-old company president told the forty-eight-year-old widow that the fifty-one-year-old deceased had meant much to the company and would be missed and would be hard to replace.Antonym: living

7. Phil was overweight and nervous and worked too hard.Antonyms: underweight, slim

8. You could have picked him out in a minute from a lineup.

Synonym: queue

Present Perfect

Present Perfect Progressive

1) Present Perfect The present perfect expresses an action that is still going on or that has stopped recently, but still has an influence on the present. It puts emphasis on the result.Use of present perfect

putting emphasis on the result Example:the action that is still going on Example:

She has written five letters.

School has not started yet.

the action that has stopped recently Example:the finished action that has an influence on the present Example:

She has cooked dinner.

I have lost my key.

the action that has taken place once, never or several times before the moment of speakingExample:

I have never been to Australia.

2) Present Perfect Progressive The present perfect progressive expresses an action that has recently stopped or is still going on. It puts emphasis on the duration or course of the action.

Use of present perfect progressive

putting emphasis on the duration or course of an action (not the result)Example:the action that has recently stopped or is still going onExample:

She has been writing for two hours.

I have been living here since 2001.the finished action that has an influence on the

presentExample:

I have been working all afternoon.

The present perfect progressive focuses on the course of the activity or event which may or may not be finished.

The present perfect focuses on the result of the activity or event, or just the fact that something has been achieved.

PAY ATTENTION 1. 现在完成时表示动作从过去持续到现在不与具体的过去时间

连用。 They held a sports meeting last week. The sports meeting has lasted for two weeks.

2. just,already,yet,before,ever,never, up to these few days/weeks/months/years/present(now), so far 此类副词或短语通常强调动作已经完成或者对现在产生的影响，常与现在完成时连用。

eg.Have you _____been to Japan? I have _____ finished my homework. I have finished my homework ______. I haven’t finished my homework ____.

everjust

alreadyyet

3. 现在完成时表动作开始于过去某一时刻，一直延续到现在，或可能还要继续下去。这里的动词要用持续性动词。常与 for （ + 时间段） ,since （ + 时间点）连用 .

Mary has been ill for three days. Mary has been ill since three days ago.

　　短暂性动词也称做终止性动词、非延续性动词或瞬间动词，表示动作不能延续，只是一瞬间就结束的动作．　　常见的短暂性动词有： come, go, arrive, reach, see, hear, close, open, leave, begin, start, lose, buy, fall, join, die, become, borrow, get up等．

　　延续性动词：表示可以延续一段时间的动作或状态。如： be,drink,fly,eat,keep,lie,live,rain 等。

用法：１、它们可以用于完成时态，说明某个动作的结

　 果还存在．e.g. He has come back.

The film has begun.

2 、这类动词不能和表示一段时间的状语连

用，但在否定句中，非延续性动词也可以

用表示一段时间的状语来修饰．e.g. I haven’t heard from Uncle Wang for a long time.

We haven’t seen him since 1992.

She hasn’t left home all her life.

3 、还可改用一般过去时来表达．

e.g. He came back a week ago.

4 、也可用“ It is ﹢ 一段时间﹢since…” 句型

来表达．e.g. It is a week since he came back.

　　非延续性动词可以转换成延续性动词

　　 buy ------ have,

borrow ----- keep,

put on ------ wear,

catch/get a cold ------ have a cold,

come/go/become ------ be.

4. 有些现在完成进行时的句子等同于现在完成时的句子。

　　 They have been living in this city for ten years.

　　 They have lived in this city for ten years. 　　 I have been working here for five years. 　　 I have worked here for five years.

5. 大多数现在完成进行时的句子不等同于现在完成时的句子。

I have been writing a book. （动作还将继续下去）

　　我一直在写一本书。 　　 I have written a book. （动作已经完成

） 　　我已经写了一本书。 　　 They have been building a bridge. 　　他们一直在造一座桥。 　　 They have built a bridge. 　　他们造了一座桥。

6. 表示状态的动词不能用于现在完成进行时。 　　 I have known him for years. 　　我认识他已经好几年了。 　　 * I have been knowing... 　　这类不能用于现在完成进行时的动词还有：

love 爱， like 喜欢， hate 讨厌等。

PracticePut the verbs in brackets into the correct form: present perfect or present perfect progressive.

