average people consume too many servings of fats and sugars and too few servings of

fruits, vegetables, lean meats and whole grains. As Americans have increasingly sought
convenience in their lives, and food consumed out of the home and/or home meal
replacements (HMR's) have been slowly replacing home-cooked meals. Shoppers of all
ages are choosing to buy more quick and processed meals that can be boiled or cooked in
the microwave rather than raw ingredients.
As some Americans increasingly embrace health authorities' recommendations for
consuming at least five fruits and vegetables a day, the national diet has apparently
improved with the significant increase in fresh produce consumption. However, the
American public still has not achieved the goal of "5 a Day", which indicates that there is
much room for improvement in both the national diet and the market for fresh produce.
The link between health and nutrition has become an important public health issue in
the U.S, since only seven diet-related health conditions cost the U.S. over $80 billion a
year in medical costs and losses in productivity. What we choose to eat can play a role in
the risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD), certain types of cancer and stroke,
which are the three leading causes of death in the U.S., and responsible for over 50% of
all deaths in the U.S. Efforts to improve dietary habits could decrease deaths and
health-related problems associated with these conditions. Additionally, the inevitable
costs in health care and loss of productivity that cause significant financial damage could
be lessened with preventative care that includes a healthier diet.

58. Hard job

Introduction:
Not everyone is so lucky as to have a job that is challenging, enjoyable, and high
paying. In our competitive society, it is considered lucky to have a job with all of the above
fulfillments. Adrian tells Ping that he is very lucky to have a job that is challenging, but his
job is not easy to handle sometimes.

Adrian
Ping

Culture:
In North America, Human Resource Management (HRM) in large corporations has a
system of re-structuring job tasks and skills. Rotating team members to do various job
tasks can make them adapt to the dynamic expansion of the organization. Therefore, staff
is often transferred to different departments. Job rotation not only reduces the employees
boredom, it also develops a multi-skilled workforce.
Some jobs, like construction or assembly line work (blue collar), are hard physically,
but you can perform your task and not worry about anything else. Other jobs, like office
work (white-collar), may look easy, but are more demanding mentally, and can leave you
feeling more tired at the end of the day than a job on the line.
In many cultures, people feel they need to take a nap or at least a break after lunch.
This is not the situation in America or Canada. However, some companies have
established nap rooms, where employees who simply cannot stay awake can grab a quick
nap at any time.
Not everyone is so lucky as to have a job that is challenging, enjoyable, and high
paying. In our competitive society, it is considered lucky to have a job with all of the above
fulfillments. Adrian tells Ping that he is very lucky to have a job that is challenging, but his
job is not easy to handle sometimes.

236

Dialogue:
(During lunch, Ping asks about Adrians job. Adrian answers with a bitter smile and says, I
enjoy my work but not my boss. Because of my hard boss, I have a hard job. So how hard
does he have to work at his job?)

Adrian:

Howre your ribs, Ping?

Ping:

Delicious. Hows your steak?

Adrian:

Excellent.

Ping:

So, Bill tells me you work with computers?

Adrian:

Thats right. Im a computer programmer.

Ping:

He told me youre working for a movie studio. Is that true?

Adrian:

Thats right. I work for Walt Disney. Ever heard of it?

Ping:

Sure I have! They make cartoons. So, whats it like?

Adrian:

Its awesome, but today was a day a pure hell!

Ping:

Why is that? Have an argument with your boss?

Adrian:

No, not that. Today was just go, go, go! I didnt even have time for lunch!

Ping:

Thats not good! You should bring food with you.

Adrian:

I do, but today was exceptionally busy. Ive never experienced a day worse
than today.

Ping:

If you have a good boss, however, it cant be all that bad?

Adrian:

Oh, dont even get me started about my boss!

Ping:

Why not? Dont you get along with him?

Adrian:

Yes and no. My job involves spending long hours at the computer. It can be
very tiring at times.

Ping:

Why not quit?

Adrian:

Never! I may work long hours and have lots of pressure, but the pays great
and I love what I do.

