Dongni Level5 Unit1 1/4

Part one Listening: Jessica’s Class Reunion

Jessica is 35 years old. She graduated from middle school 20 years ago. This year her middle school class had its 20-year class reunion.  All of her classmates and teachers were invited to attend.  It was going to be (held) at a hotel near where their school used to be.  Like many other buildings, the school had been torn down.  It had been replaced by some apartment buildings. 

At first, she wasn’t sure if she could go to the reunion.  One reason was that there wasn’t anyone in particular that she wanted to see.  Another reason was that she was very busy.  She was a working mother, with a boy 8 years old and a husband who was rarely at home.  Going to the reunion meant that she would have to arrange for someone to take care of things while she was away.  That wouldn’t be easy.  She didn’t want to take her boy with her, and her husband wouldn’t take time off from work. 

Then she got a message from Sharon, one of her old classmates.  Sharon was contacting people from their class, and urging everyone to come.  In their school days, Sharon was class monitor, and now she was helping to organize the reunion. 

They exchanged messages, and Jessica said she couldn’t make it.  Then Sharon gave her a call and they talked for almost (nearly) an hour.  Sharon really wanted her to come, and so did a couple of Jessica’s old friends.  They were all wondering how she was doing.  None of them had seen or heard from her since graduation.  They were especially curious since she hadn’t gone to their first reunion 10 years before. 

Jessica decided to arrange things so that she could go.  Her husband finally agreed to take care of things while she was away.  He agreed to do it because her mother had offered to come and stay for a while so Jessica could attend the reunion.  Since he and her mother didn’t get along, he decided to change his schedule and work from home for a few days.  He really didn’t want her mother to come, though he didn’t say so. 

 Once she got to the reunion, she was shocked.  Everyone had aged so much, and many were out of shape.  Some who used to be good-looking had lost their looks completely and others looked much better than before.  It was strange how time had changed people in such different ways.  Anyway, she decided that since she was there, she would try to enjoy it.

Part two vocabulary Actions and Change: Replace, tear down, construct, organize, support

1. replace取代，代替；替换，更换；归还，偿还；把…放回原处

To replace something means to put something else in its place. /// When something gets old and begins to break down, it may need to be replaced. /// When a person leaves a company, the person may need to be replaced by someone else. /// The person who replaces someone is the person’s replacement. /// When the old school building was torn down, it was replaced by a hotel.

2. Tear down扯下；诋毁；拆卸；逐条驳斥

To tear something down means to break it apart. /// To tear a person down means to hurt them by saying negative things about them. /// It may take a long time to tear down a big building.

3. construct vt.建造，构造；创立(同义词found / institute / frame / structure / father ); n. 构想，概念 (同义词concept / formulation / idea / notion)   = =>   construction [kən'strʌkʃən] n. 建设；建筑物；解释；造句   ==>  constructive [kən'strʌktɪv] adj. 建设性的；推定的；构造上的；有助益的==>constructively Adv.建设性地   ===> destruct [dɪ'strʌkt] vi. 自毁 ; n. 自毁  ===> destruction [dɪ'strʌkʃən] n.破坏，毁灭；摧毁 ===> destructive [dɪ'strʌktɪv] adj. 破坏的；毁灭性的；有害的，消极的

To construct something means to build it or take it together.///  Large construction projects include buildings, bridges and organizations. /// The opposite of “constructive” is “destructive”. /// The opposite of “construct” is “tear down”. /// The earthquake destroyed several buildings and left many people without homes. /// Destructive comments in a discussion can be very negative and cause bad feelings. ///

 4. organize组织；使有系统化；给予生机；组织成立工会等(同义词structure / form) disorganized [dɪs'ɔrɡənaɪzd]紊乱的；无组织的

To organize something means to arrange things in an orderly, logical way.  (orderly ['ɔrdɚli] adj. 有秩序的；整齐的；值班的; adv. 顺序地；依次地; n. 勤务兵；传令兵；护理员)  ///  An organization is something that has a logical structure, such as a well-managed company.  (logical ['lɑdʒɪkl] 合逻辑的，合理的；逻辑学的)  ///  Some people are poorly organized, so they have a hard time finding things.  ///  They are too disorganized to get anything done on time. /// An event or party can be well organized井井有条，组织有序, poorly organized条理欠妥，组织不善 or completely disorganized没有条理，组织混乱.  ///  Everyone was confused because her presentation was so disorganized. /// You need to organize your team to make it work well.

5. support [sə'pɔrt]支持，支撑，支援；扶持，帮助；赡养，供养（同近义词encourage / facilitate / second / carry / boost） ===>undermine['ʌndɚ'maɪn]破坏，渐渐破坏；挖掘地基（同义词destroy ）===> weaken减少；使变弱；使变淡（同义词shorten / to cut down ）

To support something such as an idea is to help and add strength to it.  /// The opposite of “support” is to “undermine or weaken”. /// If you support someone, it means you are trying to help them succeed. /// To work against someone means to undermine them, or make them less effective. 

