PiggyBank小豬銀行

A: Did you know that Krishna left for a job with that new Internet-based start-up?

B: Yes, I heard that. I guess he decided to just go for the gold. They gave him stock options.

A: I heard his wife also left her job to go to the same company. I guess they decided it was time to go for it. They’ve both become dot.commers.

B: I think they took the risk because last year, he was offered a job and stock in another start-up company, but he said no, and now the company has gone public. He felt he really missed the boat. He would have been a millionaire if he had taken that job.

A: Well, it’s a trade-off. I prefer a little more security. I’m not ready to risk it all and go for broke. Some of those Internet-based companies make me nervous. A lot of them won’t be around long. You know, some of them have a really high burn rate. They often go through millions of dollars a month in the start-up phase. I prefer working for a bricks-and-mortar business. I think it’s important to have a physical presence in the marketplace.

B: You may be right, but Krishna is a nice guy. I hope he lands on his feet and does really well.

A: Well, nobody twisted his arm. He took the chance, and he knows what he’s doing. He could always come back here. He was careful not to burn his bridges. He gave two weeks notice, and everyone appreciated that.

B: His wife is a talented researcher. If this venture falls through, she should have a lot of other job opportunities. It’s not like they come uponly once in a blue moon. There’re lots of them around today for people with the right skills.

1. Go for the gold 竭盡所能

   We decided to risk it all, and we went for the gold.

    

2. Go for it 全力以赴, 加油!

   If we’re going to make this quarter’s quota, we’ll have to really go for it.

    

3. Dot.com/ dot.commers 線上公司/ 線上公司雇員

   I don’t think I’m ready to go to a dot.com and work 12 hours a day filling online orders.

    

4. Miss the boat 錯失良機

   She missed the boat when she said no to partnership. He has become a millionaire.

    

5. A trade-off 交換, 交易

He gave up his dream car, a BMW, to buy a house. It was a trade-off.

1. Bricks and mortar 實體的

   I like the coffee bar at the bricks and mortar bookstore near my house.

    

2. Land on one’s feet 平安落地

   She landed on her feet after the merger by creating a new position for herself.

    

3. Twist someone’s arm 說服某人做某事

   She didn’t want to go to the dance alone, so she called a friend and twisted his arm. He finally agreed to go along.

    

4. Burn one’s bridges 自斷後路

   I wasn’t negative about why I left the job. I didn’t want to burn my bridges. I might want to use my old boss as a reference.

    

5. Fall through 失敗, 落空

   Their plans fell through, so they had to come up with an alternative.

    

6. Once in a blue moon 久久一次, 很難得

   We weren’t prepared for that because it only comes up once in a blue moon.

    

7. Burn rate 風險投資金消耗

   The burn rate was really high with new internet companies because marketing costs are very high.