2011年ESL之商务英语 10 Asking for Information About a Coworker（打印版）

2011年ESL之商务英语 10 Asking for Information About a Coworker（在线收听）

10 Asking for Information About a Coworker

GLOSSARY

lowdown – the interesting, possibly secret information about someone orsomething

* When I asked Eiko for the lowdown on the business deal, she refused to tell meanything.

to fill (someone) in – to give someone the information he or she wants or needs

* Is it true that Hinton asked you out on a date? Fill me in!

to glean – to learn something or find something out indirectly, without askingabout it directly

* Have you been able to glean any information about their budget range for theproject?

to pry – to ask personal, obtrusive questions about things that should be private,secret, or confidential

* I don’t mean to pry, but how old are you?

the scoop – all the most important information about something, especially whenit is a secret

* What’s the scoop on why the politician really resigned from his job?

source – the person who provides information on a particular topic; whereinformation comes from

* The teacher was impressed with Josephina’s report because she used severalgood and reliable sources, unlike her classmates.

selfish – caring only about one’s own happiness or comfort, and not caring aboutother people

* Samantha is so selfish! She never shares anything with anyone.

self-centered – thinking only about oneself and how something will affectoneself or what will benefit oneself

* Bryan is so self-centered. He probably thinks the world was created just forhim!

jerk – a rude, uncaring, thoughtless person whom one does not like

* What a jerk! I can’t believe he wouldn’t open the door for you.

to catch (someone) up – to give someone the information he or she needs inorder to know as much about something as everyone else does

* I had to step out of the room for a minute, but please catch me up. What didyou guys talk about while I was gone?

to bombard – to ask someone many questions very quickly

* Ever since they sent out that press release last week, they’ve been bombardedwith phone calls from reporters.

social secretary – a person who schedules another person’s personal (notprofessional) meetings and dates

* How many social secretaries does the U.S. President have?

to satisfy (one’s) own curiosity – to find the answers to one’s questions byoneself; to discover the things one wants to know without help from other people

* Marissa has always been fascinated by Southeast Asia, so she decided tosatisfy her own curiosity by taking a trip to Thailand.

point taken – an informal phrase used to mean that one understands andagrees with what another person has just said

* - I really dislike the way you chew with your mouth open.

* - Point taken. I’ll try to stop doing it.

to show interest in – to be interested in someone or something, especially to beinterested in starting a romantic relationship

* When Vinny started showing interest in the trombone, his parents signed himup for music lessons.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What does Earl mean when he says, “I’m not the guy’s social secretary”?

a) He doesn’t work for the new employee.

b) He doesn’t spend very much time with the new employee.

c) He doesn’t control who gets to spend time with the new employee.

2. What does Amina mean when she says, “Point taken”?

a) She understands what Earl is saying.

b) She is offended by what Earl has said.

c) She thinks Earl is taking everything too seriously.

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WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

to fill (someone) in

The phrase “to fill (someone) in,” in this podcast, means to give someone theinformation he or she wants or needs: “What happened here? Please fill me in.”

The phrases “to fill (something) out” or “to fill in the blanks” mean to complete aform by providing information where it is requested: “Please fill out this medicalquestionnaire before you see the doctor.” The phrase “to fill out” means for ayoung person’s body to change and become more like an adult body: “Rebeccareally filled out over the summer, and now she is a young lady.” Finally, thephrase “to fill up” can mean to eat too much of something: “They filled up onbread while waiting for their food, and they were not able to eat much of whatthey had ordered.”

to catch (someone) up

In this podcast, the phrase “to catch (someone) up” means to give someone theinformation he or she needs in order to know as much about something aseveryone else does: “Could someone please catch us up on what happened lastweek?” The phrase “to catch up with (someone)” means to go somewherequickly so that one reaches another person who started earlier: “I have to worklate, so I won’t be able to join you for dinner, but I’ll try to catch up with you for amovie afterwards.” The phrase “to catch up” means to become reacquaintedwith someone, talking about everything that has happened since the last time twopeople saw each other: “It’s so good to see you again! Let’s catch up overcoffee.”

CULTURE NOTE

The Employee Information a Company KeepsBusinesses keep electronic and paper “files” (groups of related informationstored together) about their employees. Those files include basic “contactinformation” such as address, telephone number, and email address, but theyalso include a lot of “confidential” (secret; private information), so normally thefiles can be seen only by “HR” (human resources) professionals and theemployee’s “immediate” (one-level above) supervisor.

