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2010年ESL之商务英语 25 Being Genuine and False

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25 Being Genuine and False

GLOSSARY1

to cozy2 up to (someone) – to do and say things to try to have a closerelationship with another person, often because one wants something from thatperson; to be very friendly, warm, and open with a person* Hamed always tries to cozy up to his aunts when he needs money.

proposal – a written document that presents a solution to a problem, usuallyasking for money in order to implement3 that solution* The city has received proposals from five constructions companies that want torepair the bridge.

true intentions – the real reason why someone is doing something; the realpurpose of one’s words and/or actions* When you’re very rich, it’s hard to date, because you never know the otherperson’s true intentions. Does he love you, or does he just love your money?

upfront – direct, straightforward4, and honest, without trying to hide anything* If you had been upfront about the price from the beginning, we wouldn’t haveneeded to negotiate for so long.

ulterior motive5 – a hidden, secret reason for doing something, especially if it hasnegative consequences for another person* If a technician offers to fix your computer for free, he may have an ulteriormotive, like wanting to see the personal information stored in your files.

at face value – to understand or accept something as it appears, without thinkingthere is a hidden meaning or explanation* When he said, “I’ll call you,” Shelly took it at face value, and she was verydisappointed when he didn’t actually call her.

reputation – the way one is perceived or thought about by other people, oftenwhen they do not know that person well* Albert has a reputation for being a good student, although he doesn’t study verymuch.

two-faced – insincere and untrustworthy, often saying different things to differentpeople* I can’t believe Jeremiah was so two-faced, dating two women at once withoutletting them know.

false pretenses6 – dishonestly; with hidden reasons; pretending to do or besomething that isn’t true* Yoland applied7 for the job under false pretenses, pretending he was interestedin the company, but really wanting to learn about its products so that he couldcopy them for his own company.

to stab (someone) in the back – to betray someone; to unexpectedly dosomething that another person is not expecting in order to hurt him or her, oftenafter one has been very nice to that person* After everything we did for that boy, he stabbed us in the back, stealing moneyfrom Mariah’s purse when she wasn’t looking.

genuine – real; true; authentic8; sincere* Were you being genuine, or were you just saying that to be nice?

open – willing to share information with another person; not hiding anything* My brother said that if I want to have more friends, I need to try to be moreopen and let people know about my hobbies and interests.

to watch out for (someone) – to do something to protect another person fromdangers or risks* Ever since Helena was a little girl, her older brothers have always watched outfor her.

warning – caution; a written or spoken statement letting someone know about apotential danger or risk* Warning! This coffee is hot.

to beware of – to be cautious or careful because one knows there is a potentialdanger or risk* Beware of eating wild mushrooms. Some of them are poisonous.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What does Javier mean when he says, “I saw Terry cozying up to you thismorning”?

a) He saw Terry trying to develop a close relationship with Floriane.

b) He saw Terry standing9 very close to Floriane, almost touching10 her.

c) He saw Terry trying to get Floriane to do his work.

2. Why does Javier say Terry is two-faced?

a) Because he isn’t always honest about his intentions.

b) Because his face value is twice that of other people.

c) Because he thinks Terry has a big nose and chin.

______________WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

upfront

The word “upfront,” in this podcast, means direct, straightforward, and honest,without trying to hide anything: “If you don’t like something about my writing style,please be upfront and tell me, so that I can try to change it.” When talking aboutbilling or payments, “upfront” means ahead of time, or before goods or servicesare received: “Marty asks his clients to pay 40% of the total cost upfront beforehe begins a project, with the other 60% payable11 upon completion.” As twowords, “up front” can mean ahead of someone else, or near the front of a room:

“The best students tend to sit up front in the classroom.” Or, “We were sitting upfront, very close to the movie screen.”

open

In this podcast, the word “open” means willing to share information with anotherperson and not hiding anything: “Girls really like it when guys are open abouttheir feelings.” The phrase “open to” means willing to consider something,because one hasn’t made a decision yet: “We’re open to working with yourcompany, but we need to consider your competitors, too.” Someone with an“open mind” is willing to consider other opinions and ideas: “Nikolas has an openmind and is friends with people who have many different religious beliefs.”

