Part 2 Doing the Job

Bryce和Kalinda的暑期社會實踐都是在餐廳做侍應。Bryce感嘆女生在服務行業(yè)有優(yōu)勢，Kalinda則認為這與個人的性格以及待人處事的方式有關……

（At a local upscale Italian restaurant. Shift has just ended.）

Bryce： Hey Kali， how much did you make in tips？

Kalinda： Eighty-five1）bucks！ ①Not too 2）shabby.

Bryce： Eighty-five？？ I made less than thirty. I wish I had breasts.

Kalinda： Excuse me？

Bryce： I mean， I dont 3）literally want the burden that goes along with them. I just thought that when I leaned over to clear peoples plates，②it would be cool if there was something about my body that inspired whoever flips the bill to provide me with a more generous 4）gratuity.

Kalinda： You are such a pig， and a 5）misogynist at that. Before you start 6）spewing anymore 7）sexist nonsense， ③why dont you take into account the fact that I am naturally more of a people person than you are？ Face it―social practice is not exactly your 8）forte.

Bryce： Regardless of the proven fact that women actually earn 9）considerably more tips than men do， you are right about one thing： I need more practice being social. ④Unlike you， its in my nature to shy away from conversation. I catch myself avoiding eye contact all the time， which to me， if I were a customer， would be pretty 10）disconcerting.

Kalinda： I never noticed you having any problem talking to me.

Bryce： Thats because of who you are. The first time we met， you 11）exuded this， kind of， positive energy when you spoke. Youre so 12）engaging and 13）inviting， and that sort of positivity is infectious and helps put people at ease， as if theyve known you for years.

Kalinda： Aw...Thats such a nice thing to say. I never knew you felt that way.

Bryce： Oh， no no no―Dont get the wrong idea. You know I have a girlfriend and…

Kalinda： I didnt…I mean I…I know you do…you know， have a girlfriend， I mean. I just never heard anyone say that about me before. Bryce： Well， you are my closest friend. You should know how much you are appreciated. And for who you are， not how you look.

Kalinda： Truth is， I sometimes do think the reason men are so nice to me all the time is because of the way I look. Thats one of the reasons I like to work during the summer； ⑤to prove， in a way， that Im capable of bringing home the bacon—no pun intended.

Bryce： Hehe. You seem to be bringing home quite a bit more bacon than I. ⑥Sorry I got all bent out of shape about it before. I just get the feeling this isnt the occupation for me. As for you， I think youd be perfect doing something like Public Relations or advertising.

Kalinda： Funny you should say that. As a matter of fact， I interviewed for a few internships around town， but none of them offered any sort of salary， just credit hours. So I went to my 14）faculty advisor and found out I could get a few credits， and make some extra money at the same time， waiting tables. So here I am. As for you， I think youd be better suited doing something less social and more intellectual， like tutoring students at home， or publishing a blog.

Bryce： Hmmm...⑦I think you may be on to something there...

Smart Sentences

① Not too shabby. 還不賴！

not too shabby： same as “not bad，” used to respond to general greetings（“還行”，用于回應普通問候語）。例如：

—How is the summer vacation so far？

暑假過得怎么樣？

—Not too shabby.

還行。

②It would be cool if there was something about my body that inspired whoever flips the bill to provide me with a more generous gratuity. 我只是想當我俯身去收拾客人的盤子時，如果我的身體能夠讓買單的人給我更多的小費，那就太棒了。

flip the bill： pay for something； pay for a bill（負擔費用，付賬）。例如：

Whenever the whole family eats out， each of the siblings takes turns as to who flips the bill.

全家人出去吃飯，兄弟姐妹幾人輪流付賬。

③ Why dont you take into account the fact that I am naturally more of a people person than you are？ 你為什么不考慮到我生來就比你更善于與人打交道的事實？

take sth. into account： consider sth. when thinking about a situation or making a decision（考慮到，顧及）。例如：

Whenever you plan for a trip， you need to take the weather into account.

你在為旅行做計劃時，要把天氣因素考慮進去。

people person： sb. who enjoys interacting with people（善于與人打交道的人）。例如：

Look at Jenny over there with the crowd. I cant believe a girl who was once shy has now turned into a people person.

看看在人群當中的簡妮，我真不敢相信從前的羞怯女孩兒變成了一個樂于與人打交道的人。

④ Unlike you， its in my nature to shy away from conversation. 不像你，我生來就很怕與人交談。

in sb.s nature： belonging to sb.s basic quality or character（某人的稟性或本質）。例如：

Its not in her nature to be shy.

她生來就不知道害羞為何物。

⑤ To prove， in a way， that Im capable of bringing home the bacon—no pun intended.以某種方式證明，我能養(yǎng)家糊口——這里沒有雙關的意思。

bring home the bacon： earn a salary； to bring home money earned at a job（賺錢糊口，打工養(yǎng)家）。例如：I need to get a job soon so I can bring home the bacon.我得趕快打份工來養(yǎng)家糊口。

no pun intended： a pun/joke wasnt in the plan（說雙關語不是原意）。例如：

Ive been in the circus for 10 years， and walking the tight rope is my forte—no pun intended.

我在馬戲團十年了，走鋼絲是我的強項——沒有雙關語的意思。

⑥ Sorry I got all bent out of shape about it before.對不起，我之前因此而氣壞了。

bend （sb.） out of shape： make （sb.） angry（惹某人生氣）。例如：

The siblings fight really bent Mom out of shape.

姐妹之間的爭吵真的讓媽媽非常生氣。

⑦ I think you may be on to something there. 我想你說的有一定道理。

on to sth.： find some important information about sth.（找到與某事相關的重要資料）。例如：

Nick looks very confident about the next step. I think he may be on to something.

尼克對下一步很自信，我想他肯定知道了點什么。