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 piles of it and everyone wants it finished right now.

LH: 啊！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啊！

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 management just 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啊？

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，他們絕對不會再顧一個人。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!

今天李華學到兩個常用語。第一個是swamped，是指陷入大量工作，或其他什么事。另一個常用語是to get axed，就是被開除的意思。