英语教学方法论之—旁敲侧击
一开始一个男生说
I will create a schedule to arrange my dates properly. And no one of them gets to get a hold of the schedule. I will save it very safely.
我需要做个schedule来合理安排约会。而且要妥善保存这张schedule，以免被她们看到。这个男生能一开始就不假思索提出这个措施，可见是有切实的管理经验的。专业人士的idea一下子把讨论提高到了专业层面，为下面的讨论开了个好头。发现其他学生接下来提出的措施也都很实用。
Firstly, in order to manage multiple boyfriends, I need to get multiple SIM cards.
Ever time when I’m with one of them, I will turn off my cellphone.
I will pick up boyfriends from different social circles. I’m more likely to get caught if they happen to have some mutual friends.
不要在同一个圈子里面找男朋友。要是他们刚好认识同一个人，那就很可能被发现了。It’s very important to separate by distance. I won’t get too many girlfriends in Hangzhou. that would be too risky. I will take the opportunity to get a girlfriend when I go to another city for business. It’s like setting up franchises.
I will save their names on my cell phone by animal’s names.
The girl who fails to get a good performance evaluation by the end of each year will be dumped. What’s the word again? Yeah…she will be eliminated.
No one of them gets to give me a love bite.
I will give my friends the necessary training. I mean…they should learn to cover for me. So I can maximize the chance of getting caught.
Well. I’ve heard a lot sad stories about girlfriends getting to know each other on the Qzones or those social networking websites. So limiting their access to my qzone, renren.com pages will be done first thing. I will just close my spaces if they file complaints against the authorization thing. If I’ve got the time and patience, I will try to get multiple accounts and specialize the contents on each space for different boyfriends. Sometimes customization ensures customer satisfaction. But if I spend too much time and energy on that, I wouldn’t have the time to set up more franchises.
I might end up in some real awkward situations. So it’s crucial to think of some excuses in advance.. I’m willing to pay for some seminars to improve my lying techniques.
献给我的学生们–看思科九年学职场英语
By Vincent from www.englishvincent.com
例句：Let’s bring Rob on board for the Saudi deal - he’s the expert.
如何为成年人设计一堂有效并有趣的英文课
By Vincent from www.englishvincent.com
How are you going to employ the waiters?
“派系斗争”怎么说
By Vincent from www.englishvincent.com
4.“派系斗争”怎么说
今天上课的讨论话题是做销售人员的优缺点
有人说销售部派系斗争很严重，并向一个做销售的学生求证，那位学生说是的，然后问我“派系斗争”怎么说。我说我不会。
后来去查了下，原来是factional strife。
Factional
[uncountable] formal disagreements and arguments between different groups within an organization
jealousy and faction
ￚfactional adjective factional conflict; factional strife
可以说I can’t stand the factional strife in sales department. They fight too much.
不过不知道有没有更常见更口语化的说法，请赐教。
5. 做销售的都很爱说服人，很强势，不说服你誓不罢休怎么说？
一个学生谈自己公司的销售，认为这些人往往是不说服别人誓不罢休，如果你不能接受他们的观点，他们会不厌其烦的继续尝试说服你。不过这个是做销售的特性。又把我难倒了，爱说服别人的，在观点表达上很强势的，应该怎么说？我觉得manipulative, control freak，persuasive, 都不大对。接连被难倒，只能立马去问室友，室友说了个overbearing，表示很强势，刚才查了下字典，发现意思是
forcing others to do what one wants (without caring about their feelings); domineering 专横的; 跋扈的; 横行霸道的: an overbearing manner 专横的态度. > overbearingly adv: overbearingly proud 盛气凌人.
也不对。 后来琢磨了下，pushy还比较好。Pushy经常用来形容销售人员令人厌烦地不断出击，力图说服你购买他们的产品或者服务。
behaving in an unpleasant way by trying too much to get something or to make someone do something:
a pushy salesman
那么这里用来形容他们锲而不舍地向说服你同意他们的观点还是有点靠谱的。
另外一个词argumentative 爱争论的，应该也能从某种程度上表现这一点。
还有另外一个词，叫opinionated。
If you describe someone as opinionated, you mean that they have very strong opinions and refuse to accept that they may be wrong.