1) I’m pleased to say that the team (play) well all season.

2) In recent years, the company (put) a lot of money into developing advanced technology.

have been playing/ have played

____________________

_______________

We can use either the present perfect progressive or the present perfect to talk about the activities or events that are repeated again and again until now.

has been putting / has put _____________________________

3) They (pull) down most of the houses in this street, but they (not touch) the old shop at the corner yet.

4) I (wait) for the prices of the houses to come down, but I think I (wait) too long and the prices are beginning to go up again.

5) I (just pick) ten pounds of strawberries! I (grow) strawberries for years but I (never have) such a good crop before.

have pulled down___________________

haven’t touched ___________________

have been waiting_____________________

have waited_____________

have just picked__________________

have grown / have been growinghave never had_________________

____________________________________

6) It was lovely at eleven o’clock, but since then the sky (get) steadily darker and the wind (rise). I’m afraid the fine spell (come) to an end.

7) Peter (be) a junior clerk for three years. Lately he (look) for a better post but so far he (not find) anything. 8) Ann (fail) her driving test three times because she’s so bad at reversing. But she (get) a bit better at it.

has been getting / has got_____________________________

has been rising / has risen_____________________________

has come___________We can use either the present perfect progressive or the present perfect to talk about an action which began in the past and is still continuing or has just finished.

has been__________

has been looking___________________

hasn’t found______________

has failed___________

has got________

1. 如果你不把每月打次高尔夫球算作是业余爱好的话，他就没有什么工作以外的“业余爱好”可言了。

2.“ 这些年来他不在身边”，她一定早就放弃了曾经有过的对丈夫的深深牵挂。

3. 就是他还想方设法把父亲从工作中“抓”出来，让父亲疼爱自己，待在家里。

4. 在葬礼上， 60 岁的公司总裁对 48 岁的寡妇说，她那 51 岁的亡夫对公司非常重要，人们将怀念他，他是无法取代的。

我的顶头上司是一个典型的工作狂，一年 365天每天工作10个小时以上。 (workaholic)

A workaholic is a person who works obsessively and finds it difficult to stop.

Translate the following sentences into English.

My immediate boss is a typical workaholic, for he works for over ten hours each day all the year round.

Practice： 许多日本人都是工作狂。

他终生醉心于工作，天天从早画到晚。

Many Japanese people are workaholics.

He was a lifelong workaholic, who painted dawn to dusk seven days a week.

校长十分注重课外活动。他认为，课外活动有助于培养学生对外部世界的浓厚兴趣。 (extracurricular)

Extracurricular activities are the part outside the regular course of work or studies at a school or college.

The principal attaches much importance to extracurricular activities and he believes that they will help to cultivate students’ tremendous interest in the external world.

Practice： 她参加了许多课外活动，如音乐 ﹑ 运动 ﹑ 戏剧。

She’s involved in many extracurricular activities, such as music, sport and drama.

星期一早上，他总是快速冲个澡，胡乱吃块三明治，接着赶着搭出租车去上班。 (grab)

To grab sth. means to have or take (sth.), esp. in a casual or hasty manner.

He always grabs a shower, a sandwich and then a taxi to go to work every Monday morning.

Practice：咱们赶快吃点三明治就去看电视吧。

随便找个地方坐，别客气。

Let’s grab a quick sandwich and watch TV.

Grab a seat and make yourself at home.

没有什么能够取代内心深处最深切的爱。 (replace)

replace sb. / sth.: take the place of (sb. / sth.)

Nothing can replace the profoundest love in one’s heart of hearts.

Can anything replace a mother’s love?

