黄铜茶壶－5 The Brass Teapot－5 Brass, The, 黄铜, 茶壶

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"I don't know," she admitted. Little droplets of white pus sneaked out of an opening beneath the bottom lid of her eye. John dabbed at it with his napkin after wetting it in his water glass.
     “我不知道，”她承认道。 几滴白脓从她的下眼睑下面渗了出来。John把餐巾在自己的水杯里沾湿后帮她轻轻地擦了擦。
     "I just know that we've got an opportunity here...."
     “我只是觉得我们得到了一个机会...”
     "Opportunity?"
    “机会？”
     The waiter returned with their meals. John got the veal on top of pasta, Alice had a sample plate consisting of a small portion of several things on the menu. They didn't speak as they ate. At Alice's job there was no time for lunch that day either. She ran memos around a huge office building, going up stairs and down long hallways all day long. They wouldn't let her wear sneakers because of the dress code so her feet were always blistered. The pay was much less than what she had received as a full-time accountant, a job she lost because of her tendency to make mathematical errors. Reportedly, she had cost the company millions by misfiling a tax return for an important client.
     侍者把他们的食物送了过来。John的意大利面上面有小牛肉，Alice点的是菜单上几种食物每样一小份拼凑的拼盘。他们吃东西的时候没有说话。Alice那天的工作也没有时间吃午饭。她在一座办公大厦里派发各种通知单，整天在楼梯和长长的大厅里上上下下，跑来跑去。根据着装规定，他们不允许她穿运动鞋，于是她的脚总是起泡。工资也比原来她做全职会计的时候少得多。但是那份工作因为她总是弄错数字而丢掉了。据说，因为她给一个重要客户的纳税申报单归错了档，害公司陪了几百万。
     When the bill came it was over thirty dollars. The two hadn't been to the restaurant in so long that the prices had risen and they hadn't even looked at their menus.
     帐单来了，三十多美元。这两个人已经太久没来这个餐厅了，餐厅涨了价，而他们连菜单都没看。
     "We could put it on the Discover," John suggested.
     “我们都可以把它放到‘发现’杂志上去了。”他建议道。

     They sat in silence. They were eleven dollars short of even being able to pay the check, much less leave a tip. The trip to see their daughter over the long weekend had eaten what was left of their checking, with gas and giving her extra money. Payday was still three days away.
     他们沉默地坐着。连买单他们还差11美元，更别说小费了。周末去看女儿，吃饭，油钱加上给女儿的零花，已经用掉了他们存折上剩下的最后的钱。而还有三天才能发工资。
     "I could write a check and...."
     “我可以写张支票然后...”
     "No checks," she said, pointing to a sign in the window of the restaurant. John's ulcer screamed within his stomach, no longer satisfied by the warm, nourishing food.
     “只收现金，”她说，手指着餐厅窗子上的一个牌子。John的溃疡在他的胃里刺痛，温暖而营养的食物已经再不能安抚它。
     After a few moments of avoiding eye contact with the waiter, John took the teapot with him into the men's room. He locked the door behind him, thankful that it was a bathroom for one person only, and he proceeded to punch his fist into the wall. At first, his tentativeness profited him only in small change, dimes and nickels. He counted after five strikes into the porcelain tiling of the wall. There was not quite three dollars, though his fingers were red and burning.
     他们根本不好意思直视侍者的眼睛，过了一会儿，John拿起了茶壶走向了男洗手间。他锁上了门，幸好这是一个单人的洗手间，然后他开始用拳头打墙。一开始，他的试探让他只获得了一些小的零钱，一角的和五分的。朝着有瓷砖的那部分墙连击5次之后，他开始数着。还不到3美元，可是他的手指已经又红又肿。
droplet：滴
sneaker：运动鞋
What will happen to John？
实用英语句型：商务英语 （三）
Conversation：
A, Excuse me. Is this Modern Co. Ltd?
   请问这里是现代有限公司吗？
B, Yes, can I help you?
   是的，您有什么事？
A, Well, I want to see Mr. Black, the manager.
   对，我想见经理布莱克先生。
B, Have you made an appoinment with him?
   您有预约吗？
A, Yes. This is my card.
   是的，这是我的名片。
B, (Reading card)Mr. John Lincoln, Mr. Black is expecting you. I'll tell him you are here. Please sit down and wait for a moment.
   （读卡）约翰 林肯先生，布莱克先生正在恭候您的光临。我去告诉他您已经来了。请坐，稍等片刻。
A, How do you do, Mr.Lincoln. Welcome to our company.
   你好，林肯先生。欢迎您来到我们公司。
A, How do you do, Mr. Black. I'd like to discuss something for office furniture with you.
   你好，布莱克先生。我想与您讨论一下办公家居的事。
B, Okay.
   好的。

DZ

Mr. Black is expecting you 布莱克先生正在恭候您的光临

discuss something for office furniture 讨论一下办公家居的事