Ping:

Im confused. Why do you continue to work at a job with so much pressure?

Adrian:

Youre right. This job is wearing me down! Im going to give myself an ulcer
is I keep working like this.

Ping:

I think you should talk to your boss and tell him how you feel.

Adrian:

I think Ill do that. This has got to be one of the worst days of my life!

237


Ping Adrian Adrian

Adrian Ping
Ping

Adrian
Ping

Adrian
Ping

Adrian
Ping

Adrian
Ping
Adrian
Ping

Adrian
Ping

Adrian
Ping

Adrian
Ping

Adrian
Ping

Adrian
Ping

Adrian

Modern English Sayings:

Talking about a hard day at the office

1. Today was a day of pure hell!

purehellpure hell

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2. Today was just go, go, go! I didnt even have time for lunch!

go, go, go!

always on the go

3. Ive never experienced a day worse than today.

experience

4. Dont even get me started about my boss!

5. This has got to be one of the worst days of my life!

Im having the worst day of my

life!

Telling others how hard your job is

6. My job involves spending long hours in front of a computer.

involve
takespend
takespend
7. It can be very tiring at times.

tiring

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8. I may work long hours and have lots of pressure, but the pays great and I love what I
do.

pressuresalary
pay

9. This job is wearing me down!

Wear sb/sth downShe was

worn down by overwork

10. Im going to give myself an ulcer if I keep working like this.

Ulcer
give myself an ulcer

More Phrases

1. Im totally exhausted by the time I get home.

2. Im wiped out by the time I get off work.

3. Im dead tired by the time I get off work.

4. I can barely stand up by the end of a hard day.

5. Im so tired, I have to take a nap when I get home.

6. This job is hard work.

7. This job is no picnic.

8. This job is back-breaking work.

9. --This job is killing me.

You worked so hard today, you deserve a

break.
I think its time for you to take a vacation.

Glossary
1.experience[] v. n.

,
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2..involve [ ] v. ,
3.Barely[] adv. ,
4.picnic[] n.
5..vacation[] n. ,

Culture Link
Stress and worry on the job can be harmful! They cause physical and emotional
problems that may damage both your health and your performance. Furthermore, stress
grows! Excessive worry is a major element in the vicious cycle of tension: the physical
sensations of stress-tense muscles, headaches, insomnia and so forth-lead to
catastrophic stress-building thoughts, which in turn aggravate unpleasant physical
feelings, and so on up the tension cycle. Soon, just the thought of preparing an
assignment or meeting a deadline triggers all the symptoms of stress, along with an
overwhelming wish to avoid tasks.
When you are under stress, what messages are you sending yourself? Are they
alarming or reassuring? You can decrease your stress by learning to talk to yourself in a
reassuring way. This is what "stress-busting" is about--getting your thoughts back on a
reassuring track.
Keep a record of stressful situations and rate the actual level of stress from O (most
relaxed) to 10 (most stressed). Start to monitor your stress on the "Practice Journal"
worksheet before, during and after stressful events or situations. As you begin to observe
your levels of stress, you will notice that these levels are not constant. You will find that
stress levels increase when you are concentrating on your most alarming thoughts and
bodily reactions, but stress levels fall when your attention turns away from these areas.
This will show you that one way to reduce the level of stress in your life is to actively turn
away from negative "stress building" thoughts and to concentrate on positive stress
busting ways of thinking.
Combating negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones takes practice,
but the results are worth it. Review the facts. What is your evidence? Is there another way
to view the situation? If not, what is the worst thing that could happen? You may have
been concentrating on the worst possible, but by no means the most likely, outcome. Add
Stress Busters to your work life. Your ability to handle difficult challenges in the workplace
will improve and the benefits will transfer over into other areas of your life as well.

59. Hard boss

Introduction:
It is so common for employees to complain that their boss being unreasonable or
unfair. However, they often have no choice but to accept what their boss wants. Adrian
tells Ping about his hard boss.

