Using English at Work：05 Arriving at Work(5)

"To lock up" means to use a key to close the locks on the doors of one's car or home so that other people cannot get in without a key.

You probably lock up your house before you go to sleep at night.

Well, I am locking up my car before I go into the office so no one steals it.

Here I could also just say "lock" - I "lock" my car, but we often say "lock up" (two words) to add more emphasis to the sentence.

After I lock up my car, I walk toward the building. It's a short walk and I'm there in no time.

The phrase "in no time" means very quickly, right away, or with very little delay.

If you listen to ESL Podcast premium¹ courses like this, you'll learn new vocabulary in no time, or very quickly.

When I get to the office building, I take out my badge and put it around my neck.

"To take out" means to remove from something, such as remove it from my briefcase².

A "badge" (badge) is a piece of identification, usually or often with a photograph, that shows that a person works for a specific organization or business.

A badge is something that you wear so people can see it.

In this case, I put it around my neck; it is hanging from my neck.

Usually, there's a piece of string or some other fabric³ that holds the badge.

Police officers always have badges that they keep in their pocket.

If someone knocks on your door and they say that they are police offices, you may ask them to show their badge before you allow them into your house.

I put my badge around my neck so that people can see it and then I go through the main entrance of the building.

A "main entrance" is the front door of a building, or the primary place where people enter a building that has more than one entrance.

A main entrance is usually bigger and perhaps nicer or more beautiful than the other entrances.

1 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

2 briefcase   

n.手提箱，公事皮包

参考例句：

• He packed a briefcase with what might be required.他把所有可能需要的东西都装进公文包。
• He requested the old man to look after the briefcase.他请求那位老人照看这个公事包。

3 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。