ESL Podcast 468 – Organizing Your Office

I have a very disorganized office. My co- workers have been making jokes about my office for a long time, and my boss finally cracked down on me. He told me: “Get the office organized by Friday – no excuses!” What choice did I have?

I’ve always been a pack rat. I hate to throw anything out, but I was determined¹ to turn over a new leaf. It’s true I’ve worked in the same office for four years and have accumulated a lot of paper, but if I put my mind to it, I’m sure I could get rid of all of the clutter².

There are piles of paper and files all over my desk and sorting them out won’t be easy. All I need to do, though, is to purge³ my filing cabinets of old files to make room for new ones. I also need to triage the papers on my desk, on the floor, and in my overflowing⁴ inbox. Then, I only need to make new files and label them. Finally, I’ll only keep those things on my desk that are essential and get rid of anything that isn’t.

That’s a pretty good plan, don’t you think? I’ve already made a to-do list. Now all I need to do is start on those tasks!


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

1 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

2 clutter   

n.零乱，杂乱；vt.弄乱，把…弄得杂乱

参考例句：

• The garage is in such a clutter that we can't find anything.车库如此凌乱，我们什么也找不到。
• We'll have to clear up all this clutter.我们得把这一切凌乱的东西整理清楚。

3 purge   

n.整肃，清除，泻药，净化；vt.净化，清除，摆脱；vi.清除，通便，腹泻，变得清洁

参考例句：

• The new president carried out a purge of disloyal army officers.新总统对不忠诚的军官进行了清洗。
• The mayoral candidate has promised to purge the police department.市长候选人答应清洗警察部门。

4 overflowing   

n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
• The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。