Finally, the phrase “to keep (one’s) eyes and ears open” means to be observantso that one will notice important things: “If you keep your eyes and ears open,you can learn a lot about your new neighbors.”

CULTURE NOTE

There are many “counterfeiters” (people who try to make money, documents, andother things look real when they aren’t) who try to “fool” (trick; make someonebelieve something that isn’t true) people into buying things that are not genuine.

When making a “major purchase” (something expensive), it’s important to identifywhether the “item” (thing; product) is genuine or “false” (counterfeit; fake; notreal).

Many people just rely on the “brand name,” or the name that a company gives toa product. For example, Nike is a brand name. “Theoretically” (in theory; as anidea, but not necessarily in reality) only products produced and sold by the Nikecompany should have the Nike brand name, but many counterfeiters “copy”

(make something similar to) Nike products and put the Nike brand name onthem. In this situation, it’s important to examine the product “features”

(characteristics) to “differentiate” (tell the difference between) genuine and falsegoods.

When purchasing a “replacement12 part” (a new piece used when an old piece canno longer be used) for an automobile13, machine, or equipment, “OEM” (originalequipment manufacturer) “indicates” (shows; demonstrates) that the replacementpart is made by the same company that made the original part, and that there isno difference between the replacement part and the parts that are used whenmaking new products.

When buying gold jewelry14, buyers need to know how “pure” (made of only onething) the gold is. The “carat” is a measurement of the purity of gold. A 24-caratgold ring is 99.9% gold, but an 18-carat ring is only 75% gold. If getting agenuine 24-carat gold ring is important to you, have a “reputable” (reliable andtrustworthy; with a good reputation) “jeweler” (a person who makes or sellsjewelry) examine the piece for you.

______________Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – a

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT15

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 640: BeingGenuine and False.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 640. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Visit our website at eslpod.com. Why? Well, because if you do, you candownload a Learning Guide for this episode that will help you improve yourEnglish even faster. Even faster than what, you ask? Even faster than justlistening to the episode, you see!

On this episode we’re going to listen to a dialogue between Javier and Floriane.

It’s going to be about people who are genuine – people who mean what they say,and people who are false – who say one thing but mean something else. Let’sget started.

[start of dialogue]

Javier: I saw Terry cozying up to you this morning. What was that about?

Floriane: He was just offering me some advice on my first proposal.

Javier: Sure, he was. What were his true intentions?

Floriane: I think he was being upfront about wanting to help a new employee. Idon’t think he had an ulterior motive.

Javier: I wouldn’t take Terry at face value. He has a reputation around the officeof being two-faced. He’ll try to get to know you under false pretenses and thenstab you in the back.

Floriane: I don’t get that feeling from Terry. He seemed genuine and open. Bythe way, was there something you needed?

Javier: Me? No. I was just trying to watch out for you.

Floriane: In that case, I’d better get back to work, and I’ll keep your warning inmind. I’ll beware of anyone giving me advice who may have an ulterior motive.

[end of dialogue]

Javier says to Floriane, “I saw Terry cozying up to you this morning. What wasthat about?” “To cozy (cozy) up to (someone)” means to do and to say things totry to have a close relationship with the other person, usually because you wantsomething from that person. So, the woman sitting in your office wants to getinformation from you about your clients – who you are working with. So shecomes up to your desk, and she’s very friendly: she brings you a doughnut, shelaughs at all of your jokes – you get the idea – she’s cozying up to you. It couldbe a man with a woman; it could be two women or two men. It’s not a romanticthing, although it could lead to something romantic I suppose. The word “cozy”

can also mean comfortable. “To be cozy” means to be comfortable, for examplesitting on a comfortable chair.

