EMPLOYEES IN FOREIGN ENTERPRISE
PRACTICAL DAILY-ENGLISH TALKING
外 企 人 员 实 用 日 常 英 语 会 话
DOMESTIC TRAVEL
1. Dialogue
PART ONE
(David is calling a taxi to Suzhou Railway Station.)
D: Excuse me, is this taxi taken?
T: No. May I help you, Sir?
D: Suzhou Railway Station. I need to catch a train at 10 o’clock. Time is really pressing. Could you hurry up a little, please?
T: We’ll make it if the traffic is not too heavy. I’ll try my best, Sir.
D: That’s good. Thank you very much.
T: No problem.
(After arriving at the Station)
T: Ok. Here we are.
D: Thanks to the God! We are just on time. How much is the taxi fare?
T: Twenty Yuan.
D: Here is a one hundred bill. Just give me seventy yuan change, and you can keep the rest. I need a receipt.
T: Sure. But we don’t take tips. Here you are.
PART TWO
(David is purchasing a ticket at the Railway Station Ticket Office)
D: Excuse me, miss, can I have a train ticket from Suzhou to Shenzhen?
T: Yes, we have three types of ticket available: high speed bullet train, motor train and ordinary train.
D: I want ordinary train.
T: There are also four kinds of seat available: hard seat, soft seat, hard sleeper and soft sleeper. Which one do you want?
D: I’d like to have soft sleeper, leaving tomorrow around 4pm.
T: Let me check… Ok, we only have upper seat available, 4:30pm leaving Shanghai South Railway Station.
D: How come I can get on a train in Shanghai?
T: You need to take a long distance bus from Suzhou South Bus Station to Shanghi to transfer. Is it convenient for you?
D: That’s fine. I can manage it by myself. Let me take it.
PART THREE
(Andy is talking with David on the train from Shenyang to Nanjing.)
A: Excuse me! Is this the hard sleeper carriage 10, seat No.104 middle?
D: Yes. But you can sit on the bottom seat if you’d like. This is more convenient for you.
A: It’s very nice of you! You sound like a Northerner.
D: Quite right. I am from Shenyang, Northeast China. Have you ever been there?
A: No. I haven’t got the chance to go yet.
D: That’s a pity. You should have. How far are you going, may I ask?
A: I am going as far as Nanjing.
D: Me too. Actually Nanjing is the destination of this train.
A: Exactly. Are you on a business trip?
D: Well, you may say so. This is my first trip to Nanjing. Do you know when we’ll arrive there?
A: According to the timetable, we should arrive at 5:30pm.
D: Do you suppose the train will arrive on time?
A: I’m sure it will. But we’ve got hours to go before then.
D: Yes, sitting in a train like this is really boring. I think I need a nap.
A: Keep watching at your belongings, there might be some dishonest persons around.
D: Don’t worry. I definitely will.
PART FOUR
(David is talking with Anthony on his trip to Dalian for a vacation.)
A: I heard that you would go to Dalian next week.
D: Yes, I want to pay a visit to my parents.
A: Have you booked the ticket?
D: Not yet. I’m wondering whether I should take the train, the ship or the airplane.
A: If I were you, I would take the ship. The trip would be an interesting and rewarding experience. It offers us a unique opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery at sea.
D: Yes, you are right. And the fare is reasonable. But the sea journey takes a longer time.
A: To me, the trip itself is part of the holiday. During the journey, I can make new friends, meet interesting people, play games of different kinds, or simply relax myself on the spacious deck. What a fantastic trip!
D: Maybe, for a person who has a one-month long vacation, it’s nothing. But it’s not me. So I think a train may be a better choice.
A: I can hardly enjoy sitting in a train for more than 10 hours. The train compartments often get cramped and stuffy.
D: To some extend, you are right. But nothing can beat airplanes with speed and comfort.
A: Since you have only 10 days off, the airplane may be the best choice. After all, nothing is more precious than time. You will get to Dalian in about just a couple of hours.
D: I can’t agree with you more. I’ve made my mind to book an air ticket ASAP.
