Long Conversations：練習題

Situation: A customer is complaining to a store manager about a defective product.

Customer: I bought this blender yesterday, and it stopped working the second time I used it.
Manager: I apologize for the inconvenience. Do you have the receipt with you?
Customer: Yes, here it is. I’d like a full refund, please.
Manager: ___________ Since it was purchased within 24 hours and is clearly faulty, I can process that for you immediately.

Situation: Two students are discussing their upcoming group presentation.

Clara: I’m worried about our presentation on Friday. We still haven’t finalized the slides.
David: Don’t panic. I’ve finished the research part, and I can put the visuals together tonight.
Clara: That would be a huge help. ___________
David: Sounds like a plan. Let’s meet at the library at 4:00 PM tomorrow then.

Situation: Two managers are discussing the implementation of a new remote work policy.

Manager A: I’m concerned that the lack of face-to-face interaction will erode our company culture over time.
Manager B: That’s a valid point, but we could mitigate that by hosting monthly team-building events.
Manager A: ___________ but I’m still not convinced it will be enough to maintain the same level of synergy.
Manager B: Perhaps we could trial a hybrid model first to see how it affects productivity and morale.

Situation: Two coworkers are discussing a colleague's recent promotion.

Anne: Did you hear that James was promoted to Senior Manager?
Ben: I did. Honestly, I’m a bit surprised given that he’s only been with the firm for a year.
Anne: ___________ He’s consistently exceeded his sales targets and managed to streamline the entire reporting process.
Ben: True, his results are hard to argue with.

Doctor: Good morning, Mrs. Gable. What brings you in today?
Patient: I’ve been having these terrible headaches lately, especially in the afternoons.
Doctor: I see. Are you experiencing any other symptoms, like blurred vision or dizziness?
Patient: A little bit of dizziness, yes. And my neck feels quite stiff.
Doctor: It could be related to stress or perhaps your posture at work. How many hours do you spend in front of a computer?
Patient: About eight hours a day, and I rarely take breaks.
Doctor: That might be the culprit. I’d like to run some blood tests just to be sure, but in the meantime, try to take a five-minute break every hour.

Question: What does the doctor suggest might be the cause of the patient's problem?

Situation: Two university researchers are discussing a setback in their long-term clinical trial.

Dr. Aris: I just reviewed the latest data from the control group, and the results are completely inconsistent with our initial hypothesis. I'm starting to fear that the entire three-year study might be compromised.
Dr. Ben: ____________________. We should conduct a thorough audit of the data entry process before we even consider pulling the plug on the project.

Situation: Two university students, Mark and Sarah, are discussing their upcoming group project in the library.

Mark: I've been looking at the requirements for the marketing presentation. It says we need to interview at least three local business owners. Do you think we can manage that by next Friday?
Sarah: It might be tight. Most managers are busy during the week. Maybe we should split the list of potential shops and start calling them immediately.
Mark: That's a good idea. I can take the cafes in the North District. Which ones will you handle?
Sarah: I'll contact the retail stores downtown. By the way, have you started on the SWOT analysis yet?
Mark: Not yet, I was hoping we could do that together after we get the interview data.

Questions:
i) What is the main concern Sarah has about the project timeline?
ii) How do the students decide to divide the workload for the first phase of their task?