Sue is the extrovert in the family; opinionated, talkative and passionate about politics.
不过如果要表达那个意思，可以说成Sales people always have strong ideas/opinions about things. They won’t give up until you are convinced. They are very pushy and argumentative.
Tomorrow or For Tomorrow? 差之毫厘 谬以千里
AWOL
By Vincent from www.englishvincent.com
为什么你的英文不地道—分享一个学习英文的好习惯和好技巧
By Vincent from www.englishvincent.com
I’m so gonna File a Complaint against the Scumbag from Jiuzhou Driving School
By Vincent from www.englishvincent.com
在设计一个单元的课程，关于生活/工作/出差中碰到的各类问题，麻烦，糟糕的服务，差劲的产品等等。比如打印机坏了，电脑中病毒了，助手老是在做文书的时候犯错误，旅馆空调怀了而且前台态度很差，在餐厅等了很久还没上菜，约好的客户无故迟到2个小时，室友从来不帮忙整理客厅，后面的混蛋强行超你车等等等等。
碰巧最近被丁桥一个叫九洲驾校的无良驾校弄得很不爽，所以写了这篇文章。
人都喜欢谈论自己或者自己擅长和熟悉的事情，学生也是人，所以要让学生谈论他们知道的事情，大部分学生是女人，女人除了有人的这个通性之外，还拥有特别喜欢抱怨的特性，所以要让她们谈论让她们不爽的事情。希望这堂课能利用女人的这个特性，促使女人们多开开玉口，让女人们在课堂上做一次怨妇。
如果你最近碰上了什么倒霉事，做了冤大头，也可以把你的故事用英语写出来。
科学研究证明， 适当抱怨，有益身心。
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I dropped my driving lessons on Monday. The driving school’s name is 九洲驾校，and it’s located in Dingqiao. My ex-colleague introduced me the driving school when we were having seafood last time. I was a bit drunk, and asked him to recommend a driving school to me. He gave mｅ the cellphone number of his friend who was running a driving school.
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The next day, a driving instructor Li from the school came to give me some documents, and a couple of days later we went to xxxxxxx , where I got a physical （health check） and registered. I found out on Monday that the registration fee was just around 1000. That means Li took me 500 RMB as deposit without telling me about it.
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He drove to pick me up in his car the first day I went to their lesson. We finished at around 5PM. “Rednecks are rednecks”. All the instructors there kept yelling at us all day.
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I took it for granted that he would give me a ride home after we hit the road, but he asked me to get off and take a bus home 5 minutes later. I was really unhappy with his arrangement and attitude. He should’ve told me earlier about this.
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Like a week later, I fixed an appointment with him, and managed to get up early in the next morning, but didn’t show up or call me. I tried to call him for a couple of times but nobody answered until 3 hours later. He told me over the phone that he overslept cause he had a terrible hangover.
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Around 3 weeks later, I got up at 7 am for my third appointment with him and waited there in my bed for like 2 hours before I got his phone call:
“I’m sorry, but I can’t make it there to your place before 10. I overslept. ”
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I was really pissed off, but I didn’t say a word. I thought he was still forgivable. But I had a change of mind late in the afternoon, and decided to drop my driving lessons there. So I called him and he accepted my deregistration right away like he couldn’t wait to get rid of me.
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I called to confirm our deregistration appointment this morning when I was at the bus stop, but he told me I needed to get the stamped approval from another driving school before they accepted my deregistration. I called another driving instructor to find out that wouldn’t be necessary at all. Li just wanted to give me some hard time. I called him again and insisted on keeping the appointment as scheduled.
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It was 11 when I got there. That means I spent like 70 minutes on the bus!! He was really rude when we were going through the transfer formalities and said he was doing me a favor by refunding me 250 RMB, and he already had enough students, and I was too blame for it…shit like that… how shameless was that?!
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I’m so gonna file a complaint against him, but the thing is, he still holds my card for the simulation test. He was supposed to give it to me right after my registration or at least return it to me on Monday morning.
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What did I do to deserve that? I don’t know? How many scumbags am I supposed to meet in 2009?
BTW, my boxing instructor also sucks major ass.
