4DialogueWork1 min
The Client Wants It Sooner
A manager, a designer and a programmer discuss a deadline that has just moved.
A team meeting with three people. Listen for 只要……就…… (“as long as …, then …”) and for 不如, which says that one option is better than another.
客户刚才来电话，希望新网站提前一个星期完成。大家觉得怎么样？
说实话，我觉得很难。我还有三页没做完，而且客户上个星期又改了一次颜色。
我这儿也不轻松。不过，如果李娜先把最重要的两页给我，我就可以先开始。
也就是说，只要先做最重要的两页，时间就够了？
也不完全是。我们还需要两天测试。测试不够的话，网站的问题会更多。
我同意。早一个星期，可是问题很多，还不如晚一点儿，可是做得好。
我明白你们的意思。那我跟客户说，我们可以提前三天，不是一个星期。另外，我找一个同事帮你们做测试。
三天的话，没问题。
好，那我今天就把那两页发给吴浩。
客户想早一个星期要新网站。你们觉得呢？
很难。我还有三页没做完，客户上个星期又改了颜色。
如果李娜先给我最重要的两页，我就可以开始。
那我们的时间够吗？
不太够。我们还需要两天测试。
我也觉得晚一点儿比较好。
好。我跟客户说，我们可以早三天，不是一个星期。我也找一个同事帮你们。
三天没问题。
好，我今天就把两页发给吴浩。
Click a word to look it up in this site’s vocabulary.
More sentences on this in “Language in use”: Chinese for work
- Words
- 155
- Sentences
- 17
- Words per sentence
- 9.1
- in the vocabulary
- 100 %
- measured level
- 3
- Reading time
- 1 min
Grammar in this text
These forms appear in the text in real use. Switch on “Show grammar” above the text to highlight them.
只要先做最重要的两页，时间就够了
只要……就……: “as long as …, then …” — one condition is enough. As long as, only if: zhǐyào, zhǐyǒu →
还不如晚一点儿
A不如B: A is not as good as B — here, finishing early with problems is worse than finishing a little later. Not as good as: bùrú →
把那两页发给
把 puts the object first: 把那两页发给吴浩. The bǎ sentence →
The words from 4 up in this text
Not the hard words in general, but those at your level: all 4 of the 85 words in this text are at 4 or above. You will know everything else by the time you get here.
也就是说
that is to say
4客户
client; customer
4测试
to test; test
4说实话
to be honest; frankly
4
The word lists for this text
The words in this text appear in 26 lists on this site; the number after each says how many come from that list. Having read the text, you have just needed these very words — and can practise exactly them.
Comprehension questions
4 questions on the text. With each answer the sentence it comes from appears — a question whose answer you cannot find in the text tests nothing.
1. What does the client want?
Look at the manager’s first line.
Look for 提前.
希望新网站提前一个星期完成
2. Why does Li Na think it will be difficult?
Look at Li Na’s first line.
Look for 没做完.
我还有三页没做完，而且客户上个星期又改了一次颜色
3. What does Wu Hao say they cannot do without?
Wu Hao answers the manager’s question about the order of work.
Look for 需要.
我们还需要两天测试
4. What does the manager decide?
Look at the manager’s last line.
Look for 三天.
我们可以提前三天，不是一个星期