主标题 Why it's time to get shot of coffee meetings at work
副标题 A productivity hack for the ages
主标题：为什么是时候戒掉“咖啡馆约见”了
副标题：一条将会历久弥香的效率妙诀
1. get shot of = get rid of 放弃
2. productivity [ U] the rate at which a worker, a company or a country produces goods, and the amount produced, compared with how much time, work and money is needed to produce them 生产率；生产效率
3. hack 诀窍，妙招 生活妙招： life hacks
4.for the ages 文本中，因为是咖啡主题，所以用历久弥香来代替历久弥新，表示长期有效的妙招。 eg: a quote for the ages 千古名言
ages [pl.] ( also an age [ sing. ] ) 很长时间 •I waited for ages . 我等了好长时间。 •Carlos left ages ago . 卡洛斯老早就离开了。 •It's been an age since we've seen them. 我们有很长一段时间没有见到他们了。
P1
If people used the time/ they currently devote to reading books about productivity hacks/ to do some actual work, their productivity problem would be solved.（虚拟语气）
But occasionally these books contain /nuggets of wisdom.
“In Time Wise”, Amantha Imber has a short chapter whose title alone gleams with good sense.
It is called "Why you need to say "no" to coffee meetings". That is splendid advice for anyone who can identify with the following situation.
现在人们花很多时间阅读有关提升生产率的妙诀的书，如果他们能把这些时间用来做些实事，他们的效率问题也就解决了。但这些书偶尔也还是有些真知灼见的。阿曼莎·因贝尔（Amantha Imber）的《善用时间》（Time Wise）一书中有个简短的章节，其标题就闪现着良好的决断力，叫“为什么要对咖啡馆约见说‘不’”。对于任何与以下场景有共鸣的人来说，这是一个极好的建议。
1. devote (time/energy) to vn/n 投入精力/时间做...
devote yourself to sb/sth :to give most of your time, energy, attention, etc. to sb/sth 献身；致力；专心 •She devoted herself to her career. 她全力倾注于自己的事业。
devote sth to sth :to give an amount of time, attention, etc. to sth 把…用于 •I could only devote two hours a day to the work. 我一天只能在这个工作上花两个小时。
2. nuggets of wisdom 真知灼见 chicken nuggets 鸡块
nugget /ˈnʌɡɪt/ a small thing such as an idea or a fact that people think of as valuable 有价值的小东西；有用的想法（或事实） •a useful nugget of information 一条有用的信息/ nuggets of information
3. gleam /ɡliːm/
V-I 闪光 • His black hair gleamed in the sun. 他的黑头发在阳光下闪闪发光。
N-COUNT A gleam of something is a faint sign of it. • There was a gleam of hope for a peaceful settlement. 和平解决曾有一线希望。
4. good sense 良好的判断力，理智
5. say no to = get shot of
6. splendid advice 很棒的建议 /ˈsplendɪd/
7. identify with 与...产生共鸣，与一致 •I didn't enjoy the book because I couldn't identify with any of the main characters. 我不喜欢这本书，因为我无法与其中的任何主要角色产生共鸣。
P2
An email arrives from someone you do not know, asking to meet for coffee. Such requests arrive fairly often.
It might be someone/ starting out on their career who wants guidance /on how to progress in your field. It might be a freelancer hunting for work.
In this instance /the sender, who is called Cassie and got your name from a colleague whom you vaguely know, thinks /there may be a way for your two companies to work together.
一个素不相识的人发来一封邮件，请你喝个咖啡见个面。这种请求经常出现。对方可能是刚进入职场的新人，想向你求教如何在你从事的这个行业里发展。也可能是一个四下找活的自由职业者。在我们的例子中，一个叫凯西的发件人从一个你隐约有点印象的同事那里知道了你，觉得你们所在的两家公司也许会有合作的空间。
1. an email arrives from someone 某人发来的邮件
arrive:( of things 东西 ) to be brought to sb 送达；寄到 •A letter arrived for you this morning. 今天上午来了一封给你的信。
2. fairly often= quite often
3. start out on their career 刚进入职场
start: ~ (out/off) (sth) (as sth)to begin, or to begin sth such as a career, in a particular way that changed later 以…起步（或起家）；起初是
•The company started out with 30 employees. 公司创业之初只有30名员工。 •He started life as a teacher before turning to journalism. 他开始当过教师，后来改行搞起了新闻。
4. how to progress in your field, how to do做介词宾语
5. freelancer 自由职业者
6. hunt for work 找工作，对于自由职业者来说，是找活干，在文中，分词短语做后置定语
7. vaguely /ˈveɪɡli/ 有点儿 • The voice on the line was vaguely familiar, but Crook couldn't place it at first. 电话中的声音有点儿熟悉，但一开始克鲁克却听不出是谁。
8. In this instance 在此情况下
9. way: ~ (to do sth)~ (of doing sth)a method, style or manner of doing sth 方法；手段；途径；方式
P3
You don't really want to meet Cassie. On the other hand, saying that you don't want to meet someone, ever, feels a little rude. The meeting is weeks away, and the diary looks clear. You do drink coffee.
