世博實(shí)用聽(tīng)力:找個(gè)地方歇腳

Professor: Jeff is at an apartment building. He's meeting the landlord to ask about renting an apartment.

Professor Bowman, landlord這個(gè)詞由是land─土地，和lord─主人組成的，應(yīng)該就是房主的意思吧？

Professor: That's right, Winnie. Now listen for the word "vacancy," which means "open" or "available."

Jeff: Hello, do you have any vacancies?

Landlord: Yes, something just opened up.

Jeff: What kind of apartment is it?

Landlord: It's a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment.

我知道，"vacancy, v-a-c-a-n-c-y, vacancy"就是指等待出租的空房。

Professor: Exactly. "Vacant" means "empty."

哦，vacant 是 vacancy 的形容詞，意思是“空的”。現(xiàn)在Jeff 就是要找a vacant apartment. 房主說(shuō)有一個(gè)一室一衛(wèi)的公寓，聽(tīng)起來(lái)不錯(cuò)，可是不知道租金貴不貴。

Professor: Let's listen and find out.

Jeff: How much is the rent?

Landlord: The rent is $1500 per month.

Jeff: And how much is the deposit?

Landlord: The deposit is $500.

一個(gè)一居室的公寓每月要 1500 美元？夠貴的！而且，為什么Jeff 還要交一筆deposit“押金”呢？

Professor: Well, if Jeff breaks something in the apartment, the landlord uses the deposit money to fix it. In addition, he may have to pay utilities too. Let's listen.

Jeff: Are utilities included in the rent?

Landlord: Gas and water are included.

Jeff: Do I have to pay for electricity myself?

Landlord: Yes, electricity is not included in the rent.

哦，看來(lái)Jeff 要自己負(fù)擔(dān)一部分utilities, u-t-i-l-i-t-i-e-s,─“水電雜費(fèi)”，因?yàn)榉恐髡f(shuō)，房租里包括煤氣費(fèi)和水費(fèi)，但是電費(fèi)要單付。

Professor: Winnie, if the landlord says "all utilities are included," then the cost of gas, water and electricity will all be included in the rent. Remember, you don't have to say "gas utility" or "water utility." You can just say "gas" or "water."

Jeff: Hmmm ... This apartment seems a little expensive. Do you have any cheap studios?

Landlord: Actually, the one-bedroom is the only vacant apartment right now.

Jeff: Do you think any studios will open up soon?

Landlord: No, not for a few months.

A "studio"? 我知道 Jeff 想找個(gè)便宜點(diǎn)的地方，可租這種臥室、起居室合二為一的單間小公寓，把女孩子帶回家多沒(méi)面子！

Professor: I don't know. You wouldn't date a guy living in a studio?

找個(gè)租 studio 的男朋友？那也沒(méi)什么不行，但他起碼得有輛特別 cool 的車(chē)！我們還是言歸正傳，看看Jeff 租沒(méi)租那間公寓吧。

Jeff: When can I see the one-bedroom apartment?

Landlord: There's an open house this weekend.

Jeff: What time does the open house start?

Landlord: It starts at 11AM in the morning.

Professor Bowman, 什么叫open house?

Professor: Winnie, an "open house" is when the landlord opens the apartment and anybody can just walk in and take a look.

Open house 這段時(shí)間里什么人都可以隨便來(lái)看。那要不是open house，就得和房主約時(shí)間嘍？這個(gè)房主也真懶，讓人家看一眼不就得了。

Professor: I agree. Maybe Jeff should rent a different apartment because this landlord is not very good. Now Jeff is going to ask how long the lease is.

Jeff: What kind of lease is it?

Landlord: It's a one-year lease.

Jeff: Can I have a month-to-month lease? I only want to rent the apartment for five months.

Landlord: No, all the leases are for one year. We don't have month-to-month leases.

Jeff: Well then I don't think this would be a good apartment for me. Thank you anyway.

Landlord: You're welcome.

唉，看來(lái)是不行了。Jeff只想租5個(gè)月，可房主非要簽一年的租約。這可怎么辦？

Professor: Well, I guess Jeff's friend Sarah will have to help him look for another apartment. Tune in next time to see what happens!