bbc english at work episode 21: don't panic!
bbc白领工作英语第21集： 别慌！ asking for help 请求帮助用语
narrator: 你好，欢迎回到 tip top 贸易公司，眼下人人都在议论着 anna 刚刚被提升的消息。 paul 宣布由 anna 来充任该公司新设立激光水果库存管理系统的领导。
denise: (on phone) yes anna... the new girl... she's done really well although i don't know what experience she's got.... anyway, about the hairdresser you mentioned, oh i loved his aftershave...
tom: (to himself) i can't understand it. i've got all the experience and all the ideas... she's just such a...
anna: (interrupting) tom. sorry to interrupt, i just wanted to check you're ok with me leading this strategy for stock management.
tom: oh of course. yeah, you deserve it.
narrator: anna 姿态不错嘛！
anna: but tom, now you must help me.
tom: eh?!
narrator: anna! 求人帮助时，不能这么讲话。难道你忘了我一直在教你要注意礼貌？
anna: be polite – yes you keep telling me that.
narrator: 如果你需要别人帮忙，一定要请求，不能命令，即使是 tom 也不例外!
anna: oh right. i'm in a bit of a panic. i've never done this before. i don't know where to begin.
narrator: 很简单，你可以这样对同事说: 如果你能帮忙那么我将非常感激。i would be most grateful if you could give me some help. 请问你能不能给我提些建议？please could i ask you for some advice? 我知道你很忙，不过能不能占用你几分钟时间？i know you're busy but could you spare me a few minutes of your time please? 来吧，试一试!
anna: right, thanks. i'll try. erm, excuse me tom. sorry about earlier. i'm a little nervous about leading this strategy thing and i would be most grateful if you could give me some help... please?
tom: of course anna. why didn't you say, i'd be delighted. i've lost count of the number of projects i've lead over the years.
anna: great, thanks. so... where do you think i should begin?
tom: give me a few minutes and i'll find some of the excellent work i did last year. basically, you'll just need to copy it. hold on...
paul: ah anna... just popping out for some biscuits... err, how's the stock management strategy coming along?
anna: oh very good paul. actually, please could i ask you for some advice please?
paul: yes of course... although i don't know if i'll be of much use!
tom: ...now where did i save those damn documents!
anna: i'm very grateful for this opportunity but i'm a little unsure of where to start. tom is looking for some of his old work but...
paul: really?! to be honest, this isn't tom's speciality. at a time like this i would ask denise.
anna: denise?!
paul: yes... she may only be the office assistant but she always has words of wisdom. right, custard creams or chocolate digestives?
anna: what?
paul: biscuits?
anna: oh... custard creams please. err, denise, i know you're busy but could you spare a few minutes of your time please?
denise: of course anna, always happy to help you.
anna: well, you know the stock management control system?
denise: the one you've now got to work out... well done for getting that!
anna: thanks. it was ok writing it down for paul but how do i put it in to practice? there's just too much to do!
denise: calm down anna. you'll be fine. the first thing you need to do is to look at our current system.
anna: look at our current system. how do i do that?
denise: easy! just take the lift down to the warehouse and speak to mr ingle and then write down what you find; and draw up an action plan of tasks you need to do, like a shopping list. i'm very good at those.
anna: go and see mr ingle? oh do i have to?
denise: he's ok really anna. if you approach him in the right way he won't bite your head off!
anna: what! bite my head off?! oh, well, if he won't bite me... then i suppose i should go and see him. thanks for your advice denise, i could kiss you! right, i'm going to go and see him right now.
narrator: 一定要有一个行动计划! 一个好的想法。 干得不错 denise, 你比人们印象的更聪明! anna 你干的不错，看来这些礼貌用语都派上用场了。 i would be most grateful if you could give me some help. please could i ask you for some advice? i know you're busy but could you spare me a few minutes of your time please? 记住如果你没主意了尽管请求别人帮忙就是了... 不过最好别去找 tom, 不知道他现在 怎么样?
tom: here anna, i've got them. look, all my ideas from my last stock control project... pages and pages of them. just copy these, they're brilliant. anna? anna!
paul: too late, i've just seen her in the lift. fancy a custard cream tom?
narrator: anna 去找那位动不动就发脾气的ingle先生去谈话。希望她别忘了使用礼貌请求用 语，否则对方才不会买账呢 – 那样可就糟了! 我们下次再会。
listening challenge 听力挑战:
what does denise advise anna to do first when planning the stock management strategy? denise 建议 anna 在计划股票管理策略时要首先做什么？
answer: to look at the current system. 答案: 要先看看现在的系统。