Jingjing meets Mark for lunch.

京晶约马克一起吃午餐。

Jingjing: Sorry to keep you waiting, Mark. Were you here long?

京晶：很抱歉让你久等了，马克。你早就到了吧？

Mark: Well, I got here at the time we agreed to meet. But it's no problem. I just finished part of this book.

马克：嗯，我是按咱们约定的时间到的。不过，没关系，这本书我刚刚看了一部分。

Jingjing: Oh, you're still reading the same book after two weeks. I thought you'd be done with it by now.

京晶：哦，你看的还是两周前的那本书。我以为你早就看完了。

Mark: I thought so too. But I've been pretty busy.

马克：我也觉得看的有点慢。不过，我一直很忙

Jingjing: I know how it is. Actually, that's why I was a little late. I had to finish some work before I could leave the office.

京晶：我理解。其实，这也是我刚刚迟到了会儿的原因。我得先完成一些工作，才能离开办公室。

Mark: Hey, don't worry about it! I'm glad to have some time to relax. You know, we could just grab something to eat here, at this coffee shop. It's the lunch rush now, and we're lucky to have a table.

马克：嘿，不用担心！能有时间放松一下，我挺高兴的。你知道，我们可以在这家咖啡店随便吃点什么。现在是午餐高峰时间，我们能占到一张桌子，挺幸运的。

Jingjing: Hmm, expensive or crowded: that's the choice of restaurants we have, surrounded by so many office buildings.

京晶：嗯，要么价格贵，要么人满为患——我们能选择的餐厅都是这样，周围有这么多写字楼。

Mark: I know you usually eat at your dining hall. So, I don't want you to feel stuck between some place that's hard on your nerves or one that's hard on your wallet. Anyway, I have a card for this coffee shop. Let me take care of our lunch.

马克：我知道你平时都在你们单位的食堂吃饭。所以，我不想选择让你感到紧张，或者消费太高的地方吃饭。对了，我有一张这家咖啡店的卡。这顿午餐我请了。

Jingjing: That sounds pretty good. Yeah, I don't feel like walking outside until it's time to go back to work.

京晶：听起来不错。是的，回去工作之前，我可不想在外面走来走去的。

Mark: Take a load off, Jingjing. Let me bring a menu over.

马克：你坐吧，京晶。我去拿菜单。

Jingjing: Just surprise me. Order whatever you think is good, when you go up to the counter.

京晶：可以给我点惊喜。你直接去前台点些你觉得不错的菜就行。

Mark: OK. I think I know what kinds of things you like. I'll be back in a little while.

马克：好。我想我知道你爱吃什么。稍等。

Jingjing: Oh, and get them to tell you the wifi password.

京晶：对了，帮我问一下前台餐厅的WiFi密码。

Mark: Just use that sticker on the table.

马克：桌子上贴着呢。

Jingjing: Whoops! I thought that was an advertisement. Yeah, I'll just scan the QR code.

京晶：哎呦！我还以为那是广告。好，我这就扫二维码。

Mark: It worked for me. The wifi's pretty fast here.

马克：我用过他们家的WiFi，网速挺快的。

New words: 习语短语

I know how it is. 我理解你的情况

I understand your situation.

lunch rush 午餐高峰

the busy time at restaurants during the lunch hour (same with dinner rush)

hard on your nerves 令人紧张难受

(hard on ) difficult for you in a specific way (i.e. running is hard on your knees)

take a load off 坐下，休息

sit down, relax

surprise me 让我惊讶一下

go ahead and choose something for me, and I'll probably like it

QR code 二维码 

(quick response) a scannable bar code that allows users to link directly to a website

Dialogue 2

Jingjing and Mark are waiting for their food.

京晶和马克正在等餐。

Jingjing: I'm kinda envious of you, Mark. You don't have to sit in an office all day.

京晶：我有点羡慕你，马克。你不必整天坐在办公室。

Mark: Don't be. I commute five days a week. I have to be on time. And I do forty hours of work per week.