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通过对话学习以Pose为词根的高频单词
By Vincent from www.englishvincent.com
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A: Can you give me a hand with my budget proposal?
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Proposal=put forth/forward
The sales department put forward a proposal last week, but the manager didn’t approve it.
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B: I’d love to, but I’m composing an email.
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Compose=put (words) together=写邮件，写报告，谱曲
记得初中的时候就学到这个单词composition=作文
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A: I thought you finished your proposal last week.
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B: I put forward (presented) the proposal to the sales director on Monday, but he was opposed of it. What are you up to exactly?
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Oppose=place on the other side=反对，
见opposite帮助理解，强化记忆
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A: Well, I’m writing Vincent to tell him the Customs will still impose duties even if we declare our goods to be gifts.
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Impose=put into=把东西放在（篮子）里以增加其负担=征税/强制/限制/强加
Hangzhou Government imposed smoking ban in public places last month. Damn!
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B: We are not gonna get away with it. The customs will impose penalties and expose us on the internet
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Expose=to put out=暴露，曝光，揭发
Ex-这个前缀，参见External=外面的，外表的，外部的，
I was so pissed off when he let me go that I decided to expose him online. （见Unit 20）
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A: Yeah, better not play game with them.
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B: I’m finished. Now let me take a look at your proposal and see what I can do.
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A: That would be fantastic. I’ll give you a ride home in return.
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B: You’ve got a deal! By the way, before we get started, how’s your apartment hunting going?
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A: I made a deposit of 100,000 yuan on an apartment.
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Deposit=put down=押金，定金
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B: That’s a big amount of money. You’ll lose the money if you have a change of mind.
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A: As the housing price has been rocketing this year, I just fear the apartment owner will break the agreement. With that amount of deposit, he just can’t afford not to sell me the apartment.
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B: Where did you get all the money? I thought you didn’t have much disposable money. Did you rob a bank or something?
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Dispose= put apart= put in order=arrange= 安排，布置，处理，可供处置的，可供支配的
在credit card一课中我们学习了disposable income=spare money=可支配收入，闲钱。
I’ll put my spare money in the stock market.
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A: Nay, my parents gave me the money.
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B; it must feel horrible to be a Neet.
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NEET:「Not currently engaged in Employment, Education or Training」
说中国的很多年轻人啃老是不公平的。
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A: Like you are in a position to comment. That’s so not fair. Not that we want to be a burden of the family, we young people just have no choice.
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Like you are in a position to comment=你也比我好不了多少。
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B: I just think you should apply for the position of sales director.
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Position=定位，位置，职位
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A: Yeah, after we finish this damn proposal.
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再推荐一部学习商务英语的美剧 Better Off Ted
By Vincent from www.englishvincent.com
By Vincent from www.englishvincent.com
记得之前推荐过Hotel Babylon和Mad Men，为大家提高交流性的工作英语。 最近又下了几集Shark Tank（创智赢家），难度比较大，但是用来学习商务口语简直是太完美了！
Shark Tank is a reality show where entrepreneurs make presentations in front of 5 “sharks”. Sharks here mean investors. Sharks will invest in their companies in exchange of certain percent of their company stake if they are convinced their businesses are profitable.
我大概花了2个小时听写第一集第8集的一段对话，太难了，讲得实在太快，不过硬着头皮听写完后再听那段对话就觉得很简单了。大家不妨也下下来做做听力练习。 一个月能听写并掌握一集，肯定会每天都有进步。
Make A Presentation to Raise Money
DJS: Hello, My name is D.J. Stephen, and this is Sean Conway. Our company is Notehall, we are here asking for a 90K dollars in exchange of 10% of our company (seeking 90k for a 10% stake)
Sean: Notehall’s a website that allows college students to buy and sell class notes and study guides in each the college courses. So, Kevin, Let’s see a huge exam coming upso you naturally are gonna create a study guide to prepare for that exam. You’re gonna load it on Notehall. At the same time, Robert, you have been distracted by a cute blonde girl in class.
Robert: Since I’ve been married for 20 years, that would never happened
Kevin: But he has been stealing my notes for years.
