陈豪工作的公司里有一个公用的厨房,里面有冰箱,咖啡壶,微波炉等供工作人员使用。还有美籍华人Mary刚走进厨房,看见陈豪有点不知所措的样子。

(Office ambience)

M: Hey, Chen Hao, what happened?

C: Someone ate my lunch! 早上我买了一盒土豆沙拉放在冰箱里。现在没了!

M:Gone? Did you have your name on it?

C:Write your name on the box?是不是自己的饭还不知道呀?

M:外面买的饭,盒子看起来都差不多不少。If you don’t have your name on it, 别人拿错是很有可能的呀!

C:那倒是。不过,发生了今天的事, I don’t think I’ll ever forget to put my name on my lunch.

M:不过这冰箱确实是个大问题。 Sometimes people bring their lunch, and later decide to go out to eat and forget about their food in the frig until it starts to smell.

C:是呀,有两次我看到有东西都发霉了。I just have to throw them out. 得了,别说了,真恶心。

I have to find some lunch.

M:See you later.

******

C:Hi, Mary, ready to go home? Can I walk with you?

M:Sure. By the way, did you find out who ate your lunch?

C:Oh, yes, I did. It was all a mistake. Brian太忙,让William给他带个沙拉回来放在冰箱里。Brian 去冰箱拿沙拉的时候William还没有回来。他以为我的沙拉就是William替他买的,所以就吃了。

M:原来如此。 But we do need to remind people to observe simple kitchen courtesies.

C:Simple kitchen courtesies? 厨房里还有礼貌呀?

M:当然有呀!For example, if you drink the last cup of coffee, you should fix a new pot for others.

C:我同意。有两次,我想喝咖啡,可是到了厨房看见的是空咖啡壶。I have to make a new pot and wait for a long time to get the coffee ready。

M: Also, it’s just good manners to clean up after yourself such as wiping off the counter and throwing away the trash.

C:噢,擦桌面和扔垃圾!这我倒是没有想到,因为在家里这些不是我妈,就是我姐姐做的。不过,Next time, I should pay more attention to it.

M:You also have to remember: keep the refrigerator clean — put your name on your food and throw away any unwanted food; make a new pot of coffee when you drink the last cup. Throw away the trash, and clean the counter.

C:Thank you, Mary.