CRI English Unit 55:How to Use a Credit Card使用信用卡

Dialogue Script 4  对话原文 4 

Clerk: How did you want to pay?
Tina: Here's my card.
Clerk: I'll just run this through. (after a minute) Um, do you have another card? You've exceeded your limit on this one.
Tina: No, that's my last one. Oh my gosh, what can I do? I can't pay you.
Clerk: No cash? We'll give you a time extension to pay. Have you thought of asking the bank for a loan?
Tina: A loan? That's a great idea. I'll go to the bank right away.
（An hour later）
Rep: So, Ms. Lee. You'd like to apply for one of our loans.
Tina: I'd even take two if you could swing that.
Rep: Um, I'm afraid not. You listed here that you're unemployed.
Tina: Yes. But I'm looking.
Rep: Hmm, your current credit cards are all at their limits. I'm afraid we can't approve your loan.
Tina: But, if I had a job...
Rep: We would certainly reconsider your application. Good day.

讲解：

1. 对话中，Tina做完了鼻子的整形手术，在柜台用信用卡付帐。run the card through 就是指“刷卡”。但是Tina的这张卡已经超出额度了，exceed the limit。limit就是指“信用卡的额度”。

2. 可是这是Tina的最后一张卡了，她没办法付钱了，身上又没有带现金。这时她可是真的发慌了。店员只好说我们会给你一段时间延期付款。extension 就是指“延期，延长时间”。

3. 店员还提醒Tina可以考虑向银行贷款，这下可是一语惊醒梦中人，Tina觉得这是一个好主意，马上就去银行贷款。银行职员问她是不是要申请一份贷款，Tina还开玩笑地说，I'd even take two if you could swing that. 如果你能通融的话，我还想申请两份呢。

4. swing这个词在这里表示“获得或者实现某事物”，特别指通过不正当的手段达到目的。比如说，Can you swing it for me so that I get the job? 你能走后门替我谋到那份工作吗？She managed to swing an interview with the President. 她设法采访到了总统。

5. 这当然是不可能的了。银行职员注意到Tina在申请单上写的是目前失业，而且目前所有信用卡的额度都满了，恐怕无法核准Tina的贷款。如果Tina重新找到工作的话，他们还可能考虑重新审核Tina的申请。

Part 2 Tina's New Job Tina的新工作

Dialogue Script 1  对话原文 1 

Jason: Hello, I'm looking for Tina Lee. She's just started working here.
Tina: Jason, it's me!
Jason: Tina? I came to take you out to lunch to celebrate your new job, but...
Tina: (Takes off bear head) Hey, I get free meals.
Jason: But you've got an MBA. You can do so much better than this.
Tina: No one wanted me. I put out twenty resumes and had ten interviews. This was my last resort. It's kinda fun, don't you think?
Jason: I guess so, but a dancing bear?
Tina: Hey, they hired me. They didn't care about my looks since I wear the costume.
Jason: You've gotten your nose, eyes, and mouth done. What's wrong with your looks?
Tina: The fortuneteller says my ears stick out too far. People think I'm nosey.
Jason: I have a staple gun. I can staple them to your head.
Tina: You're not making this any easier.

讲解：

1. 对话中，Tina终于在游乐场找到了一份工作，这天Jason来Tina新的工作地点找她吃午饭。他问一只会跳舞的熊有没有看见Tina，谁知这只会跳舞的熊就是Tina扮的。这很让Jason吃惊。

2. Tina在这里工作午餐是免费的。但是Jason不明白，Tina有MBA学位，她完全可以找到更好的工作，为什么会来扮演一只会跳舞的熊呢？You can do so much better than this. 你完全可以做得更好。这句话是用来鼓励别人，让人对自己更有信心，明白自己的能力其实比所表现的更好，千万不要妄自菲薄，如果对方表现实在太差，你也可以用这句话来表示对他的失望。比如说，---I'm really disappointed, Tom. You can do so much better than this. ---Who cares! School sucks! ---Tom，我真的很失望，你在学校的表现不应该这么差。---管他呢！学校烂透了！