Adrian Ping

Culture:
Most CEOs (Chief Executive Officer) have the common realization that maintaining a
good relationship among employees is the vital way to have success in business. They
generally try to foster an atmosphere of family in the workplace. When employees feel a
sense of belonging, they become more motivated. As a result, their effort and contribution
will increase as well.
There is some controversy over whether bosses who push too hard get more out of
their employees or not, but in general, most Westerners feel that they work better if the
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boss is not on their backs all the time. They also like to be kept informed on company
policy and direction, and appreciate the opportunity to do things their own way if possible.
In many Western companies, employees dont have to put up with hard bosses,
because the rules are defined in a labor contract. However, because of this, there is often
less or no opportunity to innovate on the job, or do things in a different way.

Dialogue:
(As Ping wants to know more about his boss, Adrian continues his conversation about
work. So what kind of hard boss does he have?)
Adrian:

Seriously, Ping. Bosses in the movie industry are different from other bosses.

Ping:

How can that be? A boss is a boss!

Adrian:

Lets just say that my bosss temper is legendary!

Ping:

Cant you just ignore him when hes angry?

Adrian:

Not if I want to get fired, I cant!

Ping:

Sounds a lot like the bosses in China. You cant say no to anything they say!

Adrian:

Not only is he a perfectionist, hes also a workaholic. Hes the first one to
arrive in the morning, and the last one to leave at night.

Ping:

Whats so unusual about that? Most bosses are the last to leave.

Adrian:

The problem is, my boss know nothing about movies or computers! Hes an
ex-marine turned executive!

Ping:

Scary! I dont think I could last one day with a boss like yours!

Adrian:

Probably.

Ping:

Maybe hes unhappy with his life that hes so miserable all the time.

Adrian:

Actually, hes a nice guy; he just needs to work on his people skills more.

Ping:

Most bosses need improvement in that area.

Adrian:

Today he was really angry and fired four people!

Ping:

Whoa!

Adrian:

He said, Didnt I tell you not to smoke in the office! then fired that person.
To the others he said, I thought I asked for those reports to finished
yesterday!, How am I supposed to use this, its junk! and, You are a
lazy, incompetent worker! Youre fired!

Ping:

Sounds like he had a busy day.

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Adrian:

I almost got fired, myself. He said to me, This is unacceptable; do it again!

Ping:

Sounds to me like your boss has a serious attitude problem.

Ping Adrian Adrian

Adrian Ping
Ping

Adrian
Ping

Adrian
Ping

Adrian

Ping

Adrian
Ping

Adrian
Ping

Adrian
Ping

Adrian
Ping

Adrian

Ping

Adrian
Ping

Modern English Sayings:

Telling someone how hard your boss can be

243

1. My bosss temper is legendary!

Legendaryfamous
legendary

2. Not only is he a perfectionist, hes also a workaholic.

Istscientist()
physicist()psychiatrist()Holic
workaholicalcoholic

3. dont think I could last one day with a boss like yours!

I dont think that

,
4. Maybe hes unhappy with his life that hes so miserable all the time.

Sothat
MiserableAll the time
That letter I was searching for was in my pocket all the time(
)
5. Hes a nice guy; he just needs to work on his people skills more.

People skills

A bossy boss

6. Didnt I tell you not to smoke in the office!

Didnt I
Tell sb (not) to do
244

7. I thought I asked for those reports to be finished yesterday!

!
Ask
for sb/sthask
for the manager the tickets the bar()
8. How am I supposed to use this, its junk!

Sbbe supposed to do sth

They were supposed to be here an hour ago
()Junkjunk
food
9. You are a lazy, incompetent worker! Youre fired!

IncompetentBe fired
Hirebe hired
firehire

10. This is unacceptable; do it again!

Accept
ableun
accept
unbelievable()unforgettable()

More Phrases

/
1. My boss is a slave driver.

2. My boss expects me to work day and night.

3. This job is ridiculous. I cant take it anymore.

4. My boss works me like Im a machine.

5. Our boss would love it if we were robots.

6. We have a real hard-nosed boss.

7. Ive never seen anyone as strict as my boss.

245

8.

