【听英文对话做选择】车辆租赁

原文：

Rental¹ Car Agent: Hi. How can I help you?

Customer: Yeah. I'd like to rent a mid-size car for three days.

 

Rental Car Agent: Okay. Let me check to see if we have one available. Hmmm. It's doesn't look like we do. We have a couple of economy, compact, and full-size cars available, or a nice minivan.

 

Customer: Well, what is the main difference between these cars?

 

Agent: The main difference is size. The economy car is the smallest, and it seats fewer passengers and can hold less luggage. [Okay.] How many people are with you?

 

Customer: Just me and my son.

 

Rental Car Agent: Well, the economy car would work. We have one right out front.

 

Customer: Where? That one? It looks more like a shoebox to me. I'm really tall and trying squeeze into that thing . . . I don't think so.

 

Rental Car Agent: Well, if you need more room or comfort, I recommend the full-size car. It also has a nice stereo system, CD player, [Alright] safety rear door locks, and cruise control, and power locks and windows.

 

Customer: Well, I'm not so concerned about how it's equipped. I just want to make sure it is comfortable to drive. And what is the daily rate for that anyway?

 

Rental Car Agent: Well, let's see here. Oh, yeah. It'll come to fifty-seven ninety-five a day.

 

Customer: Wow, a little expensive. But what's the cost for mileage²?

 

Rental Car Agent: Hey, all of our cars have unlimited³ miles, but of course, that doesn't include gas.

 

Customer: Yeah, right. I bet that car probably eats up gas, and now that were in the middle of the vacation season, gas stations are gouging⁴ consumers with astronomical⁵ prices.

 

Rental Car Agent: Well, as they say, it comes down to the law of supply an demand.

 

Customer: Well, anyway, can you install a car seat in one of those cars? I have a 3-year-old son with me.

 

Rental Car Agent: Sure, and that'll only be one dollar extra per day.

 

Customer: I'll go with the full-size car. Wait, uh . . . what does it look like?

 

Rental Car Agent: Uh, it's right out there in the parking lot. [Which one?] The one over there next to the sidewalk.

 

Customer: Do you mean that old lemon with the missing hubcap? Ahhh.

 

Rental Car Agent: Sir, excuse me. We take pride in our vehicles. It's just that it's one of the last cars on our lot, but it runs like a dream. Don't let the exterior⁶ fool you. Hey, I'll even give you an extra fifteen dollars off the daily rate to show you we are serious about pleasing our customers. Will there be any other drivers?

 

Customer: No, I'm the only driver.

 

Rental Car Agent: Okay. Would you like to purchase our daily car protection plan?

 

Customer: What's that exactly?

 

Rental Car Agent: Well, the car protection plan is a complete insurance package covering damage to the vehicle, [Okay] injury or loss of life to you or your passengers [Oh]. It even includes incidental road damage caused by, let's say, a huge boulder⁷ rolling down the mountain and crushing your car. [Oh, uh, well . . . ]. However, it won't cover loss of property due to theft. Too much crime in the area anyway. [What? Wh . . . What about this crime? What, what?]. Don't worry about it. And the car protection plan is only seventeen ninety-five per day. [But you were saying?] And the nicest thing about this coverage⁸ is that you can rent the car without the worry and hassle of making a complicated claim in case you do have a problem.

 

Customer: But wouldn't my own car insurance cover those problems?

 

Rental Car Agent: It might, but each insurance policy is different. With our car protection plan, however, you deal directly with us in case there is a problem [Well . . . ], and we handle everything quickly, and you don't have to contact your own insurance company.

 

Okay. Let me just confirm this. A full-size car with a car seat for three days [Yeah], plus the car protection package. Is that right? [That's right.] Okay, I'll have our mechanic, Louie, check the car over and pull it up to the door.

 

Customer: Push it up to the door? I hope this car really runs.

 

Rental Car Agent: Well, in case it does break down on some out-of-the-way, deserted⁹ road, just call the toll-free number for assistance. They'll come to assist you within . . . two business days. [Two business days!!!] Enjoy your trip.

 

1. Why did the man settle on renting the full-size car?

A. It was roomy enough for him.

B. It was more economical than the minivan.

C. It had more features than the other vehicles.

2. What was one of his major concerns about renting the car?

A. He couldn't add an additional driver to the rental plan.

B. He was only limited to a certain number of miles per day.

C. The vehicle would probably consume a lot of gas.

 

3. How would you describe his rental car?

A. It was a little larger than he expected.

B. The car doesn't look very attractive.

C. The engine has problems and runs poorly.

 

4. In which situation would the car protection plan NOT help the customer?

A. The car is stolen from a store parking lot with all of your valuables.

B. The driver loses control of the car and crashes it into power pole.

C. The car's exterior and windows are damaged in a hail storm.

 

5. What can we infer from the closing statement about roadside assistance?

A. You should call the police in case your car has mechanical difficulties. 

B. Getting assistance might require some time and patience.

C. The company will compensate¹⁰ you for delays in your travel. 

 

正确答案：

1. It was roomy enough for him.

2. The vehicle would probably consume a lot of gas.

3. The car doesn`t look very attractive.

4. The car is stolen from a store parking lot with all of your valuables.

5. Getting assistance might require some time and patience.

 

1 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

2 mileage   

n.里程，英里数；好处，利润

参考例句：

• He doesn't think there's any mileage in that type of advertising.他认为做那种广告毫无效益。
• What mileage has your car done?你的汽车跑了多少英里？

3 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

4 gouging   

n.刨削[槽]v.凿( gouge的现在分词 )；乱要价；（在…中）抠出…；挖出…

参考例句：

• Banks and credit-card companies have been accused of gouging their customers. 银行和信用卡公司被指控欺诈顾客。 来自辞典例句
• If back-gouging is applied, grinding to bright metal is required. 如果采用火焰气刨，则应将其打磨至可见光亮的金属表面。 来自互联网

5 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

6 exterior   

adj.外部的，外在的；表面的

参考例句：

• The seed has a hard exterior covering.这种子外壳很硬。
• We are painting the exterior wall of the house.我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。

7 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

8 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

9 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

10 compensate   

vt.补偿，赔偿；酬报 vi.弥补；补偿；抵消

参考例句：

• She used her good looks to compensate her lack of intelligence. 她利用她漂亮的外表来弥补智力的不足。
• Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health. 一个人失去了键康是不可弥补的。