Another Day at the Office: A Story of Hard Choices

College English

Unit Five Woke 1. Text: Another Day at the Office 2. Grammar: post modifier

Text: Another Day at the Office Another Day at the Office How do you feel when you have to tell your beloved family bad new such as the fact that you have unemployed? Do you try to delay revealing the news until the last moment? No one wants to be in such a situation. But John Watson in the following story has to face this problem. Read the story and see how hard it is for him to make up his mind to tell the truth. beloved: Sherlock Holmes is without doubt one of the most beloved figures in the history of mystery fiction. delay I must point out that delay is unwise. Severe weather could delay airline traffic. reveal Brenda was forced to reveal Robbie's whereabouts. such a make up one s mind They made up their minds to sell the house.

Text: Another Day at the Office Another Day at the Office 1 I ve made you a nice sandwich for lunch, John. Cheese and tomato ---- your favorite. And I put a little surprise in with it. Have a nice day, dear. Don t forget you promised you'd be home early. Bye now. Don t get too wet. Look at those clouds - a storm s coming. " favorite The college library is a favorite haunt. Another one of my favorites is this one and I love it because it was given to me by the original owner. put a little surprise in with it

Text: Another Day at the Office Another Day at the Office 2 John Watson smiled at his wife as he walked down the driveway. Rounding the corner to Main Street, he took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and joined several other men and women walking toward the station. Like Watson, each wore a dark suit and carried a briefcase and a black umbrella. They were heading for the 7:30 express train which would deliver them at precisely 8:17 at King's Cross station. There they would separate as each walked to the offices: lawyers, accountants, businessmen. Another work day was beginning. smile A smile transformed her usually impassive face. The man smiled, revealing perfect white teeth. round With regard to the structure, I felt that you ended rather abruptly, without rounding it off. breath take a deep breath; out of breath; take my breath away square one s shoulders: wear She wore beautiful jewels round her neck. Underinflated tires also wear down more quickly.

Text: Another Day at the Office Another Day at the Office 2 John Watson smiled at his wife as he walked down the driveway. Rounding the corner to Main Street, he took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and joined several other men and women walking toward the station. Like Watson, each wore a dark suit and carried a briefcase and a black umbrella. They were heading for the 7:30 express train which would deliver them at precisely 8:17 at King's Cross station. There they would separate as each walked to the offices: lawyers, accountants, businessmen. Another work day was beginning. suit business suit diving suit space suit bathing suit civil suit law suit suit yourself Very spicy food doesn t suit her stomach. Briefcase He settled his briefcase comfortably in his lap. head for You are heading for a completely different world, now that you are about to graduate from high school. express express company by express express service air express express gratitude daily express express mail service federal express deliver The telegram was delivered early this morning.

Text: Another Day at the Office Another Day at the Office 3 Watson reached platform 3A and took his customary seat on the wooden bench closest to the newspaper stand. There was a clap of thunder in the distance. He nodded at the middle-aged man already sitting on the bench, newspaper in hand. 4. Morning, James. Anything happening in the world today? 5 "Morning, John. Nothing we can't fix at the office. " 6 Watson smiled. Fifteen years and the greeting never changed. The 7:30 roared into the station. customary It is customary with me to do so. a clap of thunder in the distance short distance within walking distance

Text: Another Day at the Office Another Day at the Office 7 As the train arrived in the city, the storm broke. Umbrellas were opening up everywhere like winter flowers reaching for the rain. Watson turned up his collar, braced himself against the cold wind, and walked toward the law firm of Elderberry, Glover, and Sons. Fifteen years. arrive arrive at arrive in, When my guest arrives, please notify me. open up Our new technologies are opening up many other novel ethical dilemmas reach for As Ember reached for the lantern, she hesitated, feeling the weight of the moment. turn up , , , , , It wouldn t be quite the thing to turn up in jeans and trainers. brace oneself against/for It's unclear how bad things could be tonight, but certainly, the authorities were bracing themselves for further unrest.

