1、UNIT 1 INTERNATIONAL TRAVAELChina Overseas Construction Company(COCC) is awarded a contract for a hydroelectric project in Central America. Mr. Bian, the project manager and his assistant, Mr. Zhang are leading a group of engineers, technicians and other site management staff to where the project is

2、 going to be executed. Because theres no direct flight available from China to the destination, they decide to go there by way of San Francisco, USA.1. On Board the PlaneStewardess: (At lunch time) What would you like to have, sir? We have fried chicken, fish and beef.Zhang: Fish, please.Stewardess:

3、 How about a drink, coke, orange juice or beer?Zhang: Do you have tea?Stewardess: Sorry. We dont serve tea at lunch.Zhang: Then, a coke. Please.Stewardess: (To Mr. Bian, who is sitting next to Mr. Zhang) And you, sir?Bian: Nothing right now. Im feeling a bit airsick.Stewardess: Ill see if I can get

4、you some tablets for airsickness. Just a moment, please.Bian: Thank you very much.2. Arrival at San Francisco Airport( After a flight of more than twenty hours, they have landed at San Francisco Airport)I.O: (At the immigration counter) Passport, please. Landing card, too.Zhang: Here you are.I.O: Wh

5、ats the purpose of your journey?Zhang: Were in transmit. Actually, were going to Central America to execute a construction project. You see, all of us are in a group. Most of us are engineers and technicians.I.O: My brother is an engineer, too. He builds bridges. How long do plan to stay here?Zhang:

6、 Just two days.I.O: Everything seems to be OK. Please proceed to Customs next.* * * * * * * * * * * * *C.O: (At the customs Counter)Your declaration form, please.Zhang: Here it is.C.O: Anything else to declare?Zhang: I dont think so.C.O: Whats in this bag?Zhang: Just some personal belongings.C.O: OK

7、. Thats all.3. Check-in at the Airport.(After two days stopover in San Francisco, Mr. Bian and his fellow workers are going to take TACA Airlines Flight No.375 to the destination. Theyre in the airport terminal and are looking for check-in counter.)Zhang: Excuse me, where is the check-in counter of

8、TACA Airlines, please?Clerk: Go down this corridor until the end. Turn left and youll see the signs on the right. You cant miss it.Zhang: Thank you.* * * * * * * * * * * * * *A.C: (At the check-in counter) Good morning. Ticket and passport, please.Zhang: Good morning. We are in a group. Here are all

9、 the tickets and passports.A.C: How many people on the group?Zhang: Fourteen in all.A.C: Any seat preference?Zhang: Two windows seats for Mr. Bian and me in the non-smoking section. Oh, my name is Zhang. This passport is mine. For the others, - let me check.(Checking with his fellow workers)Zhang: T

10、heyre prefer any seats in the smoking section.A.C: How many pieces of baggage do you want to check?Zhang: Two for each of us. By the way whats the baggage allowance?A.C: Seventy pounds for each passenger, and the weight limit for each pieces is forty-five pounds. Put these four big cartons and that

11、suitcase on the scale then, one by one.Zhang: I hope theyre not overweight.( After weighting all the things)A.C: No, youre OK. Now, let me put on the baggage tags.Zhang: Do we have to tear off the old baggage tags?A.C: (Humorously)Yes, if you dont want your baggage to come back.(The A.C laughs. Then

12、 Zhang laughs, too)A.C: Your boarding cards and passports.Zhang: Thanks. Whats the boarding gate number?A.C: Gate seven. Have a good flight, gentlemen.Zhang: Thanks a lot.WORDS AND EXPRESSIONSConstruction companyAward a contractHydroelectric projectCentral AmericaProject managerSite managementDirect

13、 flightAvailableDestinationFried chickenBeefOrange juiceStewardessAirsickPassportTabletIn transmitConstruction projectCustomsDeclareBelongingsCheck inColleagueStopoverFlight numberAirport terminalCorridorSignA.C= airline clerkPreferenceBaggageAllowanceCartonSuitcaseOverweightTagBoarding cardBoarding

14、 gateSan FranciscoUINT 2 SETTLING DOWNAfter such a long-distance international flight, the construction crew has finally arrived at the destination. Despite the jet lag and the inconvenience of their stay in the hotel. Everyone is busy making preparation for the commencement of the big job, studying

15、 the technical data and specifications, discussing the consideration plans and so on.1. Renting a House(Mr. Zhang, assistant of the project manager, is making telephone calls, trying to rent a house for the accommodations of the crew)Zhang: Hello, may I speak to Mr. Neal, please?Neal: Speaking. What

16、 can I do for you, sir?Zhang: Im calling about your advertisement in “peoples Pulse”. Have you got a house for rent?Neal: Well, I did have a house for rent. But its been let out.Zhang: Sorry to hear that. By the way, do you know anyone who has a house for rent?Neal: Let me see. My friend Sam told me

17、 a few weeks ago that he wanted to rent a house. I think its a big house. You could check with him.Zhang: Thats just what were looking for. Whats his telephone number, please?Neal: 2237.Zhang: Could I have your friends name again?Neal: Sam, Sam Carter.Zhang: Thanks a lot. Bye.* * * * * * * * * * * *

18、 * *Zhang: Good morning. Id like to speak to Mr. Carter, please.Man: Sorry, theres no one here by that name.Zhang: Whats your telephone number then?Man: 2337.Zhang: Im sorry, I must have dialed the wrong number.* * * * * * * * * * * * * *Zhang: Hello, is Mr. Carter here?Woman: Just a minute. Hes com

19、ing.Carter: Hello. Carter speaking. Who is calling, please?Zhang: My names zhang. I have been told that you have a house for rent. Is it still available.Carter: Yes. Its a two-storey building with six bed-rooms on the first floor and two on the ground floor. It has two bathrooms, one on each floor.

