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Tammy： Another one？ Yikes！
Shane： It’s another one of those stupid meetings again， isn’t it？
Tammy： Can you believe it？ ①It’s becoming an everyday occurrence. Don’t they realize what a waste of time it is？
Shane： Obviously not， or they wouldn’t keep scheduling them.
Tammy： And why do they always have to be right as we’re heading out the door？
Shane： Well， that’s easy. They do it because it’s a way to make us stay late without having to pay us overtime.
Tammy： Oh my God， you’re right！ That’s so sneaky！ How can they get away with it？
Shane： Oh， the usual employment loopholes and other ways around labor laws. It’s actually common practice.
Tammy： Well， I’m fed up. This is just one in a line of thousands of meetings we’ve had over the years， about something that could just as easily be explained through an email chain. I mean， it makes no sense. Why waste company resources and employees’ time and energy with pointless daily meetings？ ②It’s probably why we’ve been in the red for years now.
Shane： No， we’ve been losing money due to a lack of innovation. Basically， we’re behind the times.
Tammy： Alright. But while it may not be the cause of our company’s downfall， it’s certainly not helping matters. And I think all the excessive meetings have caused me to contract a mild case of Meeting 1）Affective Disorder.
Shane： That just sounds like an excuse to get out of a meeting.
Tammy： Well， you’re wrong. It’s a real condition， and it affects millions of people across the globe.
Shane： So， tell me about it.
Tammy： OK. Well， it starts with a general malaise， feeling a bit drowsy and pretty much out of it. Then， as it progresses， I start to imagine myself in the third person， sort of an out-ofbody experience.
S h a n e ： S o u n d s l i k e daydreaming to me.
Tammy： That’s cuz you love to oversimplify everything. The fact is that， much like Seasonal Affective Disorder， which many people originally 2）scoffed at as nonsense， this Meeting Affective Disorder is indeed an actual 3）ailment. You see， an affective disorder can have a serious effect on someone’s mood. ③So much so， that it’s even been known to lead to serious bouts of depression and even occasional suicide.
Shane： So you’re saying that boring meetings can lead people to kill themselves？
Tammy： What I’m saying is that anything from the weather to a meeting can have a huge impact on people’s state of mind. And these meetings make it hard for me to stay positive， because all I feel when I’m at the meetings is depressed.
Shane： Oh. I had no idea it was that bad. In that case， why not head on home and I’ll cover for you， alright？ I’ll tell ’em you had some…personal business to take care of.
Tammy： Thanks Shane， I appreciate it. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Shane： See ya. And get some rest， will ya？
Tammy： Well， I was gonna take a nice nap in the meeting， but I guess I’ll just curl up for one at home instead.
Shane： That’s the whole idea！
塔米：哎呀！又来了？
谢恩：这又是另一个无聊透顶的会议，不是吗？
塔米：真是难以置信。这样的会议要变成家常便饭了。难道他们没有意识到这是在浪费时间吗？
谢恩：显然没有，否则他们不会一直安排这些会议的。
塔米：而且那些会议为什么总是刚好安排在我们下班的时间点？
谢恩：这个嘛，原因很简单。因为他们可以通过这种方式来让我们在公司待更长时间，却不用给我们支付加班费。
塔米：噢，天啊，你说得太对了！这样做实在是太狡猾了！他们怎么没有受到处罚？
谢恩：噢，（他们利用的就）是常见的雇佣漏洞以及其他打劳动法规擦边球的方式。实际上这种现象很常见。
塔米：唉，我真是受够了。这些年来我们参加过的会议数不胜数，而这只是冰山一角。这次的会议内容简单到完全可以通过邮件就可以阐述清楚的。我想说的是，参加这样的会议是毫无意义的。为什么要把公司的资源以及员工们的时间与精力浪费在这些毫无意义的例会上呢？也许这就是我们公司这些年来财政赤字的罪魁祸首吧。
谢恩：不，我们公司亏损是因为缺乏创新力量。基本上，我们与时代脱轨了。
塔米：好吧。不过就算它没有导致我们公司衰落，也肯定没有推动公司的发展。而且我觉得，由于这些过于频繁的会议，我已经变成轻度的会议精神紊乱症患者。
谢恩：听上去那像是你不想参加会议的一个借口而已。
塔米：呐，你错了。这是真的，此外全球有数百万人都受到会议精神紊乱症的困扰。
谢恩：好吧，那你说说看。
塔米：好。首先，你会感觉身体不适，有点昏昏欲睡的感觉，差不多是这样。渐渐地，我开始幻想着把自己置身于会议之外，有点像灵魂出窍的那样。
谢恩：对我来说这像是白日梦。
塔米：那是因为你喜欢过于简化所有的事情。事实上，我的症状有点像季节性情感紊乱症。一开始，人们对它嗤之以鼻，认为它是无稽之谈，但实际上会议精神紊乱症确实是一种疾病。你也明白，情绪紊乱会严重影响人的心情。它还会引发严重的消极情绪，甚至会间歇性产生自杀的念头。
