Unit Four Punctuality and Culture
Unit Goals:
What You Should Learn to Do
1. Make / keep / postpone an appointment according to a work timetable
2. Make reservations according to the timetables of flights and trains
3. Understand and make up schedules for different purposes 4. Write:
a timetable a schedule
What You Should Know About
1. Punctuality in social activities 2. Planning a work day / week
3. Use of verb tenses
Section Ⅰ Talking Face to Face Imitating Mini-Talks Acting out the Tasks
Studying Timetables and Schedules Following Sample Dialogues Putting Language to Use Imitating Mini-Talks
1 Work in pairs. Practice the following mini-talks about schedules and timetables. 1) Asking for an Appointment with the Manager
A: I'd like to make an appointment with your manager. Do you think I could see him sometime this morning? B: Sorry, he's fully booked this morning. A: How about tomorrow morning then?
B: Yes, I think tomorrow morning would be fine. 2) Asking to Meet Mr. Peterson
A: Mr. Peterson, I wonder if it would be convenient to meet you today.
B: Let me see. I'm free this afternoon. Is that all right for you? A: Well, I've got a meeting from 2 to 4. Are you free tomorrow morning?
B: No problem. Let's make it at 10 then.
3) Asking to Change the Appointment with Dr. Johnson A: I'd like to change the appointment with Dr. Johnson from Tuesday to Thursday.
B: I'm afraid he won't be available on Thursday morning. A: What time would be convenient for him? Will 2 p.m. do?
B: Yes, that'll be fine.
4) Asking About the Working Hours of a Ticket Office A: What are the office hours?
B: Well, the office hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. A: Do you work on weekends?
B: On Saturday the office is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., but on Sunday we are closed.
5) Asking About the Flights for Macao A: Do you have flights to Macao?
B: We have only one flight to Macao each week, at 1:40 p.m. Wednesday.
A: When does it arrive in Macao? B: At 3:40 p.m.
2 Work in pairs and act out the tasks by following the above mini-talks. 1 Task:
Look at the flight timetable in Exercise 3. Ask about the departure and arrival time 2 Task:
Look at the flight timetable in Exercise 3. Ask about the Tuesday flight for Hong Kong 3 Task:
Look at Mark's schedule in Exercise 3.
Call to ask Mark for a change of an appointment. 4 Task:
Look at Mark's schedule in Exercise 3.
Ask to make an appointment to see Mark on Wednesday. 5 Task:
Look at Mark's schedule in Exercise 3.
An old friend in Hong Kong asks to see Mark on Thursday.
Studying Timetables and Schedules
Read the following sample dialogues and try to perform your own tasks. Putting Language to Use Speak and Complete
Mark: Miss Wang, I want to 1 __________ an evening train to Harbin so that I can get there the next morning. Do you know the schedule? Miss Wang: Yes. I have got a 2 __________________ here. Mark: Is there a train leaving around 6? Miss Wang: 3 ______________ one at 6:15. Mark: When will it get there?
Miss Wang: 4 ______________ at about 8 next morning. Mark: That's the one I need. Thank you very much. Miss Wang: You are 5 ______________.
SECTION II Being All Ears
Learning Sentences for Workplace Communication Handling a Dialogue
Understanding a Short Speech / Talk
Learning Sentences for Workplace Communication
1 Listen to 10 sentences for workplace communication cross-referenced with their Chinese translations.
arrange 安排 confirm 确认 due 规定 (到达) 的 delay 耽搁
2 Listen to the following sentences for workplace communication in Column A and match each one with its Chinese version in Column B Key:1-i, 2-j, 3-d, 4-c, 5-f, 6-e, 7-h, 8-g, 9-a, 10-b
3 Listen to 6 sentences for workplace communication and choose their right responses 4 Listen to a dialogue and decode the message by filling in Susan's schedule according to what you have heard.
5 Now listen to a short speech / talk and fill up the blanks according to what you have heard. The words in brackets will give you some hints.
6 Listen to the speech / talk again and complete the information in Column A with the right choices in Column B.
SECTION III Trying Your Hand Practicing Applied Writing
Writing Sentences and Reviewing Grammar
1 Fill in the office hours making use of the information in the passage that follows. 2 Translate the following schedule into English, using the data bank in the Workbook for reference.
Writing Sentences and Reviewing Grammar
3 Complete the following sentences, using the right verb forms 4 Correct the errors in the following sentences. 5 Translate the following sentences into English
6 Suppose this is your schedule for the coming three days. Write a paragraph of about 100 words based on the information given in the schedule. You may start the passage with the sentence: I've got a very busy schedule.
KEYS: I've got a very busy schedule. I'm catching the 9:45 flight on October 8 and arriving in Shanghai at 2:00 in the afternoon. Bob is meeting me at the airport. I will check into Beach Hotel and have a rest there in the evening. On October 9, I'm meeting Mrs. Black at 10:15 a.m. and after having lunch at Beach Hotel we're visiting the plant at 2:30 p.m. The next day I'm attending a conference at 9 a.m. I'm leaving Shanghai in the afternoon. I'm taking a flight at 3:30 p.m. and arriving back at 7:45 p.m. Phillip will be there to pick me up at the airport.
SECTION IV Maintaining a Sharp Eye
Information Related to the Reading Passage
Americans and Europeans consider time to be an asset that can be spent and saved; therefore, proper scheduling of time and its appropriate allocation to various competing tasks is an important part of organizational management. Variations in time use are expected to influence performance and stress, as well as other outcomes. It is a vital strategic element. The
large amount of management processes and methods developed to improve performance by managing time use proves the importance placed on time. Here are a few famous quotes and sayings about time and punctuality: 1 Explanation of Difficult Sentences
1. (Para. 1) One of the cultural differences that tend to annoy Americans has to do with understanding of punctuality.
Analysis: Has to do with is a phrase meaning has a specified relationship with.
It is the predicate of the sentence. That introduces a restrictive relative clause modifying differences.
Translation:有一种常会惹恼美国人的文化差异可能关系到对守时的不同理解。 Example: One of the difficulties that tend to trouble me has to do with saying no to extra work.
2. (Para. 3) Arriving at my office 30 minutes after the appointment, I found a voice
message telling me the team was waiting for me in the meeting room. Analysis: Arriving at … is a present participle phrase used as an adverbial of time.
Telling me (= that told me) is a present participle phrase modifying
message. The team was waiting for me in the meeting room is the object clause of the verb telling with that omitted.
Translation: 我到办公室时比约定的时间晚了30分钟，发现有个电话录音，说那个 团队在会议室等我。
Example: Getting to my office very early, I saw Jane's note saying she would have lunch with me.
3. (Para. 3) Being afraid that I had missed the appointment, I hurried in, and found them happily chatting together.
Analysis: Being afraid that I had missed the appointment is a present participle clause used as an adverbial of cause. Chatting is a present participle used as the object complement.
Translation:由于害怕我已经错过了这次约会，我赶紧跑进会议室，却发现他们 正在一起开心地聊天。
Example: Being afraid that I had made my parents angry, I went back home early and found them cooking dinner for me.
4. (Para. 4) … if you start late you won't be able to finish the business at hand without running beyond the scheduled ending time.
Analysis: If introduces an adverbial clause of condition. Note that the pattern you
won't be able to … without running beyond … means you will … by running beyond ….
Translation: 如果你开始得晚了，不超出约定的结束时间你就不可能完成手头的业务。 Example: If Sally has the money, she won't go shopping without buying a lot of expensive clothes. 2 Important Words 1. punctuality
n. the quality of adhering to an appointed time 守时 e.g.
His habit of punctuality has not changed since he was eight years old.