20、Theres a good kitchen where you could do cooking. We also have a cable TV and a telephone that you can use on the house.Zhang: Perhaps its just what we need. Whats the monthly rent?Carter: How long will the lease be?Zhang: About four months.Cater: Then two thousands dollars. And the rent is due at t

21、he end of each month. You can use all the utilities, but you have to pay all the bills including the telephone service, cable TV, water, gas and electricity. By the way, you also have to pay a security deposit of one thousand dollars.Zhang: Is there any space for office work in the house?Carter: The

22、re is a big sitting room on the ground floor. I think its where you can do your office work.Zhang: One more thing, are we allowed to install a fax machine in the house if we take it? Probably we will need one.Carter: Yes, if you like. But you have to pay all the costs for it.Zhang: Good. Would it be

23、 possible for us to go there and have a look tomorrow?Carter: Any time before four oclock in the afternoon. You can come to Okis Restaurant Im running here in Benque, Cayyo District. Its on George Street. Benque is a small town. Everyone here know Okis. I can wait for you here.Zhang: OK. We will go

24、there tomorrow, around ten oclock in the morning. Will that be all right with you?Carter: OK. See you tomorrow, sir.Zhang: Thank you. Mr. Carter. See you tomorrow morning.2. Subletting the Construction Camp(Mr. Yang from COCC has made an appointment by telephone with Mr. Howell, President of World S

25、helters, a local company which specializes in residential buildings. They are going to talk about the possibility of subletting the construction camp to World Shelters.)Receptionist: Good morning, sir. Can I help you?Yang: Good morning. I have an appointment with Mr. Howell at 9.Receptionist: Your n

26、ame, sir?Yang: Yang, from COCC, the Hydro.Receptionist: Ah, yes. Mr. Howell is expecting you in his office. Let me show you in. This way, please.Yang: Thank you.(Entering Mr. Howells office)Howell: Hello. Mr. Yang. Very pleased to meet you in person.Yang: Very pleased t meet you, too. Mr. Howell.How

27、ell: Take a seat, please.Yang: Thank you.Howell: Well, how is everything going, Mr. Yang?Yang: Not too bad. Just busy. We are quite new here, you know.Howell: Whats your first impression of our country?Yang: Its a beautiful country with plenty of primeval forests. People here are friendly and very e

28、asy to get along with. It seems to me that most of the people here speak quite different English. It is hard to understand them sometimes.Howell: You will soon get used to it. Only officials, teachers and businessman speak standard English.Yang: So it seems.Howell: Lets get down to business, Mr. Yan

29、g. You asked me on telephone whether we would like to bid for a construction camp to accommodate eighty men. Could you put it in more detail, please?Yang: As you know, the camp will mainly be for accommodation of about eighty Chinese men who will be working for the Hydro. It includes double occupanc

30、y staff units, four man occupancy units for workers and cooks, a kitchen and dining unit, shower bath units, a conference room and a recreation unit.Howell: So the camp will accommodate about eighty men. Do you have any specific requirements?Yang: I would like to hear your recommendation.Howell: In

31、my opinion, theres a kind of prefabricated house which is most suitable for such a camp. Its easy and economical to transport, fast to erect and very convenient to dismantle for either relocation or disposal when the whole project is completed.Yang: Sounds fine. Whats it made of ?Howell: Light concr

32、ete slabs. They are often imported from a local supplier on EL Salvador.Yang: Good. Would you please give us a quotation for such a camp o a turn-key basis as soon as possible?Howell: When will the camp be located?Yang: Somewhere on Arenal Road in Benque town, Cayo District. Ill let you know right w

33、e finalize it with the Owner.Howell: Who will be responsible for leveling the ground for the camp site?Yang: We will do that. You will be responsible for the water and power supply. One more thing, this is a duty-free project. So everything imported for it is duty-free. Please take it into considera

34、tion in your quotation.Howell: In that case, our quotation will be much lower.Yang: We really appreciate that.Howell: When do you want the camp to be completed?Yang: Within sixty days, starting from our notice to commence the work.Howell: OK, Mr. Yang. I hope we can be given the opportunity to work

35、for you and if so, we will hold ourselves responsible to you and I believe we will surely do a good job.Yang: I hope so, too.WORDS AND EXPRESSIONSConstruction crewJet lagInconvenienceMake preparation forCommencementTechnical dataSpecificationConstruction planRent a houseAccomodationAssistantAdvertis