Our boss doesnt give us any slack.

9. My boss does everything by the book.

10. --Our boss doesnt allow creative thinking.

/If you cant stand him, why not

change the job?

Glossary
1.legendary[] n.
2.temper[] n.
3.perfectionist[] n.
4.miserable[] adj. ,
5.supposed[] adj.
6.incompetent[ ] adj. .
7.unacceptable[] adj. ,
8.Slave[] n.
9..ridiculous[] adj. ,
10.slack[] n.
11.creative[:] adj.

Culture Link
Despite growing awareness, the workplace remains an arena for verbal abuse,
intimidation and exploitation of power. And tolerance for abusive tactics tends to increase
the higher up the hierarchy the abuse takes place. It's hard to tell how common abusive
leaders are: while there has been a steady increase in grievances by unionized
employees, abuse tends to go unreported at managerial levels.
Abusive leaders don't tolerate criticism and they cannot be easily rehabilitated. They
will take credit for success and blame their subordinates for any failures. Focused on the
bottom line, they may get good short-term results, but the long-term costs are high.
Like traumatized children, staff "tiptoe" around, trying to avoid raising the boss's ire, but it's
in vain: This kind of leader deliberately uses intimidation to maintain control. The costs to
an organization of having an abusive person in a leadership role can be enormous.
Dealing with abusive leaders who are high in the hierarchy is difficult, especially if it
is the CEO. For staff, taking action can be very risky. For one thing, you may need to be
prepared to find a new job, for the abuser has probably undermined your credibility with
his boss, so you'll have an uphill battle. Begin to document the abuse, with time and dates,
what was said and to whom. There is safety and credibility in numbers. If a group of
colleagues presents their case to the abuser's boss, it can hold more weight.
Even so, this can result in the dismissal of the group, if the abuser has done a good
job of selling himself and undermining you. In any event, be prepared for a fight, because
the abuser will turn against the dissidents with ferocity. Indeed, be prepared to talk to a
lawyer. A more subtle approach would be to request 360-degree feedback, or the
intervention of a third party for "team-building" purposes. The main thing is to recognize
that you are dealing with a power abuser and if you feel helpless, powerless, intimidated,
it's what that person is intending.
Protect yourself by talking to supportive friends and colleagues, and taking care of
246

your health and level of stress. Techniques for "detaching" emotionally through meditation
may also reduce your stress. In some cases, it may be futile to try to rehabilitate an
abusive leader. Then, the best strategy is to remove them from power without delay and
then work to reconstruct trust within the team that has been abused.

60. Job interview

Introduction:
Do not suppose opportunity will knock twice at your door. Especially in our
competitive society, having a good job is considered to be very lucky. Once an opportunity
comes along (i.e., a job interview), we should make the best of it. Ben is helping Jim
prepare for his job interview.

Jim Ben

Culture:
In North America, the unemployment rate is still relatively high in certain big cities.
When the chance for a job interview comes along, people will prepare their best for it.
There are classes and seminars held regularly to assist candidates on how to prepare a
good resume and offer a role-play as a rehearsal before the actual interview.
More and more, Westerners are looking for better ways to coordinate their family life
with their working schedule. Flex time (where employees choose some of their working
hours) and work at home (part or full time) are options that are gaining in popularity. Some
companies go out of their way to make it convenient for people to work for them.
There are numerous books in the West on how to ace a job interview, but some
people feel it all comes down to being sure of yourself, knowing something about the
company and its business, and explaining how you can help them make more profit.

Dialogue:
(After his haircut, Jim and Ben go back to Bens place. Ben asks Jim why he cut his long
hair and Jim tells him that he is going to have a job interview tomorrow and wants to look
as decent as possible. Ben is happy for him and offers to do a role play as preparation.)
(at Bens apartment)
Ben:

Man, I can hardly recognize you! You look like a million bucks!

Jim:

Thanks. Im a little nervous about tomorrow. Its my first interview at a Western

247