Sean: But you’re gonna go on and Download Kevin’s notes and pay a few dollars doing this. And Kevin could earn a commission on- on the transaction. It’s that simple.
DJS: We launched it at University of Arizona and within 8 months. Our website was being used by 40% students on campus . we pilot launched at Arizona State University and Kansas University and we saw relatively great traffic with basically zero advertising costs. we are planning on launching at 24 universities this upcoming fall. And with your help, and we feel we can go nationwide in just a short period of time making notehall the next dorm room name on the web today
Robert: Is it legal?
Sean: What we are doing is pretty much giving the students a better understanding of the actual course We are teaching those students how to take notes.
Barbara: How do you know the notes are good? Do you get—Kind of get the chance to take a little peek and review before you sign up
Sean: There is actually a preview that’s automatically generated and it shows 30% of the notes
Barbara: what if it’s wrong information
DJS: we offer a 100% money-back guarantee if students aren’t satisfied with the content they buy .
Barbara: That’s better,
DJS: we refund about 25 out of over 5,700 documents that have been uploaded…
Daymond: But a quick question. I want to know… How much have you guys sold in one year
Sean: So we had 5,900 credit card transaction in 8 month, and we have 30K sheer revenue.
Kevin: What’s the price of a typical note downloaded?
So the actual transaction price, our average transaction price is around 4 dollars 90 cents.
Robert: You get a cut of the fee I’m paying?
Sean: So on average, Notehall will withhold 60% of the actual transaction and the Notetaker will earn 40%
Kevin: This is a great idea, and like other great ideas on the internet, they get copied right away. Tell me about your competition.
DJS: we do have other pla<fix>yers in the space, and no one has gained traction yet. That– when I say we saw relatively great traffic in K.U. and S.U. it’s because we gain 1,500 new students
in 6 weeks time. Some of the leading competitors in the space have been there and they don’t have hundreds students.
Barbara: Why they were different. Why weren’t they able to get as many people?
DJS: We’ve discovered a way to get content creators efficiently and effectively, and that’s the lifeblood. Our competitors are just focused on trying to get as many users as they can, and no one’s uploading any valuable content. And if they don’t get the valuable content, students are not gonna continue, you’re not gonna grow virally like we’ve seen so far at K.U. and A.S.U.
访谈式英语教学的实践和体会
By Vincent from www.englishvincent.com
每次招到中级别的新生，都会给该生生上一堂很exclusive的访谈课。课前让学生写一份英文的personal profile 和job description, 还有其他有关该生工作和单位的材料，备课的时候根据这些材料设计 interview questions, 到了上课的时候就是不停发问，并让其他学生参与发问。如果课前准备30个问题，那么上课的时候可以根据学生的回答再问30个问题并做一些评论。这样可以让学生不停开口讲2个小时。
大部分新生在回答问题的时候都是磕磕绊绊，步履蹒跚的。所以这个时候就要对他们进行即使的纠正和帮助，让他们能够把话讲下去。而另外的学生也会参与发问，不至于打哈欠。
这样做的好处在于
1.这样的访谈是对学生语言环境的仿真模拟，学生在做实际的交流，问答的内容可以帮助他们以后用英文做presentation，写邮件，和外国客户交谈。比起单纯的阅读或对现成对话的练习，自己在老师的提示和纠正下下组织语言说一遍所达到的效果要好很多倍，因为学生是在真正用英语表达。学的东西派得上用场，话能讲得出口，才能交流。