Well here, someone – Terry – is cozying up to Floriane. Floriane says, “He wasjust offering me some advice on my first proposal.” A “proposal” is a writtendocument that presents some solution to a problem. Often, it is asking for moneyin order to carry out – in order to do that solution. You may write a proposal, forexample, to get money for a new product, and you give that to your boss or yourboss’s boss and someone says yes or no to your proposal. If you are acharitable organization and you want to get money from some rich person, likeBill Gates for example, you would write a proposal and send it to him. I’m notsure if he’ll say yes! That’s what a proposal is, at least in the business sense. Inthe personal sense, a proposal is when typically a man asks a woman to marryhim, but in the business sense it’s something different.

Javier says, “Sure, he was.” Remember Floriane said that Terry was just givingher some advice on her proposal; he wasn’t trying to cozy up to her she says.

But Javier doesn’t believe her; he says, “Sure, he was.” Notice he seems to beagreeing with Floriane, but in fact he means the opposite; it depends on the wayyou say it. If a husband comes home late from work and says that he wasworking late on a project, if his wife doesn’t believe him she might say, “Sure, youwere.” It’s the tone – it’s the intonation16 that determines what the meaning ishere, and here Javier is doubting what Floriane is saying. He says, “What werehis true intentions?” “His true intentions” are the real reasons why he was doingsomething.

Floriane says, “I think he was being upfront about wanting to help a newemployee.” He was just trying to help her – he was being upfront. “Upfront”

(upfront – one word) means direct, honest, without trying to hide anything.

Floriane says, “I don’t think he (Terry) had an ulterior motive.” An “ulteriormotive” means a secret, hidden reason for doing something, especially if it has negative consequences for someone else. If someone says, “Oh, I will help youfor free,” they might have an ulterior motive; they might have some other reasonwhy they are helping17 you, not just because they are nice.

Well, Floriane does not think that Terry has an ulterior motive. Javier says, “Iwouldn’t take Terry at face value.” “To take (someone) at face value” means tounderstand or to accept something as it appears, without thinking there is ahidden meaning or hidden explanation. If someone says, “I’m busy, I’m sorry Ican’t help you,” you will probably take their word at face value, meaning okay,they’re busy; I believe that. But, Javier says that you should not take Terry atface value. He says that Terry has a reputation around the office for being twofaced.

A “reputation” is what other people think about you, it’s other people’sopinions about you. “To be two-faced” means that you are dishonest; you arenot trustworthy. You say things to one person, and then you’ll talk to someoneelse about the same subject and you’ll say something different. You tell oneperson that you like your boss, you tell another person that you hate your boss;that’s being two-faced. Javier says that Terry will try to get to know you underfalse pretenses and then stab you in the back. Wow, this Terry’s a pretty evilperson! The expression “false pretenses” (pretenses) means dishonestly, nothonestly, someone pretending to do or to be something that isn’t real – isn’t true.

Javier says that Terry will try to get to know Floriane under false pretenses.

Notice we use the word “under” with this phrase – so under false pretenses. Andthen, after he knows her, he will stab her in the back. The expression “to stab(stab) (someone) in the back” means to suddenly do something that will hurt theother person. You’ve been very nice to someone, but then when you see anopportunity perhaps to get something you want you will stab that person in theback. You will do something mean – something bad to them in order for you toget what you want. The verb we would use here is “to betray” (betray); “to betray(someone),” to do something that the other person is not expecting in order tohurt them after you have been nice to them. Literally18, “to stab someone in theback” would be to take a knife and put it into the back of the person, obviouslytrying to kill them.

Floriane says, “I don’t get that feeling from Terry.” She doesn’t agree with Javier.

She says, “He seemed genuine and open.” “To be genuine” means to be real, tobe true. Here, really it means to be sincere; someone who is “sincere” is tellingthe truth, means what they say. “Open” here means willing to share informationwith another person, not hiding anything. The word “open” has a couple ofdifferent meanings, as does the word “upfront,” which we talked about earlier.

Those can be found in our Learning Guide.

Floriane says, “By the way, was there something you needed (Javier)?” Javiersays, “Me? No. I was just trying to watch out for you.” “To watch out for(someone)” means to do something to protect the other person, to keep themsafe. Floriane says, “In that case, I’d better get back to work (since you don’twant anything else), and I’ll keep your warning in mind.” A “warning” is whensomeone tells you about something that could go wrong, some potential problem.

