A: 又是东又是西的,我听得都晕了。
B: 你是路痴,肯定得晕啊。
A: 幸好我开车上班,而且有GPS领路,那天我的GPS坏了,我就惨了。对了,Kat, 上次不是说到给你买车么,你有什么新的想法吗?
B: No, I don't. I still think the disadvantages of owning a car outweighs its advantages.
A: 你不想买,我倒是被说动了,想换车。
B: Really? What do you have in mind?
A: I want my car to be good-looking, fuel efficient, roomy and affordable. I haven't found the perfect combination yet.
B: I don't think you can have it all.
A: 我也这么觉得,最后还是要做出取舍。咱们接下来听听今天的“礼节美语”,看看Chris打算挑个什么车,也许能给我一些灵感呢!
Business Etiquette: buying a car II
Chris准备买辆新车,向同事Jason征求意见。
Chris: What do you think about this one? Here....take a look.
Jason: I like it. It's quite stylish. But....it's also pretty small.
C: That's OK. We are only a family of three.
J: This model has a 1.3 liter engine. With a small engine, you'll save a lot of money on gas.
C: That's one of the reasons I'm considering this one. It gets good gas mileage and overall has good value.
J: When I was young, having a car was all about power, prestige and fashion. But today, everything is about economy, value and savings.
C: The world has changed.
Chris看中了一款车,征求Jason的意思。Jason说,车外观还是挺有形的,但就是有点小。Chris觉得,小点没关系,因为他们就三口人,a family of three, 小点也够用了。Jason说,这款车引擎是1.3公升的,省油,是优点。Chris承认,这也是他看中这款车的原因之一,It gets good gas mileage and overall has good value. 意思是说这辆车油耗低,总体上说很划算。Jason大发感慨,说自己年轻那会儿买车就是为了马力,时尚,如今大家考虑的却都是实用和省钱。
J: Have you considered getting a secondhand car?
C: My wife rejected that idea. She says that you never know if the car dealer is unscrupulous. The car could be water damaged or could have been involved in an accident.
J: She makes some good points. Anyway, having a new car is a great experience.
C: I'm also trying to decide if I should take the three or five-year payment option.
J: If I can make a suggestion: go with a three-year plan. The five-year might look easier, but in the end, the interest payments are not worth it.
Chris不准备买二手车,因为他太太担心碰上个缺德的二手车车行老板,把出过车祸的车买回家,上面所说的 unscrupulous is spelled u-n-s-c-r-u-p-u-l-o-u-s, unscrupulous, unscrupulous 意思是没有道德操守的。Jason觉得,she makes some good points. 她说的很有道理。在贷款方面,Chris不知道应该三年还清还是五年还清,Jason建议他做三年的贷款,因为五年贷款每个月付的钱看上去虽然少些,但其实把交的利息都算进去,就不值了。
C: I'll go home and do the math, but you're probably right.
J: How about the color?
C: Blue is my lucky color, so I'll pick blue if possible. My wife says we should consider black because it doesn't look dirty so quickly.
J: Cool! Well, let me know when you decide. I'd love to check out your new car!
C: Sure, Jason. Thanks for the input.
Chris说,我回家算算 I'll go home and do the math. Do the math 是口语里很常用的一种说法,意思是算算清楚,特别是指明摆着的事情,比如:We cannot afford that house with our salaries. You do the math. 咱们的工资买不起那栋房,你自己算算吧。在颜色选择上,Chris说,蓝色是自己的幸运色,而太太觉得黑色经脏。Jason最后说,I'd love to check out your new car! 买了新车别忘了给我看看。
B: I don't think Chris' case is of any help to you. He's a married man with a baby on the way, so his priority is quite different from yours.
A: 嗯,也对!不过有一点一样,那就是We both have to do the math! 都得算计算计自己的收入能负担什么价位的车!
B: So used cars are out of the question?
A: 那也不一定!我现在这辆车就是二手车,我觉得还不错。不过Chris的担心也对,买二手车风险确实要大一些。
B: 好了,咱们不说买车了。换个话题吧。
A: 不买车买船吧!
B: 啊?
A: 来听体育美语,去划帆船!