Larry 已經開始在一家公司做暑期工作。他正在向李華抱怨工作上的問題。

    今天李華會學到兩個常用語：swamped 和to get axed.

    LL： I've only been working there two days and I'm already totally
swamped with work ！ It's unbelievable！

    LH： Larry，你說 swamped with work，是不是說你不知道怎么做這份工作？

    LL： No ， I know how to do the work. It's just that there is too
much of it. To be swamped means to have too much work to do. LH ：噢，
我懂了，swamp 一般是沼澤地的意思，你說swamped with work 就是工作太多，
好象陷進了沼澤地一樣，讓你覺得喘不過氣。那他們到底給你什么樣的工作？

    LL： It's all relatively simple stuff like filing ， typing ， copying.
It's just that there are pilesof it and everyone wants it finished right
now. LH ：��！歸檔、打字、復印都是很簡單的事，可要是辦公室每個人都要你
做這些事，每個人都要你馬上給他做，這確實難以對付。Larry ，也許你該建議
他們再多雇個人來幫你�。�

    LL： I doubt that. Besides， I don't want them to think I'm lazy.
I guess I just have to accept the fact that I'll be swamped with work
for the rest of the summer. LH：真是的。一個暑假就陷在這些繁瑣的工作里，
太沒勁了。我只想在暑假里輕松輕松。

    LL： I was hoping to relax a little ， too， but it doesn't look as
though that's going to happen. LH ：不過Larry ，雖然你白天在公司里工作
很忙，可是你晚上回到家可以輕松一下啦，因為你不必像學期當中忙于寫作業或
交報告！

    LL： That's true， but I'm so tired by the time I get home from being
swamped all day that I don't have the energy to do anything fun. LH ：
這你就跟我不一樣了。我呀，再累也沒有關系，只要一聽到玩，我就精神百倍了。

    不過，Larry ，我真希望能幫你一點忙。

    LL： Oh ， it's not your fault， Li Hua. I'm sorry for complaining
like this.

    ******

    LH：嗨！Larry ！你的暑期工作現在怎么樣了！還是很忙嗎？

    LL： It's even worse than ever！ The managementjust axed one of the
other employees and now they're giving me all of his work ！

    LH： Ax 不是斧頭嗎？你說你公司把那個雇員怎么啦？Axed？不是把他砍了
吧？聽起來好嚇人的！

    LL： To ax someone is to fire them. The other guy was really unreliable
so management decided to ax him.

    LH：噢，我明白了，to ax someone 就是把某人開除的意思。你真倒霉。公
司把那個不可靠的人開除了，他的工作也就落在你頭上。你們公司有沒有考慮雇
用新人來接替他的工作？

    LL： I have no idea. In the mean time ， I have so much work that
I'm running around all day long.

    LH：你真可伶，每天忙得暈頭轉向的。也許你可以問問他們什么時候會雇用
一個新人��？

    LL： I want to ask， but I'm afraid of getting axed ， too.

    LH：你不過問問而已嘛！他們為什么要開除你呢？

    LL： Well ， I guess they wouldn't fire me， because I've been doing
a good job although I'm swamped with work. I just don't want them to think
that I'm lazy or that I'm complaining.

    LH：我肯定他們不會開除你。他們也不傻，知道你做很多工作，而且還做得
很好。你要不說，他們絕對不會再雇一個人。這樣不是省錢嘛！

    LL： I guess you are right. I'm more likely to get axed for messing
up rather than telling them I'm overworked.

    LH：沒錯。老老實實地告訴他們你太忙，總比你忙不過來，把事情搞砸了要
好。

    LL：Li Hua， you're so smart！