Today we bring you a short listening exercise on a topic near and dear to us all: the job interview. But why is the recruiter so eager to find a candidate? And why the reference to extreme sports?

If you're at the Advanced level we believe you should recognize most of the words in this dialogue. The challenge will be keeping up as we charge ahead at a breakneck page. For best results, we recommend listening to the clip once, and then heading over to the quiz section to test your comprehension. You can always replay the recording later, or visit the text section to check the actual transcript.
orbital
 said on
September 25, 2008
This is a really good recording, and funny too. Sounds very natural.
mrleosmith
 said on
September 25, 2008
Loved it. I'm not advanced, so I had to read the text. Is there any way to stream while looking at the text?
trevelyan
 said on
September 25, 2008
@leo - we can put the podcast player on the transcript page as well. And thanks for the great feedback by the way.

We went over your suggestions last week with Brendan and will be introducing a line-by-line translation starting in some of the upcoming intermediate podcasts. This lets us introduce the vocabulary more naturally and in context, and we think it makes the lessons more stimulating too.

We're aiming for a variety of shows to capture different difficulty levels. I'll make sure our recording crew all read your thoughts.
henning
 said on
September 25, 2008
I am still often missing crucial details. For example I heard crystal clear that the company provides the newest equipment, but I missed that little constraint following that statement.

So， looking at the correct answer to question No. 7, I guess 蜘蛛人 is not spiderman in the superhero, 蜘蛛侠, sense?
Echo
 said on
September 25, 2008
@henning,

哈哈哈，不是那个英雄救美的蜘蛛侠。在中国，我们称那些在高楼大厦外面清洁玻璃的人为“蜘蛛人”，是这几年开始流行的现代语。

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
henning
 said on
September 25, 2008
Echo, 多谢谢！
Echo
 said on
September 25, 2008
@henning,

"多谢" ：）

--十分严格的Echo:P

echo@popupchinese.com
veritas21
 said on
September 26, 2008
henning and echo: it's funny how critical details slide past one. I also got the 蜘蛛人 question incorrect, but am fairly sure I'll remember it at least.

Now I just have to work it into conversation with my significant other. "你看!蜘蛛人" might just do.
trevelyan
 said on
September 26, 2008
I actually visited the Zhongguancun technology park out in Haidian district once and saw something like this in action. The park is one of Beijing's newer high tech districts and has green spacious lawns, neatly trimmed fences, row upon row of relatively modern glass buildings, and nicely paved roads.

Walking around the complex, there was very little that actually suggested anything Chinese about the place... until I looked up and saw two 蜘蛛人 hanging off the roof of a nearby building on what looked like aged sailing ropes freshly salvaged from a Victorian cutter. To make matters worse, there was a big overhang with the roof where they were working, forcing them to swing back and forth to even make contact with the glass.

I felt like a rubbernecker. On the first swing they'd daub the cleaning solution on the window before gravity pulled them away. Then they'd dart in to wipe it clean. It was a pretty impressive show since they'd gotten quite proficient at it.

And there was China for you. No matter how much money had been invested in the buildings themselves, and selling them as a high tech dream for China, when it came to maintenance things were being run as cheaply as possible. I never went back, but think that's where Baidu has it's main office these days. An interesting place to visit but probably not a great place to work.

xiaoxin
 said on
September 28, 2008
哈哈哈，虽然我是中国人，但是也觉得这个对话挺逗！

对了，你们也可以把“蜘蛛人”叫“高空作业者”。

jonbaron
 said on
October 2, 2008
haha, this was fun.

i likes it!
stratman1
 said on
November 11, 2008
I messed up quite a few on this.

我填的是安全性不高。。听他们的话那么那份工作肯定很危险吧 ：）我还填了那女的有工作经验，她虽然好像没作过蜘蛛人，但清洗过玻璃，那么这不算相关经验么？最后，那份工作的真正职责不是又清洗玻璃又作蜘蛛人吗？这些问题完全不用回答，我已经知道我错在哪，我只是用这些话来安慰自己，因为错了很多，得找借口保持自信 ；）
sauveur
 said on
May 10, 2009
im very glad to get connected with you !
Echo
 said on
May 10, 2009
@sauveur,

欢迎你加入到泡泡中文的大家庭中来 :)

--Echo

echo@popupchinese.com
itsanthonyhere
 said on
December 1, 2012
What does “都” do in, "对,蹦过极吗?我们这份工作呢让你每天都有蹦极 的感觉。"

I see the, "feeling of bunji jumping every day" but can't figure out the use of "都“

pefferie
 said on
December 4, 2012
@itsanthonyhere, "每天都" = "each and every day"
stephen.morgan
 said on
February 14, 2015
这个对话很好笑。