She says, “I’ll beware of anyone giving me advice who may have an ulteriormotive.” “To beware of (someone)” is a phrasal verb meaning to be careful or tobe cautious because you know there is a possible danger in this situation.

What we, of course, think here is that Javier is romantically interested in Floriane,and he doesn’t like another man in the office trying to get close to her. Florianerealizes this, and at the end of the dialogue says, “I’ll beware of anyone givingme advice who may have an ulterior motive,” meaning, of course, that Javier hasan ulterior motive. He isn’t just trying to protect Floriane; he’s trying to get her tobe romantically interested in him. I think he will probably succeed, and one daythey’ll get married!

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Javier: I saw Terry cozying up to you this morning. What was that about?

Floriane: He was just offering me some advice on my first proposal.

Javier: Sure, he was. What were his true intentions?

Floriane: I think he was being upfront about wanting to help a new employee. Idon’t think he had an ulterior motive.

Javier: I wouldn’t take Terry at face value. He has a reputation around the officeof being two-faced. He’ll try to get to know you under false pretenses and thenstab you in the back.

Floriane: I don’t get that feeling from Terry. He seemed genuine and open. Bythe way, was there something you needed?

Javier: Me? No. I was just trying to watch out for you.

Floriane: In that case, I’d better get back to work, and I’ll keep your warning inmind. I’ll beware of anyone giving me advice who may have an ulterior motive.

[end of dialogue]

The script for this episode was written by our genuinely nice scriptwriter, Dr. LucyTse.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Comeback and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2010 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 glossary of7xy     
n.注释词表;术语汇编
参考例句:
  • The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
  • For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便,我们在附录中也提供了术语表。
2 cozy ozdx0     
adj.亲如手足的,密切的,暖和舒服的
参考例句:
  • I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯,因为他们是舒适的。
  • We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。
3 implement WcdzG     
n.(pl.)工具,器具;vt.实行,实施,执行
参考例句:
  • Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划,除非你能完成这项计划。
  • The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。
4 straightforward fFfyA     
adj.正直的,坦率的;易懂的,简单的
参考例句:
  • A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。
  • I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。
5 motive GFzxz     
n.动机,目的;adv.发动的,运动的
参考例句:
  • The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
  • He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。
6 pretenses 8aab62e9150453b3925dde839f075217     
n.借口(pretense的复数形式)
参考例句:
  • They obtained money under the false pretenses of patriotism. 他们以虚伪的爱国主义为借口获得金钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He obtained money from her under false pretenses. 他巧立名目从她那儿骗钱。 来自辞典例句
7 applied Tz2zXA     
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用
参考例句:
  • She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
  • This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。
8 authentic ZuZzs     
a.真的,真正的;可靠的,可信的,有根据的
参考例句:
  • This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
  • Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。
9 standing 2hCzgo     
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
参考例句:
  • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
  • They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
10 touching sg6zQ9     
adj.动人的,使人感伤的
参考例句:
  • It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
  • His letter was touching.他的信很感人。
11 payable EmdzUR     
adj.可付的,应付的,有利益的
参考例句:
  • This check is payable on demand.这是一张见票即付的支票。
  • No tax is payable on these earnings.这些收入不须交税。
12 replacement UVxxM     
n.取代,替换,交换;替代品,代用品
参考例句:
  • We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
  • They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。
13 automobile rP1yv     
n.汽车,机动车
参考例句:
  • He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
  • The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。
14 jewelry 0auz1     
n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝
参考例句:
  • The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
  • Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。
15 transcript JgpzUp     
n.抄本,誊本,副本,肄业证书
参考例句:
  • A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
  • They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。
16 intonation ubazZ     
n.语调,声调;发声
参考例句:
  • The teacher checks for pronunciation and intonation.老师在检查发音和语调。
  • Questions are spoken with a rising intonation.疑问句是以升调说出来的。
17 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
18 literally 28Wzv     
adv.照字面意义,逐字地;确实
参考例句:
  • He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
  • Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候,她不走到真正要昏厥了,决不肯坐下来。
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