3. 为什么Tina会到游乐场来工作呢，因为没有人要用她，她递了20份简历出去，面试了10次，这是最后一条路了，不过这还是挺好玩的。但是Jason总觉得Tina干这份工作太屈才了。但是Tina觉得没什么，不管怎么说，因为穿着跳舞熊的服装，所以没有人会在意她的容貌了。

4. Jason就不明白了，Tina的鼻子，眼睛和嘴巴都已经整过形了，外表还会有什么不好吗？原来算命的告诉Tina有一对招风耳，别人会觉得她好管闲事。nosey的意思就是“好管闲事的，过分好奇的”，通常是作贬义词，比如说，I've always found her unbearably nosey. 我发觉她总爱管闲事让人受不了。

5. Jason开玩笑说，他有订书机，可以帮Tina把那一对招风耳订在头上，就不会支出来了。staple gun就是“订书机”，还可以说stapler。Tina说，You're not making this any easier. 你说这些也没有用，也于事无补。当别人的建议或协助无法解决任何问题，你也可以用这句话来回应，告诉他不但于事无补，反而可能越帮越忙。我们来举例子，---Is our project finished yet? ---Nope. And you're not making it any easier by sitting there on your butt. ---我们的案子好了没？---没有，你光坐在那里也帮不上什么忙。

Dialogue Script 2  对话原文 2 

Tina: Besides, this job is just temporary.
Jason: Until you get out of debt hill?
Tina: Nope! Until I fly home to China for the holidays! My friends will be shocked when they see the new me!
Jason: Hold on, where's the money for the flight going to come from?
Tina: I don't have to pay. I've got mileage for like four free flights.
Jason: Does your mom work for the airlines?
Tina: Nope. I racked up all the miles by buying things with my credit card.
Jason: I pity the guy who marries you and get your financial problems. You really are hopeless.

讲解：

1. Tina说这份工作只是暂时的，不是长久之计。Jason问是不是要做到还清全部债款为止呢？当然不是了，Tina要做到能飞回中国过节为止。她在中国的朋友看见一个焕然一新的Tina，一定会下一跳的。

2. 当然了，她整张脸已经整形了，肯定认不出来了。Jason说，等等，先别得意，飞回中国的机票钱从哪里来呢。原来Tina根本不用付钱，因为她所积攒的里程数大概可以免费飞四趟吧。

3. mileage 就是指“里程，里数”，比如我们可以说a used car with a low/high mileage，意思是“行驶里数少/多的旧车”。Jason不明白，难道Tina的妈妈在航空公司工作，所以她能够得到这样的优惠？其实不是，实际上这些里程数都是Tina用信用卡消费累积的。

4. 这时的Jason已经无话可说了，他说很同情那个会娶你，还要解决你财物问题的男人，Tina真的是没救了。pity 在这里作动词，表示“同情某人，怜悯某人”。比如说，Pity the poor sailors at the sea in this stomp3! 可怜可怜在这场暴风雨中还在海上航行的那些水手吧。看来信用卡这个东西使用不当还是很危险的，会让你背上沉重的债务包袱，所以还是小心使用为好。

Part 3 Some Words about Credit Card 信用卡小词典 

信用卡相关用语：

issuing bank 发卡银行
annual fee 年费
credit line/limit信用额度
interest rate 利率
monthly statement 月结单
balance transfer 信用卡余额代偿
available credit line /limit 可用信用额度
APR=annual percentage rate 年利率
activate a card 开卡
reward program 积点回馈
point 红利积点
cash advance 预借现金

信用卡的种类：

credit card 信用卡
affinity card 认同卡
platinum card白金卡
student card 学生卡
preferred card/gold card 金卡
value card 储值卡
classic card 普卡
co-branded card 联名卡
supplementary card 附属卡
debit card 转账卡
ATM card 金融卡
charge card 签帐卡
cash advance card 现金卡
corporate card 商务卡、公司卡