That was the most interesting annual conference I've ever attended.

Это было самое интересное ежегодное совещание из всех, на которых я когда-либо присутствовал.

a the most interesting - интереснейшее, самое интересное

б to attend a conference присутствовать на совещании

22 And when they're open, we'll have five European offices. И когда они откроются, у нас будет пять контор в Европе.

23 Oh yes, that's eight. О да, это будет восемь.

Five and three, that's eight. Пять и три будет восемь.

Five and five, that's ten. Пять и пять будет десять.

Eight and eight, that's sixteen. Восемь и восемь будет шестнадцать.

24 We'll have to go soon, Bruce. Нам скоро придется уехать, Брюс.

25 Our wives'll be back. Наши жены вернуться.

а Обратите внимание на образование множественного числа:

Wife - wives

б to be back - возвращаться

26 Shall we have another drink? Выпьем еще?

27 It's my round. Я угощаю.

round - букв, означает круг, цикл. Если речь идет о выпивке,

another round означает еще по одной, еще один круг, еще по кругу.

It's my round означает я заплачу за этот круг, я угощаю.

28 If you don't, you'll be sorry. Вы пожалеете, если не согласитесь перейти на новую работу, (букв. Если нет, вы пожалеете.)

EXERCISES

Exercise 1

 

Examples

If I... to the meeting, I... the sales manager. go; see

If I go to the meeting, I’ 11 see the sales manager.

If he doesn't... the conference, he won't... his friends. attend; meet

If he doesn't attend the conference, he won't meet his friends.

 

1 If I... to the meeting, I... the sales manager. go; see

2 If he doesn't... the conference, he won't his friends. attend; meet

3 If we... by train, we... at six o'clock. go; arrive

4 If they don't... now, they... too late. leave; be

5 If he... Guy a job, Guy... it. offer; take

6 If production doesn't... we won't... more men. expand; need

7 If he... me to go, I... tell; go

8 If you... it, we... it again. enjoy; do

9 If he... to go to the theatre, I... some tickets. want; book

10 If she doesn't..., she won't to the airport by seven. hurry; get

 

Exercise 2

Examples

Production expanded. We will live in Sussex.

We buy a house. Sales were higher.

When production expanded, sales were higher.

When we buy a house, we will live in Sussex.

 

1 Production expanded. She went to Geneva.

2 We buy a house. I will go to university.

3 He went to Madrid. We will live in Sussex.

4 She left London. Sales were higher.

5 They go to London. I will see the sales manager.

6 I am eighteen. It took six hours.

7 He was five. I stayed in bed all day.

8 I get to the office. You will stay with the Hunts.

9 It was cold. He wanted to be a doctor.

10 You come to Geneva. They will see Buckingehm Palace.

Exercise 3

 

Examples

What did he say? hear

Idid not hear what he said.

What will they do? know

I do not know what they will do.

What are they reading? know

I do not know what they are reading.

 

1. What did he say? hear

2. What will they do? know

3. What are they reading? know

4. What can he buy? know

5. What did they discuss? hear

6. What did she want? know

7. What did she say? hear

8. What did they ask for? hear

9. What can he eat? know

10 What will she wear? know

 

Exercise 4

 

Examples

Can you see me? careful; look; you

No you '11 have to look more carefully.

Will you get there in time? drive; quick; I

No, I'll have to drive more quickly.

 

1 Can you see me? careful; look; you

2 Will you get there in time? drive; quick; I

3 Are you comfortable? smooth; drive; you

4 Can you see the house? look; careful; I

5 Have you eaten your dinner? quick; eat; I

6 Can you understand me? slow; speak; you

7 Can you hear the music? talk; quiet; you

8 Are you early? quick; walk; I

9 Is that jazz? careful; listen; you

10 Have you finished yet? work; quick; I

Exercise 5

 

Examples

John will come tomorrow. who?

Who will come tomorrow?

He will come in the car. what?

What will he come in?

1 John will come tomorrow. who?

2 He will come in the car. what?

3 He will come from London. where?

4 John will enjoy the journey. who?

5 He will remember the journey. what?

6 He will discuss it in the office. where?

7 Mary will make some biscuits tonight. when?

8 She will make some biscuits. who?

9 She will make the biscuits in the kitchen. where?

10 She will make them because John likes them. why?

Exercise 6

Examples

I think... a coffee, please. I'm having/I'll have/I have

I think I'll have a coffee, please.

