UNIIT 6 Appointments

Warming Up

The following questions may help you understand what you are going to learn in this unit. Work in pairs or groups and try to answer the following questions：

1. Do you think it is necessary to make an appointment with somebody before you visit him or her? Why？

2. How does one make an appointment? Give an example.

3. What would you do if you cannot keep your appointment？

Part 1 Making an appointment

Lindacalls John, R&D manager of Wuhan ProStar Electronics Manufacturing Plant.Shewould like to talk to himabouttheir preparation forthe presentationtoMr. FranckRibery.Andthey fix a meeting for the next afternoon.

John: John speaking.

Linda: Good morning, John. It's Linda here. How are you？

John: Fine, fine. And you？

Linda: I'm fine, too. Just a bit stressed with the presentation to Mr. Ribery at the moment. He is such an important client of our company. So the presentation is urgent and important. That's why I'm calling you. Can we fix a time to discuss it？

John: Sure. When would be convenient for you？

Linda: Well, are you free tomorrow morning？

John: Oh, please hang on.I'll just get my diary.I won't keep you long.（A few seconds later）Right.I have a working breakfast at 8:00, and I have another appointment at 10:00.Will tomorrow afternoon be convenient for you, say 3 o'clock？

Linda: Yes, that would be fine.Mr.Lee and I will go to see you in your office.

John: I'll be waiting for you in my office then.See you tomorrow.

Linda: See you tomorrow. Bye.

Target Vocabulary

presentation 陈述；介绍

fix a time 定个时间，安排个时间

diary 工作日程登记簿；日志

say 3 o'clock 三点怎么样

Notes

1．会谈之前通常要预约。预约可以说to make an appointment/to arrange an appointment/to book an appointment/to fix an appointment

2．在商务中预约主要是约定会谈的时间和地点，可以通过书面方式，也可以直接打电话预约，可以这样说：

I was wondering if you could spare some time this afternoon. Will 3:00 PM be right for you? I will go to see you in your hotel.（试探性的口吻）

Can we meet on Wednesday morning? Can you manage 9:00? I'll be expecting you in my office.（语气比较肯定）

3．电话预约中，一般有一方表明要面谈的意图，可以说：Can we fix a time to discuss it?（咱们能不能定个时间讨论一下？）

4．在预约时，一般有一方直接问对方何时方便，可以说：When would be convenient? /When would suit you？等。也可由一方提出关于会面的时间和地点的建议，可以说：Are you free tomorrow morning? /Will tomorrow afternoon be convenient for you, say 3 o'clock? How about Monday morning? /What about Tuesday, for lunch? /How does 12:30 sound? /Shall we say ten o'clock？

5．一方提出建议后，另一方要对此做出回应，如果同意对方的提议，可以说：Yes, that would be fine./That's fine/ok./That suits me．等。如果不同意对方的提议，可以说：I'm afraid I can't make it on Wednesday./I'm sorry, I can't manage it in the morning．等

Comprehension Questions

1. Why does Linda call John？

2. When do Linda and John agree to meet each other？

Part 2 Postponing an appointment

It's Tuesday morning.Linda has to call John to postpone the meeting which has been scheduled for the afternoon because Mr.Lee has suddenly been called away on urgent business.Linda asks to postpone their meeting until Wednesday morning and John agrees to it.

Linda: Hello. Is that John？

John: Speaking.

Linda: This is Linda. Mr. Lee asked me to tell you that he was very sorry. He won't be able to keep our appointment with you this afternoon as he has been suddenly called away on urgent business.

John: Oh, I see.

Linda: Would it be possible to postpone our meeting until Wednesday？

John: Sure.

Linda: Would 10:30 a. m. be convenient for you？

John: Yes,10:30 is fine.I'll be expecting you in my office at 10:30 on Wednesday.

Linda: Thank you very much.Goodbye, John, Me Lee and I will see you Wednesday morning.

John: Goodbye.

Target Vocabulary

postpone one's meeting 推迟会见

schedule 安排

keep one's appointment 按时赴约；守约；践约；履约

Notes

1．约好会谈的时间以后双方要按时赴约，即要keep your appointment（践约），不要轻易postpone your appointment（推迟约会）或cancel appointment（取消预约）。如果有万不得已的事情要推迟或取消预约，一定要及时通知对方，并表示歉意，说明理由，取得对方谅解。千万不要break your appointment（失约），失约是非常不礼貌的。

2. Would it be possible to postpone our meeting until Wednesday？

不知能否把我们的约会推迟到周三？

"Would it be possible…”是一个很好的提出建议或请求的表达法，显得非常客气、委婉。又如：

Would it be possible to have changes in price？

3. Would 10:30 a. m. be convenient for you？上午十点半你方便吗？

用来建议他们面谈的时间，也可以采用以下说法：

Shall we say 10:30 a. m.？

How about 10:30 a. m.

4. I'll be expecting you in my office at 10:30 on Wednesday.

我上午十点半在我的办公室里等着你们。

"expect" 在这里是“等待，盼望，期待”的意思。又例：

Jack and Mary expect their second child very soon.