马克：可别。我一周上五天班，还不能迟到。而且我每周都得工作40个小时。

Jingjing: Yeah, but you don't have to work an eight hour stretch every day.

京晶：没错，但你不必每天不停工作八小时。

Mark: Do you?

马克：你不也是吗？

Jingjing: Well, yeah! I have flex time, to some extent. I don't have to be in until mid-morning. Obviously, I have to be at the studio in time to get ready for the broadcast each day.

京晶：嗯，是的！某种程度上，我的工作时间挺灵活的。早晨十点钟左右到单位就行。但，显然，我必须及时到演播室，为每天的播出做准备。

Mark: So, if you're tired, you can sleep in.

马克：所以，如果前一天太累，还可以睡个懒觉。

Jingjing: I guess I could cut my morning activities short. But that's my me time each day. After the broadcast, I use the late afternoon, the evening, and even the night to prepare content for upcoming shows. That usually keeps me at the office until after dinner time.

京晶：我想我可以把我早上的活动时间缩短些。但那是我每天的私人专属时间。做完节目后，我会利用下午晚些时候、傍晚，甚至晚上的时间，准备下次播出的内容。这通常让我晚餐时间后才能离开办公室。

Mark: So, you miss the rush hour. That sounds pretty enviable.

马克：所以，你上下班时可以错过早晚高峰。这很令人羡慕。

Jingjing: I guess it is. Nobody likes being stuck on a crowded subway or a bus. I'd rather work at the office for two extra hours, then have a smooth and shorter commute later in the evening.

京晶：也许吧。没人喜欢挤地铁、挤公交。我宁愿在办公室多工作两个小时，然后在傍晚晚些时候享受更短、顺畅的通勤。

Mark: I hope you don't have dinner too late. That's unhealthy.

马克：我希望你吃晚餐不要太晚。这对健康不利。

Jingjing: Nah, I can grab a snack. You know, there are so many convenience stores around here.

京晶：不会啦，我可以吃点零食。你知道，这附近有很多便利店。

Mark: It sounds like you manage your time pretty well. I know too many people who have to check in at exactly 9:00, or face a penalty.

马克：听起来你把自己的时间管理的不错。我认识很多人每天都必须9点之前打卡上班，否则就得挨罚。

Jingjing: Yeah, those fingerprint machines are pretty common. We used to have one, but it stopped working. Our boss is happy with us as long as our projects are going well.

京晶：是的，指纹打卡机现在很常见。我们单位也有过一台，但后来不用了。只要我们的工作能顺利完成，我们的老板就对我们挺满意的。

Mark: That's a good way to handle it. Outside of customer service or tech support, punching the clock doesn't make much sense in today's workplace.

马克：这种方法不错。除了客服或技术支持方面的工作以外，在当今的工作场所，上下班打卡其实没什么意义。

Jingjing: There are lots of jobs that call for people to be there 9 to 5.

京晶：有很多工作要求员工必须早九晚五。

Mark: Yeah, I guess so. Oh, here comes our food already.

马克：是的，我想也是。哦，开始上餐了。

Jingjing: Thanks for ordering a lot! I didn't realize how hungry I was until I sat down here.

京晶：点这么多菜！谢谢啦！我坐下来才意识到自己有多饿。

New words: 习语短语

envious 妒忌的，令人羡慕的

adjective, about a person who wants what other people have (enviable is the adjective for the thing/situation people want to have)

flex time 自由时间

(flexible time) permission from your company to work arrive and leave work at different times, if enough hours are worked in a week and projects are finished

mid-morning 9:30 to 11:30 AM

(the mid-afternoon is 2:30 to 4:30)

sleep in 睡懒觉

continue sleeping, later than usual, in the morning

cut (something) short 在某事做完之前就停止

stop doing something before you've finished

me time 做自己喜欢做的事情的时间

a few minutes or hours when you do things you enjoy

keeps me at/in (some place) 要求某人待在某处

requires me to stay some place

rush hour 通勤高峰

8:00-9:00AM, 5:00-6:00PM

(the time during which most people are commuting to/from work

call for 要求

(phrasal verb) need/require