地道美语听力播客:Being an Entrepreneur

I had lunch today with my friend Sam. She recently quit her job with a large company to strike out on her own. She has always been an entrepreneur in small ways, but she decided¹ to start her own business. The start- up she launched provided technology consulting services for small- to medium-sized companies.

At first, she considered becoming partners with one or two of her co-workers. She wasn't sure if she could raise the seed money she needed for the start-up costs. But, she was able to raise the capital by taking on a silent partner, her uncle who had a lot of investment capital but didn't want to be involved in the day-to-day operations of a business now that he's retired².

One way that Sam is able to cut down on overhead is to make this a home-based business. She converted her garage into an office where she and her employees could work. Since most of the work would be done on site at her client's office, she didn't need a lot of office space.

I asked Sam if she was nervous about quitting her job to start her own business. She said that it's a big risk but that she was looking forward to the challenge. If she fails, she said, she can always audition³ for American Idol⁴. Well, I thought, I've heard Sam sing. I really hope her business takes off!

 

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

3 audition   

n.(对志愿艺人等的)面试(指试读、试唱等)

参考例句：

• I'm going to the audition but I don't expect I'll get a part.我去试音，可并不指望会给我个角色演出。
• At first,they said he was too young,but later they called him for an audition.起初，他们说他太小，但后来他们叫他去试听。

4 idol   

n.偶像，红人，宠儿

参考例句：

• As an only child he was the idol of his parents.作为独子，他是父母的宠儿。
• Blind worship of this idol must be ended.对这个偶像的盲目崇拜应该结束了。