▶BE BETTER◀
[transitive not in progressive] especially spoken to be much better and more enjoyable than something else
Fresh milk beats powdered milk any time. 无论在什么时候，新鲜的牛奶要比奶粉好。
beat doing something
’Well,’ said Culley, ’it beats going to the office.’
You can’t beat swimming as a good all-body exercise.
Nothing beats homemade cake. 没有什么可以与家里烹制的蛋糕相媲美。
you can’t beat something (for something)
For excitement, you just can’t beat college basketball.
▶HEART◀
[intransitive] when your heart beats, it moves in a regular rhythm as it pumps your blood 心脏跳动
The average person’s heart beats 70 times a minute. 人的心脏平均一分钟跳动70下。
Jennifer’s heart was beating fast. ….的心脏跳得很快。
▶DRUMS◀
[intransitive and transitive] if you beat drums, or if drums beat, they make a regular continuous sound 击鼓
4. uninteresting work
autopilot = automatic pilot n.[航空]自动驾驶仪
automatic pilot noun [uncountable and countable]
1 a machine that flies a plane by itself without the need for a pilot
2 be on automatic pilot
to do something without thinking about it, especially because you have done it many times before 驾轻就熟地做某事
Moving on automatic pilot, she tidied the room. 她很娴熟地打扫着房间。
stale adj. not interesting or exciting any more 没有生气的
e.g. stale jokes
e.g. Other marriages might go stale , but not theirs.
get my teeth into informal to start to do something with a lot of energy and determination专注于，(开始)认真处理
I can’t wait to get my teeth into the new course.
5. lack of communication
be down to somebody
if an action or decision is down to you, it is your responsibility 由…. 负责
It’s down to me to make sure that everyone is happy. 我的职责就是让每个人都开心。
be down to somebody/something
to be the result of one person’s actions or one particular thing 归因于
schedule verb [transitive usually passive]
to plan that something will happen at a particular time 预计
be scheduled for June/Monday etc 预计在六月/周一
The elections are scheduled for mid-June. 大选预计在六月中旬展开。
be scheduled for release/publication/completion etc
Her first album is scheduled for release in September. 她的第一部专辑预计在九月发行。
be scheduled to do something
Meetings are scheduled to take place all over the country. 会议预计在全国召开。
scheduled flight/service (=a plane service that flies at the same time every day or every week) 定期航班
Prices include scheduled flights from Heathrow. 价格都将从希思罗机场起飞的定期航班包括在内。
We will not cancel your holiday less than 8 weeks before the scheduled departure date. 如果距安排好的启程时间不足8周的话，我们将不能取消你的度假。
grapevine noun [countable]
1 hear something on the grapevine
to hear about something because the information has been passed from one person to another in conversation(谣言;内幕消息，秘密)暗中传播的途径;消息的秘密来源
I heard about his resignation on the grapevine. 我是从小道消息中得知他辞职的事情。
2 a climbing plant on which grapes grow 葡萄
ￚsynonym vine
1. Writing.
Findings
A number of employees clearly suffer from a lack of motivation as a result of dissatisfaction in one or more areas of their work. The key findings are outlined below:
Ø Staff feel undervalued by the company, both on a financial and a personal level. It is generally felt that the company’s competitors offer higher levels of remuneration. The perception that managers are unappreciative of staff efforts is particularly noticeable in the Sales Department.
Ø Certain employees fell under-challenged. The company is clearly not exploiting the potential of its human resources.
Ø There appears to be a breakdown of communication in the Production Department. The confusion and resultant ill-feeling towards managers has the potential to disrupt production cycles.
Recommendations
We strongly recommend the following measures:
Ø an evaluation of job profiles throughout the company to assess whether skills could be utilized more efficiently
Ø a review of the current salary structure involving comparison with similar organizations.
It is also essential to investigate and take action regarding communication in the Production and Sales Departments.