2. New Words, Phrases and Expressions:
domestic [ ] 国内的
receipt [ ] 收据，收条
fare [ ] 车费
bill [ ] 纸币
change [ ] 找钱
tip [ ] 小费
arrive [ ] 抵达
bullet [ ] 子弹
soft/hard sleeper [ ] 软/硬卧车
upper [ ] 上面的
motor [ ] 动力的
transfer [ ] 转移，转车
carriage [ ] 火车车厢
bottom [ ] 底，最下的
convenient [ ] 方便
northerner [ ] 北方人
destination [ ] 终点，目的地
suppose [ ] 假定，认为
timetable [ ] 时间表
baggage [ ] 行李包
definitely [ ] 绝对地
wonder [ ] 怀疑，想知道
rewarding [ ] 有回报的，值得的
offer [ ] 提供
unique [ ] 唯一的
opportunity [ ] 机会
scenery [ ] 景色，风光
reasonable[ ] 有道理的
journey [ ] 旅程，旅途
spacious [ ] 宽敞的
deck [ ] 甲板
compartment [ ] 车厢
belonging [ ] 随身行李
dishonest [ ] 不老实的
airplane [ ] 飞机
comfort [ ] 舒适
speed [ ] 速度
stuffy [ ] 闷热的
cramp [ ] 挤压
precious [ ] 珍贵的
2. Sentence Patterns and Expressions
Suzhou Railway Station 苏州火车站
Ticket Office 售票处
is this taxi taken 这车有人坐吗
time is pressing 时间很紧
we’ll make it if … 如果 。。。我们就能赶上
could you hurry up a bit你能再快一点吗
arriving at 到达
Thanks to the God! 感谢上帝
just on time 刚好准时到
how much is the fare 车费多少
high speed/bullet train 高速火车
motor train 动车
long distance bus 长途汽车
you can sit here if you’d like如果你愿意可以坐在这儿
Northeast China 中国东北
how far are you going 你到哪儿，你去多远的地方
on a business trip 商务旅行，出差
I haven’t got the chance to …我还没有碰到这样的机会
that’s a pity那太可怜了
you may say so 你说对了
do you suppose … 你会认为 。。。
this is really boring 这真无聊
I can hardly enjoy sitting … 我太不习惯 。。。了
to get cramped 挤压
to some extend 在某种程度上
I can’t agree with you more 赞成
I’ve made my mind … 我已下决心 。。。
ASAP: as soon as possible 尽快
4. Text Translation in Chinese
国 内 出 行
第一部分
（大卫想乘出租车去苏州火车站。）
D：对不起，这车有人乘吗？
T：没有，要我帮忙吗，先生？
D：苏州火车站，我要去赶10点的一班火车。时间很紧了，你能快一点吗？
T：如果交通不是很拥挤的话，我们能赶到的。我会尽力的，先生。
D：好的，谢谢。
T：没问题
。
（在抵达火车站后）
T：我们到了，先生。
D：感谢上帝！我们准时到了。车费是多少？
T：20元。
D：这是张一百元钞票。你能找我七十元钱吗？余下的给你自己。同时我也要一张收据。
T：好的，不过我们不收小费。这是你的找钱。
第二部分
(大伟在火车站售票处购买火车票)
D: 对不起，小姐，我可以买一张从苏州到深圳的火车票吗？
T: 可以，我们有三类火车票：高速火车，动车和普通火车。
D: 我要普通火车。
T: 普通火车也有四种车票，硬座，软座，硬卧和软卧，你想要那一种呢？
D: 我想要软卧，明天下午4点左右离开。
T: 让我查一下。。。好的，我们只有上座，明天下午4点30分从上海火车南站出发。但是你需要从苏州坐长途汽车去上海再转火车。这对你方便吗？
D: 那好的，我自己可以设法对付。我就要这票了。
第三部分
（安东尼和大卫在沈阳到南京的火车上交谈。）
A：打扰了，这是10号硬卧车厢104号中座吗？
D：是的，不过如果你愿意可以坐在底座，这对你更方便。
A：你真太好了。你听起来像北方人。
D：很对。我从中国东北的沈阳来，你以前去过那里吗？
A：不。我还没有机会呢。
D：真可惜，你应该去过的。我能否问一下，你到哪里下？
A：我要到南京下。
D：我也是。事实上，这列火车的终点站就是南京。
A：的确。你是因公出差吗？
D 可以这样说。这是我第一次去南京。你知道我们什么时候到吗？
A：按照时间表，我们在下午5：30到那里。
D：你觉得火车能准时到达吗？
A：我肯定它会的。但是我们在到达前还有几个小时呢。
D：是的，像这样坐火车真是无聊。我需要打个盹。
A：当心你的随身行李，周围可能有些不老实的人呢。
D：别担心。我当然会的。
第四部分
（大卫和安东尼谈论假期去大连旅行的事。）
A：据说下周你要去大连。
D：是的，我想去看望我的父母。
A：你有订票了吗？
D：还没有，我在想是应该乘火车、轮船还是飞机。
A：如果我是你，我会坐船。这样的旅行会很有趣也值得体验。它给了我们一个极难得的机会去享受海上美丽的风景。
D：是的，你很对。而且费用很合理。但是海上航行将花更长的时间。
A：对我来说，旅行本身就是假期的一部分，在旅途中，我能交到新朋友，见到有趣的人，玩不同的游戏，或者简单地在宽敞的甲板上放松自己。那是多么奇妙的旅程！
D：或许吧，对于一个有一个月长假的人来说，那没什么。但那不是我，所以我认为火车会是个更好的选择。
A：坐超过10小时的火车太没劲了。火车车厢里经常又挤又闷。
D：在某种程度上，你是对的。没有什么能匹敌飞机的速度和舒适了。
A：因为你只有10天休假，所以飞机可能是最好的选择。毕竟，没有什么比时间更珍贵了。你到大连估计也就只要一、两个小时。
D：我完全赞成你的想法。我已经打定主意尽快去订一张飞机票了。
