TO LIE, OR NOT TO LIE: IT’S THE QUESTION!
http://www.learnerhall.org/2012/12/to-lie-or-not-to-lie-its-question.html
憂鬱的星期一早晨或長假過後，每個上班族都曾暗自醞釀「超完美犯罪計劃」；他們思量著該用什麼天衣無縫的藉口來請病假，好多偷得一日閒。2012年CareerBuilder求職網站針對2600名雇主和4300員工做調查，票選出十大最瞎的病假理由。同場加映緩解我星期一憂鬱症的的「一帖」歌：《 Friday I’m in love by The Cure。》你也可「服用」看看。
會用「家裡的狗兒情緒崩潰」來請病假的人，或許小時候也用過「我的作業被狗吃掉了」這個藉口吧 。
《 Friday I’m in love by The Cure 》
According to an annual Careerbuilder survey on absenteeism, 29% of employees have skipped at least one work day by claiming to be sick when they weren’t — and some of them offered outrageous excuses. One employee said he couldn’t make it to work because his fingers were stuck in a bowling ball. Another claimed that he had been up all night trying to coach his dog through a nervous breakdown. Still another called in sick for she blew her nose so hard that she threw her back out. Whether their employers believe them depends heavily on their track records and work performances.
Chronic stress and fatigue may be why workers occasionally need a day to rest and unwind; however, simply not feeling like going to work, attending to personal errands and going on job interviews are among the top incentives for faking illness.
More than half of all employers do allow employees to take “mental health days,” because they would like workers to recharge and be productive. Yet, when employees push the boundaries of feasibility, trust issues may arise. Some employers have phoned the ill worker later in the day or required them to submit a doctor’s note. Fourteen percent have even driven by the employee’s home to verify that they were legitimately under the weather.
Career experts suggest being honest and timely when calling in sick. Lying to a supervisor can put your professionalism and credibility into question, or it may even cost you your job. 17% of employers surveyed state they have fired workers for fabricating a sick day excuse.
Q：What is the main idea of this article?
A. There’s no limit to creativity when it comes to cooking up reasons for calling in sick.
B. If an employee needs to take some time off work, the best way is to be open and honest with their manager.
C. More employees took a sick day because they were stressed and burned out thanks to the weak economy.
D. Not surprisingly, frustrated employers have resorted to drastic measures to fight employees who play hooky from work.
建議做完聽力和閱讀後, 打開播放器, 跟著一起朗讀文章, 熟悉發音和語調。
本專欄文章為大學堂英文創作，如需轉載引用，請事先取得同意。
來信寄到 worktogether AT learnerhall.org
利用 jQuery 來製作網頁頁籤(Tab)
會用「家裡的狗兒情緒崩潰」來請病假的人，或許小時候也用過「我的作業被狗吃掉了」這個藉口吧 。
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| survey (n) 調查 absenteeism (n) 曠工 employee (n) 員工 skip (v) 跳過；不參加 claim (v) 宣稱 outrageous (adj) 反常驚人的 excuse (n) 藉口 bowling ball (n) 保齡球 coach (v) 訓練；輔導 nervous breakdown (n) 精神崩潰 blow one’s nose：擤鼻涕 whether (conj) 是否 depend on N：視…而定 track record (n) 工作紀錄 performance (n) 表現 chronic (adj) 慢性長期的 stress (n) 壓力 fatigue (n) 疲勞 occasionally (adv) 偶爾；有時 unwind (v) 放鬆 attend to N：處理 errand (n) 差事 incentive (n) 動機 fake (v) 假裝 employer (n) 雇主 allow (v) 允許 mental health (n) 心理健康 recharge (v) 養精蓄銳 |
productive (adj) 有生產力的 boundary (n) 界線 feasibility (n) 可行性 arise (v) 發生；出現 require (v) 要求 submit (v) 繳交 verify (v) 證實 legitimately (adv) 合情理地 be under the weather：身體不適 suggest (v) 建議 honest (adj) 誠實的 timely (adj) 適時的；及時的 supervisor (n) 上司 put N into question：…受質疑 professionalism (n) 專業 credibility (n) 信用；可信度 state (v) 聲稱；說 fabricate (v) 捏造 limit (n) 限制 when it comes to N：當談到…時 cook up：捏造 stressed out = burned out 心力交瘁的 economy (n) 經濟 frustrated (adj) 沮喪憤怒的 resort to N：訴諸…；採取 drastic (adj) 嚴厲的 measure (n) 方法 play hooky：翹課；翹班 |
According to an annual Careerbuilder survey on absenteeism, 29% of employees have skipped at least one work day by claiming to be sick when they __ 01 __ — and some of them offered __ 02__ excuses. One employee said he couldn’t make it to work because his fingers were stuck in a bowling ball. Another claimed that he had been up all night trying to __ 03 __ his dog through a nervous breakdown. Still another called in sick for she blew her nose so hard that she threw her back out. ___ 04 __ their employers believe them depends heavily on their track records and work performances.
