ESL Podcast 584 – Calling in Sick to Work

I was fed up with work and wanted the day off. I decided¹ to call in sick. I wasn’t prepared, though, to be peppered with questions.

Peter: Hello, this is Peter. Is this Magda?

Magda: Yes. This is Magda.

Peter: Hi, Magda. I won’t be coming in today. I’m not feeling well. I think I’ve come down with something.

Magda: Hmm, what seems to be the problem?

Peter: The problem? Oh…I’ve been up all night throwing up and I feel terrible.

Magda: Didn’t you have something like this two weeks ago when you called in sick?

Peter: Two weeks ago? No, I had food poisoning two weeks ago.

Magda: And what about a month ago when you called in sick?

Peter: That was a 24-hour bug².

Magda: Didn’t you just take a day off from work because of a death in the family?

Peter: Yes, I had to go to the funeral.

Magda: I see. That’s one day off from work a week, four weeks in a row. [long silence]

Peter: Uh, I’ll be in within the hour.

Magda: I’m glad you’ve had a miraculous³ recovery.


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

3 miraculous   

adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的

参考例句：

• The wounded man made a miraculous recovery.伤员奇迹般地痊愈了。
• They won a miraculous victory over much stronger enemy.他们战胜了远比自己强大的敌人，赢得了非凡的胜利。