Can You Speak Over the Telephone. Как вести беседу по телефону - страница 28

II. Rephrase these sentences.

1. You’ve taken a load off my mind. 2. That brings us to Thursday morning. 3. I’ll put it in hand straight away. 4. I’m not keeping you from anything? 5. I’ll call in a building expert and get him to examine the chimney. 6. I can get that in the post this evening. 7. I’ll get things moving here. 8. You mean the one they wanted delivered by the 25th. 9. They’ve been on the telex about it to us this morning. 10. What with that and this big French order we’ve got coming up, I’ve been up to my ears in it. 11. Then we’d better get it off pretty soon. 12. Haven’t we got all the things we want on hand? 13. We’re a bit short-handed on the packing-side. 14. What about offering the boys in despatch a spot of overtime over the week-end?

III. Reproduce the telephone conversations as close to the text as possible.

IV. Make up telephone conversations considering these assignments.

1. Brown amp; Co. for some reason or other have not delivered the goods in the stipulated time. Phone the Company and let them know that they are responsible for the delay and have either to make emergency delivery within a week or to pay you a penalty.

2. You are decorating your apartment. The work is progressing very slowly. Phone the manager of the Company and ask him to offer his workmen a spot of overtime over the week-end so that they could finish off all the outstanding work within two days.

3. You’ve been up to your ears in work over the past two weeks and failed to send a book on Soviet art to your colleague. Phone him, offer your apologies and say that you do remember your promise and that you will get the book in the post this afternoon.

Charles: Two-six-two four-three-double four. Charles Farmer speaking.

Joan: Hello, Charles, it’s Joan — Joan Cook.

Charles: Hello, Joan, how are you?

Joan: I’m very well, thanks[59]. How are you?

Charles: Oh, not so bad, you know.

Joan: Good. I rang to ask if you know anything about hotels in Brighton.

Charles: No, I’m afraid[60] I can’t be very much help to you there[61].

Joan: Well, it’s just that we’ve been thinking of taking the family to the south this summer and at this rather late stage we’re trying to organize[62]ourselves a suitable hotel. But I thought that you’d been to Brighton;

Charles: I have. Several times. But I’ve always taken a tent and done it the hard way[63].

Joan: Oh, I see. I didn’t realize that.

Charles: Yes. Great one for the open air[64], you know.

Joan: Oh, it must be nice, but we could never contemplate it with our lot[65]. We’re terribly disorganized as a family, you know, and we’d be in chaos in no time. And in any case the car isn’t big enough to get all of us in and camping equipment as well, so we simply must find ourselves a nice hotel where they’ll put up with[66] noisy kids.

Charles: Mm. You have got a problem. And it’s certainly a bit late. But there are masses of adverts. Have you looked at those?

Joan: Well, yes. As a matter of fact I was reading one advert only this morning in the Sunday paper which sounded marvellous.

Charles: For a hotel?

Joan: Yes. Just outside Brighton. And I thought to myself “I’ll give Charles a ring[67]. He may know it”.

Charles: Oh, dear I am a dead loss[68], aren’t I. But tell me about the advert.

Joan: It said that this hotel was right on the beach, and that’s essential as far as we’re concerned, because the kids are really only interested in scrabbling[69] in the sand and popping into[70] the sea every five minutes, so we must be close to it-the closer the better.

Charles: I know just how it is[71].

Joan: And all the rooms have balconies facing the sea and overlooking the beach so it should be possible for mum and dad[72] to keep half an eye on[73] the kids while they’re playing and manage a quiet snooze at the same time occasionally.

Charles: Sounds too good to be true[74]. Expensive?

Joan: Rather. But still the prices were a bit lower than in any of the other adverts I’ve seen, and yet the facilities were as good or even better. You know, even allowing for