Employee files usually “contain” (have; include) the employee’s originalapplication for employment, as well as a full description of each job the employeehas had with the organization. The file includes “performance assessments”

(reviews of how well an employee is doing his or her job) and “documentation”

(written materials saved to remember things in the future) “backing up”

(supporting) “promotion” (increase in salary and job responsibilities) or“demotion” (decrease in salary and job responsibilities) decisions.

Employee files also contain information about the types of training the employeehas completed, along with any certificates of further education or anything elsethat documents the employee’s “skill set” (abilities; the things one is able to do).

Employee files also contain tax information, including the employee’s “SocialSecurity number” (a national identifying number) and “W-4” (a tax form used tocalculate how much of the salary should be held for taxes). The files also containproof that the employee is legally allowed to work in the United States, such as acopy of the employee’s driver’s license or passport to demonstrate citizenship, ora copy of a “green card” (documentation of permanent residency in the U.S.).

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Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – c; 2 – a

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 684: Asking forInformation About a Coworker.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 684. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Our website is eslpod.com. Why do we tell you that at the beginning of everyepisode? Well, because we want you to go and download a Learning Guide forthis episode. And why do we want you to download a Learning Guide? Wellfirst, because it will help you improve your English, and second, because thispodcast depends on you becoming members and supporting us so we cancontinue to provide these audio files for free.

This episode is called “Asking for Information About a Coworker,” someone youwork with. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Amina: What’s the lowdown on the new guy?

Earl: Which new guy?

Amina: You know, the cute one. Fill me in. Is he single?

Earl: I don’t know. I have no idea.

Amina: You’re working with him side-by-side and you haven’t gleaned anypersonal information about him?

Earl: We talk about work. It’s not my job to pry into his personal life.

Amina: I need to get the scoop on Mr. Perfect and you’re my source.

Earl: You don’t know anything about him, so how do you know he’s perfect?

Maybe when you get to know him, you’ll find out he’s a selfish, self-centered jerk.

Amina: Wait, catch me up on what’s going on here. Have other people askedyou about him?

Earl: Yeah, maybe about a dozen of the women in this office. They’ve beenbombarding me with questions.

Amina: Oh, sorry. I didn’t know.

Earl: Yeah, I’m not the guy’s social secretary. You women have to satisfy yourown curiosity elsewhere.

Amina: Point taken, but do you know if he’s shown interest in any of the dozenwomen you’ve talked to?

Earl: Ugh!

[end of dialogue]

Our dialogue begins with Amina saying to Earl, “What’s the lowdown on the newguy?” The word “lowdown” (one word) means what is the interesting informationabout someone, what is the true information about this person. We often use thiswe are talking about perhaps secret information, information that you know andno one else knows. Amina is asking for the lowdown on the new guy, the newman who is working at their company.

Earl says, “Which new guy?” Amina says, “You know, the cute one.” “Cute” issomeone who is attractive – physically attractive. I’m sort of the opposite of cute;I’m the anti-cute! Anyway, Amina says, “Fill me in.” “To fill (someone) in” is aphrasal verb meaning to give someone accurate information about what she orhe wants or needs. “Fill me in” means give me the information I need. Shebegins by asking, “Is he single?” meaning is he unmarried. Earl says, “I don’tknow. I have no idea,” meaning I don’t have any information at all. Amina says,“You’re working with him side-by-side (meaning right next to him physically) andyou haven’t gleaned any personal information about him?” “To glean” (glean)means to learn something or to find something out indirectly, without asking theperson directly. You get information, but not by asking them. You get it by doingother things, listening to their answers, asking related questions perhaps. Earlsays, “We talk about work,” meaning when he and the new guy have aconversation it’s related to their work, not to their personal lives. Earl then says,“It’s not my job to pry into his personal life.” “To pry” (pry) means, in this case, toask personal questions, usually questions that are very private or that are aboutinformation that you would not normally ask someone. Someone might tell you,“Don’t pry,” meaning don’t ask too personal of a question, things that you reallydon’t have any right to know. “To pry,” also, is the verb we use when, forexample, we’re trying to open a door that won’t open, and we take a piece of thin metal – a long stick – and we try to open the door; we try to pry it open. It’s thesame idea of trying to get into an area that is closed, much like your personal lifemight be closed.

