ESL Podcast 688 – Ending a Business Relationship

　　Jerry: Who’s going to break the news to Tech Experts?
Camila: You mean about pulling the plug on using their services?
Jerry: Yeah, the contract we signed with them last year is almost up, and as we decided¹ last month, we’ll be going with another company.
Camila: I think we should hold off on telling them until after all of our current projects are done. We still have two more in the hopper.
Jerry: Okay, but I don’t want to drag our feet in telling them, even if we’re not happy with their service. As a professional courtesy², we should let them know soon.
Camila: That may be true with other companies, but Tech Experts has really let us down this past year. If we didn’t have an airtight contract with them, we would have switched companies long ago.
Jerry: Well, maybe they’ll learn from their mistakes. After all, they’ve been in business a long time.
Camila: Yeah, but old habits die hard. And if you ask me, the company is on its last legs. It’s only a matter of time before they lose most of their customers, at the rate they’re going.
Jerry: I don’t know about that, but I do know one thing. It’s a good thing you’re not their PR rep!
Script³ 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 courtesy   

n.谦恭有礼，礼貌的举止，好意，恩惠

参考例句：

• She called on us merely for the sake of courtesy.她来访只是为了礼貌。
• After a few words of courtesy,they got down to business.双方客气了一番，就开始谈正事。

3 script   

n.剧本，广播稿；文字体系；笔迹，手迹

参考例句：

• It's easy to identify his script.他的笔迹容易辨认。
• The script is massaged into final form.这篇稿子经过修改已定稿。