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

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 definitely, 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 standing 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 vending 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 learned 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. Copyright 2008.