【话匣子英语】毛拉的公路旅行后续

毛拉先前说过她要来一场公路旅行，今天是她回来的后续报道，她去了芝加哥，那里有很多她以前从没有见到过和感受过的事物，这次公路旅行对毛拉来说一定终身难忘吧。

哈皮先前买了一套公寓，毛拉在问他具体买房子时候的细节，你想不想知道呢？买房子真是一件费心又费钱的事情啊

 

Maura: Yes, say hi. So, today we’re going to do a Chatterbox episode, and that’s where Harp¹ and I chat about all kinds of different stuff. And today we’re going to be chatting about buying a home. Now, if you’ve been a Culips listener for a while, you may remember that Harp talked about looking to buy because she was looking to buy a condo and she has purchased a condo. So, Harp, you’re gonna tell us a little bit about the whole process you’ve gone through, right?

Harp: Yes, exactly. We’ll break it down into sections and I’ll talk about looking for the condo, the actual buying process, and finally renovating² and moving in.

Maura: Right. And even if you’re not learning English as a second language, this could be an educational podcast if you’ve never bought a home.

Harp: Yeah, because it is quite a stressful process and there’s lots you need to know.

Maura: And I’m sure you’re learning as you go.

Harp: Definitely.

Maura: OK, so first, let’s talk about buying a home. So, I know that you were interested in looking for condos. So how did you go about looking for a place to buy?

Harp: Well, for me, in the beginning I was looking at condos all around Montreal. I was so open to the areas, but really, it’s just exhausting. So I had to narrow my search down and I decided³ where I wanted to live. And in Canada, there are a lot of really good websites where you can search houses that are on sale, or condos that are on sale. So I was working with a real estate agent for a little bit and then on my own a little bit as well. And I would find listings and then they would have pictures and they would have the dimensions of the condo and the price and all that information and we would schedule a visit and I would go see them.

Maura: One little thing I wanna point out is that, often, we call a place where someone lives a house. It might be a house, but it might be an apartment or a condo. I don’t know why we do this, but any place, any home that someone has, sometimes we just call it a house. So, if we start calling Harp’s condo a house, it’s not because it turned into a house, but it’s just because it’s the place where Harp lives and it’s just a habit to naturally call it a house.

Harp: Good point.

Maura: So, Harp, when you were looking around, what kind of things were you looking for in a home?

Harp: Well, I had my basics. I wanted two bedrooms. I was really hoping for an open concept. I really, really wanted something that had the Montreal charm, you know, the stained glass windows, the old moldings, nice wood floors. But in end, I didn’t get it.

1 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。

2 renovating   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The increased production was largely attained by renovating old orchards and vineyards. 通过更新老果园和葡萄园，使生产大大增加。
• Renovating that house will cost you a pretty penny. 为了整修那所房子，你得花很多钱。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。