商务英语情景口语100主题015

015 Negotiating¹ the Subway

Dialogue 1

A: It's my first visit to Prague, I'll be here for three days for a conference, then I have a day on my own to do some sightseeing before I head back home. What do you suggest I see when I'm here?

B: There are many interesting places you should be sure to see. One problem is transportation, however. Because the city is very old, the roads are narrow and congested. If you only have three or four days to visit, you don't want to spend them waiting in traffic in a cab. I suggest you take the subway.

A: The subway? But is there a subway station next to my hotel? I have to go between the conference center and the hotel several times a day.....

B: No worries, there's a subway station at the conference center itself, and a shuttle from your hotel to the conference center that takes only 5 minutes. When you do your personal sightseeing, you can first take the shuttle to the conference center, then hop² on the metro³.

A: Is it expensive to ride on the underground?

B: You can get a daily pass that will allow you to travel unlimited⁴ for the whole day for about 6 dollars. Otherwise, you can pay by trip, which is about 50 cents to 2 dollars each trip, depending on how far you go.

A: Is it easy to get lost?

B: No, no... .it's very hard to get lost. There are two lines, one that goes in a circle, the other that is straight. If you get lost, there are always subway attendants⁵ that can help you find your way.

Dialogue 2

A: Excuse me, can you help me figure out how to get to the Wudaokou subway station from here?

B: Sure.... first you're going to have to buy a ticket to ride on the subway. The Wudaokou station is on the lightrail, so you'll have to transfer. Be sure you buy a combination ticket for the regular subway and the lightrail. It should cost you 5 yuan.

A: An after I buy the ticket, where should I go?

B: You can take the red line train from here, but you'll have to transfer to the blue line at Fuxingmen transfer station. After you transfer, take the blue line that is heading north towards Fuchengmen.

A: so I transfer from red to blue, then how long do I ride the blue?

B: You'll take the blue line until you reach Xizhimen. That's a big station, so there will likely be a lot of people getting off at that stop. You can transfer to the lightrail there, you'll have to exit the subway and present the unused portion of your combination ticket to the ticketmaster, they'll give you a new ticket to use on the lightrail system.

A: It sounds so complicated!

B: No, not the really, don't worry about it, like I said there'll be a lot of people there doing the same thing that you are doing, so just follow the crowd, There's only one direction to go, so you won't get on the wrong train. Head north on the Yellow line, and you'll see Wudaokou in just a couple of stops.

A: Thanks!

1 negotiating   

n. 谈判 动词negotiate的现在分词

参考例句：

• They were coerced into negotiating a settlement. 他们被迫通过谈判解决。
• We want to get all the parties back to the negotiating table. 我们想把有关各方拉回到谈判桌上来。

2 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

3 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

4 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

5 attendants   

n.服务人员( attendant的名词复数 )；侍者；随从；伴随物

参考例句：

• Other flight attendants and passengers are believed to have fought. 我们相信其他服务人员及乘客也都进行了斗争。 来自时文部分
• Psyche gave ear to the admonitions of her vocal attendants. 普绪喀听从这些有声无形的外人的意见。 来自辞典例句