36、ementDialBathroomCable TVSecurity depositMonthly rentLeaseDueBillGasOffice workInstallFax machineSubletCampHave a appointment withLocal companyResidential buildingImpressionGet along withAccomodateShower bathRecreation unitSpecific requirementRecommendationPrefabricatedErectDismantleEconomicalConven

37、ientRelocationLight concrete slabQuotationOn a turn-key basisFinalizeLevel the groundCamp siteDuty-freeCommence the workOpportunityGet down to sthUNIT 3 POSSESING AND LAYING OUT THE SITETo start the execution of the Works, the Contractor needs to take possession of the site from the Owner and plan t

38、he layout of the whole site for approved by the Owner. The two parties are discussing the matters in handing over and arranging the site.1. The Owner hands over the site late(Mr. Bian, Project Manager from the Contractor, and Mr. Chen, Chief Engineer, are talking to the Owners Representative, Mr. Su

39、, who looks very young and energetic, and the Consultant, Mr. Shaw, who seems to be quite experienced.)Bian: Last week, we sent you a letter, asking you to hand over the whole site to us, including the access road. But we havent received a reply yet. The Contract is quite specific about this in its

40、special conditions: Possession of the Site shall be given to the Contractor on the date named in the . Appendix 1, which is April 20, 1992. Today is April 26. Its already one week late.Su: Im sorry about this, Mr. Bian. Unfortunately we have met with some difficulty in requisitioning the land on the

41、 left bank of the river for the site areas. You know, some of the land is privately owned and the owners wont agree to sell the land, nor do they want to grant us permission to use it because they are afraid that the project will disturb their peaceful life.Shaw: Some people here are obsessed with t

42、heir traditional life. They dont want to have change of their life! Youll never understand them.Cheng: Its so puzzling! They should know that they will get benefit from this project. At least they could get lighting power easily, at a much lower price.Su: We have already promised to provide them wit

43、h electric power for lighting free of charge. In return, they let us use their land for nothing.Bian: When do you think you can solve the problem and make the whole site and the access road available to us? This is what were concerned about.Shaw: At present, the access road has been built up to the

44、dam site and we are beginning to build the road to the power-house from the junction. It happens to be the rainy season and the rains have slowed down our progress, but we making a great effort to finish it soon.Su: So we can hand over to you the completed access road and the area on the right bank

45、so that you can begin the preparation work there. You can have them from tomorrow. Ill give you a letter of confirmation right after this meeting. Once we solve our problem with the landowners, which I believe we can soon, will hand over the remaining part of the site area.Bian: Mr. Su, let me make

46、it plain to you. The delay in handing over the site area has adversely affected our construction plan. We have to request you to extend the completion time of this project accordingly. Meanwhile, we reserve the right to be reimbursed for any costs incurred because of the delay. Fifteen engineers and

47、 technicians are already here waiting eagerly to start their jobs. A lot of preparation work needs to be done by us, especially the traffic road within the site.Su: I understand your position, Mr. Bian. As for the compensation, well try to settle this matter according to the contract.Bian: To make t

48、his project a success, we need cooperation from each other.Su: I couldnt agree more.2. Laying out the site( To construct the works smoothly and efficiently, the site needs to be arranged properly. Today, Mr. Bian and Mr. Cheng are talking to Mr. Su about the plan to lay out the whole site)Su: The ot

49、her day, you told me that you were going to build up two camps on the site. Could you elaborate on your plan, Mr. Bian?Bian: According to our construction plan, our first camp, which we call “Camp A”, will be located at the junction of the two access roads leading to the dam and the power house. It

50、will mainly be used for storage of construction materials, spare parts, etc- A parking lot and a repair shop will be set up within this area. The power bender will also be located here.Su: What will be the size of this camp?Bian: It will cover an area of about 4000 square meters.Su: How much is that

51、 in acres?Bian: Sorry, we are not used to British System.Cheng: Just a minute. Let me work it out with my small calculator. Lets see-, Its 4785 square yards. About one acres.Su: Thats acceptable. This piece of land belongs to the government. Well get it approved soon. What about the other camp?Bian:

52、 The other camp, which we call “Camp B”, is mainly for the accomodation of the Chinese professionals and the offices. Its also where we have our weekly and monthly review meetings. What do you call this kind of camp?Shaw: Man camp, to be specific, but it belongs to construction camp in general, or y

53、ou could say its apart of the whole construction camp.Su: Theres no clear distinction between these terms, even among professionals. Where will it be located?Bian: On the right-hand side of the access road. About half a mile from Camp A. It will occupy approximately the same area.Su: Why do you have

54、 to choose this area, Mr. Bian? It is a part of this countrys nature preserve. Though our government is in full support of this project, it will dont sanation it at the price of damaging its beautiful environment. I dont think we could get the approval from the appropriate department.Bian: You see,

55、this area is ideal for Camp B. Its comparatively flat and this makes it easy for ua to build the houses for bedrooms and offices. The key point is, its close to the job site and the source of a potable water supply. Once we are given that piece of land, well be strictly confined to it and do everything we can to keep it in good order. Anyway, could you have a try with the government, please?Su: OK, if you insist. But I dont see much chance of its being