She might be useful contact if you want to move jobs. And you have heard of her company: it is just possible /something useful might come of a discussion. You ignore instinct and say "yes".
你并不真想去见凯西。但是，说你不想见谁总归感觉有些粗鲁。离会面时间还有几周，看起来那时也有空闲。你也有喝咖啡的习惯。如果你哪天想跳槽，说不定她能帮上忙。你也听说过她的公司，也许聊一聊能得到什么有用的信息。你没有理会直觉，回说“好”。
1. on the other hand 这个短语容易出错，它表示的是相反的两方面，见例句
The film lost money; reviews, on the other hand, were by and large favourable. 这部电影赔了钱；但从另一方面来看，评论大体上是积极的。《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》
On the one hand, if the body doesn't have enough cholesterol, we would not be able to survive. On the other hand, if the body has too much cholesterol, the excess begins to line the arteries. 一方面，如果身体没有足够的胆固醇，我们将无法生存；另一方面，如果体内胆固醇过多，多余的胆固醇就开始让动脉变厚。《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》
2. ever :( rather formal ) all the time or every time; always 不断地；总是；始终
3. be weeks away 还有几周
4. diary /ˈdaɪəri/ 日记，工作日程，注意文中用clear来形容日程比较空闲。
5. contact 联系人 social/personal contacts 社会上的╱私下的熟人
6. move jobs=change jobs 跳槽
7. hear of 听过
8. come of =be caused by
come of/from sth: to be the result of sth 是…的结果 •I made a few enquiries, but nothing came of it in the end. 我做过一些查询，但到头来却毫无结果。 •That comes of eating too much! 那是吃得太多的结果！
9. instinct /ˈɪnstɪŋkt/ 直觉
P4
The morning of the meeting arrives and you see "Coffee with Cassie" in your calendar. Who the hell is Cassie? You find the email chain, curse yourself for agreeing to meet and wonder briefly about cancelling.
Just then an email arrives from Cassie/ saying how much she is looking forward to coffee. Bollocks. You confirm the time and place, but say you only have time for half an hour.
会面的那天来了，早上你在日程表里看到“和凯西喝咖啡”的提示。谁啊这是？你找到了那一串邮件，骂自己为什么会同意，一度考虑取消它。就在这时，凯西发来一封邮件，说她很期待和你喝咖啡。见鬼。你确认了时间和地点，但说自己只有半个小时的时间。
1. on the earth< the hell< the fuck 加强语气
2. the email chain 一串邮件，往来邮件
3. curse 辱骂 curse yourself for
4. agree ~ (to sth)to say ‘yes’; to say that you will do what sb wants or that you will allow sth to happen 应允；答应；同意 •She agreed to let me go early. 她同意让我早走。
5. wonder about doing sth 寻思做某事
wonder: ~ (about sth)to think about sth and try to decide what is true, what will happen, what you should do, etc. 想知道；想弄明白；琢磨
6. saying.......looking forward to coffee 伴随状语
7. bollocks /ˈbɑːləks/ 英式粗话，见鬼
8. have time for half an hour. 有半个小时的时间
P5
You arrived at the coffee shop, and remember you have no idea what Cassie looks like.
You introduce yourself to several other people, who are plainly all waiting for similarly aimless meetings, until you received an apologetic text from Cassie to say that she is running late and will be there in five minutes.
The one thing you are determined to get/ out of this coffee meeting/ is a coffee, so you order for yourself and find a table.
In a victory of hope over experience/ you have brought a notepad: you write the date and Cassie’s name and company at the top.
你到了咖啡厅，才想起来根本不知道凯西长什么样。你问了几个人，他们明显也是在等待类似的令人茫然的会面。之后你才收到凯西的信息，道歉说她迟到了，5分钟后到。既然是咖啡碰头会，至少得喝到咖啡吧，所以你自己点了杯咖啡，找了张桌子。希望战胜了经验，所以你还是带了个记事本：你在页面上方写下了日期、凯西的名字和公司。
1. arrived at , at表示狭小的范围，精准的概念，在arrive后表示一个确定的地点，地区的话，用in更好。
2. you have no idea what Cassie looks like. what引导同位语从句，做idea的同位语。
3. plainly=clearly : in a way that is easy to see, hear, understand or believe 清晰地；明显地；清楚地 •The sea was plainly visible in the distance. 大海远远地清晰可见。
4. apologetic /əˌpɑːləˈdʒetɪk/ 道歉的
5. run late 延迟，也可表示火车晚点 Though meetings often run late, never leave early.