Chronic stress and fatigue may be __ 05 __ workers occasionally need a day to rest and unwind; however, simply not feeling like going to work, attending to personal errands and going on job interviews are among the top __ 06 __ for faking illness.
More than half of all employers __ 07__ allow employees to take “mental health days”, because they would like workers to recharge and be productive. Yet, when employees push the boundaries of __ 08__ , trust issues may arise. Some employers have phoned the ill worker later in the day or required them to submit a doctor’s note. Fourteen percent have even driven by the employee’s home to verify that they were legitimately under the __09 __ .
Career experts suggest being honest and timely when calling in sick. Lying to a supervisor can put your professionalism and __10__ into question, or it may even cost you your job. 17% of employers surveyed state they have fired workers for fabricating a sick day excuse.
Chronic stress and fatigue may be __ 05 __ workers occasionally need a day to rest and unwind; however, simply not feeling like going to work, attending to personal errands and going on job interviews are among the top __ 06 __ for faking illness.
More than half of all employers __ 07__ allow employees to take “mental health days”, because they would like workers to recharge and be productive. Yet, when employees push the boundaries of __ 08__ , trust issues may arise. Some employers have phoned the ill worker later in the day or required them to submit a doctor’s note. Fourteen percent have even driven by the employee’s home to verify that they were legitimately under the __09 __ .
Career experts suggest being honest and timely when calling in sick. Lying to a supervisor can put your professionalism and __10__ into question, or it may even cost you your job. 17% of employers surveyed state they have fired workers for fabricating a sick day excuse.
| A. why | B. whether | C. credibility | D. feasibility | E. coach |
| F. do | G. incentives | H. weren't | I. outrageous | J. weather |
| 聽力請先下載擴充軟體：安裝方式說明 |
Chronic stress and fatigue may be why workers occasionally need a day to rest and unwind; however, simply not feeling like going to work, attending to personal errands and going on job interviews are among the top incentives for faking illness.
More than half of all employers do allow employees to take “mental health days,” because they would like workers to recharge and be productive. Yet, when employees push the boundaries of feasibility, trust issues may arise. Some employers have phoned the ill worker later in the day or required them to submit a doctor’s note. Fourteen percent have even driven by the employee’s home to verify that they were legitimately under the weather.
Career experts suggest being honest and timely when calling in sick. Lying to a supervisor can put your professionalism and credibility into question, or it may even cost you your job. 17% of employers surveyed state they have fired workers for fabricating a sick day excuse.
Q：What is the main idea of this article?
A. There’s no limit to creativity when it comes to cooking up reasons for calling in sick.
B. If an employee needs to take some time off work, the best way is to be open and honest with their manager.
C. More employees took a sick day because they were stressed and burned out thanks to the weak economy.
D. Not surprisingly, frustrated employers have resorted to drastic measures to fight employees who play hooky from work.
- TEN WORST SICK DAY EXCUSES OF 2010 ~ 2012
- 十大最瞎的病假理由
- ■ I tripped over my dog and was knocked unconscious.
- 我被狗絆倒，跌跤失去意識。
- ■ My bus broke down and was held up by robbers.
- 我搭的那班公車拋錨，後來被綁匪挾持。
- ■ I forget I've been hired.
- 我忘了我已經有工作了。
- ■ I am suffering from a broken heart.
- 我為心碎所苦。
- ■ My grandma is exhumed for police investigation.
- 我奶奶被從墳裡挖出來供警方調查。
- ■ I am not feeling too clever today.
- 我今天腦子不太靈光。
- ■ I had a terrible headache after going to too many garage sales.
- 去了太多二手拍賣會後，我頭痛欲裂。
- ■ My son stuck a mint up his nose and had to go to the ER to remove it.
- 我兒子把薄荷糖塞到自己鼻子裡，所以必須急診取出薄荷糖。
- ■ My cat unplugged my alarm clock.
- 我家的貓把鬧鐘插頭拔掉了。
- ■ I had to be there for my husband's grand jury trial.
