英语博客：Netflix and cable madness.

　　The financial crisis has hit Wenatchee quite hard in the past year or so. Businesses have closed, some people have lost their homes or jobs, or both. Everyone seems to be more careful about spending, and it has become normal to be frugal¹, or very careful or thoughtful about money. My husband and I have been trying to find ways to cut costs. One expense that was easy to lower was our television bill. The cable and satelite companies here in the U.S sell packages to their customers: a certain amount of channels for a certain amount of money. The more you pay, the larger the choice of channels. Well, I realized a while ago, that we only watch a few channels, but we pay for a lot that we don't even like. After calling the company we use and lowering our package, I was happy to find that we saved about forty dollars a month. Good savings²! But, I knew that we could do even better. I signed up for an on-line, instant television and film viewing network called Netflix. It's monthly cost is less than ten dollars, you can instantly view on your computer from a list of thousands of items, or you can have them send you, at no extra cost, DVDs in the mail, one after another. Brilliant! It works, and we love it. The next step was trying to hook my PC up to the tv. "Well, that shouldn't be a problem," I said to everyone confidently. Oh my goodness. I had to make four trips to Radio Shack³, where they sell all kinds of cables, plugs, and computers. Each time I went I experienced great service, but I came away with something that didn't quite work. I was so frustrated⁴. By the forth⁵ time, I was absolutely determined⁶ to get the right stuff, even if it meant buying a thousand cables. Okay, I'm exaggerating. I bought a package of cables that is used specifically to hook up a PC to a tv. I was almost scared to open it. When I did, I was horrified⁷ to see what looked like an ocean of cables. There were so many of them! The instruction booklet was so difficult to understand that I looked everything up on Google to get my step by step instructions. Thankyou Google! After plugging everything in, putting the tv on the correct setting, and changing the display setting of my PC, suddenly what was on my PC screen, appeared on the tv. Hurray! I did it! Now, we can instantly view programs and films that we like on our big tv.
Grammar notes.
Practice of 'should' and 'could' with related vocabulary: frugal, package, to hook up, booklet.
1. We should be more frugal these days and think carefully before we make a big purchase.
2. We could save money by getting the phone, the internet, and the television all in one package.
3. If he wants to make a speech to the crowd, he should hook up the microphone to the speakers.
4. The instruction booklet is hopeless, but you could google the instructions.

1 frugal   

adj.节俭的，节约的，少量的，微量的

参考例句：

• He was a VIP,but he had a frugal life.他是位要人，但生活俭朴。
• The old woman is frugal to the extreme.那老妇人节约到了极点。

2 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

3 shack   

adj.简陋的小屋，窝棚

参考例句：

• He had to sit down five times before he reached his shack.在走到他的茅棚以前，他不得不坐在地上歇了五次。
• The boys made a shack out of the old boards in the backyard.男孩们在后院用旧木板盖起一间小木屋。

4 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

6 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

7 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。