ACT 3 -1  “这是很了不起的经历！”

【故事梗概】

Grandpa 在 John Marchetta先生的办公室里接受面试。Marchetta 先生浏览了Grandpa的简历，给了他很高的评价。

Grandpa: Hi. I'm Malcolm Stewart.
Marchetta: John Marchetta. Sit down, sit down.
Grandpa: Susan has told me a great deal about you. She says you're quite a man.
Marchetta: She says a lot of wonderful things about you too, Mr. Stewart.
Grandpa: That's always nice to hear, Mr. Marchetta.
Marchetta: Call me John. May I call you Malcolm? Let's talk business.
Grandpa: That's music to my ears.
Marchetta: I understand you used to be in the construction business.
Grandpa: Yup. Forty-three years. Here's a brief description of forty-three years of on-the-job training.
Marchetta: That is some history! You're a valuable asset, Malcolm. Very valuable.
Grandpa: Thank you. Yup. Forty-three years. Half that time in my own construction company. Big jobs -- factories, shopping malls. That kind of thing.
Marchetta: Then you retired.
Grandpa: Yes. After my wife died, and I felt I should spend more time with my children and grandchildren. I lived in Florida, and they lived in New York.
Marchetta: I understand. My daughter, Cami lives in New York. I like being near her.

【语言点精讲】

1. Susan has told me a great deal about you. She says you're quite a man. 
Susan跟我说了不少有关你的事，她说你是个很了不起的人。
a great deal: 很多。也可以说 a great deal of sth. , 但后面的名词只能是不可数的。
You're quite a man. 你真是个了不起的人。

2. Call me John．
叫我John好了。在对方称自己为某先生或用其它尊称时，欲使对方直呼己名以示亲近，常这样说。也可以: “John to you．”

3. Let's talk business.
talk business: 谈工作, 谈生意。这是个惯用语，talk 在这里用作及物动词。
类似的不带介词，以talk为及物动词的用法还有: talk politics/sport（谈论政治/体育），talk shop（说行话，谈本行业或本职工作的事），talk sense/nonsense，talk nonsense/rubbish（说胡话，胡说八道）等。

4. That's music to my ears.
正合我意。正是我想听的。

5. I understand you used to be in the construction business.
我听说你过去是在建筑业工作的。
I understand: 在这里的意思是“我听说，我知道这样的信息”。
used to do: 过去曾做过某事。用来谈论过去的经历。

6. Here's a brief description of forty-three years of on-the-job training.
这儿有一份材科，简短地记录了我四十三年的工作经历。
a brief description: 简单的叙述。这里指简历。
on-the-job training: 指工作经历。美国人很重视实际工作经验，所以他们把工作经历称为“工作时的培训”。

7. That is some history! You're a valuable asset, Malcolm. Very valuable.
这是很了不起的经历！你是个很宝贵的人才，Malcolm，非常宝贵。
some: 了不起的，相当于“a wonderful…”。这是一种非正式用法。
asset: 资产, 财富, 人才。

8. I like being near her.
我喜欢离她近一点。
这里like后面接-ing形式，表示“经常或总是或习惯性地”喜欢某事。

ACT 3 -2  “TOPS: 优秀老人协会”

【故事梗概】

Marchetta先生和Grandpa讲了关于优秀老人协会TOPS的事情，Grandpa很感兴趣，随即表示要入会。Marchetta先生还要带Grandpa去建筑工地。Grandpa的新工作马上就要开始了。

