Atop（在顶部）/ә'tɒp/ Wei's desk lay an up-to-date（最新的）/up-to-date/ customs notice（海关通知）/ˈkəstəmz ˈnoʊtɪs/: a container of kitchen ware（器具）/wєә/ was being held because its cargo（货物）/'kɑ:gәu/ list did not match the invoice. The bulk shipment（大宗货运）/bəlk ˈʃɪpmənt/ included a best-seller（畅销品）/best-seller/ called the Babyboom（婴儿潮）/babyboom/ Mug, a lily（百合）/'lili/-shaped tray, and a small barrel（小桶）/'bærәl/ for brandy（白兰地）/'brændi/. One colon（冒号）/'kәulәn/ in the product code had been copied as a minus sign. This petty（琐碎的）/'peti/ err（错误）/ә:/ had halted the entire freight transfer（货运转运）/freɪt ˈtrænsfər/. “Our launch is Friday. Can your fleet（车队）/fli:t/ fulfill（履行）/ful'fil/ the charter（租约）/'tʃɑ:tә/ date, or must I find another supplier?”

“We recognize the delay and will not disguise（掩饰）/dis'gaiz/ it. I am asking Maria to trace every document（追查每份文件）/treɪs ˈɛvəri ˈdɑkjəmɛnt/ now.” Maria, the freight（货运）/'freit/ agent, made an immediate enquiry. She would enquire（询问）/in'kwaiә/ again if the reply lacked detail. A lorry（卡车）/'lɒri/ had hauled（搬运）/hɒ:l/ the container from a warehouse on the outskirts（在郊区）/ɔn ðə ˈaʊtˌskərts/, but the despatch（发货）/di'spætʃ/ clerk had used an old quota（配额）/'kwәutә/ number. Maria asked Wei to enlarge（扩大）/in'lɑ:dʒ/ the scanned form and underline（在下方画线）/'ʌndәlain/ the wrong line. The corrected sketch（示意图）/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 may not endure（经受）/in'djuә/ a second haul.” The news deepened the gloom（沮丧）/glu:m/. Wei wanted to rage（愤怒）/reidʒ/, yet he remained neutral（中立的）/'nju:trәl/ until inspectors could uncover the cause（查明原因）/ənˈkəvər ðə kɔz/. They found that a rug（小块地毯）/rʌg/ had blocked a drain and moisture had begun to nourish（滋生）/'nә:riʃ/ mold on five cartons. One box bore a dark stroke（痕迹）/strәuk/ across its label; another had started to shed（脱落）/ʃed/ its outer layer.

Tom began to speculate（猜测）/'spekjuleit/ that the damaged cups might imitate（模仿）/'imiteit/ a famous design, but Wei sent photographs, factory records, and a video of the packing line. The proof was profound（有分量的）/prә'faund/ enough to change his view. A considerate（体谅各方的）/kәn'sidәrit/ claim should rest on facts（以事实为依据）/rɛst ɔn fækts/, not a sales pitch（推销话术）/pitʃ/ or a lecture that sounds like someone trying to preach（说教）/pri:tʃ/. Wei also had to refrain（避免）/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（节点）/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 would examine the moisture pattern, which seemed to revolve（围绕）/ri'vɒlv/ around one roof seam. Tom called the mug his market darling（宠儿）/'dɑ:liŋ/ because profits supported an orphan（孤儿）/'ɒ:fәn/ center, tumor（肿瘤）/'tju:mә/ research, and a sociology（社会学）/.sәusi'ɒlәdʒi/ project. No one treated the damage as mere shit（破烂事）/ʃit/ to hide. By being direct, the team preserved the deal and the jobs of every youngster（年轻人）/'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/.