纯正地道美语 第114期(外教讲解):The Office You Missed The Deadline!
A: And so, I just wanted to check in with you and find out where we are with this ject. As you know, you’ve missed a fairly significant deadline last week, and this will negativity impact the team’s ability to move forward with the next stages of this project.
B:I know, I’m really sorry that I missed the deadline. But really, it wasn’t my fault. You see, we had all of these unexpected technical problems at the last minute, and that I couldn’t get into the database and extract the kind of information that I needed for the data analyis. You know, if the tech guys would have done their job and kept the CRM stable, then I wouldn’t have missed my deadline.
A:Oh, come on! An excuse like that is tantamount to lying. You’re essentially blaming the tech team for your time management issues, rather than accepting responsibility for the fact that you were procrastinating for the past two weeks.
B:No, I’m not trying to pass the buck here; I know that it was me who is ultimately responsible for getting this done. But the thing is, I could have finished on time if the system hadn’t gone down. And you know, with everything I’ve got going on now, I can’t afford to waste time dealing with technical problems. I’ve got a lot on my plate and there are only twenty-four hours in a day...
A: I’m not going to accept this excuse. You’re using these small technical glitches as a crutch and trying to rationalize the fact that you’ve missed your deadline. Look, we have standards and I expect you to live up to those standards. No more phoney cuses. If you’re in over your head, you tell me. No more missed deadlines. Now, I want that data on my desk by nine am!
词汇注释：
fairly adv. 非常地，十分地
significant adj. 重要的
impact v.影响。例句：
Falling export rates have impacted (on) the country's economy quite considerably.
出口比率下降已经严重影响了国家经济。
move forward 继续，进行。例句：
As the basis for unity becomes stronger, our work will move forward.
团结的基础巩固一步，工作也就前进一步。
unexpected adj.无法预料的
at the last minute 最后时刻
tantamount adj. 同等的, 相等的, 相当于
essentially adv.本质上，基本上
procrastinate v.耽搁，拖延
To procrastinate, I fell in with the spirit of the occasion.
为了拖延时间,我也就顺应看当时的气氛。
pass the buck 责备别人，推卸责任。例如：
Don't pass the buck to me.
别把责任推给我。
ultimately adv.最后，最终
on my plate 有很多事要处理
as a crutch 作为失败的借口
rationalize vt. 使合理化, 合理地说明。例句:
He's constantly rationalizing.
他总是不断反省是否言行合理。
phony a.假的，伪造的
in over your head 太多的事情要处理
参考译文：
A: 我只是想和你核实下，确认我们处理这项工程的进度。正如你所知，你上周已经错失了非常重要的 最后期限，这将严重影响团队进行下一阶段的工作。
B:我知道，很抱歉在最后期限我没能完成。但是这不是我的错。你知道，最后时候我们遇到了这些意 想不到的技术问题，但是我无法进入数据库来获得需要进行分析的各种数据。如果技术人员能做好 他们的工作，并确保CRM稳定运转，我就能在最后期限完成。
A: 别绕弯子了。那种借口就等同于撒谎。你实质上在时间控制上责备技术团队，而不是为你已经延误 了两周这件事负责。
B:不，我不是在推卸责任。我知道，我应该为这件事负责。问题是，如果系统不出问题，我能按时完 成。现在我有很多事要处理，我不能将时间浪费在处理技术问题上。我有太多的事要做，但是一天 仅有24小时。
A:我不接受这个借口。你把技术上的小问题作为借口，并为延误工作找依据。我们有标准，我希望你能达到这些标准，不要再找假的借口。如果你有太多的事要处理，告诉我，不要再延误了。在上午9点前，我要你完成那份数据并交给我。
