对话：

Coco :Good morning, Mr.Zhang. We've got short hands in the office, and I

am wondering if you could do us a favor.

Coco：早上好张先生，我们办公室今天缺人手，我在想你是否能帮我们个忙？

Mr.Zhang:I certainly will if I can. What's happening?

Mr. Zhang: 我可以帮的我肯定帮忙，怎么了？

Coco:My boss’s secretary, Maya, has just called me to say that she's ill. She thinks

she's got flu.

Coco: 我老板的秘书，玛雅, 今天打给我说她生病了，她觉得她得流感了.

Mr.Zhang:I'm sorry to hear that.

Mr. Zhang: 听到这个我很抱歉

Coco:We will need someone to help us. The other two girls in the office can't do

shorthand, so could you spare a person from your department if possible?

Coco:我们需要有人来帮助我们。办公室里的另外两个女孩不能做速记。

所以如果可能的话，你能从你的部门抽出一个人吗？

Mr.Zhang: Oh dear! Well, I suppose I could let you have Emma.

M：哦，天哪！我想我可以把艾玛派去你们那里。

Coco : What's her shorthand like?

Coco: 她速记如何？

Mr.Zhang: Reasonable. She sets her letters out well, though I wouldn't say she is the world's fastest worker.

Mr. Zhang: 还可以，她信件写得很好，虽然我不会说她是世界上工作速度最快的人。

Coco:Oh, I expect she will manage. Thanks for your help.

Coco:哦，我想她会处理好的。谢谢你的帮助。

重点：

1.sb get/ be short (of) hands

缺人手

例： You should’n leave the company when they are short of hands.

你不该在公司缺人手的时候离职。

2.do sb a favor 帮某人忙

例： Could you do me a favor? 能帮我一下吗？

3.get flu 患上了流感 get + 疾病 患了某种疾病

例：He got flu and he thought it was covid.

他得了流感，他还以为自己得了新冠。

4.Could you do sth if possible? 如果可以的话你能帮我xxx吗？

例： Could you help take care of my dog when I go to work if possible?

如果可以的话，我去上班的时候你能帮我照顾下我的狗狗吗？

spare 抽出；拨出；留出；匀出

~ sth/sb (for sb/sth) | ~ (sb) sth to make sth such as time or money available to sb or for sth, especially when it requires an effort for you to do this 抽出；拨出；留出；匀出

例：Could you spare one of your staff to help us out? 你能不能从你手下抽一个人过来帮帮我们？

5.shorthand 速记

( NAmE also also sten·og·raphy ) [ U ] a quick way of writing using special signs or abbreviations, used especially to record what sb is saying 速记（法）

例：typing and shorthand 打字和速记

6.manage

DO STH DIFFICULT 做难做的事

to succeed in doing sth, especially sth difficult 完成（困难的事）；勉力完成

例：In spite of his disappointment, he managed a weak smile.

尽管他很失望，他还是勉强露出一丝淡淡的微笑。