在陈豪工作的ABC美国公司，大多数人都在各自的小隔间里工作。可是今天陈豪没法集中精神工作。为什么呢？你听了他对美籍华人Mary的对话就知道了。
(Office ambience)

C：Good morning, Mary, do you have a minute to talk?

M：Yes, what is it?

C:：我们都坐在各自的小隔间里工作...英文叫什么来啦？

M: 你是说我们工作的地方，就象我这里有三快矮墙把我和别人隔开。这不就是cubicles吗？

C：That's it, cubicles. 在cubicles里工作平时一点问题都没有，可有时...

M：What happened?

C：刚搬到我隔壁来坐的那位同事今天一早来就打电话，说话声音还特别大，I can't work anymore!

M：我知道，在隔间的情况下，说话都得小声。Whether you are on the phone or have someone in you cubicle, speak softly.

C：隔间没有门，但这并不等于谁都可以随时闯进来呀！

M：No, no one should think they can barge in whenever they want. 每个人都应该象你刚才那样，先问我有没有时间后才进来。I wish everyone was as courteous as you。

C：Thank you，Mary。我知道要是有人打断我的工作，我应该对他们说明，但是我又不想让人认为我很不友好。

M：不会的。要是正在你忙的时候有同事来找你，你可以说你现在正忙，和他约好一个时间再谈。

C：That's a good idea。Thank you, Mary。我得回去工作了。

M：Hi， 陈豪。好几天没见你啦。还有人来打搅你吗？

C：我按照你说的去做，一切都很好。 可是还有....

M：还有什么呀？

C：有时候有人来找我，我正在打电话，可来人居然站在旁边不走。That's annoying and distracting to me。

M：对这样的人，我有个办法，就是只当没看见他；背对著他。 That usually does the trick and they leave。

C：好，我下回试试。哟，Mary，那是什么声音呀？好象谁在啃黄瓜，或胡萝卜！

M：I think my neighbor is munching on potato chips。陈豪， let's go lunch!

C： 在cubicles里工作看来真是要十分小心。

M：Right. Working in cubicles can be challenging. Just because an office doesn't have a door does not mean you can barge in anytime you please. You need to ask permission before entering someone's cubicle. If a colleague is on the phone, you should come back later. It is a simple matter of respecting the privacy of others.