Practice： 机器人逐渐代替了装配线上的工人。

有什么东西能代替母爱吗 ?

Robots are replacing people on assembly lines.

他被认为是总裁职位的当然人选，因为他已经做了近十年出色的副总裁。 (natural n.)

natural: person considered ideally suited for a role, a job, an activity, etc.

He is considered a natural for the post of the president, for he has been an excellent vice-president for almost ten years.

She doesn’t have to learn how to run: she’s a natural.

Practice： 他是李尔王这一角色的理想人选。

她不用学跑步技巧，她天生就擅长跑步。

He’s a natural for the role of Lear.

他是一个经典人物，因为他是工作累死的。他们都相信，假如他能多活 5 年的话，将自然被提拔为一把手。他一直被誉为同事们的典范。他一周工作 6 天，一天工作 10 多个小时。他的兴趣只限于工作。当然，他偶尔锻炼一下，以保持身体健康。他将任何形式的娱乐活动都视为浪费时间。他太忙，没有时间和孩子待在一起，结果跟孩子们疏远了，至少孩子们是这么想的。然而，他对公司来说却非常重要，公司每个人都爱他，甚至崇拜他，因为在他们眼里，他几乎完美。但是，谁来帮助这孤儿寡母收拾他去世后的残局呢？

Fill in each blank in the passage below with ONE word you think appropriate. Americans average 25.1 working (1) per person in working age per week, but the Germans average 18.6 hours. The average American works 46.2 weeks per year, (2) the French average 40 weeks per year. Why do western Europeans work so much (3) than Americans? Recent work argues that these differences result (4) higher European tax rates, but the vast empirical labor supply literature suggests that tax rates can (5) only a small amount of the differences in hours between the U.S. and Europe.

hours______

while______

less_____

from_____

explain________

Another popular view

is that these differences are explained (6) long-standing European “culture,” yet Europeans worked more than Americans as (7) as the 1960s. We believe that European labor market regulations, advocated by unions in declining European industries who argued “work less, work all” explain the bulk of the (8) between the U.S. and Europe. These policies do not seem to have increased employment, but they may have had a more society-wide (9) on leisure patterns because of a social multiplier where the returns to leisure increase as more people are (10) longer vacations.

by____

late_____

influence___________

difference___________

taking_______

Having a Discussion and Debate on the Following Topic

Viewpoints:

Live to work VS Work to Live

Do what you love VS Love what you do

Oral Activities

Some people agree to the opinion that hard work is all for the sake of living.

From childhood, people have to study hard so as to enlarge their knowledge, to improve the quality and to increase the experience for a social being.

Work to Live: Some people work to live. These people view their work or careers largely as toil because their purpose is to earn a living. Their real interests lie elsewhere, and their work or careers are only means to an end, not an end in itself. Some of these people try to cut corners, to gain the maximum pay with the minimum of effort. Others do indeed take great pride in their work, and put great effort in doing their jobs well, but their jobs simply are not the centers of their lives.

After they step into the social stage, they work diligently every day to maintain their jobs, to promote their career positions and to run their own business successfully.

This state of mind might agree with the majority. The sweat dropped today is for the sake of tomorrow’s harvest, in other words, living is the origin and basis of their work.

They have the belief that the harder they work, the more the rewards they will get.

Live to Work: Certain people, it is said, live to work. This is shorthand for saying that their lives center on their work or careers, and that achievement in their professions is a major source of satisfaction and meaning in their lives. Money may or may not be a major motivation for these people. In some cases, achieving huge levels of pay (as is the case with many senior corporate executives, such as CEOs) is regarded more as a means of keeping score and proving your relative worth versus other people, than it is for the money itself.

Some people take the views that work is the purpose and ambition of their lives.

They can not imagine how life will be without work. Work for them is destiny.

In this kind of people’s minds, the destiny has been rooting in their deep heart, which leads them to work harder and harder, which encourages them to make consistently brave and meaningful new tries and which makes them have a faith to live a worthwhile life.