原版英文小故事 51. Fix the Car

She got into her car. She hoped it would start. Twice in the past month, the car had not started the first time she turned the key. It had started the second time she turned the key, but that made her nervous. Sooner or later, she might have to turn the key three times, then four times.

She had called her mechanic¹. He said to bring the car in when she had time. When was that, she wondered. She worked two jobs. She was a clerk at a clothing store. She spent five days a week folding clothes or hanging them up on hangers².

People who tried on clothes usually left them on the floor in the dressing³ room. They rarely⁴ folded them or hung them back up on the hangers. The store was only 15 minutes from her apartment, and parking⁵ was free.

Also, she worked four nights a week at a restaurant. She was a waitress. She made good money from her tips. Usually, the customers were friendly and interesting. She liked her waitress job, but it was a 30-minute drive from her apartment. The restaurant closed at 10 p.m.

She did not want to be stuck in the parking lot late at night if her car didn't start. Her mechanic wasn't open on weekends. She decided⁶ to ask her boss to give her a day off from the clothing store. Then she could still drive to the restaurant that night after her car was fixed⁷. She would miss only one day of work.

 

1 mechanic   

n.技工，机(械)工，机修工

参考例句：

• The mechanic made the necessary adjustments to the engine.机械师对发动机作了必要的调整。
• He is a mechanic who buys and sells cars on the side.他是一个兼营买卖汽车的技工。

2 hangers   

n.衣架( hanger的名词复数 )；挂耳

参考例句：

• The singer was surrounded by the usual crowd of lackeys and hangers on. 那个歌手让那帮总是溜须拍马、前呼後拥的人给围住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I want to put some of my good hangers in Grandpa's closet. 我想在爷爷的衣橱放几个好的衣架。 来自辞典例句

3 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

4 rarely   

adv.很少，难得；非常地，非凡地

参考例句：

• Such fish is rarely met with in the north country.这种鱼在北方难得看到。
• He rarely comes here anymore.现在他难得来这儿了。

5 parking   

n.停车，停机，停放

参考例句：

• A bus is parking on the road.路上停着一辆公共汽车。
• Next you must learn how to back a car into a parking space.下一步你应该学会如何把车倒入停车的空地。

6 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。

7 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。