乐和园 Le He Yuan
健康第一，自得其乐，助人为乐，知足常乐，交好朋友，心态平和，让人生更有光彩。
Bobs Day At Work
Peter:
Bob, I hate to break the news, but our sales were down again last month.Bob:
Down again, Peter?Peter:
Yeah. These days, everybody’s shopping at our competition, Honest Abe’s Furniture Store.Bob:
But everything in there costs an arm and a leg!Peter:
That’s true. They do charge top dollar.Bob:
And their salespeople are very strange. They really give me the creeps!Peter:
Well, they must be doing something right over there. Meanwhile, we’re about to go belly-up.Bob:
I’m sorry to hear that. I thought my new advertising campaign would save the day.Peter:
Let’s face it: your advertising campaign was a real flop.Bob:
Well then I’ll go back to the drawing board.Peter:
Bob:
It’s too late for that. You’re fired!What? You’re giving me the ax?
Peter:
Yes. I’ve already found a new manager. She’s as sharp as a tack.Bob:
Can’t we even talk this over? After all, I’ve been working here for 10 years!Peter:
There’s no point in arguing, Bob. I’ve already made up my mind.Bob:
Oh well, at least I won’t have to put up with your nonsense anymore! Good-bye to you and good-bye to this dead-end job.Peter:
Please leave before I lose my temper! Idioms – Lesson 1
about to – ready to; on the verge of
準備…；瀕於…
after all – despite everything; when everything has been considered
畢竟；總算 ；不管怎麼說
at least – anyway; the good thing is that...
無論如何；
(to) break the news – to make something known
宣佈消息
(to) cost an arm and a leg – to be very expensive
十分昂貴
dead-end job – a job that won’t lead to anything else
沒有前途的工作
(let’s) face it – accept a difficult reality
接受(困难的)现实(状况)
(to) give one the creeps – to create a feeling of disgust or horror
使人產生噁心或恐怖之感
(to) go back to the drawing board – to start a task over because the last try failed; to start again from the beginning
由於上次嘗試失敗而重新開始某項任務；從頭開始
(to) go belly-up – to go bankrupt
破產
(to) give someone the ax – to fire someone
解雇某人
(to) lose one’s temper – to become very angry
勃然大怒
(to) make up one’s mind – to reach a decision; to decide
下定決心
no point in – no reason to; it’s not worth (doing something)
沒有理由…；不值得（做某事）
(to) put up with – to endure without complaint
毫無怨言地忍受
real flop or flop – a failure
失敗
(to) save the day – to prevent a disaster or misfortune
防止發生災難或不幸
(as) sharp as a tack – very intelligent
非常聰明；有鑽勁
(to) talk over – to discuss
討論
top dollar – the highest end of a price range; a lot of money
以最昂貴的價格；一大筆錢