2.如果可以调动其他学生的参与，这种方式可以让课堂很活跃。3个小时的课程几乎全是对话还有老师的纠正。（当然老师会经常卡壳，因为太多话了）。学生如果能在课堂上积极摘录白板上的笔记，并在课后将部分对话整理成笔记，就可以把一堂课海量的对话内容作为再次练习的素材，而且这个素材讲的就是自己同学的事，特别容易记住。
3.每个人都喜欢谈论自己，更会在谈论自己熟悉和擅长的事情时津津乐道。而且事后都会发现自己其实硬着头皮也是会讲点英语的。虽然一开始觉得很吃力，但是久了之后就容易帮助学生逐渐建立自己的语言体系。很多人表达能力欠缺，单词量少也只是原因之一，更重要的在于语言组织能力不足，也缺乏对于单词，词组和句型的实际运用。很多句型其实都差不多的。重复多了，而且被纠正多了，就会慢慢开始用正确的方式去组织语言，话也就慢慢讲得顺了。这个时候再积累更多的单词填进去，讲出来的话也显得没那么别扭，开始“通情达理”了。
4.很多学生看再多文档，学习再多对话，还是会讲出别扭的中式英文，而且经常感到难以启齿，因为大凡是需要老师的学生，都是对于英语这门外语不够敏感的，他们缺乏在自学中自动纠错提高的能力。如果阅读/听力/对话练习等消极的学习方式占据了太多的课堂时间，学生还是难以有质的提高，而访谈式的教学可以让学生不停使用英语，并犯尽可能多的错误，从而让老师有机会能够在交流的过程当中直接指出错误并作出纠正。这样做，再迟钝的学生也容易留下印象。英语教学应该告别被动学习，被动表达，而应该被逼着并硬着头皮主动表达。
5. 长达两个小时的问答过程中，很容易重复相同或者类似的语料，更能帮助学生记忆。
下面是上次访谈的前十分钟录音记录。部分对话整理过，并修改和抹去了部分敏感内容。
Vincent: We know you are a sales manager, right? Suppose you are making a sale presentation in front of your foreign client now, how would you do the “company profile”?
New student:
Costa is a xxx in networking and communication devices industry. Its annual revenue totaled xxx billion in 2008. We have achieved an 30% yearly growth over the past five years. Our mission is to change the way people study, work and recreate with Costa’s networking and communication solutions.
Vincent: Wow. I’m impressed. Obviously Costa has been doing very well these years. Well, could you tell me some very interesting facts about Costa?
New Student:Can you repeat that?
Vincent: Well, tell me some very interesting things about Costa.
New Student:Costa offers very decent salaries to its employees…uh…uh…
Vincent:…uh…uh… well, it’s enviable , but not a bit interesting … do i need to repeat my questions again?
New Student [totally ignores me]:My colleague bought an apartment with Costa’s credit card five years ago.
Vincent: Are you saying Costa’s credit card has a very high credit line?
New Student:Exactly!
Vincent: What was the credit line?
New Student:About 5 million RMB, he could buy like 10 houses with that credit card, but it was cancelled 3 years ago. I have to use my own credit card now.
Vincent: You should’ve joined Costa earlier,and bought 10 apartments. That would make your filthy rich now. But I suppose there must still be some benefits of being one of Costa’s employees. What if you want to take out a mortgage from the bank now, how much are they likely to offer?
New Student:I’ll need to provide my payslip ( not salary list) . and after checking my payslip, they will offer 50,000 monthly loan to me,
Vincent: that’s a huge amount of money. Another question, where is Costa headquartered?
New Student:xxxxx, xxxxx. There are 5,000 employees in China, and about 2,000 of them will fly to XXXXX for the annual sales meeting.
Vincent: Did you ever get a chance to speak at the meeting?
New Student:Never.
Vincent:You are pathetic.What if you were the top salesman in GCR?
New Student:Definitely. And He (I) will also be interviewed by CEO XXXX XXXXX.
Vincent: Wow…that’s cool. I guess they will hit the strip club afterwards?
New Student:Haha…I don’t know. I never got the chance to find out.
