礼节美语 Business Etiquette 250 Cell Phone 2

 　　Sue¹跟坐在隔壁的同事George聊天。

　　S: That's true...we might actually be making more work for ourselves by this constant² need to stay in touch.

　　G: If they allow cell³ phones on airplanes...we're going to have to hear even more hours of endless chatter⁴.I heard that some trains have what are called "quiet cars" now. People in the quiet cars aren't allowed to talk on cell phones. I think that's an excellent idea! I wish there were more "quiet" places. I'd pay more to eat at a restaurant that banned cell phones.

　　Sue表示，无时无刻 stay in touch 保持联系，无疑会让自己的工作量增加。George也担心，如果容许大家在飞机上打电话的话，就又得听别人没完没了的聊大天儿了。George说，现在火车上有不让接听电话的"quiet cars"安静车厢，他希望有更多类似的公共场合，如果哪家餐馆禁止顾客接听手机的话，提高价格他都没有意见。

　　S: We really don't get a lot of quiet time these days. My brother recently went to a meditation⁵ center where he didn't speak for three days. He said after three days, he finally noticed how much noise there is everywhere.

　　G: I think being connected to the world 24 hours a day, 365 days a year isn't healthy. We sometimes need to be alone in order to think.

　　S: And you can't think if it's noisy.

　　G: Many famous people discovered important things when they were just sitting silently⁶ by themselves...you know the story about Isaac Newton, right?

　　Sue说，现在的生活实在嘈杂，她哥哥最近到一个meditation center 静思冥想中心去，三天没说一句话，三天过后才突然间意识到周围的环境是多么地嘈杂。George也觉得，一年365天，一天24小时随时随地 stay connected 跟别人保持联络其实是不利健康的，他还举例说，很多名人的重要发现都是在冥思苦想时发生，比如 Isaac Newton 牛顿。

　　S: Yep. He came up with the theory of gravity⁷ while sitting in a field and watching an apple fall from a tree.

　　G: He probably wouldn't have had time to think about gravity if he was talking on his cell phone. Anyway, I really hope they don't allow cell phones on planes. We need a few last places without cell phones!

　　S: All right, I can accept that. And besides, many airlines now allow you to use your laptop⁸ during the flight...if you really need to communicate, you can send an e-mail.

　　Sue说，没错，如果牛顿当时正忙着讲手机的话，就不会 came up with the theory of gravity 了。 to come up with 意思是想到，发现，the theory of gravity 意思是万有引力的理论。Sue 最后说，其实，现在很多航空公司都已经允许乘客使用 laptop手提电脑了，所以如果在飞行期间需要跟别人联系，发电子邮件就可以了。

1 sue   

vt.控告，起诉；vi.请求，追求，起诉

参考例句：

• If you don't pay me the money,I'll sue you.如果你不付给我钱，我就告你。
• The war criminals sue for peace.战犯求和。

2 constant   

n.常数，恒量；adj.不变的，一定的，时常的

参考例句：

• This suit has been in constant wear for two years.这一套衣服已连续穿了两年。
• An absolute constant is fixed and can not be changed.绝对常数是固定而不可以改变的。

3 cell   

n.区，细胞，血球；小室，牢房；电池，光电管；基层组织

参考例句：

• Soap destroys the cell walls of bacteria.肥皂破坏细菌的细胞壁。
• They have locked the prisoners up in their cell.他们已把犯人监禁在小牢房里。

4 chatter   

vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战

参考例句：

• Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
• I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。

5 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

6 silently   

adv.沉默地，无声地

参考例句：

• She sat in the car,silently fuming at the traffic jam.她坐在汽车里，心中对交通堵塞感到十分恼火。
• He didn't shout,he just glared at me silently.他没有喊叫，只是默默地怒视着我。

7 gravity   

n.重力，引力，地心引力

参考例句：

• An apple falls down because of gravity.由于重力的关系，苹果往下掉。
• The stone rolled down the mountain by gravity.这块石头由于重力作用而滚下山。

8 laptop   

n.笔记本电脑

参考例句：

• Laptop is suitable for use on planes.笔记本电脑适合飞机上使用。
• A laptop would be really useful for when I'm working on the train.我在火车上工作时，便携式电脑真的很有用。