Text: Another Day at the Office Another Day at the Office 8 As he approached the familiar Victorian building with the brass plaque proudly announcing the partners' names, he felt the cold hit him in the chest. His hand holding the umbrella against the bitter cold trembled and felt as cold ice. He staggered slightly. Then, once again, he took a deep breath and walked on past the office of Elderberry, Glover, and Sons. approach new/ basic approach an approach to ... ... The approach of winter brings cold weather. Walk softly as you approach the bed. brass plaque tremble I tremble to think of the consequences. stagger One young boy staggers under his load. walk on

Text: Another Day at the Office Another Day at the Office 9 King's Street library opened at 9:00. Watson was there as the heavy oak doors were unlocked by the librarian. He went in, relieved to be out of the weather. The librarian smiled at him, but as he passed, she looked over to her colleague and gently shook her head. The colleague glanced at Watson, and then looked away. They knew, and he knew they knew, but no one said a word. Watson walked over to the newspaper section, took a copy of the Times, and silently sat down to read. relieve This will relieve the heat of the fever. walk over

Text: Another Day at the Office Another Day at the Office 10 It was quiet in the library. The wooden floors and walls kept out of the noise of the city. Watson read and the clock ticked steadily. His thoughts wandered away from the black and white ink to settle on his current situation. "Unemployed", he thought. "That's what I am. I am a fifty-three year-old, unemployed, senior office manager. And I have no idea what I'm going to do." keep out of , ... keep out of trouble ,keep out of debt ; ; ; keep out of mischief ; wander away wander off ;wander about ;wander from settle on After much discussion they settled on the plan originally proposed.

Text: Another Day at the Office Another Day at the Office 11 He heard the noon chimes and carefully folded the paper and replaced it on its stand. Taking his briefcase and umbrella, he quietly left, avoiding the gentle eyes of the librarian. The rain had stopped, and the city air felt unusually clean as he made his way toward the park. Another new routine. Same bench; same pigeons gathering hopefully just beyond his reach. He unwrapped his sandwich, and picked at it. The pigeons took his lack of appetite as a hopeful sign, and ventured closer. He rewarded them with a crust, and then fed them the rest of the sandwich piece by piece. He found the surprise at the bottom of his lunch bag. A slice of fruit cake. That, too, went to the birds. chime The chime of the clock woke him up. fold These bunks can tip up and fold back into the wall. avoid Nobody can avoid being disabled by age. make one s way toward beyond one s reach unwrap The children unwrapped their Christmas presents with delight. pick at take as venture He ventured his fortune in a speculation. He is about to embark on a new business venture. crust continental crust earth crust upper crust oceanic crust soil crust pie crust

Text: Another Day at the Office Another Day at the Office 12 "Tonight," he thought, "tonight I m going to tell her. Yes. Tonight. It will be all right. I ll tell her tonight. " 13 He stood up, stiff from sting in the cold. Brushing the crumbs from his neatly pressed suit, he began to walk to his afternoon refuge, the National Museum. As he left the park, a carelessly thrown newspaper fluttered in the grass like an injured bird. It came to rest beside the bench. The front page trembled slightly in the wind, and mud blurred the small print, but the headline was clear for all to see: "Unemployment at 8.5% and still rising. 14 John Watson walked out of the park. "Tonight," he told himself. "Tonight." stiff sting crumb refuge wildlife refuge flutter ( ) vt. & vi. , The flag fluttered in the wind. blur The houses appeared as a blur in the mist. Tears blur my eyes. His manner seemed rather stiff and impersonal. The boy was stung by a bee./ I felt the sting of the cold, bitter air. seek refuge take refuge take refuge in

Grammar: Grammar: 1. machinery capable of clearing rubble off the main roads 2. a warning to people eager for a quick cure 3. the vicious poverty cycle so common in single-parent families 4. places safe from predators 5. plants deficient in nitrogen or iron 6. the sort of weapons likely to be deployed against it 7. animals unable to cross a considerable distance of ocean 8. the size and strength necessary to meet its purpose 9. a concept inconceivable a hundred years earlier

Grammar: Grammar: 1. the assessment of past rises and falls in sea level 2. a phenomenon with far reaching effects on human colonization of the globe 3. one obstacle to the transition from a nomadic lifestyle to the sedentary lifestyle 4. the subsequent accelerated erosion of the soil by wind and water. 5. variations in accumulated material goods between pastoralist households 6. accounts by figures like the famous traveler from Venice, Marco Polo, of the willingness of people in China to trade with Europeans 7. the blood vessels carrying cooled blood. 8. the gradual drying of the soil caused by its diminished ability 9. the ability to absorb water

Grammar: Grammar: Ving Ving