Bikingest Workplace (6)
TALK THE TALK
Satoshi Sugita: In our current vignette, Ueda Shota describes the Bike to Work Challenge, in which people compete to see which workplaces have the highest percentage of bike commuters.
Heather Howard: That's sounds like a great campaign. I'm a big believer in positive reinforcement. I think it's almost always the best way to change people's habits for the better. I'm reminded of this every time I go grocery shopping actually. A supermarket near my house has those cards at the cash registers, the ones you put in the basket when you don't want a plastic bag for your groceries. It has a big "NO" written on it. And I always wondered why it had to be a negative message like that. If I worked with a supermarket chain, I'd put a big "YES" on there. That's an inviting massage. That would encourage more people to look at the cards in the first place. And I'd add additional text like "I'm an eco-worrier with my own bag". Maybe the store could even distribute or sell reusable bags with that message on them, "I'm an eco-worrier".
positive reinforcement(｢英辞郎 on the WEB｣より)
正の強化、陽性強化◆好ましい行動を褒め、同じ行動を繰り返させる教育訓練法
Satoshi Sugita: You sound like you've given this some thought.
Heather Howard: I have. I like to ponder how different campaigns could inspire people to be healthy or donate the charity, that sort of thing. I'd also introduce competition among supermarket outlets if I had the opportunity. Like the Bike Challenge competition to find the bikingest workplace, I'd get a supermarket chain's different locations to compete over reusing bags. I'd calculate how often each store's customers brought in their own bags, and post rankings every month. And every month the top 3 stores in different areas could have a special sale day. People love to win and they love discounts. It would certainly encourage me to pitch in.
pitch in (｢英辞郎 on the WEB｣より)
1.〔分担・支援などの〕お金を出す
2.〔寄付・ボランティアをして〕援助する、支援を申し込む、協力する
Satoshi Sugita: You could always write a letter to some super market chains and suggest the idea. Later in the vignette, Ueda gives some safety tips for beginning cyclists including staying off the sidewalks.
Heather Howard: Yes. That is a real pet peeve of mine especially when cyclists are zipping by, weaving among pedestrians on a sidewalk and going way too fast. I've had some people on bicycles come very close to my daughter and me and it's really put my back up. I think a lot of people don't understand how serious a collision can be. The elderly mother of a friend of mine was knocked down by a cyclist the other day. She got a scrape on her nose, and the lenses in her glasses were so badly damaged they had to be replaced. And she was lucky. We all breathed a sigh of relief that it hadn't been any worth. I read in the newspaper about a woman who was struck by a bicycle, hit her head on the pavement and ended up in a coma.
zip 疾走する、勢いよく進む、迅速に動く(｢英辞郎 on the WEB｣より)
put someone's back up (｢英辞郎 on the WEB｣)
(人）を怒らせる、(人）をいら立たせる◆猫が怒ると背中を持ち上げることから
get a scrape on one's nose 鼻をすりむく
breathe a sigh of relief (｢英辞郎 on the WEB｣)
〔緊張・心配・苦痛などから解放されて〕ホッとため息をつく、ホッと胸をなで下ろす
Satoshi Sugita: That's terrible. Ueda also mentions importance of cyclists' wearing helmets.
Heather Howard: Yes. That is very important. To illustrate the point, let me share once again an incident that happened when I was in college. One day, I saw a bunch of leaflets attached to bicycles around campus. They were put there by another student who had been involved in a horrible bike accident. He was struck by a car, as I recall, while riding his bike and he wasn't wearing a helmet at the time. He survived but he ended up with significant memory loss. So he put the leaflets all around school saying, "Don't let this happen to you. Wear a helmet".
LISTENING CHALLENGE
CHALLENGE 1: Listen to the telephone conversation and fill in the details in the text.
Okay? Let's listen.
Woman: Hello, This is Sera Bean calling from Panel Power about an order placed with us. May I speak to Mr. Corvantes?
Man: This is he.
Woman: Hi, Mr. Corvantes. I'm calling to confirm an order for a solar panel installation at your location on Fullerton Drive. We have you down for Friday the 18th. Is that correct?
Man: Yes. But I wonder if I could reschedule that for the 21st. An important client is coming on Friday.
Woman: That shouldn't be a problem. Monday, then. This is for total of 20 panels, each 10 feet by 15 feet, right?
Man: Yes, that's correct. Now I think I may have asked this before, but will the panels on the roof be visible from the street if you're looking at the front of the building from the south side?
Woman: No, not at all. The panels are maximum of 5 feet high from the roof surface. And they'll be toward the rear of the building on the north side. So the only way you could see them is by looking down from the upper floors of another building.
place an order with (｢英辞郎 on the WEB｣)
～に発注する［注文を出す］
The answers are:
1. Monday
2. roof
3. 20
4. 5 feet
CHALLENGE 2: Listen to a man talking about Company revenue. What does the speaker report?
A. The company expects to need more employees.
B. The company has seen increased revenues since the merger.
C. The company plans to open a branch in the near future.
Here we go.
It's my pleasure to bring you some good news today regarding the company's financial situation. You may know that our 4th quarter earnings were not quite as good as last years. But this is to be expected due to the expenses we incurred opening our new location in Charleston. What I'm happiest to report is that we have just signed a merger agreement with Yaxtry Industrial Design. Yes, as you are all are aware, our biggest competitor for years. Now this venture will not come without some compromise and sacrifice. We will likely to post negative earnings for the next two years or so. On the other hand, while many mergers involve the elimination of jobs, we do not expect any. Rather we anticipate needing to augment our staff in a number of areas. We will provide further details as they become available next month.
augment (｢英辞郎 on the WEB｣より)
1.増やす、増加［増大・拡大］させる
2.増補する
The answer is A. The company expects to need more employees.
AS THEY SAY
取らぬたぬきの皮算用
不確実な事柄に期待をかけて、それを基にした計画をあれこれ立てること。また、その愚かさを言ったもの。
たぬき raccoon dog: 欧米人にはあまりなじみがない
Don't sell the bear skin before you've got the bear.
熊を捕らえる前に熊の毛皮を売るな。
Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.
卵がかえる前にヒナを数えるな