网上有很多可供讨论的ESL Conversational Questions,但是很多都显得太学生太学术气，比如“你认为我们的税务系统存在什么问题？” 感觉像是大学里面只有尖子生才会开口说的话题。比如在一个网站上看到几个关于代沟的问题：
什么是代沟？
你是如何克服代沟的？
你觉得有可能克服代沟么？
很多人认为女人可以嫁给老自己很多的男人，但是男人不可以娶老他们很多的女人。你怎么看？
要是你的父亲比你母亲老了一倍，你会怎么想？
你觉得你的代沟斗争和你父亲那一辈人的代沟斗争有什么不同？
这样的问题，设计到社会／伦理／道德等，普通学生用英语压根就不知道怎么说，也会觉得索然无味。如果无法设计出有趣的问题，就要设计他们不假思索就可以回答的问题。比如
你们公司卖什么产品。
客户是谁？
你们是如何招募合作伙伴的？
能给回扣么？为什么不能？
为什么您们公司不喜欢雇佣没怀孕过的年轻女性？
你的信用卡额度是多少？
每个月要还所少还贷？
你和男朋友经常因为什么而争吵？
甩掉前男友的时候你给了什么理由？
这个方式的坏处在于
1. 老师挖空心思拷问学生，并冒着被学生考倒的危险（这个时候觉得很失败），学生而要经常苦思冥想，一刻不得消停。双方都觉得很用脑过度很崩溃。
2.由于谈话具体内容是未知的，全靠老师课堂的把握，所以课堂效果不够稳定。如果老师当时没有状态或者课堂功课没做好，上课的效果就会大打折扣。
3.其他学生如果生活/社会/工作经验不足，会难以参与到对话中来。
总而言之，要设计问题和情景，让学生不断开口，讲自己的故事和选择，而且保证谈话的内容是派得上用场的。
Hotel Babylon-提高交流性工作英语的最佳电视剧
By Vincent from www.englishvincent.com
前天为了给在酒店工作的Bernice同学上关于酒店英语的互动课程，特地在www.verycd.com上下载了这部片，看了一集后在想：我x，有这么合适的电视剧，还要老师干嘛呀？这部电视剧的故事发生在伦敦的一家五星级酒店Hotel Babylon，看了两集后认为它就是你最需要看到一部电视剧，如果你看电视剧是为了学习你想派上用场的英语，那么就看这一部吧！！不论你是在外资酒店工作，还是在其他外企，还是在贸易公司，如果把这部片子的表达方式都弄得滚瓜烂熟，完全可以轻松应付大部分职场上和商务上的很多沟通。
优点如下：
１.你需要的表达方式高度浓缩
酒店就是职场，而这部电视剧大部分的情节发生在这个职场。不论是在什么单位或者场合，基本的沟通方式都不会相差太多。而这部片子有你需要的最基本的应付职场和商务还有生活中的基本的表达方式，而这种你最需要的表达方式高度浓缩在一集集的剧情里。才看了一集多，就出现了酒店入住，开会，同事之间闲聊，面试，突发问题解决，带客人参观房间，领导训，布置工作任务，处理客户投诉等等等等情景。感觉就象个教学片呀。比你去研究越狱，绝望主妇里的那些没用的英语效率要高得多！！！！给你的建议是，去选取自己觉得有用的对话强化练习。不要学一些比较偏门的表达方式。
２.教你如何沟通
英语好的人，不一定懂沟通。而这部片子里的人在服务行业工作，每天面对形形色色的人，他们的沟通技能很重要，因为大部分人都要和客户／客人打交道。从这部电视剧你不仅快速学到很多表达方式，还无形中知道了如何应对不同的人。应该说，能在Hotel Babylon工作的人，都是行业的佼佼者，而你会看到他们是如何成功的，如何处理同事和上下级之间的关系。酒店是一个复杂，甚至有点黑暗的地方，你从中学到的职场之道，礼仪，为人和阅人之道也会让你的职业生涯从中受益。
3.很新鲜很好看
如果你看腻了那些情景喜剧，有关破案的，悬疑的，科幻的美剧，现在可以换换胃口了。Hotel Babylon很新鲜很有趣也很有“教育意义”。
缺点在于难度相对有点大，部分台词太文绉绉，句子太复杂，有些对话看字幕都不明白，还得查字典。所以我对那些声称自己能听懂英文影视剧95%以上台词的人很是膜拜，估计这些人如果是光是读台词都不能看懂这么大的比例，但是什么东西只要拿来听都能听的懂。就像有些人写东西都写不顺，但是一拿来说话就能神奇地说对了一样。
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Charlie: It’s just like flushing a toilet on an aeroplane. Vacuum drainage system. Good for the guests, good for the environment. Ah, this very powerful shower can comfortably accommodate two to three people if that’s your thing.
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First, I’d like you to meet Charlie. He is currently the head receptionist of Hotel Babylon.
At the moment, he is presenting the suite to a very demanding guest Nina.