谢恩：所以你的意思是说那些无聊透顶的会议能导致人们自杀？
塔米：我想说的是任何东西，从天气到会议，都能对人们的心情带来巨大的影响。这些会议让我很难保持乐观的心情，因为当我置身于会议中所能感受到的一切就只有绝望。
谢恩：噢，我不知道它会糟糕到那种地步。如果是那样的话，你不如直接回家，我代替你去，怎么样？我会告诉他们你有些私事要去处理一下……塔米：谢谢你谢恩。非常感激，明天见。
谢恩：再见。休息一下，知道吗？
塔米：好吧，我本打算在会议中打个舒服的盹儿，但我想我还是会选择窝在家里睡觉吧。
谢恩：这正是我想要说的！
Smart Sentences
① It’s becoming an everyday occurrence. 这样的会议要变成家常便饭了。
everyday occurrence： sth. happens all the time（常事，家常便饭）。例如：
Not until customers’ complaints became an everyday occurrence did the management realize that the problem was so bad.
直到顾客投诉变成家常便饭时，管理层才意识到问题是如此严重。
② It’s probably why we’ve been in the red for years now.也许这就是我们公司这些年来财政赤字的罪魁祸首吧。
in the red： when a person or a business spends more money than they have（赤字，亏欠）。例如：
Because of a series of typhoons， the flower shop was 5，000 dollars in the red.
受一连串台风的影响，花店亏了五千美元。
③ So much so， that it’s even been known to lead to serious bouts of depression and even occasional suicide. 它还会引发严重的消极情绪，甚至会间歇性产生自杀的念头。
so much so： used to indicate you believe sth. to such a great extent that the following statement comes as a result（你对某事非常相信或肯定，以致有以下的结果）。例如：
The hallway was clustered with used boxes and old computer monitors. So much so that people had to walk sideways.
走廊堆满了旧盒子和旧电脑显示器，人要侧身才能走过。
Shane： It’s another one of those stupid meetings again， isn’t it？
Tammy： Can you believe it？ ①It’s becoming an everyday occurrence. Don’t they realize what a waste of time it is？
Shane： Obviously not， or they wouldn’t keep scheduling them.
Tammy： And why do they always have to be right as we’re heading out the door？
Shane： Well， that’s easy. They do it because it’s a way to make us stay late without having to pay us overtime.
Tammy： Oh my God， you’re right！ That’s so sneaky！ How can they get away with it？
Shane： Oh， the usual employment loopholes and other ways around labor laws. It’s actually common practice.
Tammy： Well， I’m fed up. This is just one in a line of thousands of meetings we’ve had over the years， about something that could just as easily be explained through an email chain. I mean， it makes no sense. Why waste company resources and employees’ time and energy with pointless daily meetings？ ②It’s probably why we’ve been in the red for years now.
Shane： No， we’ve been losing money due to a lack of innovation. Basically， we’re behind the times.
Tammy： Alright. But while it may not be the cause of our company’s downfall， it’s certainly not helping matters. And I think all the excessive meetings have caused me to contract a mild case of Meeting 1）Affective Disorder.
Shane： That just sounds like an excuse to get out of a meeting.
Tammy： Well， you’re wrong. It’s a real condition， and it affects millions of people across the globe.
Shane： So， tell me about it.
Tammy： OK. Well， it starts with a general malaise， feeling a bit drowsy and pretty much out of it. Then， as it progresses， I start to imagine myself in the third person， sort of an out-ofbody experience.
S h a n e ： S o u n d s l i k e daydreaming to me.
Tammy： That’s cuz you love to oversimplify everything. The fact is that， much like Seasonal Affective Disorder， which many people originally 2）scoffed at as nonsense， this Meeting Affective Disorder is indeed an actual 3）ailment. You see， an affective disorder can have a serious effect on someone’s mood. ③So much so， that it’s even been known to lead to serious bouts of depression and even occasional suicide.
Shane： So you’re saying that boring meetings can lead people to kill themselves？
Tammy： What I’m saying is that anything from the weather to a meeting can have a huge impact on people’s state of mind. And these meetings make it hard for me to stay positive， because all I feel when I’m at the meetings is depressed.
