Making Business Appointments
Here are some of the things people may use when making an appointment. Write down the name of the thing in each picture and talk about which of them you think is/are necessary.
Now read the passage and find the answers to the questions.
Etiquette in Making Business Appointments
When making a business appointment, one should consider different cultural backgrounds.
In America, prior (提前的) appointments are necessary. When deciding on a meeting date, one should know people in the United States write the month first, then the day, and then the year (i.e., December 10, 2016 is written as 12/10/16). Punctuality (准时) is very important on business occasions. In many U.S. cities, busy traffic can cause considerable (严重的) delays, so be sure to allow enough driving time for your appointment.
In Britain the most convenient times of day to arrange an appointment are probably mid-morning (say 11:00 a.m.) and mid-afternoon (say 4:00 p.m.). Breakfast meetings are rare outside London and other major cities and it is unlikely that an initial (最初的) meeting will involve lunch or dinner. Punctuality is appreciated but no one really minds if you arrive a little late (up to 15 minutes) for a one-to-one meeting. On the other hand, you should not arrive too promptly for social events; thus, if a dinner invitation states “7:30 p.m. for 8:00 p.m.”, it means that you will be expected at about 7:50 p.m.
The London underground (the “Tube”) and long-distance rail services are the worst offenders (惹人生气的人或事物). The flow of traffic in central London has improved greatly since the introduction of congestion (拥挤) charging (drivers must now pay £5 per day to enter the clearly marked inner zone). So, the more important the meeting, the more time you should allow for almost inevitable (不可避免的) delay.
Questions:
What should people consider when making a business appointment?
What is the difference in the written form of date between American English and British English?
In which country do people not really mind if one is a little late for a one-to-one meeting?
