Unit 07
Bad news boss
職場攻略/辦公日常
Workplace English/Communication in Workplace
BRAIN STORM
Share your ideas with your teacher and try to make sentences.
What news do you want to hear first? Bad news or Good news?
VOCABULARY
Repeat these sentences after your teacher.
1. gory details (n.) 血淋淋的細節
Spare me the gory details of the accident.
請給我留出事故的血腥細節。
2. disastrous (adj.) 損失慘重的
The negotiations were disastrous.
談判是災難性的。
3. in terms of (phr.) 就… 而言
In terms of sales, are there any good news?
在銷售方面，有什麼好消息嗎？
4. overstocked (v.) 庫存過剩
We have overstocked that product already.
我們已經積壓了該產品。
5. inventory (n.) 存貨總值
Pay attention to your inventory list.
請注意您的庫存清單。
6. getting rid of (phr.) 擺脫
I am getting rid of the extra stocks.
我擺脫了多餘的庫存。
7. redundancies (n.) 裁員
Redundancies are one element in discharges .
冗餘是解僱的一個因素。
8. Chapter Eleven (n.) (美國法典)第十一章破產條例
We will be filing for Chapter Eleven in less than three months.
我們將在不到三個月的時間內申請第十一章。
Dialogue
Read the dialogue aloud with your teacher.
Now that we have been over the gory details of our disastrous first quarter, Ed, give us some good news. How are things looking for us in terms of sales this month?
現在我們看完了第一季度慘不忍睹業績之後，Ed，給我們一些好消息，我們這個月的銷售情況怎麼樣？
Uh, well, would you like the bad news first or the really bad news?
嗯，你是想先聽壞消息呢還是先聽更壞的消息？
What? Ed, don’t tell me you only have bad news!
什麼？ Ed，不要告訴我你只有壞消息！
Well sir, our sales have dropped, no plunged, fifty percent in the past month alone. We are currently overstocked and overstaffed and our profits are falling fast. The market is in recession and we have no way of moving our inventory, or getting rid of our staff. If we consider redundancies, it would cost us a fortune because of the new regulations governing compensation packages. It’s a real mess.
嗯先生，我們的銷售業績下跌，不對，應該是跳水，僅上個月就下降了五十個百分點。 我們現在庫存和人員都過多，而我們的利潤卻在快速下滑。 市場正處於蕭條期而我們沒法消化庫存或是裁員。 如果我們考慮裁員，新的賠償法規制度 會讓我們損失慘重。 這就是一團糟。
For crying out loud! How fast are we losing money?
搞什麼啊！ 我們虧損的速度有多快？
Um, how can I put this? Let’s just say that at this pace, we will be filing for Chapter Eleven in less than three months.
嗯，怎麼說呢？ 可以說，如果我們按這個速度虧下去，三個月不到我們就要申請破產了。
What?! Geez! How could this have happened? So what’s the bad news?
什麼？ 天哪！ 怎麼會的？ 壞消息是什麼？
Oh, that‘s the really bad news. Our supplier suffered QC problems and, well, half of our production is faulty. We’re going to have to recall all items sold in the last quarter. And the worst part? We’re going to have to shoulder this cost.
哦，那個才是更壞的消息。 我們的供應商被查出有質量問題，我們一半的貨物都有瑕疵。 我們要召回上個季度出售的 所有貨物，最壞的一點是，這些費用都必須有我們來承擔。
Are you joking? Get the supplier on the line now! They have to assume the cost of this mess!
你在開玩笑嘛？ 現在就把供應商的電話給我接過來！ 這破事的費用得由他們承擔！
We tried that, sir. The factory has gone under and the owner apparently has fled the country.
我們試過了先生。 那家工廠破產了，廠長已經逃到國外去了。
We’re doomed!
我們完蛋了！
There is some really good news though!
不過有個非常好的消息！
Really? What!
真的嗎？ 是什麼！
I got offered a new job!
我已經找到新工作了！
Expansion
Make a conversation with your teacher.
gory details
1. Spare me the gory details. How are we going to survive this financial crisis?
2. Tell me all about your pregnancy, sparing me the gory details of course.
3. Without going too much into the gory details of the current economy, you should know that we expect business to slow down in the next few months.
for crying out loud
1. We’ve got to figure out a new marketing strategy for crying out loud!
2. For crying out loud! You just got your driving license and you already got in an accident?
3. For crying out loud! When I tell you to have the report done by Wednesday, that means I expect it to be on my desk by the end of the day!
let’s just say that
1. She is so incredibly gorgeous. Let’s just say that when she walks by, people turn their heads to watch her pass.
2. Let’s just say that if we don’t come up with an exciting marketing strategy soon we might go bankrupt.
3. Let’s just say that the economy is so bad, that if we still have our jobs in two months we will be lucky.
Grammar
how_plus_adj
“How” plus an adjective is used to introduce a question about extent.
1. How fast can you complete this project?
2. How big is an African elephant?
3. How long do you need to get back to me?
4. We’ve just doubled our profits! How great is that?
5. How hot does the oven need to be to cook a chicken?
DISCUSSION
Make a conversation with your teacher.
1.How do you deal with bad news? Recall a time where you received a bad news, and tell your teacher how you dealt with it.