6. be determined to get sth：[ not before noun] ~ (to do sth)if you are determined to do sth, you have made a firm decision to do it and you will not let anyone prevent you 决心；决定；决意 •I'm determined to succeed. 我决心要获得成功。
7. out of this coffee meeting = from...... • I always took my key out of my bag and put it in my pocket. 我总是把钥匙从包里拿出来再放进口袋里
8. notepad: n. 记事本，便条本；笔记本（计算机）
P6
You text Cassie to say /that you are siting by the man in the pink sweater, who leaves almost immediately. Ten minutes later you see someone/ who is scanning the room at sweater height. You mouth each other's names like guppies in an aquarium. It's Cassie.
She goes to get her own coffee, which takes another five minutes. The coffee meeting is halfway done and there has yet to be a meeting.
你发信息告诉凯西你坐在一个穿粉色套衫的男人旁边，但你刚发完他就离开了。十分钟后，你看到一个人进来东张西望地打量人们的上衣。你们互相用嘴型默念着对方的名字，活像鱼缸里的孔雀鱼。那是凯西。她去点了咖啡，又花了五分钟。现在咖啡会面完成一半了，剩下的就是会面了。
1. text sb to say... 发信息表示......
2. sit by 坐在...旁边
3. scan the room 扫视
4. at sweater height 结合语境，根据毛衣找人
5. mouth each other's name 默念
mouth
1）. to move your lips as if you were saying sth, but without making a sound （动嘴唇）不出声地说 •He mouthed a few obscenities at us and then moved off. 他不出声地朝我们骂了几句脏话然后离去。
2.( disapproving) to say sth that you do not really feel, believe or understand 言不由衷地说 •They're just mouthing empty slogans. 他们只是在空喊口号。
6. guppies in an aquarium /əˈkweriəm/ 水族馆（鱼缸）里的孔雀鱼
7. take another five minutes 花了5分钟
8. meeting is halfway done 咖啡会面完成一半
9. have yet to= far from ...远着呢，尚未
have yet to : If you say that you have yet to do something, you mean that you have never done it, especially when this is surprising or bad. 还 (不曾做某事) • She has yet to spend a Christmas with her husband. 她还不曾跟丈夫一起度过一个圣诞节。
P7
Cassie sits down. Ritual demands an exchange of platitudes. You swap information that will be of no use to anyone ever: How late in the day you can drink coffee before it disrupts your sleep, how many days a week you now spend in the office, how she knows your colleague.
Then you confirm things that were already known to both of you (what roles you are in) and add unnecessary detail (how long you have been in your job)
凯西坐下来。你们例行公事地寒暄一番。你们交换了一些对任何人都不会有什么用的信息：你一天内最晚何时喝咖啡不会影响睡眠，现在你每周在办公室几天，她和你那个同事怎么认识的。然后你又确认了你们都已知道的事情（你的职务是什么），再加上一些无关紧要的细节（你干这份工作多久了）。
1. ritual /ˈrɪtʃuəl/: something that is done regularly and always in the same way 习惯；老规矩 •Sunday lunch with the in-laws has become something of a ritual. 星期天，和姻亲们共进午餐已经成了例行的公事
2. platitude /ˈplætɪˌtjuːd/ 陈词滥调 • Why couldn't he say something vital and original instead of just spouting the same old platitudes? 他为什么不能说点重要的、有新意的东西，而不只是喋喋不休地讲些陈词滥调呢？
3. swap : If you swap something with someone, you give it to them and receive a different thing in exchange. 交换
4. what roles you are in 你的职务是什么
what作定语，表示什么 • I didn't know what college I wanted to go to. 我不知道我想上什么样的大学。 • I didn't know what else to say. 我不知道还能再说点什么。
5. how long you have been in your job 你干这份工作多久了
P8
There is now about ten minutes left on the clock. You prompt Cassie to say a bit more /about those opportunities she raised/ back when this seemed like a good idea.
She says something about a date set /that you might be interested in. You say something about analytics, just because it makes you seem mildly innovative. She volley back a reference to AI. You suspect that neither of you really knows what is going on.
You are aware that /the notepad in front of you is still damningly blank, so you write down “data analytics” and “AI” /just to signal / that this could be leading somewhere.