Grandpa: When I came here, I planned to take a few months off. Relax with the family and then look for some work. Put my experience on the line…but, unfortunately, there isn't any work for a retired person my age.
Marchetta: Sometimes there is, and sometimes there isn't. Well, I'm involved with an organization, and we're trying to resolve that problem.
Grandpa: What's that?
Marchetta: TOPS. T-O-P-S-means Talented Older People's Society.
Grandpa: I'd like to be a member. How much are the dues?
Marchetta: There are no dues. The organization serves major companies in this city. Why? Because our members are men and women like you. Experienced, talented, retired. But our members want to go out there and use their talents. They want to work.
Grandpa: That is fantastic, John!
Marchetta: I've got an idea for you, Malcolm. Just fill out this form for me. It'll only take a few minutes. Sit right here, and do it while I talk to my secretary. When I get back, we'll talk about my new factory. My company is a member of TOPS. So I try hard to find opportunities for people like you, Malcolm. And when I see an opportunity, I can act on it. Well, I can use your brainpower on the job right now. Have you got time this morning to go over to the construction site with me? I'd like to have you meet my foreman -- get some background on the job.
Grandpa: I've got plenty of time.
Marchetta: I'll be right back. We'll go over to the job site together.

【语言点精讲】

1. When I came here, I planned to take a few months off.
我来这里以后，计划先休息几个月。
plan to do sth.: 计划做某事，打算做某事。
to take a few months off: 休息几个月。

2. Put my experience on the line.
这句话的意思相当于“to test my experience by trying something. ”（把我的经验考验一下。考验我的阅历。 ）

3. Well, I'm involved with an organization, and we're trying to resolve that problem.
说起来，我参加了一个组织，我们这个组织正在力求解决这个问题。
be involved with: 意思是“与……有关系”, “与……有牵连”。
resolve: 解决（问题）。

4. TOPS. T-O-P-S-means Talented Older People's Society.
TOPS: Talented Older People's Society的缩写, 即优秀老人协会。另外Tops这个词本身也有“最优秀”的意思， 即“the best”, 所以 TOPS是个含义丰富的机构名称。

5. How much are the dues?
会费是多少？dues: 费用, 会费。

6. Just fill out this form for me.
请把这张表格填好。
fill out: 意思是“填写（表格）”, 这是美国用法。英国英语用 fill in。

7. Sit right here, and do it while I talk to my secretary.
请就坐在这儿，趁我和我的秘书谈话的时间你（填一下这张表）。
talk to sb.: 和某人谈话，对某人说…。talk to是从主动的立场对某人谈，有时是去吐露心里发愁的事，有时是去责备、吩咐或抗议、要求等。

8. I've got plenty of time.
我时间多得是。
plenty of后面既可带不可数名词，也可以带可数名词。它主要表示量大，还含有“足够”或“有余”的意思，等于lots of。

9. I'll be right back.
我马上回来。

ACT 3 -3  “欢迎加入。”

【故事梗概】

在建筑工地，Grandpa 见到了Marchetta 先生的工头Danny。针对Danny遇到的问题，Grandpa给了他一个很好的建议，这赢得了Danny对他的信任和尊重。

Danny: Malcolm, you worked on the Spaceport project?
Grandpa: My company was the contractor. I built the theater there with my own two hands, practically.
Danny: I understand.
Marchetta: Well, I'm glad to see you two guys getting along so well because, Danny, Malcolm is on the TOPS team. He's going to be working with you for a while. His experience will be valuable to both of us.
Danny: Welcome aboard, Malcolm!
Marchetta: I'm going back to my office. Give me a call later, Malcolm. I'll tell you the time and date of the next TOPS meeting. I'd like you to meet the group.
Grandpa: I will, John. And again, thanks.
Marchetta: No … thank you. And thank Susan.
Grandpa: He's quite a man.
Danny: A real inspiration for me.
Grandpa: OK, Danny. I know you didn't expect to have me around, but I think I can be of some help to you.
Danny: Let me tell you something, Malcolm. With your background and experience, I can learn something…and I do need some advice on a difficult problem. Let me show you this.
Grandpa: I don’t want to give you a final opinion without studying these building plans more carefully. But a simple solution might be to move the air-conditioning units instead of redesigning the entire system. It might be simpler and less expensive.
Danny: You just earned your weight in gold, Malcolm. Welcome aboard!

【语言点精讲】