Using English at Work：28 Taking a Break and Eating Lunch(5)

We forgot to ask for separate checks.

"Separate checks" are when each person at a table gets his or her own bill, so that each person pays only for what that person ate directly to the server.

Asking for separate checks is sometimes a good idea when many people eating together but each one wants to pay separately, but we forgot to ask for separate checks, so we all pay together.

Finally, I say that it was a good lunch. It was certainly, or definitely¹, better than the bag lunch I usually bring from home.

A "bag lunch" is the food that you bring from home to either school or work to eat during your lunch period; usually the food is put in a brown paper bag.

So I guess this means I'm not a very good cook if the lunch at the restaurant was better than the bag lunch I usually bring to work.

That's true; I'm not a very good cook!

That covers all the new vocabulary in this lesson, so now please "join me" as we listen again about taking a break and eating lunch.

This time we'll listen to the story at a normal speed.

I want to get some coffee, so I walk into the break room.

My coworkers, Diana and Van, are standing² next to the water cooler talking about a show on TV last night.

I pick up the coffee pot and pour myself a mug of coffee.

I am feeling really hungry, too, so I walk over to the vending³ machine.

I'm looking over the candy bars and potato chips when Diana says, "We're taking an early lunch. Do you want to join us?"

I say, "Yes!" and the three of us walk across the street to a restaurant.

I'm happy that we came early because we beat the rush.

The hostess seats us at a table and takes our drink orders.

Our server comes over with our drinks and we place our food orders.

I choose the lunch special and so does Diana.

Van picks the all-you-can-eat soup and salad bar.

While Diana and I wait for our orders to arrive, Van goes to the soup and salad bar and gets a really big plate of food.

"Do you mind if I start?" he asks. "Of course not," Diana and I say.

When we finish eating, the server comes over to clear our plates and to give us our bill.

We forgot to ask for separate checks so we all pay together.

That was a good lunch. It was certainly better than the bag lunch I usually bring from home!

I hope that you have learned⁴ some new vocabulary that you can use the next time you want to take a break or eat lunch during the workday - and speak English, of course!

This is the end of our fifth lesson; in the sixth lesson we're going to continue talking about my day at work.

We'll be talking about my problems - my computer problems.

This course has been a production of the Center for Educational Development, in beautiful Los Angeles, California. Visit our website at eslpod.com.

This course was produced by Dr. Jeff McQuillan and Dr. Lucy Tse. Copyright⁵ 2008.

1 definitely   

adv.一定地，肯定地；明确地，确切地

参考例句：

• The team will definitely lose if he doesn't play.如果他不参加比赛，这个队肯定会输。
• I shall definitely be home before six o'clock.6点以前，我一定回家。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 vending   

v.出售（尤指土地等财产）( vend的现在分词 )；（尤指在公共场所）贩卖；发表（意见，言论）；声明

参考例句：

• Why Are You Banging on the Vending Machine? 你为什么敲打这台自动售货机？ 来自朗文快捷英语教程 2
• Coca-Cola had to adapt almost 300,000 vending machines to accept the new coins. 可口可乐公司必须使将近三十万台自动贩卖机接受新货币。 来自超越目标英语 第5册

4 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

5 copyright   

n.版权，著作权

参考例句：

• He retained the copyright of his book.他保留此书的著作权。
• This company has a proprietorship of the copyright.这家公司拥有版权所有权。