礼节美语 Business Etiquette 215: Buying a Car (1)

 　　Chris告诉同事Jason, 准备买辆新车。

　　Jason: Hey there Chris, what are you up to?

　　Chris: I'm just poring¹ over some brochures about various car models.

　　J: Oh, so you're thinking about buying a new car?

　　C: Yeah, it looks that way. My wife has been bugging³ me about it. I thought we could probably survive without one, but with a baby on the way, maybe it is time to get a car.

　　J: So this would be your first automobile⁴?

　　C: That's right. For quite a few years, I rode a bicycle to work. Then I got a motorbike.

　　Chris太太怀孕，所以不得不考虑买车。Chris说，my wife has been bugging me about it. 意思是我太太一直在软磨硬泡要说服我，to bug² someone是没完没了烦某人的意思，比如说，Stop bugging me. 意思就是别烦我了。这是Chris的第一辆车，他以前都是骑自行车或是骑摩托车上班，但现在 with a baby on the way 眼看就要有孩子了，所以只好考虑买车。Jason表示理解。

　　J: Yeah, I think I can understand your wife's position. Asking her to ride on a motorcycle when she's pregnant⁵ is a tall order.

　　C: Oh...I don't let her ride with me. It's just too dangerous. She takes the bus to work, but it is sometimes difficult to get a seat and it's crowded and hot.

　　J: So it's time to buy your very first car! Wow, that's exciting!

　　C: Yes, but it's also a pretty big financial responsibility.

　　J: Yeah. I still remember my first car. It was an old clunker that my dad gave me when I turned 17. I drove it around for a couple of years until I scraped together enough money to buy a better secondhand car.

　　Jason说，让太太挺着大肚子坐Chris的摩托车确实有点强人所难，It's a tall order. tall order 意思是很难完成的任务或要求。Christ解释说，其实太太不坐他的摩托车上班，但是挤公交车也很辛苦，所以才必须买车。Jason说，他的第一辆车是17岁过生日时老爸送的，It was an old clunker. clunker is spelled c-l-u-n-k-e-r, clunker, clunker 是老破车的意思，开了几年后，攒够了钱才自己买了辆稍微像点儿样的 secondhand car 二手车。Chris 说，

　　C: I'm having a hard time deciding which model is best for us.

　　J: Yeah, it is a tough call. Each one has its pros⁶ and cons⁷. Are you looking for a sedan?

　　C: Yes, I'd like a Jeep, but my wife says we have to get a comfortable sedan for long drives home to see her relatives.

　　J: I'd advise you to listen to your wife. She will be sitting in the back taking care of the kids so whatever she prefers is probably the best choice.

　　Chris说，拿不定主意应该买什么型号的车。Jason承认，It's a tough call. tough call意思是很难做的决定。他还说，不同型号的车有各自的优缺点，pros and cons 是指一件事情的正反面，pros 是优点，正面的，cons 是缺点，负面的。Chris想买吉普车Jeep，但他太太坚持要买轿车sedan, 因为sedan开长途坐着更舒服些。买车还要考虑其他哪些因素呢？我们下次继续听。

1 poring   

细看（pore的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• He spent hours poring over the statistics. 他花了数小时钻研这些统计数据。
• To plan, we spend several poring over the travel brochures. 为了做好计划，我们花了好几个夜晚来研究旅游手册。

2 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

3 bugging   

[法] 窃听

参考例句：

• Okay, then let's get the show on the road and I'll stop bugging you. 好，那么让我们开始动起来，我将不再惹你生气。 来自辞典例句
• Go fly a kite and stop bugging me. 走开，别烦我。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语

4 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

5 pregnant   

adj.怀孕的，怀胎的

参考例句：

• She is a pregnant woman.她是一名孕妇。
• She is pregnant with her first child.她怀了第一胎。

6 pros   

abbr.prosecuting 起诉；prosecutor 起诉人；professionals 自由职业者；proscenium （舞台）前部n.赞成的意见( pro的名词复数 )；赞成的理由；抵偿物；交换物

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 cons   

n.欺骗，骗局( con的名词复数 )v.诈骗，哄骗( con的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》