Listening

Emma's Best 1

Emma's Best is a small but growing health food company.

It was started in 1995 by a married couple who were tired of working for large companies. 

The two founders were Ed and Emma Smith, both health-conscious vegetarians(素食者).

Despite the risks, Ed and Emma wanted to start their own business. 

They knew it would be hard work, but they were determined to try.

Their plan was to create a business that provided healthy food to busy people. 

They wanted it to be something they could be proud of.

When they started the company, organic(有机) food was becoming more popular. 

People were becoming more food conscious and worried about food safety.

In fact, people were willing to pay higher prices for food that was free of harmful chemicals. 

In addition, an increasing number of people had little time to go shopping and cook at home. 

They wanted meals that were healthy but easy to prepare.

There were very few frozen meals available at the time, and none of them were vegetarian or organic. 

There was a gap in the market.

To be more conscious of something means to be more aware of it.

Ed and Emma immediately saw the opportunity and launched their first product. 

It was a frozen pasta meal with a mix of vegetables and a delicious cream sauce(奶油酱).

The market response was enthusiastic and profitable beyond their expectations. 

Their product was an instant success.

To their surprise, it was soon being eaten by millions of people, not only vegetarians or those interested in organic foods.

It was being bought because it was easy to prepare and it tested good.

And of course it was healthy.

Other products followed in rapid succession.

As a result, at the end of 5 years, the company was producing over 100 frozen meals.

Since then they have increased the number of meals to over 150, including pizzas, sandwiches and snacks. 

Their foods are carried by natural food stores and supermarkets thoughtout North America.

Emma's Best 2

Although they have expanded their production facilities(设施) and increased the number of employees, they have remained a private company.

They enjoy the fact that they are a family-owned business, sensitive to the needs of  their customers. 

They don't have to worry about pleasing shareholders.

Rather than paying dividends(分红) to shareholders, Emma's Best has a profit-sharing plan that benefits its employees.

Dividends are that are paid to the shareholders.

Bonuses and salary increases keep employees happy and motivated to work hard.

As a result, employee turnover is low and the company has been recognized as one of the best companies to work for.

In addition, Emma's Best supports local charities, especially those that provide healthy food to children from low-income families.

Giving it success, the company feels an obligation to contribute to society.

In spite of the fact that other companies now produce similar products, Emma's Best remains the market leader. 

Their total commitment(承诺) to quality has made the difference and they are proud of their accomplishments.

If employees are happy and motivated, employee turnover is usually low.

They have remained a private company.

Vocabulary

Feelings and Attitudes 

People are often nervous or apprehensive(忧虑) before performing in front of an audience. 

People who are really nervous may feel tense, which is the opposite of relaxed.

Sometimes, taking a deep breath can help a nervous person feel more relaxed.

Someone who strongly believes in their ability to do something is often confident.

The best way to build confidence is to practice what you're going to do until you can do it with ease.

Someone with confidence can perform at a higher level than someone who is nervous.

To be indifferent means to not care one way or the other about something.

If you are indifferent to a person or project, it means that the person or project isn't important to you.

People who are indifferent are often cold and uncaring about others.

To be appreciative is to be thankful or grateful for something.

If someone does something nice for you, you should appreciate it.

It's important to show your appreciation for someone's support or help.

"To be depressed" is the opposite of "to be happy". 

When someone is depressed they feel very sad.

When people are depressed, they are usually pessimistic(悲观) about the future.

Types of Character

Aggressive(激进) people often push their own ideas or try to force others to follow them. 

Someone who is passive will usually not resist the efforts of others.

An aggressive person pushes or attacks, and a passive person doesn't resist.

An optimistic person believes in a positive future. 

Optimists see a glass as half full rather than half empty. 

The opposite of an optimist is a pessimist.

A pessimist sees things with a negative light and has little hope for the future.

Sensitive people are emotional and have strong feelings about things

It's important to be careful when dealing with sensitive people because it's easy to upset them.

Insensitive people don't seem to be aware of or care about the feelings of others.

It's important to know how to act around extremely sensitive people.

A mean person doesn't treat other people well or with kindness. 

Mean people often enjoy making people suffer for their mistakes. 

"To be kind" is the opposite of" to be mean".

He was really mean to her when she disagreed with him and he told her to shut up. 

Conceited(自负) people have a very high opinion of themselves.

They often talk about how great they are and tend to exaggerate their strengths.

Modest people don't show off their strengths, but are often very good at what they do.

Modest people are often overlooked in a job interview because they fail to communicate their strengths. 

Dialogue

Arranging an Appointment

W：ACE Industries. May I help you? This is Sue Mitchell speaking. 

M：Hi Sue, this is Ben Wang of Job LINK.

W：Oh hi Ben, how are you? I've been excepting your call. 

M：I'm sorry to be late. I've been travelling.

W：It seems like everyone is travelling these days.

M：That's for sure. I'm a way more than I'm here. Anyway, I'm calling to see if we can arrange a meeting. 

W：Good. There are several matters I'd like to discuss with you.

M：Sure, would later this week be possible?

W：Let me see. According to my schedule, I'll have some time Thursday afternoon and Friday morning.

M：How long do you think we'll need? 

W：I think an hour should be enough.

M：That should be fine. Would Thursday at 3:30 work for you? 

W：Yes, that's fine.

W：OK, I'm looking forward to seeing you at 3：30 on Thursday. 

M：Right, see you then, and thanks.

W：You are welcome, Ben. Take care.

M：Hi Sue, I'm sorry but something urgent has come up, so I'd like to change the time for our meeting on Thursday. 

W：Oh I'm sorry to hear that. What about Friday morning?

M：That should work. How early?

W：I'm usually here by 9 o'clock. Could you be here by then? 

M：Yes, that shouldn't be a problem.

W：OK, Friday at 9 o'clock.

M：Once again, sorry for the last minute change.