陈豪在北京的ABC美国公司工作。他到办公室去找美国同事Amy 。
(Office ambience)
CH：Hi Amy. 几天不见，来看看你。
A: That’s nice of you. I’m fine.
CH: 你有几分钟的时间吗？
A: Certainly. Have a seat, please.
CH: 你要不要口香糖？
A: Thank you, Chen Hao, but I don’t believe so.
CH: 这是一种新口味。我今天早上去买咖啡的时候顺便买的。
A: I personally don’t like chewing gum.
CH: 真的吗? 为什么呢？
A: Chewing gum is a personal preference. Where and when you chew it is NOT. I see too many people chewing gum at inappropriate times and places.
CH: 嚼口香糖还有规定的时间和地点吗？我不太明白你的意思。
A: I’ll be happy to explain what I mean later. Right now I have to prepare for a meeting.
CH: 那我们下班后一起走？
A: OK. I’ll meet you at the exit at 5:30.
******
两人下班后一起去地铁站。
CH: Amy, 你上午说嚼口香糖还有规矩？
A: Yes. If you like to chew gum, that is your business, but chewing gum does not belong in the workplace.
CH: 为什么不？
A: It is totally unprofessional anywhere in the business environment.
CH: 我在电脑前面工作的时候最喜欢嚼口香糖。这样可以让我放松。
A: I understand, but what if the boss walks up at that moment and starts a conversation with you?
CH: 那我就装作嘴里没有口香糖。
A: Why would you hide it if you think its okay?
CH: 我想老板看见我嚼口香糖，心里一定不高兴。
A: See. You already know that chewing gum is not a good idea in certain professional situations.
CH: 可我还是不明白为什么我独自工作的时候就不能嚼口香糖。
A: You never know who will walk up to your desk or call you on the phone. If you are caught smacking, it could affect your current job or the career move you had planned for.
CH: 影响前程？你说得太严重了吧？
A: I don’t think so. Chewing gum is a leisure activity at best. At its worst, it can make you look sloppy and incompetent.
CH: 我知道你说的有道理，可我还是觉得独自工作的时候可以嚼口香糖。
A: Well good luck. If it gets to be a habit, consider this. One day you will have gum in your mouth when you walk into a meeting. I’ve seen it happen.
CH: 有过先例？那结果呢？
A: The poor fellow who forgot about his gum got stuck. Every time someone asked him a question, he tried to hide his gum in his cheek. Finally he decided to swallow it.
CH: 我也听说过这件事，后来成了全公司的笑料。我以后一定注意，在办公室里绝不再嚼口香糖。