五花八门年终奖

Part Three

Adam: Hey Molly, how’s it going? Haven’t seen you for a while. You still teaching?

Molly: Yeah, for now, although it looks like I’ll be through at this school at the end of term in January.

Adam: Staying around long enough to get that year-end bonus, huh?

Molly: What do you mean? What bonus?

Adam: Didn’t you read your contract? In China, most workers get year-end bonuses, some of them pretty large.

Molly: Wait, I do ①sort of remember something about that, but I wasn’t sure if I"d get it or not. Seems like anytime someone can get away with not paying something, they will.

Adam: Not the schools here. They’re really good about making sure the teachers get paid right.

Molly: That’s true. This school has been good to me. So tell me more about this bonus. Everyone gets one?

Adam: Almost. I’m sure there’re probably some jobs that don’t, but almost everyone I know ②looks forward to it and really plans on it each year.

Molly: Is it always money?

Adam: I think here it mostly is. I imagine executives probably get stuff like stock in the company as well. Don’t they have year-end bonuses in the States?

Molly: Well, a lot of companies give Christmas bonuses, and since that’s only a week before the end of the year ③it amounts to the same thing. But those aren’t necessarily ④anything to write home about.

Adam: What do you mean?

Molly: Well, like one place I worked as a secretary. Everyone had to be at work at 7 in the morning, so for our Christmas bonus we all got a clock with batteries so even if the electricity went out the alarm would still work and no one could use that as an excuse for being late.

Adam: Man, that’s pretty harsh.

Molly: Well, we did get a box of beef too, and at least mine was steaks. The cowboys just got hamburger.

Adam: That was it?

Molly: They had a bonus incentive program too, but that was paid at the end of the fiscal year, not at the end of the calendar year, so you got that in July. But as far as Christmas bonuses, that was it. I’ve known several places like that. They give you a ham, or turkey, or a fruit basket. I"d much rather have the money.

Adam: Me too. Well, ⑤gotta run. See you around.

Molly: Bye!

Adam：嗨，Molly，最近怎么样？好久不见了。你还在教书吗？

Molly：是的，目前来看，我会在这个学校呆到一月份这个学期结束。

Adam：呆到可以领年终奖金，哈？

Molly：你是什么意思呢？什么奖金？

Adam：你没看合同吗？在中国，大多数的员工都会领到年终奖金，有些数目还很大。

Molly：等等，我好像记起来了，但我不确定我是不是可以拿。好像人们只要有机会可以不付钱的话，他们就不给了。

Adam：这里的学校不是这样的。他们给老师的待遇都很好。

Molly：那是真的。这个学校对我就很好。那跟我详细说说这个奖金的事情吧。每个人都有吗？

Adam：差不多。我知道有些工作是没有的。但是几乎所有我认识的人每年都很期待这个，并会好好计划如何花它。

Molly：总是现金吗？

Adam：我认为这里大部分是。我想管理层可能还能得到一些其它的东西比如股票吧。在美国没有年终奖金吗？

Molly：呃，许多公司都会发放圣诞奖金，因为离年终也就一个星期，所以两者是一回事。但是一点也不会让人兴奋。

Adam：什么意思？

Molly：唔，像我曾经做过秘书的那家公司。每个人在早上七点就得去上班，所以我们圣诞节的奖金就是每个人都得到一个配好电池的闹钟，即使停电了，闹铃还是会响，我们就再也不能以此为迟到的借口了。

Adam：哇，真是够呛的！

Molly：还有，我们还得到一箱牛肉。至少我的是牛排，那些牛仔就只有汉堡包。

Adam：就这么多？

Molly：他们也有一个奖金激励方案。但是是在财政年度末发放，而不是在自然年度末，所以你要到七月份才可以领到。但作为圣诞奖金就只有这些。我知道有好几个地方都是这样的。他们有的发汉堡，或者火鸡，还有一些是水果篮。我还是比较愿意收现金。

Adam：我也是。好了，我得走了，再见。

Molly：再见。

Smart Sentences

①sort of稍微

这个搭配作状语用，表示“稍微，有点儿”的意思，与kind of有点相似，如：I sort of expected it.

②look forward to 盼望，期待

这是书面和口语都非常常用的表达，指对某事非常期待，希望它发生（want it to happen because you think you will enjoy it）。如：All Chinese look forward to 2008 Olympic Games.

③it amounts to the same thing 两者也是等同的

固定搭配amount to是“相当于，等同”的意思，也就是说amount to之前的事物被认为与之后的事物是相当的，虽然不一定是绝对等同，但至少也不相上下。如：Sure, you don"t want to attract public attention, but what you"re done amounts to the same thing.

④anything to write home about 让人兴奋之事

如果你给家里写信，一般不会把每天平淡无味的衣食住行从头到尾数一通，你认为值得给家里报告的通常是很让你兴奋的事，如中奖；或者是你觉得有趣的事，如你看到四胞胎宝宝等。这个口语词组表达的正是这个意思，指一些让你兴奋或觉得有意思的事（very interesting or exciting）。如：What I saw today is absolutely something to write home about.

⑤gotta run (我)得走了

这是口语表达got to run的缩略表达，而这里，句子省略了主语I，指“我得走了”的意思，通常用来表示自己不能继续逗留的意思。在口语中，第一人称的主语通常会被省略。如：(I) gotta run. I"ll talk to you about the party tomorrow.