Dialogue A
Jerry and Susan are in their office.
Jerry: It has been raining since last night.
Susan: I heard a typhoon is approaching. It's going to hit our city tonight.
Jerry: Will it be a strong one?
Susan: Yes, it will. So we had better finish our work as quickly as possible. Traffic will be really bad on our way home.
Jerry: I just received an email1 from the boss.
Susan: Me, too. We're going to gather for a meeting downstairs in five minutes.
Dialogue B
The meeting starts after everyone arrives downstairs.
Boss: Here is the list of tasks that need to be done to prepare for the typhoon.
(Everyone is given a list.)
Jerry: I can check if all of the emergency2 lights are in working order.
Susan: And I'll start putting tape on the windows.
Boss: Jerry, please help Susan when you're done. Some of the windows will be hard for her to reach.
Jerry: OK. I'll also make sure they are all closed.
Dialogue A
杰瑞和苏珊在他们的办公室里。
杰 瑞：打从昨晚就一直在下雨。
苏 珊：我听说有个台风正在接近。它今晚就要侵袭我们的城市了。
杰 瑞：它会是个强台吗？
苏 珊：嗯，会喔。所以我们最好尽快把工作做完。回家路上的交通状况会很糟。
杰 瑞：我刚收到老板寄来的电子邮件。
苏 珊：我也是。我们五分钟后要在楼下集合开会。
Dialogue B
所有人都到楼下后，会议便开始了。
老 板：这里有一张防台准备所必要做的任务清单。
（每个人都拿到一张清单。）
杰 瑞：我可以检查所有紧急照明灯是否都运作正常。
苏 珊：那我会开始在窗户上贴胶带。
老 板：杰瑞，你弄好后请去协助苏珊。有些窗户她很难构得到。
杰 瑞：好。我也会确认窗户是否都有关起来。
Building Your Vocabulary
1. approach vi. 靠近；接近
Kate feels nervous because her wedding is approaching.
凯特因为她的婚礼将近而感到紧张。
2. hit vt.（恶运、疾病、坏天气等）突然袭击
Ray never stopped working until illness hit him.
阿雷从未停下工作，直到病痛缠身。
Phrases for Learning
1. had better + 原形动词 最好……
You had better apologize to your wife.
你最好还是向你太太道歉。
2. as + 形容词∕副词 + as possible 尽可能……
I tried to make my speech as short as possible.
我试图尽量缩短我的演说。
3. prepare for... 为……做准备
Ed spent the whole night preparing for the test.
艾德花了整晚为考试做准备。
4. be in working order 正常地运转
That old computer is still in working order.
那台老计算机仍可正常运作。
Extra Words
1. email n. 电子邮件
2. emergency n. 紧急情况（本文中作形容词用）
More to Know
每年几乎都会有台风侵袭台湾，为了避免台风造成的损害，防台准备便显得格外重要。虽然本对话主角是为办公室做防台准备，但就建筑物整体而言，办公室与居家的防台措施其实大同小异。除了本对话所提及的在玻璃窗上贴胶带、准备紧急照明设备及应急食物等，您也要做到保持建筑物四周排水沟的畅通，并清除堆积在排水孔四周的杂物，以免台风挟带的大量雨水无法宣泄而造成淹水。此外，您必须加强固定或暂时移除悬挂在建筑物四周的大型广告牌、招牌及盆栽等，以防它们被强风吹落而造成意外事故。另外，在大门口及地下室车道前设置沙包、木板等挡水装置，以及对发电机、抽水机进行运转测试等等，这些都是以备不时之需的好方法。您也要随时注意媒体上的台风消息，随时做好紧急应变。在台风登陆后，切记要避免外出，更不可前往海边、河堤等高危险地区。只要您事前做好完善准备，就能安然度过风灾，并将各种损害降到最低。
Tips In Use
So we had better finish our work as quickly as possible.
（所以我们最好尽快把工作做完。）
as + 形容词∕副词 + as possible
= as + 形容词∕副词 + as + 人 + can
（某人）尽可能……
Please call me as soon as possible.
= Please call me as soon as you can.
（请尽快打电话给我。）
Here is the list of tasks that need to be done to prepare for the typhoon.
（这里有一张防台准备所必要做的任务清单。）
"prepare for..."表『为……做准备』，prepare 亦可直接作及物动词，表『把……准备好』，两者意思略为不同，使用时请多加留意。
Laura will prepare breakfast for all of us.
（劳拉会为我们大家准备早餐。） |