VOA常速英语2019--旧衣服，新生命

New Life for Old Clothes

I feel like there’s a season in everyone’s life for consignment².

我觉得每个人的生命中有可以转卖的东西。 

Yay, our first customers! Yay!

耶，我们的第一批顾客来了！耶！ 

It’s the last hurrah³ for winter right now.All of the items that didn’t sell over the winter are now fair game.

这是冬天最后一次欢呼了。所有在冬天没有卖出去的东西现在都在这里甩卖。 

They pay one registration⁴ fee price,no sales tax,and are able to choose anything off the rack that they can fit on their bodies.

顾客只需付一笔注册费，不征收销售税，就可以从架子上选择适合他们身型的任何衣服。 

That’s called the all-you-can-wear-buffet. New consigners come about

这就是我们的“衣物自助餐”。新卖家络绎不绝， 

for a number of reasons and it’s usually because of a change in their life.

通常是因为他们的生活发生了变化。 

either maybe their size changed and their clothes don’t fit anymore,

或者他们的尺寸变了，他们的衣服也不合身了， 

or they’ve had a change in their career or a lifestyle

或者他们的职业或生活方式发生了变化 

and they need other kinds of clothes, and what they have they don’t need anymore.

需要其他类型的衣服，现在的衣服就用不上了。 

So, it’s a good way to turn around that money into spare cash.

所以，这是把花过的钱变成现金的好办法。 

Here’s a coupon⁵ good for another thirty days.

这是一张30天的优惠券。 

Awesome⁶, thank you.

太棒了，谢谢。 

It just means that you enter into an agreement to sell your things

把东西送到这就意味着你达成协议出售你的东西 

and share the profit of what they sell for with the person who’s selling them.

卖家和买家可以共享利润。 

We have a whole cross-section of America here.

我们这里的衣服各式各样， 

All ethnicities, socio-economic status, genders⁷, we have everyone.

囊括了美国所有种族、社会经济地位、性别。 

Thank you so much.

非常感谢。 

You need some help in what to do?

需要帮忙吗？ 

We don’t want this stuff ending up in the landfill.

我们不希望这些东西最后被扔到垃圾填埋场。 

At some point there will be other uses for this fabric⁸,

在某种程度上，这种衣服还会有其他用途， 

especially the nicer fabrics⁹, the cotton’s, and the linens¹⁰, and the silks,

尤其是比较好的的面料，棉花的、亚麻布、丝绸， 

which you don’t find as much in retail¹¹ these days.

这些你都很难在零售店买到。 

I think they will always have some value.

我认为它们总是有价值的。 

People these days don’t like to mend things.They don’t like to sew buttons on.

这些天的人不喜欢修理东西。他们不喜欢缝扣子。 

So, they consign¹ it because they don’t want to fix it,don’t have the time or don’t know how.

所以，他们把衣服送过来是因为他们不想缝补它，没有时间或者不知道怎么做。 

So every now and then,I take something home and sew a button on or stitch up a seam on my sewing machine.

所以时不时地，我都会把破的衣服回家，然后在我的缝纫机上。缝上一个扣子或缝上一条缝。 

And that’s all it takes to make it look nice as new.

然后它们看起来就像新的一样漂亮。 

OK, I got to go try these on.

好吧，我得去试试这个。 

When they no longer have a life here,is anyone going to find it useful?

当衣服在这里也找不到出路时，有人会发现它的价值吗？ 

I mean if nobody wants to buy it,is somebody gonna want to wear it?

我是说，如果这里的衣服也没人想买，有人会想穿吗？ 

We donate it to a lot of local clothing ministries,and hopefully they’re getting use out of those things.

我们把卖不出去的衣服捐给了很多当地的衣物机构，希望他们能利用这些东西。 

From there, they get sold for pennies on the pound.

在这里，衣服被便宜地出售。 

Where they go from there, I’m not sure.

但走出这里后，我就不知道了。 

It’s not working.

没打着我。 

All set?

拿好了吗？ 

When we have beautiful fabrics,it’s hard for me to discard them.

当我们收到很精美的衣服时，我很难抛弃他们。 

I want to do something novel with them.

我想拿他们一起做些新奇的事。 

And I really see a need for local industry,for people to come together for a good cause,

而我也看到当地的产业和当地的人们为了善事而走到一起， 

and cut these fabrics into strips and weave them into something new.

把这些布料剪成条，织成一些新的东西。 

If it can be created into something useful,people will buy it.

如果它能被创造成有用的东西，人们会买的。 

It’s something they need and with that money, you know,

他们需要这些钱， 

you could fund a halfway¹² house or something useful.

可以资助一个中途之家或一些有用的东西。 

It’s community working together,

整个社区都在合作， 

taking items that maybe have lost their purpose in life just like many drug addicts¹³,

他们带走了这些原本已经像瘾君子一样失去生命意义的衣服， 

and having them recreated into something new.

然后重新创造出新的东西。 

It’s almost like breathing new life into something that needed some hope.

就像给需要希望的东西注入新的生命一样。 

1 consign   

vt.寄售（货品），托运，交托，委托

参考例句：

• We cannot agree to consign the goods.我们不同意寄售此货。
• We will consign the goods to him by express.我们将以快递把货物寄给他。

2 consignment   

n.寄售；发货；委托；交运货物

参考例句：

• This last consignment of hosiery is quite up to standard.这批新到的针织品完全符合规格。
• We have to ask you to dispatch the consignment immediately.我们得要求你立即发送该批货物。

3 hurrah   

int.好哇，万岁，乌拉

参考例句：

• We hurrah when we see the soldiers go by.我们看到士兵经过时向他们欢呼。
• The assistants raised a formidable hurrah.助手们发出了一片震天的欢呼声。

4 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

5 coupon   

n.息票，配给票，附单

参考例句：

• The coupon can be used once only.此优惠券只限使用一次。
• I have a coupon for ten pence off a packet of soap.我有一张优惠券买一盒肥皂可以便宜十便士。

6 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

7 genders   

n.性某些语言的（阳性、阴性和中性，不同的性有不同的词尾等）( gender的名词复数 )；性别；某些语言的（名词、代词和形容词）性的区分

参考例句：

• There are three genders in German: masculine, feminine and neuter. 德语中有叁性：阳性、阴性和中性。 来自辞典例句
• Japan was fourth among the genders of foreign students. 日本在二十个留美学生输送地中列第四位。 来自互联网

8 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

9 fabrics   

织物( fabric的名词复数 )； 布； 构造； （建筑物的）结构（如墙、地面、屋顶）：质地

参考例句：

• cotton fabrics and synthetics 棉织物与合成织物
• The fabrics are merchandised through a network of dealers. 通过经销网点销售纺织品。

10 linens   

n.亚麻布( linen的名词复数 )；家庭日用织品

参考例句：

• All linens and towels are provided. 提供全套日用织品和毛巾。 来自辞典例句
• Linen, Table Linens, Chair Covers, Bed and Bath Linens. Linen. 采购产品亚麻布，亚麻布，椅子套子，床和沭浴亚麻布。 来自互联网

11 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

12 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

13 addicts   

有…瘾的人( addict的名词复数 )； 入迷的人

参考例句：

• a unit for rehabilitating drug addicts 帮助吸毒者恢复正常生活的机构
• There is counseling to help Internet addicts?even online. 有咨询机构帮助网络沉迷者。 来自超越目标英语 第3册