They say there’s one rule of conversation that you should always follow in business – don’t talk about politics, sex or religion. 實際上, 然而, it seems like 90% of casual conversations are about just those things – politics, sex and religion. 所以在這一集中, we’ll be focusing on one of these topics – politics. We’ll be learning some language that will help you cope with this difficult topic.

There’s a trick to talking about politics in business. In international business culture, it’s usually better not to express strong opinions. The focus is generally on the exchange of information rather than on debate, because the main goal is to maintain harmonious relations. 經常, we state our opinions non-committally. That means we don’t commit ourselves to an opinion – 換句話說, we don’t voice a strong view one way or the other. 代替, we prefer to be vague, or ambiguous. This strategy helps avoid conflict.

So in this podcast, in addition to covering some general phrases and vocabulary for discussing politics, we’ll be studying how to soften your questions and be non-committal when necessary.

We’ll be listening to Ricardo and Lars, old colleagues who have met each other again at an international conference. They’re talking about the political situations in their home countries, Brazil and Denmark.

聽力問題

1) Ricardo says he has heard that the Danish government is pretty far “正確的”, 那是, conservative. But Lars seems to think that this has a good side. 它是什麼?
2) Lars mentions that Brazil has won its bid to host the World Cup. Ricardo says that Brazil has a lot of work to do in which areas?
3) Lars talks about a certain kind of problem that has “cropped up”, 那是, appeared or occurred during Brazilian President Lula’s presidency. 它是什麼?

Download: Podcast MP3

In many countries, having a drink after work with colleagues is a popular way to relax: This kind of socializing helps us get to know each other and to build team spirit. To attract customers who are just getting off work, many bars and clubs have a “happy hour.” This is a promotion in the early evening, usually lasting an hour or so, when pubs and bars offer a special prices on drinks, 如 “buy one get one free” 或者 “all drinks half price.” So in this business English podcast, we will explore language that we can use to socialize with colleagues during happy hour or during other informal occasions.

Whether you drink alcohol or not, in many places around the world you will likely be invited to the bar or pub with colleagues. It’s important to know how to offer to buy drinks for others and how to make polite excuses when you’ve had enough or when it’s time to go. The same skills are also useful for other types of after-work social activities.

在對話方塊中, we join Greg, a manager, and three people in his team – Joanna, Gary, 和本 – as they order.

聽力問題:

1) Who is paying for the first round of drinks? How can you tell?
2) Who is the person who doesn’t drink?
3) When it’s time for her to go, what excuse does Joanna make?

Download: Podcast MP3