ESL露西的一天 第61期:乘坐公共交通工具去上班讲解(11)

 Lucy gets off, or leaves the bus, and walks a "half a block to the building where" she works¹. 露西下车，或离开公共汽车，走了“半个街区到”她“工作的地方”。

A block, "block," is the area between two streets. 街区（block），是两个街道之间的区域。

In most American cities, the blocks are square, so you have two streets on both sides and that whole thing is called a block. 在美国的大多数城市，街区都是方形的，所以两边都有两条街，整体叫做一个街区。

The block that I live on is not square; it's a very strange, unusual shape, but most cities have blocks that are square. 我住的街区不是方形的，是一种非常奇怪、不寻常的形状，但大多数城市里街区都是方形的。

We also use that expression when we are talking about distance. 谈论距离的时候，我们也用这个表达。

Someone may say, "How many blocks is it to the train station?" 有人可能会问:“到火车站有几个街区?”

You could say, "It is four blocks from here," meaning you have to walk four streets to get there. 你可以说:“离这里有四个街区。”也就是你必须走四条街才能到那里。

Lucy says that she has "a long commute², but" she looks "around every morning", 露西说她的“通勤时间很长”，但是她“每天早上都环顾四周”，

she looks at the other people, and she sees that she is "not the only one who has to do it," meaning there are many people who have to commute a long distance. 她看着其他人，她看到“并不是只有”她“自己需要这么长时间”，这意味着有很多人需要走很远才能到工作单位。

Some companies now allow their employees³ to telecommute. 一些公司现在允许员工远程办公。

Telecommute, "telecommute," (one word) means⁴ that you work at home but you call the office to talk to people. 远程办公，（telecommute）是指在家里工作，但需要打电话给办公室与人交流。

1 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

2 commute   

vi.乘车上下班；vt.减(刑)；折合；n.上下班交通

参考例句：

• I spend much less time on my commute to work now.我现在工作的往返时间要节省好多。
• Most office workers commute from the suburbs.很多公司的职员都是从郊外来上班的。

3 employees   

n.雇工，雇员( employee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She is always polite and considerate towards her employees. 她对待雇员总是客客气气，关心体谅。
• The company has a strict dress code—all male employees are expected to wear suits. 公司有严格的着装规定—所有男职员都要穿西服。

4 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。