03-Apr-15

BOB'S DAY AT WORK

Bob works as a manager in a furniture store. Peter, his boss, is not happy about sales. Bob's new advertising
campaign hasn't helped. Peter decides to fire him.

Peter :

Bob, I hate to ............................................., but our sales was down again last month.

Bob :

Down again, Peter ?

Peter :

Yeah. These days, everybody's shopping at our competition, Honest Abe's Furniture Store.

Bob :

But everything in there ...............................................................!

Peter :

That's true. They do charge .......................................

Bob :

And their salespeople are very strange. They really ..............................................

Peter :

Well, they must be doing something right overthere.

Meanwhile, we're ...................................................

Bob :

I'm sorry to hear that. I thought my new advertising campaign would .......................................

Peter :

........................................ Your advertising campaign was a ...................................

Bob :

Well then I'll ...........................................................................

Peter :

It's too late for that. You're fired !

Bob :

What? You're ..................................................... ?

Peter :

Yes, I've already found a new manager. She's as ...........................................

Bob :

Can't we even ....................................... ? ......................, I've been working here for 10 years !

Peter :

There's ................................. arguing, Bob. I've already .......................................

Bob :

Oh, well, at least I won't have to ............................................. your non-sense anymore !

Good-bye to you and good-bye to this ....................................

Peter :

Please leave before I ............................................... !

1. To be about to : ready to; on the verge of ST or doing ST

a. It's a good thing Bob left the furniture store. Peter was so angry, he was about to throw a dinning room
chair at him.
b. I'm glad you're finally home. I was just about to have dinner without you.
2. After all : despite everything; When everything has been considered; the fact is
a. You'd better invite Ed to your party. After all, he's a good friend.
b. It's doesn't matter what your boss thinks of you. After all, you're going to quit your job anyway.
3. At least : anyway; no less than; the good thing is that....
a. We've run out of coffee, but at least we still have tea.
b. Tracy can't afford to buy a car, but at least she has a good bicycle.
c. There were at least 300 people waiting in line to buy concert tickets.
Mr. Huy

03-Apr-15
4. to break the news : to make something known
a. Samantha and Micheal are getting married, but they haven't yet broken the news to their parents.
b. You'd better break the news to your father carefully. After all, you don't want him to have a heart
attack.
5. to cost an arm and a leg : to be very expensive
a. A college education in America costs an arm and a leg.
b. All of the furniture at Honest Abe's costs an arm and a leg.
6. A dead-end job : a job that won't lead to anything else
a. Diana realized that working as a cashier was a dead-end job.
b. Jim works many dead-end jobs before finally deciding to start his own business.
7. Let's face it : accept a difficulty reality
a. Let's face it. If Ted spent more time studying, he wouldn't be failing so many of his classes.
b. Let's face it. If you don't have a colledge degree, it can be difficult to find a high-paying job.
8. to give SB the creeps : to cause SB to feel fear or disgust
a. Ted's friend Matt has 7 earings in each ear and an " I Love Mom" tattoo on his arm. He really gives
Nicole the creeps.
b. There was a strange man following me around the grocery store. He was giving me the creeps.
9. to go back to the drawing board : to start a task over because the last try failed; to start from the
beginning.
a. Frank's new business failed, so he had to go back to the drawing board.
b. The president didn't agree with our new ideas for the company, so we he had to go back to the

drawing board.
10. to go belly-up : to go bankrupt
a. Many people lost their job when the company went belly-up.
b. Many companies lost $3 million last year. We might go belly-up.
11. to give SB the ax : to fire SB
a. Mary used to talk to her friends on the phone all day at work, until one day her boss finally gave her
the ax.
b. Poor Paul ! He was given the ax 2 days before Christmas.
12. to lose one's temper : to become very angry
a. Bob always loses his temper when his kids start talking on the phone during dinner.
b. When Ted handed in his essay 2 weeks late, his teacher really lost her temper.
13. to make up one's mind : to decide; to reach a decision
a. Bob couldn't make up his mind whether to quit his dead-ended job or to find a new one.
b. Do you want an omlette or fried eggs. You'll need to make up your mind quickly because the waitress
is coming.
14. No point in : no reason to; it's not worth doing ST
a. There's no point in worrying about things you can't change.
Mr. Huy

03-Apr-15
b. There's no point in going on a picnic if it's going to rain.
15. to put up with : to endure without complaint
a. For many years, Barbara put up with her husband's annoying behavior. Finally, she decided to leave
him.
b. I don't know how John put up with his mean boss everyday.
16. Real flop or flop : a failure
a. The company was in trouble after its new product flopped.
b. Nguyen Kim closed after just 4 days. It was a real flop !
17. to save the day : to prevent a disaster or misfortune, to do something that solves a serious problem
a. The Christmas Tree was on fire, but Ted threw water on it and saved the day.
b. We forgot to buy champagne for our New Year's party, but Sonia brought some and really saved the
day.
c. The hero saved the day by shooting the kidnappers and rescuing the hostages just in the nick of time.
d. The hero saved the day by arriving just in time to shoot the kidnappers and rescue the hostages.
18. to talk over : to discuss
a. Dave and I spent hours talking over the details of the plan.
b. Before you make any big decisions, give me a call and we'll talk things over.
19. Top dollar : the highest end of a price range; a lot of money
a. Nicole paid top dollar for a shirt at Banana Republic.
b. Wait until those jeans go on sale. Why pay top dollar.
c. They'll have to pay top dollar at that resort.

PEOPLE AT WORK
Old Mr. Brown has been with the company
for years. He's pretty useless, but he survives
because the manager has a soft pot for him.
There are two bossy middle-aged women
who are always at each other's throats about one
thing or another.

Have a soft pot for

like, care about
At each other's throats
arguing
Breath of fresh air
pleasantly different

There's a nice girl who started last week and

is a breath of fresh air.

Mr. Huy

1. What kind of jobs have you had (part-time and full-time)?

2. What is your dream job?
3. Is being a housewife a job? Should women get paid for this?
4. Does everyone have equal job opportunities in your country?