lesson (课文)
whenever you start a new job, one of the key things to ask is what time you start and what time you finish. most company's business hours are 9am to 5pm but some workers start at 8.30am and finish at 6pm.
some companies ask their staff to do shift-work. shift-work means that you could start very early in the morning but finish earlier or start late in the night and then have all day to sleep.
whatever the time it is good advice to get there a little early but not to leave early. if you are always early and stay late the boss will notice and may promote you.
managers don't mind if you are late occasionally, but they will not be happy if you are late every day. remember it's your responsibility to get to work on time.
在你开始一个新工作的时候，问清楚你的工作时间是非常重要的。 绝大多数公司的办公时间是从早上9点到下午5点，但也有些公司从早上8：30开始上班，有些要到晚上6：00才下班。
有些公司实行轮班工作制，所谓轮班工作制是指：你可以早点到公司，早走;或是晚到公司晚走。
无论如何，早一点到公司是好的，但不要提前离开。如果你总是早到晚走的话，老板会注意到你的，说不定还会给你升职的机会。
如果你偶尔迟到的话，经理一般不会说些什么，但如果你每天都迟到的话他可就要不高兴了。要记住：每天准时上班也是你工作职责的一部分。
dialogue(对话)
beth : can you tell me the time please, sally?
sally: sure, it's 8.55am. why do you ask?
beth : i missed the subway this morning and i thought i would be late.
sally: you're not late. in fact, you are a little early.
beth : you know i ran all the way from the subway station to the office and now i am exhausted.
sally: beth, you are always early or on time, so being a little late one day isn't a big deal.
beth : thanks for noticing that i always try to be on time.
sally: that's ok - i think you are a very good worker and always try your best.
beth : good to hear. i hope that i can get a big pay raise this year then?
sally: let me think about that one beth.
贝丝：萨丽，你能告诉我现在几点了么?
萨丽：没问题，现在是上午8：55。为什么问这个?
贝丝：今天早上我没赶上地铁，所以我想我可能要晚了。
萨丽：你没晚，实际上你还早到了呢!
贝丝：你知道么，我可是一路从地铁站跑到公司来的，现在都累得不行了。
萨丽：贝丝，你每天都按时上班，甚至提前到达办公室，所以有一天晚一点儿的话真的算不了什么。
贝丝：真高兴你能注意到我总保持上班准时，谢谢你。
萨丽：没什么。我一直认为你是一名好员工，而且一直努力工作。
贝丝：能听到这些我真高兴。希望今年我的薪水能涨一些呢。
萨丽：让我考虑考虑，贝丝。