2014年ESL之商务英语 11 Reaching a Milestone

 

Reaching a Milestone¹ 

Jeff: Well, we’ve reached a milestone. 

Lucy: Yup, it’s been a long haul, but we’ve finally made it. Did you ever think we’d get here? 

Jeff: I admit I had my doubts. At the beginning, I was really dubious² that this venture would pan out. I thought that our prospects³ were iffy, at best. 

Lucy: Me, too. We didn’t have an auspicious⁴ start, but we had a turning point after a few months of grinding out the work, day in and day out. 

Jeff: So, what should we do now? 

Lucy: I think we both deserve a celebratory drink, a toast to our achievements...so far. 

Jeff: That sounds good. Then what? 

Lucy: Put our noses back to the grindstone? 

Jeff: I was afraid you were going to say that! 

 

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse 

1 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

2 dubious   

adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• What he said yesterday was dubious.他昨天说的话很含糊。
• He uses some dubious shifts to get money.他用一些可疑的手段去赚钱。

3 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。

4 auspicious   

adj.吉利的；幸运的，吉兆的

参考例句：

• The publication of my first book was an auspicious beginning of my career.我的第一本书的出版是我事业吉祥的开始。
• With favorable weather conditions it was an auspicious moment to set sail.风和日丽，正是扬帆出海的黄道吉日。