Lesson Twelve
Short Conversations
Read aloud the concersation two times, and then listen to the tape without looking at the text.

The Circuit Box Assignment

Mr. Rathbone: Well, how are you doing?
Eugene: Fine, sir. The computer section is coming along nicely. I should be finished with it by this afternoon.
Mr. Rathbone: Oh, that is great, great. But, I need to pull you off the computers for a little while and put you on something else.
Eugene: Something else?
Mr. Rathbone: Yeah, yeah. Listen, you know about electricity, don't you?
Eugene: Well, as that is the power source for most computers, I do possess a rudimentary knowledge of it of course.
Mr. Rathbone: Oh, that is great, great! That's just what I wanted to hear.
Eugene: Uh, why?
Mr. Rathbone: Because of  this.
Eugene: The main circuit box?
Mr. Rathbone: That's right. Notice something odd about it?
Eugene: Well yes. None of the wires appear to be attached.
Mr. Rathbone: Nobody gets to the heart of a problem as quick as you. Up to now, we've been powering the place with a generator, but it's time for that to stop. I want you to fix the circuit box.
Eugene: Fix it?
Mr. Rathbone: Yeah, you know, attach the wires.
Eugene: Uh, am I to understand that you wish me to wire your building?
Mr. Rathbone: No, no. I don't wish you to do it. I want you to do it. You got everything you need here: transformer, wire, fuses.
Eugene: Mr. Rathbone, while I do know something about electrical current, I am not a certified electrician.
Mr.. Rathbone: Did I say you had to be?
Eugene: You don't understand. This job requires the services of a true professional.