Shane： Oh. I had no idea it was that bad. In that case， why not head on home and I’ll cover for you， alright？ I’ll tell ’em you had some…personal business to take care of.
Tammy： Thanks Shane， I appreciate it. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Shane： See ya. And get some rest， will ya？
Tammy： Well， I was gonna take a nice nap in the meeting， but I guess I’ll just curl up for one at home instead.
Shane： That’s the whole idea！
塔米：哎呀！又来了？
谢恩：这又是另一个无聊透顶的会议，不是吗？
塔米：真是难以置信。这样的会议要变成家常便饭了。难道他们没有意识到这是在浪费时间吗？
谢恩：显然没有，否则他们不会一直安排这些会议的。
塔米：而且那些会议为什么总是刚好安排在我们下班的时间点？
谢恩：这个嘛，原因很简单。因为他们可以通过这种方式来让我们在公司待更长时间，却不用给我们支付加班费。
塔米：噢，天啊，你说得太对了！这样做实在是太狡猾了！他们怎么没有受到处罚？
谢恩：噢，（他们利用的就）是常见的雇佣漏洞以及其他打劳动法规擦边球的方式。实际上这种现象很常见。
塔米：唉，我真是受够了。这些年来我们参加过的会议数不胜数，而这只是冰山一角。这次的会议内容简单到完全可以通过邮件就可以阐述清楚的。我想说的是，参加这样的会议是毫无意义的。为什么要把公司的资源以及员工们的时间与精力浪费在这些毫无意义的例会上呢？也许这就是我们公司这些年来财政赤字的罪魁祸首吧。
谢恩：不，我们公司亏损是因为缺乏创新力量。基本上，我们与时代脱轨了。
塔米：好吧。不过就算它没有导致我们公司衰落，也肯定没有推动公司的发展。而且我觉得，由于这些过于频繁的会议，我已经变成轻度的会议精神紊乱症患者。
谢恩：听上去那像是你不想参加会议的一个借口而已。
塔米：呐，你错了。这是真的，此外全球有数百万人都受到会议精神紊乱症的困扰。
谢恩：好吧，那你说说看。
塔米：好。首先，你会感觉身体不适，有点昏昏欲睡的感觉，差不多是这样。渐渐地，我开始幻想着把自己置身于会议之外，有点像灵魂出窍的那样。
谢恩：对我来说这像是白日梦。
塔米：那是因为你喜欢过于简化所有的事情。事实上，我的症状有点像季节性情感紊乱症。一开始，人们对它嗤之以鼻，认为它是无稽之谈，但实际上会议精神紊乱症确实是一种疾病。你也明白，情绪紊乱会严重影响人的心情。它还会引发严重的消极情绪，甚至会间歇性产生自杀的念头。
谢恩：所以你的意思是说那些无聊透顶的会议能导致人们自杀？
塔米：我想说的是任何东西，从天气到会议，都能对人们的心情带来巨大的影响。这些会议让我很难保持乐观的心情，因为当我置身于会议中所能感受到的一切就只有绝望。
谢恩：噢，我不知道它会糟糕到那种地步。如果是那样的话，你不如直接回家，我代替你去，怎么样？我会告诉他们你有些私事要去处理一下……塔米：谢谢你谢恩。非常感激，明天见。
谢恩：再见。休息一下，知道吗？
塔米：好吧，我本打算在会议中打个舒服的盹儿，但我想我还是会选择窝在家里睡觉吧。
谢恩：这正是我想要说的！
Smart Sentences
① It’s becoming an everyday occurrence. 这样的会议要变成家常便饭了。
everyday occurrence： sth. happens all the time（常事，家常便饭）。例如：
Not until customers’ complaints became an everyday occurrence did the management realize that the problem was so bad.
直到顾客投诉变成家常便饭时，管理层才意识到问题是如此严重。
② It’s probably why we’ve been in the red for years now.也许这就是我们公司这些年来财政赤字的罪魁祸首吧。
in the red： when a person or a business spends more money than they have（赤字，亏欠）。例如：
Because of a series of typhoons， the flower shop was 5，000 dollars in the red.
受一连串台风的影响，花店亏了五千美元。
③ So much so， that it’s even been known to lead to serious bouts of depression and even occasional suicide. 它还会引发严重的消极情绪，甚至会间歇性产生自杀的念头。
so much so： used to indicate you believe sth. to such a great extent that the following statement comes as a result（你对某事非常相信或肯定，以致有以下的结果）。例如：
The hallway was clustered with used boxes and old computer monitors. So much so that people had to walk sideways.
走廊堆满了旧盒子和旧电脑显示器，人要侧身才能走过。