Grant: Hey Ben, can I join you for a drink? Ben: Sure man, pull up a chair. Did you just get off? Grant: Yeah, you?
Ben: 1)Nah, I packed it in early today. We wrapped up that project this afternoon, so I figured a little 2)celebratory drink was in order.
Grant: Absolutely! And congratulations on that. I heard you guys did a fantastic job. Cheers!
Ben: Cheers! Thanks man.
格兰特：嗨，本，我们能一起喝一杯吗？
本：当然了，伙计。拉把椅子过来。你刚下班吗？
格兰特：是啊，你呢？
本：不是，我今天很早结束了工作。我们今天下午成功完成了那个项目，所以我觉得是时候举杯庆祝一下了。
格兰特：绝对应该！还要为此恭喜你一下呢。我听说你们团队完成了一项很棒的工作。干杯！
本：干杯！谢谢你，兄弟。
Grant: Where are the others? You’re not celebrating with the team?
Ben: Ah, well, we don’t exactly get along well. I mean, we don’t dislike each other, but we’re not exactly friendly.
Grant: Really? That’s a surprise. You’ve got one of the more successful teams. ①I thought you guys would be thick as thieves.
Ben: Nah, I wish. I just don’t know how to get that sort of 3)rapport going with them. Your team gets on well―any advice?
Grant: Hard to say, man. Plus, I’d feel ridiculous giving advice to you. ②It’s not exactly like my team has been leading the charge recently. Our numbers are 4)mediocre at best.
Ben: But you all seem to be having such a great time. Your team always seems generally happy to be there.
Grant: ③I guess it’s sort of a chicken-egg situation. If you’re easy and friendly with them, ④it’s hard to be the bad guy when it comes to 5)crunching numbers.
Ben: Ah, I see. Mr. Nice Guy has trouble being Mr. Boss Man sometimes?
Grant: Yeah, I guess
you could say it like
that. I usually let them
6)slip in a few minutes
late without saying
much, and if one
person’s numbers are
down, we work together
to cover them. But then
that drags the whole
team down.
Ben: But it must keep
7)morale high.
Grant: Well sure, like you said, we all have a great relationship, but it’s certainly not going to get anyone promoted 8)down the road.
Ben: Hmmm…hard to find balance, hey?
Grant: Most definitely.
Ben: Anyway man, thanks for the drink!
Grant: No problem, and congrats again.
Ben: Thanks! I’ll see you Monday.
Grant: See you!
格兰特：其他人呢？你不是和组里的人一起庆祝吗?
本：哎！是这样，我们其实相处得并不融洽。我的意思是，我们并非彼此讨厌，但我们确实不亲密。
格兰特：真的吗？真让人惊讶。你们已经算是比较成功的团队之一了，我之前还以为你们关系非常好呢。
本：哎，我真希望是这样。我只是不知道该如何和他们建立那种和睦的关系。你的团队员工之间相处得不错啊，能给我点建议吗？
格兰特：这个还真难讲呢，伙计。再说，给你提建议会让我觉得挺可笑的，又不是说我们组的成绩一直名列前茅，最多也就是得个中等。
本：但是你们每个人似乎都过得开开心心的，你们组总是在那边充满欢乐。
格兰特：我想这有点儿类似于“先有鸡还是先有蛋”的情况。如果你容易相处，对他们友好，到了关键时刻时就很难板起脸来了。
本：哈，我明白了。有时好好先生要做起上司来就不那么容易了。
格兰特：是的，我觉得你可以这么说。他们迟到个几分钟时我从来都不会说太多，而是让他们混过去，如果一个员工的销售额下降了，我们就一起努力来补上。不过这样一来就把整个组的成绩拉下来了。
本：但这一定提高了士气。
格兰特：不错，正如你所说，我们每个人关系都非常好，但是毫无疑问将来任何人都没法升职。
本：呃……很难找到平衡点，是吧？
格兰特：很明显是这样。
本：不管怎样，兄弟，谢谢你陪我共饮！
格兰特：没什么。再次祝贺你。
本：谢谢！星期一见。
格兰特：再见。
Smart Sentences
① I thought you guys would be thick as thieves. 我之前还以为你们关系非常好呢。
thick as thieves: very intimate, very close（非常亲密，非常友好）。例如：
Sam and I have been thick as thieves since the first day we met in freshman year.
我跟山姆自从大一认识后，就一直亲密无间。
② It’s not exactly like my team has been leading the charge recently. 又不是说我们组的成绩一直名列前茅。
lead the charge: be at the front among those doing the same thing（在前列）。例如：
This is the first time Benny’s team is not leading the charge since the department started the “best sales team”competition.
自从部门有了“最佳团队”评比后，这是本尼的小组首次落在后面。
③ I guess it’s sort of a chicken-egg situation.我想这有点儿类似于“先有鸡还是先有蛋”的情况。
a chicken-egg / a chicken and egg situation: a situation in which it is impossible to say which of two things existed first and which caused the other（因果难定）。例如：
It’s a chicken-egg situation―I don’t know whether I was bad at the sciences because I wasn’t interested in them, or not good at them and therefore not interested in them.
这是一件无法确定因果的事情――究竟是因为我对科学没有兴趣所以学不好，还是因为学不好而对这门课不感兴趣。
④ If you’re easy and friendly with them, it’s hard to be the bad guy when it comes to crunching times. 如果你容易相处，对他们友好，到了关键时刻时就很难板起脸来了。
bad guy: sb. who plays the harsh and unpleasant role in a situation（做丑人，唱红脸）。例如：
My mother always plays the bad guy when it comes to disciplining us.
在管束我们的时候，我母亲总是做丑人。