1.toilet
Flush the toilet：冲马桶
Unclog the toilet: 疏通马桶
2. vacuum drainage system 真空排污系统
3． Unclog
You can unclog/unblock the toilet, sink or bathtub drain
4. shower: 淋浴室
Ss translate the following sentences:
我去洗个澡，马上回来。
I’m going to take a shower. Be right back.
他现在在洗澡。要不要让他给你？
He’s in the shower at the moment. Would you like him to call you back?
5.accomodate, accommodation.
l This hotel can accommodate up to 600 guest.
l The meeting room is not big enough to accommodate 50 people. Perhaps we should move to the canteen instead.
l Accommodation=Room and board: 食宿、膳宿
l I claimed my travel accommodation expenses last month, but I couldn’t claim my cell phone expense.
６. if it’s your thing: if you like ( to have a group shower), if having a group shower is what you like to do.
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Nina: What do you care what my thing is?
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我喜欢什么关你什么事呀？
你管我喜欢干什么呀？
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Charlie: Your thing is none of my business, madam.
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您喜欢什么与我无关，夫人。
It’s one of your business.
Mind you own business.
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Nina: Are you flirting with me?
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你在和我调情么？
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Charlie: No, Miss Bailey, I’m trying to suggest…
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您误会了，Bailey 小姐，我是想说。。。
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1. insinuate
If you say that someone insinuates that something bad is the case, you mean that they say it in an indirect way.
2. show up 出现，到，来
You didn’t show up at the meeting.
I waited at the airport for 2 hours, but our customer didn’t show up. I guessed his flight was delayed., but it turned out that was not the case.
3. a bar of soap . 一块肥皂
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Rebecca: Morning, my apologies for not meeting you at reception. Rebecca Mitchell, General Manager.
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Rebecca is the General Manager of Hotel Babylon, Rebecca is in her mid-thirties
my apologies for=I’m apologizing for=please accept my apology for…
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Nina: Nina Bailey. I’m looking after the band through their European leg of the tour.
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Leg: A leg of a long journey is one part of it, usually between two points where you stop.
摇滚乐队的巡演叫gig，某一站式leg，比如 European Leg 欧洲站。
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Rebecca: I hope that my head receptionist has shown you around one of the best suites in our hotel.
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1. head
adj: he is the sales department head.
Noun: he is the head of marketing department.
Verb: he headed the technical department.
3. show someone around=tour someone around, so he or she could look around the place.
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Nina: Right down to flushing the john.
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这里的right的意思是：all the way; completely 从头到尾; 彻底地; 完全地: Go right to the end of the road. 一直走到这条路的尽头.
所以这个句子的意思是；一直看到（介绍到）如何冲厕所。
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Rebecca: Then I trust that everything’s to your satisfaction?
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2. satisfy, satisfication;
you are satisfied with= xx is to your satisfaction.
What are you interested more? Job satisfaction or earning more money?
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Nina: Yes, thank you.
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Rebecca: The temperature? The layout?
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温度，布局（都还满意吧？）
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Nina: It’s all okay.
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Rebecca: The view? The curtains?
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Charlie: We have the same style of curtains but in blue, if that would be more calming.
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（如果你需要的话）我们还有同样款式的窗帘，不过是蓝色的，眼睛看起来更舒服。
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Nina: I don’t want you to change anything.
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Rebecca: Very well, madam. If you do need us for anything at all…
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Need someone for/ to do anything.
At all=in any way/respect
如果您有任何需要的话，请尽管吩咐。
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Nina: Oh, actually, there was something.
Rebecca: Madam?
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Nina: Maybe I wasn’t looking hard enough, but I can’t remember seeing a welcome basket.
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Remember doing something:记得做过某事
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Rebecca: Welcome basket?
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Bernice, how do you say “welcome basket” in Chinese? What guests will be give a welcome basket? Why would the hotel offers welcome baskets? What are usually included?
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Nina: Fruit, pâté, olives.The Burlington were kind enough to provide one free of charge.
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1.Pâté: 肉酱; 鱼酱,用来涂抹在面包上
2.Be kind enough to do:这里不是指“好心”，而是“好客”
3. free of charge=for free=to provide a free…
Buy one and get one free
One-for-two coupon.
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