- 我一定要出席我丈夫的陪審團審判。
建議做完聽力和閱讀後, 打開播放器, 跟著一起朗讀文章, 熟悉發音和語調。
文意選填解答：
閱讀解答：B
| 1. H | 2. I | 3. E | 4. B | 5. A |
| 6. G | 7. F | 8. D | 9. J | 10. C |
| 1. | 從「翹班」( skipped one work day) 可知他們「沒」生病 ( they weren't sick )。 |
| 2. | 名詞「藉口」(excuses) 前應搭配第2格「形容詞」。第四行「手指卡保齡球內無法上班」這理由既「反常」( outrageous ) 也讓人難以信服。 |
| 3. | 本題考點為「不定詞」to + 動詞原形。從後方狗兒經歷「精神崩潰」，可知需主人「輔導」( coach )。 |
| 4. | 從第 3到 6行可知這些員工的藉口都很瞎，老闆「是否」( whether ) 買帳得看員工平日表現而定。「是否」( whether/ if ) 名詞子句的詳細用法請見 大學堂文法講座十一 。 |
| 5. | 從文意可知，「壓力過大」( stress ) 是員工想請假休息的「理由」。問理由需用疑問詞 why。 |
| 6. | 從文意可知，「不想上班」等等是員工裝病的「動機」。 |
| 7. | 助動詞 do放在肯定句動詞前可加強語氣，意指「真地；的確」。 |
| 8. | 介係詞 of 後方需加「名詞」。從文意可知，若員工一直擴展「病」假「可行」( feasibility ) 天數，得寸進尺將讓勞雇間產生裂痕。 |
| 9. | 9. 從文意可知，雇主親自登門拜訪就是為確知職員是否真的「生病」。片語 「生病」：be/ feel under the weather。 |
| 10. | 若員工說謊裝病，他的專業度和「可信度」( credibility) 都將受質疑。 |
閱讀解答：B
說謊，還是不說謊，這真是個難題！
根據 Careerbuilder 年度「曠工」調查，29% 的員工在沒生病的狀況下裝病，至少一天沒去上班，而他們之中的一些人還用了很瞎的藉口。有個員工說他無法上班，因為他的手指卡在保齡球裡。另一個聲稱他徹夜試圖輔導家中那隻精神崩潰的狗兒而無法到班。還有個員工因用力擤鼻涕扭傷背部而打電話請病假。他們的雇主是否相信他們的說詞，全看他們歷來的工作紀錄和表現。
經年累月的慢性壓力和疲勞可能是員工們偶爾需請一天假來休息和放鬆的原因；然而，純粹不想工作、有私事要辦和參加工作面試卻是員工裝病的幾大動機。
確實有超過半數的雇主允許員工請 “心理健康假”，因他們希望員工可養精蓄銳，提升工作效率。然而，當員工們得寸進尺時，就會引發一些信任問題。有些雇主當天稍晚會打電話給生病的員工，或要求他們繳交醫生證明。14% 的雇主甚至親自登門拜訪，以確認員工是否真的身體不適。
職涯專家建議，當打電話請病假時，務必誠實和及時。對主管撒謊可能讓人質疑你的專業度和誠信度，或者你也可能因此丟了工作。17% 接受調查的雇主表示，他們曾因員工編造病假藉口而開除他。
針對英文考試及學習，「大學堂英文」以 15 分鐘英語學習法為本，提供客制化 TOFEL(托福)、TOEIC(多益)、全民英檢及升學考試私人教學。詳細服務內容請見：大學堂英文精修。根據 Careerbuilder 年度「曠工」調查，29% 的員工在沒生病的狀況下裝病，至少一天沒去上班，而他們之中的一些人還用了很瞎的藉口。有個員工說他無法上班，因為他的手指卡在保齡球裡。另一個聲稱他徹夜試圖輔導家中那隻精神崩潰的狗兒而無法到班。還有個員工因用力擤鼻涕扭傷背部而打電話請病假。他們的雇主是否相信他們的說詞，全看他們歷來的工作紀錄和表現。
經年累月的慢性壓力和疲勞可能是員工們偶爾需請一天假來休息和放鬆的原因；然而，純粹不想工作、有私事要辦和參加工作面試卻是員工裝病的幾大動機。
確實有超過半數的雇主允許員工請 “心理健康假”，因他們希望員工可養精蓄銳，提升工作效率。然而，當員工們得寸進尺時，就會引發一些信任問題。有些雇主當天稍晚會打電話給生病的員工，或要求他們繳交醫生證明。14% 的雇主甚至親自登門拜訪，以確認員工是否真的身體不適。
職涯專家建議，當打電話請病假時，務必誠實和及時。對主管撒謊可能讓人質疑你的專業度和誠信度，或者你也可能因此丟了工作。17% 接受調查的雇主表示，他們曾因員工編造病假藉口而開除他。
本專欄文章為大學堂英文創作，如需轉載引用，請事先取得同意。
來信寄到 worktogether AT learnerhall.org