Comprehension Questions

1.Why does Linda change their meeting？

2.When do they agree to meet again？

Oral Practice

Individual Work

1. Substitution Exercises

Drill 1 Would 9 o'clock be…？

Complete the above sentence by using the following：

—convenient for you

—all right

—ok

Drill 2 Shall we say…？

Complete the above sentence by using the following：

—9 o'clock tomorrow morning

—next Monday

—in my office

Drill 3 A: Will tomorrow afternoon be convenient for you, say 3 o'clock？

B: ….

Complete the abovethe dialogue by using the following：

—Yes, that's fine

—Yes, that would be ok

—Oh, I'm sorry I can't make it

Drill 4 Would it be possible to…？

Complete the above sentence by using the following：

—postpone this party

—change this to a room with a balcony

—send us one more sample

Drill 5 I'm afraid I can't make it….

Complete the above sentence by using the following：

—in the morning

—on Tuesday

—at 10 o'clock

2. Practice Sentences

1）Can we fix a time to discuss it？

2）When would be convenient？

3）Are you free next Monday？

4）I'll just check my diary.

5）Early morning would suit me best.

6）Shall we say ten o'clock? In my office？

7）Mr. Matthews would like to see you to discuss the marketing plan for next spring. Can we fix a time？

8）When would suit him best？

9）Would 1 1 o'clock be OK？

10）Could we meet a little earlier, say nine fifteen？

11）Oh, yes. That would be fine.

12）That suits me.

13）Sure. I'll be expecting you.

14）I'm afraid I can't make it on Monday.

1 5）I'm sorry, I can't manage it in the morning.

3. Oral Translation Exercises

1）我想知道您明天下午是不是能抽出一点时间？

2）咱们星期三上午可以见见面吗？

3）9点钟对您合适不合适？

4）明天下午2:30去见你，方便吗？

5）哦，请等一下，我查一下我的工作日程安排。

6）很抱歉，9点钟我不行。

7）可以，9点钟对我很合适。

8）我想约见王先生。

9）能不能把我们的会谈推迟到星期五上午？

10）不知道我们明天的会谈能不能往后推一两天？我还没收到总公司的答复。

Pair Work

Work in pairs.Construct dialogues based on the following situations.

Task 1

Student A: You are Mr.Smith's secretary.Mr.Smith is coming to Ms.Lee's city and he would like to see Ms.Lee, the manager of one of your branches, at 10 o'clock next Monday morning.You make a phone call to Ms.Lee to arrange the appointment.

Student B: You are Ms.Lee.You get a phone call from Mr.Smith's secretary and know that Mr.Smith would like to see you at 10 o'clock next Monday morning.You agree to see him at that time, although you've already have an appointment with one of your business partner.

Task 2

Student A: You are Ms.Lee.You make a phone call to your business partner to postpone your appointment with him because of your meeting with your manager, Mr. Smith from the head office.You first make an apology and then discuss another time for your meeting.

Student B: You are Ms.Lee's business partner.You get a phone call from Ms.Lee, who apologizes to you for postponing your appointment.You understand her and discuss the time for your meeting again.At last, you two agree to meet each other on next Wednesday at 10 o'clock.

Group Work

Students will work in groups of 5-6 and have a discussion on the following questions：

1. Why do people need to make an appointment？

2. How can we make an appointment effectively？

Cultural References

● Why do people schedule an appointment

The scheduling of appointment is very important in Western culture. If you want to visit somebody or invite somebody to do something, the best way is to make an appointment with him in advance, because most Westerners often keep a strict personal schedule. They don't welcome unexpected visitors. Usually for a Western businessman three schedules are kept: one for daily events, one for weekly planning, one for long term planning. You have to show respect for their cultural custom. Often appointments are made on the phone by talking with the person directly or with his secretary, who can help him to arrange the appointment. Remember to tell him or her directly why you want to meet him or her.

Before making an appointment, you must know the full name and title of the person you want to meet. If necessary, you can check with his secretary. All the appointments should be double-checked for accuracy.

Don't be late for the appointment. You have to get to the meeting place on time. If something urgent happens which prevents you from keeping the appointment, you can change or cancel the appointment immediately. It is very impolite for you to fail to keep an appointment.

● How to schedule an appointment

Regardless of the industry you work in, managing your time effectively is incredibly important. By planning out your day, you will ensure that you're able to get the most done with what time you have.Knowing how to schedule an appointment either for yourself or for your boss is a part of good time management.

1.Look over either your calendar or your employer's current schedule to see what openings are available.If you're making the appointment for your boss and do not have his schedule, ask for a copy or inquire as to the times and days he would prefer.

2. Call or email the client or colleague, depending upon your office's preference.

3. Introduce yourself to the person on the other end of the line.

4.Explain that you or your boss would like to meet with them and tell them why.

5.Tell them the dates and times that are available, and ask them which one works best for them.

6. Make a notation of the agreed-upon appointment time and date on the schedule by writing it in the appropriate day and time slot. If you were not given a paper schedule or your office does not use the scheduling capabilities of Outlook, then write the time and date down so that you may give it to your boss or keep it for your own records.

7. Thank the client or colleague for their time, and tell them that you or your boss are looking forward to seeing them at the appointment.