Atop（在顶上）/ә'tɒp/ Wei's desk lay an up-to-date（最新的；现代的）/up-to-date/ customs notice（海关通知）/ˈkəstəmz ˈnoʊtɪs/: a container of kitchen ware（物品、器具）/wєә/ was being held（hold的过去式和过去分词）/held/ because its cargo（货物）/'kɑ:gәu/ list did not match the invoice（开发票、记清单）/'invɒis/. The bulk shipment（大宗货运）/bəlk ˈʃɪpmənt/ included a best-seller（畅销品；畅销书）/best-seller/ called the Babyboom（婴儿潮）/babyboom/ Mug, a lily-shaped（语境补充词）/lily-shaped/ tray, and a small barrel（桶）/'bærәl/ for brandy（白兰地酒）/'brændi/. One colon（冒号、结肠）/'kәulәn/ in the product code had been copied as a minus（减的、负的）/'mainәs/ sign. This petty（琐碎的、小规模的）/'peti/ err（犯错、做错）/ә:/ had halted the entire freight transfer（货运转运）/freɪt ˈtrænsfər/. “Our launch is Friday. Can your fleet（舰队、港湾）/fli:t/ fulfill（履行、完成）/ful'fil/ the charter（特许状、执照）/'tʃɑ:tә/ date, or must I find another supplier（供应者、供给国）/sә'plaiә/?”

“We recognize（语境补充词）/ˈrɛkəgˌnaɪz/ the delay and will not disguise（假面目、假装）/dis'gaiz/ it. I am（语境补充词）/æm/ asking Maria to trace every document（追查每份文件）/treɪs ˈɛvəri ˈdɑkjəmɛnt/ now.” Maria, the freight（船货、运费）/'freit/ agent, made an immediate enquiry（询价、询盘）/in'kwaiәri/. She would enquire（询问）/in'kwaiә/ again if the reply lacked detail. A lorry（卡车、货车）/'lɒri/ had hauled（拖、拉）/hɒ:l/ the container from a warehouse on the outskirts（在郊区）/ɔn ðə ˈaʊtˌskərts/, but the despatch（派遣）/di'spætʃ/ clerk had used an old quota（配额、限额）/'kwәutә/ number. Maria asked Wei to enlarge（扩大、增大）/in'lɑ:dʒ/ the scanned form and underline（在...下面划线、作...的衬里）/'ʌndәlain/ the wrong line. The corrected sketch（素描、草图）/sketʃ/ showed the code clearly, so customs（海关）/ˈkəstəmz/ agreed to review it.

“There is another problem: water entered through a crack, and some cartons（硬纸盒、纸板箱）/'kɑ:tn/ may not endure（仍能工作、继续工作）/in'djuә/ a second haul.” The news deepened（深化）/'dipәn/ the gloom（忧郁、暗处）/glu:m/. Wei wanted to rage（愤怒、情绪激动）/reidʒ/, yet he remained neutral（中立者、中立国）/'nju:trәl/ until inspectors（检查员、巡视员）/in'spektә/ could uncover the cause（查明原因）/ənˈkəvər ðə kɔz/. They found that a rug（小块地毯、揭露某人）/rʌg/ had blocked a drain and moisture（湿气、水分）/'mɒistʃә/ had begun（语境补充词）/ˈbeɪgən/ to nourish（滋养、使健壮）/'nә:riʃ/ mold on five cartons. One box bore a dark stroke（笔划、打）/strәuk/ across its label; another had started to shed（车棚、小屋）/ʃed/ its outer layer.

Tom began to speculate（深思、推测）/'spekjuleit/ that the damaged cups might imitate（模仿、效法）/'imiteit/ a famous design, but Wei sent（语境补充词）/sɛnt/ photographs, factory records, and a video of the packing line. The proof was profound（极深的、深厚的）/prә'faund/ enough to change his view. A considerate（体贴的、体谅的）/kәn'sidәrit/ claim should rest on facts（以事实为依据）/rɛst ɔn fækts/, not a sales pitch（程度、坡度）/pitʃ/ or a lecture that sounds like someone trying to preach（传道、讲道）/pri:tʃ/. Wei also had to refrain（重复的话、叠句）/ri'frein/ from promising what the carrier had not approved. “I accept the evidence. Replace the five cartons, and keep me informed at every tick（滴答声、一瞬间）/tik/ of the countdown.”

Maria arranged a jeep（吉普车）/dʒi:p/ to collect samples and a second lorry for the sound goods. The insurer（保险人、承保人）/in'ʃuәrә/ would examine the moisture pattern, which seemed to revolve（(使)旋转、反复考虑）/ri'vɒlv/ around one roof seam（缝合线、衔接口）/si:m/. Tom called the mug his market darling（亲爱的、可爱的人）/'dɑ:liŋ/ because profits supported an orphan（孤儿）/'ɒ:fәn/ center, tumor（肿大、肿块）/'tju:mә/ research, and a sociology（社会学）/.sәusi'ɒlәdʒi/ project. No one treated the damage as mere shit（粪、屎）/ʃit/ to hide. By being direct, the team preserved the deal and the jobs of every youngster（儿童、少年）/'jʌŋstә/ and adult at the plant. The container left after inspection, and Tom received a revised delivery plan（修订后的交付计划）/rɪˈvaɪzd dɪˈlɪvəri plæn/.