Using English at Work：55 Socializing with Coworkers(1)

（单词翻译）

You're listening to ESLPod.com's "Using English at Work" lesson 10. I'm your host, Dr¹. Jeff McQuillan, from the Center for Educational Development.

In the ninth lesson of "Using English at Work," we learned² vocabulary related³ to leaving the office at the end of the day.

In this 10th and final lesson, we're going to talk about socializing with coworkers.

We'll get started by listening to our story first at a slow speed.

When I walk past Van's desk on my way out of the office, I see that he's talking to a group of people.

He stops me and asks if I want to go with them to happy hour at the restaurant and bar down the street.

It has been a busy week and I need to blow off some steam.

On top of that, I don't have any big plans for the evening, so I say, "yes."

Eight of us walk down the street to Steve's Cantina.

We find a table in the back of the bar and look at the drinks menu.

Happy hour is from 4 to 7 p.m., and the drinks are half price.

We order our drinks and I go to get some snacks and appetizers⁴.

I look at the food that's available and I see a lot of deep-fried foods and chips and dip, so I load up and go back to the table.

One of the guys, Brian, starts to grumble⁵ about work and to bad-mouth the boss.

I'm in no mood to talk about work, so I change the subject.

I ask everybody what his or her plans are for the weekend.

Diana says that she's planning to kick back and relax.

Rodrigo said he has a hot date.

Van tells us a funny story about the last date he went on that didn't go very well. We have a good laugh over it.

We all have a great time at happy hour and it's a good way to kick off the weekend!