Predictions
1. C
2. E
3. B
4. A
5. D
6. C
7. B
8. E
Person No. 1
rigid adjective
1 rigid methods, systems etc are very strict and difficult to change 严格的，不宜更改的
ￚopposite flexible
rigid and authoritarian methods of education
2 someone who behaves in a rigid way is very unwilling to change their ideas or behaviour 教条的
ￚopposite flexible
rigid adherence to old-fashioned ideas
She maintained rigid control over her emotional and sexual life.
3 stiff and not moving or bending 僵硬的
ￚopposite flexible
rigid plastic
ￚrigidly adverb
rigidly opposed to all new ideas
ￚrigidity noun [uncountable]
hot desk noun [countable] British English
a desk which is used by different workers on different days, instead of by the same worker every day 被多人使用的办公桌
ￚhot-desking noun [uncountable]
shift noun [countable]
1 a change in the way people think about something, in the way something is done etc 转变
shift from/to
the shift from one type of economic system to another
shift in
an important shift in policy
a marked shift (=noticeable change) in attitudes towards women
2 a) if workers in a factory, hospital etc work shifts, they work for a particular period of time during the day or night, and are then replaced by others, so that there are always people working
do/work a (10/12/24 etc hour) shift
Dave had to work a 12-hour shift yesterday.
I work shifts.
night/day etc shift 夜班/白班
The thought of working night shifts put her off becoming a nurse.
early/late shift 早班/晚班
I’m on the early shift tomorrow.
shift work/worker/working
people who do shift work
A shift system has been introduced. 倒班工作制被引进来。
b) the workers who work during one of these periods 倒班上班的工人
night/day/early/late shift
before the early shift goes off duty 在早班工人下班之前
round-the-clock adjective [only before noun]
happening all the time, both day and night 24小时的，全天候的
round-the-clock medical care 24小时的医疗服务
overtax verb [transitive]
1to make someone do more than they are really able to do, so that they become very tired过度疲劳
overtax yourself
Be careful you don’t overtax yourself.
2 to make people pay too much tax过度征税
Person No. 2
obligation noun [uncountable and countable]
a moral or legal duty to do something (道德或法律)责任，义务，职责
obligation to
Employers have an obligation to treat all employees equally. 老板有平等对待员工的责任。
Parents are under a legal obligation to educate their children. 家长有法律义务去教育自己的孩子。
Greater resources are needed to meet these obligations. 这里需要更多的资源才能履行这些职责。
The government must pay for health care for war veterans - it is an obligation we owe to them. 政府必须向老兵支付医疗费用--- 这是我们欠他们的责任。
a moral obligation to help the poor 帮助穷人的道义
He stayed with the team out of a sense of obligation. 他出于责任感而继续留在了这个队伍里。
immediate adjective
1 happening or done at once and without delay 立刻的，马上的
They promise immediate action to help the unemployed.
If the eyes are affected, seek immediate medical attention.
2 [only before noun] existing now, and needing to be dealt with quickly 当前的
Let’s try and solve the most immediate problem.
There is an immediate danger of war. 战争有马上就爆发的危险。
3 [only before noun] happening just before or just after someone or something else 马上的
The most immediate effect of retirement is a dramatic reduction in living standards. 退休带来的最直接的结果就是生活水平的急剧下降。
He promised that there would be no tax increases in the immediate future.他许诺在最近的一段时间之内不会增加税收。
4 [only before noun] next to, or very near to, a particular place 邻近的，毗邻的
It is a thriving shopping centre for the people who live in the immediate area. 这家生意兴隆的购物中心是专为住在附近的人们开办的。
5 immediate family 近亲
people who are very closely related to you, such as your parents, children, brothers, and sisters
Person No. 3
Megan O’Riordan
’apostrophe
branding noun [uncountable]
a practice which involves a company giving a group of their products the same brand name, helping this name to become well-known 打造品牌形象的做法
courtesy adjective [only before noun]
1 provided free to a customer by a company 免费的
courtesy bus/taxi/car/phone etc
The hotel runs a courtesy bus from the airport.
Most reviewers receive a courtesy copy of the book.
2 courtesy visit/call
a visit etc done to be polite or show respect 礼貌的来访/电话
Our captain put in a courtesy visit during dinner.
complimentary adjective
1 given free to people(免费)赠送的
There was a complimentary bottle of champagne in the hotel room. 在饭店房间里有一瓶免费的香槟酒。
I’ve got some complimentary tickets for the theatre tonight. 我得到了今晚剧院的免费票。
2 saying that you admire someone or something 赞扬的，夸奖的
complimentary remarks 奉承话
Person No. 4
stress verb [transitive]
1 to emphasize a statement, fact, or idea 强调
stress that
The report stressed that student math skills need to improve.
Crawford stressed the need for more housing downtown.
She stressed the importance of a balanced diet.
2 to pronounce a word or part of a word so that it sounds louder or more forceful 重音
The word ’machine’ is stressed on the second syllable.
stress somebody out phrasal verb
to make someone so worried or nervous that they cannot relax 使某人担忧或紧张
Studying for exams always stresses me out. 准备考试的学习过程总是让我很紧张。
2. Language.
will definitely + verb (Megan)
’ll undoubtedly + verb (Joshua)
will/’ll +verb (Jeanne, Janice, Scott)
is certainly going to + verb (Megan)
are going to + verb (Janice)
is set to + verb (Janice)
’re bound to + verb (Joshua)
’s likely to + verb (Jeanne)
will probably + verb (Jeanne)
may + verb (Megan)
The Basic Difference between going to and will to talk about predictions
Going to: a focus on some present factor which the speaker feels certain will lead to a future event. In other words, the speaker feels that he/she has evidence of what is about to happen.
e.g. With the growth in teleworking, how are authorities going to cope…?
As with any modal, will refers to the speaker’s judgement of the situation. In other words, will is used to make predictions about things we know or expect will happen based on past experience or intuition.
e.g. Part-time staff may be working for one employer in the morning and a different one in the afternoon, so values and branding will need to be stronger.
Will is commonly used for predictions in formal writing.
The strength of a prediction can be shown by the use of qualifiers such as probably and undoubtedly.
e.g. Working hours will probably change quite dramatically.
There’ll undoubtedly be companies realising their importance of their social obligations.
In addition to using will and going to to make predictions, you should also think about ways of expressing the future lexically.
e.g. The distinction between the employed and self-employed is set to disappear.
很有可能的，即将发生的
We are bound to see a move towards promoting lifestyle issues in the office.
一定的，必然的
