商务英语情景口语100主题095

（单词翻译）

　　95 Strikes and Demonstrations²
Dialogue1
A:Do you have the day off today?How come you're not at work now?
B:I don't have the day off. Our labor³ union is staging a nationwide strike today,all of the workers in our department are supporting the labor union by participating and not going in to work this week.
A:Are you serious? Why would they have to go to such extreme measures like a strike? Doesn't your company have a pretty good corporate⁴ image? I'll bet the folks at headquarters are going nuts over something as serious as a strike....
B:It happens quite often,actually.Whenever there arises a dispute between the union and the executive group,the first thing they do is to call a strike. Usually it only lasts a day or two before both sides can come to an agreement and we start work again. Anyhow,it's a nice,unanticipated holiday....
Dialogue2
A:Did you hear what's going on downtown today? All the worders from the factory are staging a demonstration¹ in the streets. Not one of the two thousand employees showed up for work today,and they have gathered outside the city hall to demand better working conditions for all factory employees.
B:Wow,sounds chaotic⁵.... two thousand people in the streets carrying picket⁶ signs and shouting sloans. What gave them the motivation to finally organize and call management on the substandard working conditions?
A:I think they gained courage after the mayor's speech last week on equality and opportunity for all town citizens. Anyway,the sentiments have been brewing⁷ for quite some time.I mean, we all know the working conditions at the factory are quite horrendous⁸.
B:So what kind of demands do they have? What are they asking for specifically?
A:They want raises and medical insurance, and I think they want to clean up the factory's safety hazards. That's probably the most important issue.