Types of Information: public, private, confidential, gossip, opinion

6. public ['pʌblɪk]公众的；政府的；公用的；公立的（同近义词governmental / commonable）

Public information is available to anyone who wants to know it. /// If a store is open to the public, it means anyone can come in. /// A public company makes its shares available for purchase by any investor. ( ['pɝtʃəs] n.购买；紧握；起重装置; vt. 购买；赢得; vi.购买东西) /// A private company is owned by a small group of private investors. /// Private company: a company owned or managed by an individual person or a group of people. /// Many people make money by investing in public companies. /// Anyone can invest in a public company by buying its share. /// To make something public means it should be made available to everyone.

7. private ['praɪvət]私人的，私有的；私立的；私营的；私下的，不公开的，秘密的；无官职的；（场所）清静的；（人）不愿吐露心思的，内向的

Private information is not open to everyone, but is only available to trusted friends or family. /// Information about one’s secret hopes or dreams is usually private. /// Most people keep their personal information private. /// You had better keep information about your passwords private or you may lose a lot. /// The password to your bank account is private information.

8. confidential [,kɑnfɪ'dɛnʃl]机密的；表示信任的；获信任的（同近义词classified / secret）

Confidential information is secret information. /// Confidential information is not supposed to be shared with others. /// Revealing confidential information may be illegal.  ([rɪ'vil]vt. 显示；透露；揭露；泄露 ; n. 揭露；暴露；门侧，窗侧)  ///  To keep something confidential means it isn’t supposed to be shared with others. /// The details of a secret design or how a company makes decisions are often confidential.

9. gossip ['ɡɑsɪp] vi.闲聊；传播流言蜚语; n. 小道传闻；随笔；爱说长道短的人

Gossip is information that is often exchanged because it’s exciting or fun, even though it may not be true. /// Office gossip is often entertaining [,ɛntɚ'tenɪŋ]令人愉快的, but it can also be damaging ['dæmɪdʒɪŋ] 有破坏性的，损害的；诽谤的. /// Gossip may hurt or embarrass the person being gossiped about. /// When people gossip, they may hurt someone by spreading false or embarrassing information. /// ([fɔls] adj. 错误的；虚伪的；伪造的; adv. 欺诈地) (spread [sprɛd] vi, vt, n, adj 传播，散布；展开；伸展；铺开) People who gossip often enjoy embarrassing or hurting other people. ([ɪm'bærəs]vt. 使局促不安；使困窘；阻碍) To gossip is to talk about or spread rumors about the lives of other people. /// Gossip is information that is often made up or exaggerated [ɪg'zædʒə'retɪd] 夸张的，言过其实的. /// It’s difficult to believe what he says because he always exaggerates. ///

10. opinion [ə'pɪnjən]意见；主张（同近义词comment / view / judgement / mind / thinking） ==> Factual ['fæktʃuəl]事实的；真实的（同近义词actual / sincere / true / real / positive）

Opinions are what people think or feel about something as opposed to factual information. /// ([ə'pozd] adj. 相反的；敌对的 ; v. 反对（oppose的过去分词）；使对立) /// Factual information is based on facts or evidence, but opinions are what people think or feel. /// Someone’s opinion is what they think or feel about something. /// Opinions often differ, and when they do people may argue. ( ['dɪfɚ]vt. 使…相异；使…不同; vi. 相异；

Part three dialogue A Customer Complaint

Is this the ACE service center?

Yes, it is, sir.

May I help you?

Yes, I’m calling to complain about your service.

Certainly sir. I’m sorry to hear that. Let me see if there’s something I can do to help you.  Please tell me what happened.

I ordered a new washing machine on your website. It was more than a week ago.

Before you go on, may I have your order number, please?

Sure, it is ABC1005.

And may I have the last four digits of your social security number? 

I don’t have a social security number. I am a illegal alien.

Very funny, Sir. Ok, then, what is your first pet's name?

Mr. Kitty.

Ok, I see your order information.

Now what’s the problem?

I ordered the washing machine and paid for it. Then I chose a delivery date from a set of choices.  It was supposed to be delivered today. But It’s still not here.

Did anyone contact you?

No, I haven’t received any messages.

I am sorry to hear that, sir. I see here that the washing machine you ordered hasn’t arrived in our warehouse yet.  It can’t be delivered until next week.

You don’t even have it yet? Why haven't I been notified? I took time off from work to be at home today.

You should have been notified, by phone or email.

I wasn’t. I haven’t received any notification. This is very upsetting.

I understand. Sir. I’m really sorry for this.

Being sorry isn’t enough. I am really upset. This is no way to do business.

Yes Sir. I understand. I can send you a fifty dollar gift coupon as a way to express our appreciation for your patience.

I don’t care about the money. I don’t blame you of course, but I want you to know how disappointed I am with Ace.  I expected much better service.

I'm really sorry, sir. Is there anything else I can do for you?

Yes, there is. I’d like to cancel the order and get a refund.

I'm sorry to hear that, sir. But I understand. I'll see to it that you get your refund.

How long will it take before I get the refund?

You should see the credit on your next month's credit card billing statement.

Thanks for your help.

You’re welcome sir, and once again, please accept my apologies.