New words
remuneration formal 报酬，薪水
the pay you give someone for something they have done for you
e.g. high rates of remuneration
appreciative adjective
1 feeling or showing that you enjoy something or are pleased about it 欣赏的
appreciative audience/crowd
appreciative laughter/applause
2 [not before noun] grateful for something 感谢的，感激的
appreciative of
She was appreciative of Greg’s concern for her health.
ￚappreciatively adverb
exploit verb [transitive]
1 to treat someone unfairly by asking them to do things for you, but giving them very little in return - used to show disapproval 剥削
Homeworkers can easily be exploited by employers. 家政服务员很容易被雇主剥削。
2 to use something fully and effectively 充分地使用
The new TV companies are fully exploiting the potential of satellite transmission.这些新电视台充分利用卫星电视传输的潜力。
4 to develop and use minerals, forests, oil etc for business or industry 开采
the urgent need to exploit the resources of the Irish Sea 急需开采爱尔兰海的资源
resultant adjective [only before noun]
formal happening or existing because of something 由此而引起的
She is still trying to get over the attack and the resultant injuries. 她正努力从那次袭击以及袭击导致的伤害中恢复。
ill feeling noun [uncountable]
angry feelings towards someone 愤怒的情绪
’I’m sorry. No ill feeling?’ ’None,’ she replied.
disrupt: to prevent something from continuing in its usual way by causing problems破裂，分裂，瓦解
Traffic was disrupted by a hoax bomb.
Climate change could disrupt the agricultural economy.
2. Language
Formal language
The following features of formal language are often found in reports and formal letters.
Passives:
Passives are used when the writer wishes to be impersonal and also sometimes to add formality to a text.
Example:
The findings are based on interviews…
Unless these issues are addressed…
Impersonal language
In addition to passives, formal reports often use impersonal phrases such as It is important that …, It would be advisable to…, There is no basis for … . Such impersonal language can be very useful, particularly when making strong recommendations or criticisms; the writer can make a point forcefully without being personal, e.g. It is essential that action is taken immediately.
Example:
The above examples of the passive plus the following:
This report presents the results …
It is clear that …
…there are significant levels of dissatisfaction.
Formal vocabulary
You should develop an awareness of formal/informal vocabulary. You need to know that certain common items used in speech, e.g. really, OK, nice are not typical of formal writing; nor are phrasal verbs, e.g. look up. You need to be aware that words based on Latin are usually more formal than non-Latinate words, e.g. terminate/end. Imprecise words tend to be less formal than more precise equivalents, e.g. way /method.
Example:
Findings, significant levels, regarding, certain issues, addressed, as a matter of urgency, consequent, undoubtedly
Noun phrases
It is often neater and more concise to use a phrase involving a noun/group of nouns rather than a longer phrase containing a verb/several verbs, e.g. The staff feel deeply unhappy that management do not recognise their efforts can be phrased more neatly as A key staff complaint is lack of recognition.
Example:
Survey of staff motivation
Levels of dissatisfaction
Consequent demotivation
negative impact on the performance of the company
Disney trial run may help charities
Carrie Chan
13 tonnes of waste a day
Disneyland and its hotels are expected to generate about 13 tonnes of waste per day – from water bottles and disposable eating utensils to used batteries and oil.
Environment minister Sarah Liao Sau-tung told legislators yesterday that Disneyland management firm Hong Kong International Theme Parks has drawing up a comprehensive plan to minimize waste.
The measures would include separation of recyclable rubbish, the installation of hand dryers in public toilets to reduce the use of paper towels, and the transport of food and other items in reusable containers.
Dr Liao said the firm would be required to submit its plan to the director of environmental protection for review at least a month before the theme park’s official opening in September.
utensil noun [countable]
a thing such as a knife, spoon etc that you use when you are cooking
kitchen utensils
Oral practice
V. Oral Practice
u One-minute talk
Customer Relations: the importance of making customers feel valued
