http://realaudio.rferl.org/voa/CHIN/2013/09/24/b422ca4d-d6a8-4e78-8a64-58dcfe414537.mp3
http://www.voachinese.com/content/be-265-losing-a-job-can-be-positive/1756318.html
Suzanne 约朋友 Mickey 一起吃午饭。
Suzanne: Mickey! Good to see you! It's been too long!
Mickey: Hi, Suzanne! you're right, it has been too long.
S: Did you find something on the menu that interests you? Sorry I'm late for our lunch. Traffic was horrific.
M: Yeah....I think I'll have the chicken Caesar salad.
S: That sounds pretty good.... hey, is everything okay? -- You seem kind of down.
M: I got laid off last Friday.
S: Oh....I'm so sorry to hear that.
Suzanne 跟 Mickey 很久没见面,发现 Mickey 心事重重,情绪不高,seem kind of down. Down 在这里是形容词,意思是情绪低落。原来,Mickey 上星期五被炒了鱿鱼,He got laid off. 也可以说,He was let go. 丢了工作,难怪心情沮丧,我们来听听这是为什么。
M: They said it had nothing to do with my performance. They just need to try and save on costs. So they're axing a bunch of jobs.
S: Ouch! Losing a job is such a nasty experience.
M: Yep....it sure is. I guess I have been a bit depressed.
S: I remember when I got fired from my job as a senior manager with a Web design company. I felt awful for weeks. But you know something? Getting fired turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me.
Mickey 被解雇是因为公司要削减开支,所以 they axed a bunch of jobs. Ax is spelled, a-x, 或者 a-x-e, 做为动词,是砍的意思。他丢了工作,心情十分抑郁,depressed. Suzanne 安慰他说,自己也曾有过类似经历,好几个星期缓不过来,但是最后证明,getting fired turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. 被开除是她这辈子最幸运的事。怎么可能,我们继续听。
M: And why was that?
S: It gave me a jolt that I really needed. I was just coasting along in my position day in and day out, never really thinking about my life or my career.
M: So getting fired helped you reflect on these things?
S: Absolutely! I started asking myself what I really wanted to do.
M: That makes sense. Our daily routines can turn into habits. I've been working at this company for almost 8 years and I have kind of been running on autopilot.
Suzanne 说,失业 gave me a jolt. Jolt is spelled j-o-l-t, jolt 在这里是震动的意思。Suzanne 说,有工作的时候,她从来都是 coast along day in and day out. Coast along 做为词组,意思是不用花一点努力随波逐流, day in and day out 意思是日复一日,年复一年。过着这样的生活,怎么还会想着如何进取呢?被解雇后,她才开始思考这些问题,to reflect on things 意思是反思。Mickey 深有同感,说自己在原来的公司已经干了将近八年了,I have been running on autopilot. Autopilot 自动驾驶,工作已经成了一种习惯,顺手就干了,就好象是 run on autopilot. 现在没有工作了,Mickey 下一步有什么打算呢?我们下次继续听。