Earl says that it’s not his job to pry into the new guy’s personal life. Amina says,“I need to get the scoop on Mr. Perfect and you’re my source.” The “scoop”

(scoop) in this case is the most important information about something,especially information that is secret. The word “scoop” can also be used as averb. In journalism, when talking about newspapers for example, or magazines,“to get a scoop on (something),” or simply “to get a scoop,” means to getinformation about a story before anyone else does, before anyone else is able towrite an article about it. Here, the term is used more generally to meaninformation – important, possibly secret information. Amina calls him “Mr.

Perfect,” meaning she really likes this person. She says to Earl, “you’re mysource.” “Source,” in this case, just like we were talking about newspapers andmagazines, is a person who provides information on a particular topic. It’s a termoften associated with journalism – with news reporting. Your “source” is theperson who tells you information, again, often secret information. Earl is Amina’ssource for information, the place where she can go to get information.

Earl says, “You don’t know anything about him, so how do you know he’sperfect? Maybe when you get to know him, you’ll find out he’s a selfish, selfcenteredjerk.” “To be selfish” (selfish) means to care only about yourself andyour happiness, you don’t care about anyone else. “Self-centered” meanssomething similar, you only think about yourself and how something will affectyou. You don’t think about how something will have an impact on or affectanother person; that’s someone who is self-centered. We might also use theword “narcissistic,” from the old Greek story of Narcissus, the person who is so inlove with themselves they don’t pay attention to anyone else. This, some peoplesay, is a problem that has gotten worse in the United States. I read a bookrecently about this topic; I think it was called something like The Epidemic ofNarcissism. “Epidemic” is like a disease that spreads quickly, and many peopleget the disease. Well, that’s what some psychologists say is happening withnarcissism, especially among younger Americans. It was an interesting book,but I really wish it would have talked more about my generation. I mean, they’rethe most important, right? So, Earl says that this new guy could be a selfish,self-centered jerk. A “jerk” (jerk) is a rude, uncaring, selfish, self-centered,thoughtless person that you don’t like. It’s a very negative way to describesomeone, an insulting term, informally used, not something you would ever, forexample, want to say about your boss – at least if your boss is listening to you! Itcan be used to describe a man or a woman, probably a little more common indescribing a man.

Amina says, “Wait, catch me up on what’s going on here.” “To catch (someone)up” is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to give someone the information that heor she needs in order to know as much as everyone else knows about a certaintopic. The idea is that other people know more than you do about this. Maybeyou were on vacation or you were gone, and now you want someone to catchyou up, to give you information that everyone else already has. There are someother meanings of this verb that you can find in our Learning Guide for thisepisode.

Amina says, “Have other people asked you about him?” Earl says, “Yeah,maybe about a dozen of the women in this office.” So, a “dozen,” around 12other women have also asked Earl for information about this new, apparentlycute guy. Earl says, “They’ve been bombarding me with questions.” “Tobombard (bombard) (someone)” in this case means to ask them many questionsvery quickly: “Where is he going? What does he look like? How old is he? Is hemarried? Does he hate cats?” All important questions, right? That would be tobombard someone with questions. We also use this verb when talking aboutairplanes that are dropping bombs on a place in order to blow things up – todestroy things. So, that’s the original military meaning of “bombard.”

Earl says that the other women have been bombarding him with questions.

Amina says, “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know.” Earl then says, “Yeah, I’m not the guy’ssocial secretary.” A “social secretary” would be a person who schedules anotherperson’s personal meetings and dates, not a professional secretary that youwould have at an office. Some people are so busy and have so much moneythat they can have a personal and a business or professional secretary. I don’thave either one, but I don’t really need the social secretary. My life is veryboring, anyway. Anyway, enough about me. Earl says that you women have tosatisfy your own curiosity elsewhere. “To satisfy your own curiosity,” or simply“to satisfy your curiosity,” means to find the answers to the questions you haveby yourself. To discover things you want to know without getting help from otherpeople, that would be to satisfy your own curiosity.

Amina says, “Point taken.” This is an informal phrase we use to mean that youunderstand and agree with the other person on what they just said. “Pointtaken,” Amina then says, “but do you know if he’s shown interest in any of thedozen women you’ve talked to?” So, she asks another question, even after Earlsays he doesn’t want to answer more questions. Her question is has the newguy shown interest in any of the other women who have been asking about him.

“To show interest in” is to be interested in someone or something. Often, we useit to describe someone who is interested in a romantic relationship with another person. They may show interest by talking to them, laughing at their jokes,asking them to go to lunch with them, and so forth. Earl replies simply by saying,“Ugh!” This is an expression of frustration, of disappointment, of dislike. Hedoesn’t want to be asked these questions; he’s tired of it.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.