来源：21世纪英文报第797期

"WHAT starting salary should I look for?" This year's new grads seem to be facing a really tough job picture. So, even a small interview may light up their days. In any interview, you can expect questions to be asked about your expected salary. Take a look at the following expressions to make sure you don't make an ill-thought-out mistake during an interview.

1. starting salary: 起薪

This refers to the initial salary a newly-hired person gets. It's almost always smaller than the amount paid to more experienced workers.

例句： I would need (at least) 3,500 yuan per month as a starting salary. 待遇方面，本人希望起薪(至少)是3500元。

2. basic salary/basic pay:基本工资

This refers to exactly what it says: It's what a person earns before other sums of money, such as for extra hours, allowances or bonuses, are added on.

例句： He gets a basic salary plus a hefty commission. 他享受基本薪金，外加高额佣金。

3. salary cap: 最高薪水限额

This is the maximum, or limit on the amount of money a person can be paid, or can make. In professional sports it's a salary cap (or wage cap in the UK) on what a team can spend on player salaries, either per-player or for the whole team.

例句： The Ministry of Finance recently announced a new policy imposing a salary cap on executives of State-owned financial enterprises. 不久前，财政部出台政策，对国有金融企业高管实行"限薪令"。

4. gross salary: 薪金总额

The gross refers to wages, and any other additional payments.

例句： The gross salary the company's employees made last year reached 15 million yuan. 这个公司职工的薪金总额去年达1500万元。

5. net salary: 净工资

Net salary refers to gross minus tax, national insurance, and other additional costs.

例句： Your net salary will be increased this year. 你今年的净工资将会增加。