Unit 7 Business Dinner

Part Ⅰ Situational Dialogues

Situational Dialogue 1

Mr.Johnson comes to the hotel to invite his American business associates, Mr.White and his colleagues, to a dinner party.

Mr.Johnson: Good morning, Mr.White. How is your room?

Mr.White: Very comfortable and quiet. We're all very happy with the facilities and services here.

Mr.Johnson: I'm glad to hear that. Now, I'm here just to tell you that we'll be having a dinner party tomorrow evening. We'd like to invite you all to come.

Mr.White: Oh, how nice of you! We'd be delighted to come.

Mr.Johnson: Here's the invitation.

Mr.White: Thank you.

Mr.Johnson: Then I'll send somebody to pick you up from the hotel lobby at six tomorrow evening. Is that all right?

Mr.White: Yes. That's fine. Thank you.

Mr.Johnson: See you then.

Mr.White: See you.

Practice 1

Task 1: Listen to the dialogue and role-play it in pairs.

Task 2: Simulated situational conversation.

Suppose you are Alice. You are making a reservation at a Chinese restaurant for Bill and his client Laurent White.

Situational Dialogue 2

Mr.White and his two colleagues enter the restaurant. Mr.Johnson greets them at the door.

Mr.Johnson: Welcome, everybody! Mr.White, I'm glad you've come.

Mr.White: It's very kind of you to have invited us.

Mr.Johnson: Please sit down. I hope the food we've ordered will be to your liking.

Mr.White: Thank you very much for such a splendid dinner.

(They sit down and begin to have dinner.)

Mr.Johnson: Please help yourself, everybody.

Mr.White and his colleagues: Thank you. We certainly will. It all looks delicious.

Mr.Johnson: Mr.White, you'll be leaving soon. Has your trip to this fair been fruitful?

Mr.White: Yes, there's a really wide range of goods on display and most prices are acceptable.

Mr.Johnson: Have you found anything that particularly interests you?

Mr.White: Yes, we're interested in your items P6M and P6K. The designs are original. I'm sure they'll be quite popular with young customers in our country.

Mr.Johnson: Yes, you're right. Items P6M and P6K are our latest designs. They're also very popular with young consumers here. I'm sure they'll sell well in your market, too.

Mr.White: We hope so!

Mr.Johnson: All right, gentlemen, may I propose a toast to our continued friendly cooperation?

Mr.White: I couldn't agree more. Cheers!

Practice 2

Task 1: Listen to the dialogue and role-play it in pairs.

Task 2: Simulated situational conversation.

Suppose you are Linda. You take friends to have dinner in a restaurant. You want to have some western food.

Situational Dialogue 3

Mr.Brown wants to have some Chinese food in a restaurant. He is ready to order, but he knows nothing about Chinese food. So, he is asking the waitress something about Chinese food.

Brown: Excuse me, I'd like to try some Chinese food.

Waitress: We serve excellent Chinese food. Which style do you prefer?

Brown: I know nothing about Chinese food. Could you give me some suggestions?

Waitress: Chinese food is divided into eight big cuisines, such as Cantonese food, Shandong food, Sichuan food, etc.

Brown: Is there any difference?

Waitress: Yes. Generally, Cantonese food is a bit light, Shandong food is a bit heavy and spicy.

Brown: How about Sichuan food?

Waitress: Most Sichuan dishes are spicy and hot. They taste differently.

Brown: Oh. Really? I like hot food. So what is your recommendation for me?

Waitress: I think Mapo Tofu and shredded meat in chili sauce are quite special and delicious. We have a Sichuan food dining room. May I suggest you to go there? It's on the second floor.

Brown: Thank you.

Waitress: My pleasure.

Practice 3

Task 1: Listen to the dialogue and role-play it in pairs.

Task 2: Simulated situational conversation.

Suppose you are Lin Zhigang. You have just met two promising customers at a trade fair. After the fair, you take these two customers to dinner in a Chinese restaurant. While Mr.Robin is Arabic, Mr.Harry is a vegetarian. Now you walk into a restaurant. The waitress greets you. You are ordering dishes.