现在离预定时间还剩差不多十分钟。你催凯西多讲一点她之前提到的那些机会，当时你正是因为这个才觉得见个面也不错。她就一个你可能有兴趣的数据集说了点什么。你扯了一些关于分析的东西，就为了让自己看起来还算锐意创新。她抛回来关于AI的东西。你寻思你俩其实都不知道自己究竟在说什么。你意识到面前的记事本上还是一片刺眼的空白，于是写下了“数据分析”和“AI”，只是为了表示这有可能引向一些合作机会。
1. prompt sb to do sth 敦促
2. back when......时间状语，当初……的时候
3. a date set 数据集
4. analytics /ˌænəˈlɪtɪks/ n. [化学][数] 分析学；解析学
5. mildly innovative 稍微创新些
mildly adv. /ˈmaɪldli/
1）.slightly; not very much 轻微地；稍微地 •mildly surprised/irritated/interested 有点儿吃惊╱生气╱感兴趣
2）. in a gentle manner 和善地；温和地 •‘I didn't mean to upset you,’ he said mildly. 他和颜悦色地说：“我并不是想扫你的兴。”
6. volley - volleyball volley back 抛回
7. reference [ CU] ~ (to sb/sth)a thing you say or write that mentions sb/sth else; the act of mentioning sb/sth 说到（或写到）的事；提到；谈及；涉及 •The book is full of references to growing up in India. 这本书谈到许多在印度怎样长大成人的事。
8. suspect 怀疑
9. neither of you两者都不
10. singal: to do sth to make your feelings or opinions known 表达；表示；显示 •She has signalled (that) she is willing to stand as a candidate. 她表示愿意作为候选人参加竞选。
P9
Your coffee is drained and the 30 minutes have passed. You say you have to go. While you wait- and wait- to pay, you share a bit more useless information for good measure: where you are both going next, how long Cassie is in town for.
You can almost feel your neurons deciding/ that there are no memories here/ that are worth forming. You both agree that it has been really good to meet, even though it hasn't, and that you will be in touch, even though you won't.
你的咖啡见底了，30分钟也到了。你说你必须走了。在左等右等买单时，你又讲了一些无用的东西：你们接下来各自要去哪里，凯西准备在市区待多久。你甚至能感到脑细胞断定这里没有任何值得记忆的东西。你们两人都说这次会面很好，尽管根本不是这么回事，你们还说要保持联系，尽管不会再见。
1. your coffee is drained 咖啡喝完了
drain: [ VN] to empty a cup or glass by drinking everything in it 喝光；喝干 •In one gulp, he drained the glass. 他一口喝干了杯中的水
2. for good measure 额外
3. uptown-downtown-in town
uptown ：in, to or typical of the parts of a town or city that are away from the centre, where people live 在（向）市郊
downtown： in or towards the centre of a city, especially its main business area 在市中心，往市中心（尤指商业中心区）
in town 在城里，在城镇里
4. neuron 神经元
5. be worth forming
P10
Not every meeting request is a dud. Giving advice to youngsters, say, is usually the right thing to do ( though the type of youngsters who ask for advice/ are not usually the ones who need help). The problem is coffee.
Ms Imber's recommendation is/ to forgo the caffeine and schedule a call during a period of dead time such as a commute. The time may be used fruitfully; if it is not, it will not feel as wasted.
In the matter of coffee and meetings, the blend is the problem.
不是每一次会面请求都只会让人做无用功。比如给年轻人建议通常都值得一做（虽然会寻求建议的那类年轻人通常并不是需要帮助的那类）。问题是咖啡。因贝尔的建议是别去喝咖啡，而是在做不了其他事的时间安排一次通话，比如通勤时。这可能会让这段时间很有成效；如果没有，也不会感到浪费时间。就咖啡和会面而言，问题就出在把两者搅拌在一起。
1. dud 不中用的东西；废物
2. youngster=young people
3. forgo 放弃
4. schedule ~ sth (for sth)[ usually passive] to arrange for sth to happen at a particular time 安排；为…安排时间；预定 [ VN] •The meeting is scheduled for Friday afternoon. 会议安排在星期五下午。
5. dead time 停滞时间
6. commute 通勤，上下班交通路程
7. fruitfully 有成效的, 产量多地；肥沃地
8. as (it is) wasted
9. blend /blend/
1).a mixture of different types of the same thing （不同类型东西的）混合品，混合物 •a blend of tea 混合茶叶
2).[ usually sing.] a pleasant or useful combination of different things （不同事物的）和谐结合，融合 •a blend of youth and experience 年轻而且有经验
素材来源：中英文均来自商论
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