In this Business English Podcast, we'll be looking at the language used to make appointments on the telephone. 在本期的商务英语播客中，我们将要学习电话预约所使用的语言。

We live in the era of remote communication: teleconferencing, videoconferencing, and online meetings. More and more group efforts are getting done from a distance. In theory, at least, it's possible to work closely with anyone in the world without leaving our desks. Nevertheless, there's something about a face-to-face meeting that no virtual one can replace. We still need to shake people's hands, read their body language, and make personal connections. That's why—even today—one of the commonest uses for the telephone is to make appointments. In this episode, we'll take a close look at making appointments on the phone. 我们生活在一个远程通讯的时代，电话会议、视频会议和网上会议被广泛采用。远距离的团体协作越来越普及。理论上来讲，足不出户而紧密协作是可行的。但是当面会谈也有其不可替代的一面。我们仍需要与对方亲身接触。因此，直到今天，电话仍有一个重要的用途，即约定免谈。在本集中，我们将进一步学习怎样进行电话预约。

Gordon Knight works for Bridgewater, a U.S. pension fund. (Pension funds are institutions that invest retirement savings.) At a recent conference, Gordon met Penny Yip, a senior financial analyst for the Asia Markets office of Solomon-Clyde. Solomon is a boutique—or small and specialized—global investment company that deals only with institutional customers—very large clients, like Bridgewater. Now, Gordon plans to be in Malaysia, and he phones Penny to set up an appointment to discuss possibilities for investment. Gordon Knight 任职于一家名为Bridgewater的美国退休基金组织（即进行退休金投资的组织）。在近期的会议中，Gordon 会见了Solomon-Clyde亚洲市场部的高级财务分析师Penny Yip。Solomon 是一家专业的国际投资公公司，专门与Bridgewater这样的大型客户交易。Gordon 正欲前往马来西亚。他打电话给Penny 让她安排一场会面商讨投资事宜。

Listening Questions:

1. Where and when does Gordon say he met Penny?
2. When does Gordon suggest meeting with Penny?
3. Why does he want to meet with Penny?
4. What time do they finally agree on?