ESL Podcast 653 – Reading Product Reviews

　　Dominic: Do you want some help with that box?
Andrea: Sure, thanks.
Dominic: What is it?
Andrea: It’s a new TV. My old one has been on the fritz for a week and I needed a new one.
Dominic: Is this a highly-rated model?
Andrea: Highly-rated? I just went to the electronics store and bought it. It was on sale.
Dominic: You mean you didn’t read up on it before you bought it? You didn’t look at the reviews?
Andrea: No, I never do that. I think that’s a waste of time. I go with my gut¹.
Dominic: But if you read the reviews, you’ll know which product gives you the best value, which is the most reliable and durable², and which company has good customer support. Nobody wants to buy something that’s defective³ or poorly designed. Don’t you care about those things?
Andrea: Maybe, but who has time to do that? Instead, I go to the store and see which one I like overall. If it’s on sale, that’s all the better. That’s worked for me so far.
Dominic: Is that how you bought your old TV?
Andrea: Yeah.
Dominic: Enough said.
Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

1 gut   

n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏

参考例句：

• It is not always necessary to gut the fish prior to freezing.冷冻鱼之前并不总是需要先把内脏掏空。
• My immediate gut feeling was to refuse.我本能的直接反应是拒绝。

2 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

3 defective   

adj.有毛病的，有问题的，有瑕疵的

参考例句：

• The firm had received bad publicity over a defective product. 该公司因为一件次品而受到媒体攻击。
• If the goods prove defective, the customer has the right to compensation. 如果货品证明有缺陷， 顾客有权索赔。