If she's late... take a taxi. we're having to/we had to/we'll have to

If she's late, we'll have to take a taxi

 

1 I think... a coffee, please I'm having/I'll have/I have

2 If she's late, ... take a taxi. we're having to/we had to/we'll have to

3 If you don't take the job,... sorry. you were/you'll be/you're

4 We... to the meeting until he comes. will go/won't go/went

5 When they arrived,... to the conference. we went/we'll go/we won't go

6 If we don't hurry,... late for the meeting. we'll be/we are/we were

7 When they're open,... five European offices. we have/we had/we'll have

8 Our new offices... next January. are open/opened/will open

9 When he's ready... into his office. we'll go/we went/we didn't go

10 If you don't take a taxi,... there in time. you won't be/you are not/you weren 't

11 If I... you, I'd book a table. was/were/am are/will be/were

12 When production expanded last are/will be/were

autumn, sales... higher.

 

FORMAL AND INFORMAL MEETINGS

People often complain about meetings. But most people also recognize that they are necessary for a business to work effectively. Formal meetings can be complicated. They require a lot of preparation such as arranging who is going to attend, setting agendas, and so on. They also require good communication skills when chairing. We can divide these different chairing elements into three categories: Content, Process and Dynamic.

By Content, I mean anything connected with the items we're discussing in the meeting. This means choosing the right items for the agenda and checking that people have the right information before the meeting. During the meeting, it also means making sure that facts are correct and that people understand the issues. Techniques we can use here include asking questions when an issue is not clear or when we think an item should be discussed in more detail. Summarizing what is being said is another important technique when chairing. It helps to clarify content, and it provides a way to end one item before moving on to the next one which is an aspect of our next category: process.

'Process' includes administrative things like: the time of the meeting, where it's happening, how much time is given to each item on the agenda. During the meeting, it involves making sure that some items don't take up too much time or negotiating a change in the order of items if this is necessary. When you are the chair, you are usually responsible for keeping things on time.

The final element is the Dynamic, or the way people are feeling in the meeting. It's very unusual for everyone to agree on every point, so it's part of our job to help people to discuss issues openly but at the same time to prevent any disagreements from becoming too personal. We also need to encourage the quieter people to give their views and make sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to say something.

So these are the three elements you must manage throughout the meeting: Content, Process and Dynamic. Most people are naturally strong in one or two elements but weaker in another. For example, somebody who is very strong on Content may not pay enough attention to Process, and as a result the meeting may finish late. Or sometimes someone is so focussedon the Dynamic that everyone has a great time but nothing gets achieved!

It might be a good idea to delegate some of the responsibilities to other people in the meeting. Often, it's the Process elements which are safest to pass on to others, like time-keeping. The key thing is that you are aware of your own natural preferences and pay attention to the element which is your weakest area.

In most companies, it's usual to have more informal meetings than formal ones. Typically, teams will meet once a week or more to catch up on progress.

One of the most common problems with informal meetings is that they become just talk and not enough action. This is sometimes because people don't treat them as seriously as formal ones. All meetings, including informal ones, work best if they have an agenda and an obvious purpose. In informal meetings, the people are usually close colleagues so the meeting structure is less rigid and includes more chat and informal conversation. This can mean that they are difficult to control so good chairing skills are just as important as in a formal meeting.

If you are leading an informal meeting, in most cases there are usually only three things you need to achieve.

First, you generally want to learn from each person what progress has been made since the last meeting. Secondly, you want to identify what actions the group needs to take next - who is going to do what and when. Finally, you want to identify and resolve any potential problems.

To learn what progress has been made and what actions need to be taken, it's easiest to just ask each person directly to report on their work.

Identifying possible problems is a bit more complicated because we also want to resolve those problems. Deciding how to solve these problems may require a lot of discussion and thought from the team. This could take some time so it's important that you make a clear summary of what has been discussed and what has been agreed before moving on to the next person.

Of course, informal meetings are also an opportunity for people to catch up in a social way too. This is often how we learn what's really going on in an organization: who's moving where, what's going on in other departments and so on. This type of information can also be useful and important. It is also good for people to simply catch up with each other. You might want to hold the meeting in a place which is a bit more relaxed than a formal meeting room, for example a cafe - or encourage people to relax by providing cakes or croissants. Just make sure that you are also focussed on any actions which need to be taken.

If you find that your meetings go on too long, make sure you are clear from the start about the time available. Even consider holding a stand-up meeting from time to time. One research study found that meetings were 30% shorter when held standing up, but they were just as effective in terms of the quality of the meeting.

If this all sounds like hard work, don't worry. In a good team, people will naturally take on the responsibility for updating and identifying actions without you having to control the meeting. If that doesn't happen in your team, a good technique is to ask different members of the team to lead a meeting so everyone gets a chance. This way, people quickly learn what's required.

 

LESSON TWENTY (20)

TWENTIETH (20^TH) LESSON

Sightseeing in Cambridge

Part 1

Mr. Hunt We're sorry we haven't got more time for sightseeing. We arrived yesterday morning and we've got to leave tonight. Yesterday morning Sarah did some shopping and after lunch she did some sightseeing. I had to go to the sales conference, so I couldn't do any sightseeing.

