英文正文
Raymond: What the heck is going on here?How could we be so completely in the dark about these rumors until now?
Jonathan: There've been a lot of stories that factories in Eastern Europe are using second-rate materials to save costs.
Raymond: We've all heard those stories, but how were they linked with us? Can you clarify the issues?
Nina: Some people say that some local middlemen knew all about these things. They didn't report it because the factories gave them extra money. Our local middleman was one of them. When people learned about the stories, most thought that we must have known about the problems too.
Raymond: My Lord!! Jonathan, what's our best course of action here? You're sure that we're not using cheap materials anymore, aren't you?
Jonathan: I've been to all of the factories there; no second-rate materials that I could see. It could be they're still secretly working with other factories, though. I'll do some more checking.
Raymond: Even if we didn't know, people would still think it's our fault for not checking enough. And then we'll be in big trouble.
Nina: Let me put that another way. If sales get any worse we could go belly up very quickly. What we have to do is quite clear. We need to start some damage control on our public image... right away.
句型总结
● 请求详细说明
1. Can you clarify the issues?
2. Can you tell us more about the situation?
3. Can you give us more detail on what has happened?
4. Could you please explain the present situation?
"clarify"是‘阐明；澄清'；"issue"是‘议题'。这句话的意思是要请他人详细说明事件的来龙去脉。如果口气较严厉的话，则隐含强烈责怪与愤怒的态度。本课中是老板对下属所言，没有在句尾加"please"，但其实加一个‘请'字会比较礼貌些。
● 征询建议
1. What's our best course of action (here)?
2. What are our options here?
3. What avenues do we have open here?
4. What courses of action are open to us?
"course"是‘方针；路线'；"action"为‘行动'；"best course of action"就是‘最有利的行动、最佳做事方向'。这句型是问‘该采取什么行动才最有利'。此句型用于揭露问题之后，请大家共同脑力激荡，想出最好的办法。如果要请某人发言，则可在问号之前加上此人的姓名。
● 结论性的建议
1. What we have to do is quite clear.
2. What we need to do is evident.
3. What we must do is obvious.
4. What we should do is easy to see.
这句话是说‘当务之急已清楚地摆在眼前了'，口气坚定，有强调重要性的意思。这个句子强调所提的建议是唯一可行之道。用"what"引导的名词子句当主词时，后面一定是接单数动词，如此句型的"is"。
● More 提出建议
与会者提出适切的建议或方案，在会议中是非常重要的部分，毕竟讨论会是为了得到最佳方案而开的。而提出建议时的语气相关于您对建议本身觉得可行程度的高低。以下列出三种提出建议的口气：
强势的口气
The only solution is to...
I see no other alternative but to...
There is no alternative but to...
We must...
I recommend that we should...
I think we should...
My recommendation is that we should...
I would suggest that we...
We should / we ought to...
If I were you I would...
推荐性的口气
We could always...
It might be a good idea to...
Have you thought of...?
One solution would be to...
What about...?
重点提示
A. 有人发言时，最忌讳台下窃窃私语。
西方人自小的教导中，使得他们认为只要有人发言时，台下若窃窃私语是相当不礼貌的行为。不过如果必要，私下悄悄地进行交谈，为时极短，而不干扰到说话者时，则是无伤大雅。最重要的是把握尊重说话者的原则，切莫干扰到他人的谈话，而被误解为目中无人。
B. 在人多处抽烟，会给人不尊重他人健康的坏印象。
西方反烟的势力己逐渐高涨，许多公共场合与办公室已打出禁烟的标志，自然不吸烟者也更理直气壮地拒抽二手烟。因此在人多的场合中吞云吐雾，会给人不尊重他人健康的坏印象。如果您的烟瘾大，不妨在开会前告知大家一声。而拿烟时宜将烟持于较桌面为低之处，且勿将烟朝着他人脸上喷吐。
C. 会议中如内急时，如何告退？
会议中如内急想暂时告退时，根据现在北美文化的惯例，您无须告诉他人欲往何处，因此您说："Excuse me for a moment. I'll be right back."即可，而不必说："Excuse me for a moment. I need to go to the bathroom."