Last night we were much too tired to do anything. When Sarah's ready, we'll go downstairs for breakfast. During breakfast we'll plan our day. Actually, we'll only think about the morning because we're meeting Mr. and Mrs. Tate at half past one (1.30). They intend to do some sightseeing with us after lunch. If the weather's nice, we'll have a picnic. It looks as if it'll be a nice day. I hope it won't be too hot.

 

Part 2

Finding the map

Mrs. Hunt Let's sit here by the front window.

Mr. Hunt No. That table's much too small, If we sit at a larger table, we can open the map.

Mrs. Hunt Shall we sit there, in the middle of the room?

Mr. Hunt No. I'd prefer to sit near the back window. Don't you want to sit by a window?

Mrs. Hunt Yes, of course 1 do. When I wanted to sit by the front window, you didn't want to,

Mr. Hunt The table by the front window was too small, much too small.

Mrs. Hunt Let's look at the map now.

Mr. Hunt, Where is it? Haven't you got it?

Mrs. Hunt No, I think you've got it. Hadn't you got it among your business papers?

Mr. Hunt No. When I saw it upstairs, it was between your shopping bag and your writing

paper, so I think you ought to look in your shopping bag.

Mrs. Hunt I know you're wrong but I’11 look....

Mr. Hunt I hope it's there.

Mrs. Hunt You were right. Here it is. It was on top of my bag.

Mr. Hunt Here's the waitress with our breakfast. We'll look at the map after breakfast.

 

Looking at the map

 

Mrs. Hunt We're here, in Station Road and we're going to meet the Tates at the entrance to St. John's College.

Mr. Hunt That's ideal. We'll go straight along this street and when we get to that church, we'll turn left.

Mrs. Hunt Yes, then after we've looked at some of the colleges, we'll walk along this road to St. John's.

Mr. Hunt Perhaps we ought to walk down this lane here. It leads to a bridge over the river.

Mrs. Hunt Yes, that sounds as if it'll be nice.

Mr. Hunt Shall we walk or shall we catch a bus to the town centre? I always prefer walking.

Mrs. Hunt I usually prefer going by bus. But wait a minute! We've forgotten the Fitzwilliam

Museum. Don't you want to see that?

Mr. Hunt Of course I do. Let's go there first.

Walking in Cambridge

 

Mrs. Hunt Didn't you drive past King's College when you went to the conference yesterday?

Mr. Hunt Yes, we did, but we drove past it very fast. Let's walk today. I always prefer walking to driving.

Mrs. Hunt Yes, so do I, but I get tired very easily.

Mr. Hunt If you get tired today, we'll catch a bus. Aren't we there now? I can see King's College Chapel.

Mrs. Hunt Oh yes. That's the back of it. Don't you think we ought to walk round to the front?

Mr. Hunt Yes, let's walk through the college. Mrs. Hunt Then if we go left, we'll be in Trinity Street.

Mr. Hunt Yes and when we get to the end of Trinity Street, we'll turn right. Then we can walk straight to St. John's College.

Mrs. Hunt No, look at the map. When we get to the end of Trinity Street, we'll be outside St.

John's. It seems as if our plan'll be perfect.

 

The Senate House

 

Mrs. Hunt Do you know what that building is? The one with the flag on top.

Mr. Hunt Isn't that Clare College?

Mrs. Hunt No, we walked past Clare College earlier, so it can't be that. Let's look at the map.

Mr. Hunt It's the Senate House, isn't it?

Mrs. Hunt Don't you think it looks Roman?

Mr. Hunt No, it looks more like eighteenth-century English.

Mrs. Hunt Shall we go inside?

Mr. Hunt It’s closed, so we can't.

Mrs. Hunt Can't we go inside the university church, either?

Mr. Hunt Yes, we can but we'll have to hurry. Remember, we intended to meet the Tates at half past one (1.30).

Mrs. Hunt Oh yes. If we hurry, we'll be on time.

 

Part 3

 

Studying

 

Mrs. Slade John! Where are you?

John I'm upstairs.

Mrs. Slade What are you doing?

John I'm watching television.

Mrs. Slade Come downstairs immediately. I want you to do your studying.

John I prefer watching television, Mum.

Mrs. Slade It's much too early to watch television.

John But I don't like studying, Mum.

Mrs. Slade Don't you want to go to university?

John Yes, Mum. Oh all right, I'll go into the back room.

 

The lake

 

Harry Shall we dance?

Judy What a good idea! Thank you.

Harry Let's go to the front by the group.

Judy All right. But it looks as if it's very crowded there.

Harry Well, if you get hot or tired, we'll go outside. It's very nice by the lake.

Judy Let's stay inside.

⇐ Предыдущая12345678910Следующая ⇒

Поделиться: