美国校园口语41-50

47. A Car can be Expensive 一辆汽车开销很大

A: Where are you off to?
B: I'm taking the car to the garage. It has to be lubed, the oil needs changing, and the brakes are grabbing. I'm going to leave it so the mechanic can check it over.
A: I thought you just had it in the garage.
B: That was last month. I had a new transmission put in. The car's a real lemon. I've only had it six months, and I've already spent a fortune on repairs.
A: Every time I think about buying a car, I consider how much it costs to keep one up, and decide to get along without one a little longer.

Notes
Off to-going to (现代美国口语中常用off to，表示到…地方去)
Garage 车库，汽车修理行(这里作汽车修理行解)
Oil 润滑油
Brakes are grabbing 刹车吱吱作响
A real lemon 一个道道地地的废物
Keep up-maintain 维持
Get along without 没有…也过得去

A：你到哪儿去？
B：我把汽车送到修理厂去。它需要润滑。换一下机油。刹车吱吱作响。我打算把它留下让机修工检查一下。
A：我想你刚送去修理过。
B：那是上个月。我换上一个新变速器。这辆汽车是个道地的废物。我才买了六个月，已经花了一大笔钱修理。
A：每次当我想买一辆车时，我就考虑到要花多少钱来维修保养它，最后我想没有它也能过得去。

48. At the Filling Station 在加油站

A: What can I do for you today?
B: Just fill her up and check the oil.
A: You want regular or high test?
B: I think ethyl. That's what I usually use. And the oil's number 30. Oh, and maybe you'd better check the water and air, and the battery too.
A: Everything seems to be all right, sir. I'll get your windshield. There. That'll be thirteen fity all together. Eleven thirty for ten gallons of gas, and a quart of oil at two twenty.
B: Okay. Here's my credit card.
A: There you are, sir. Here's your receipt. And thanks for coming in.

Notes
Fill up 加满油
Regular 普通汽油(在美国的加油站中通常有两种汽油，一种是为防震而加入铅的普通汽油，又称乙烷油；另一种是不含铅的高级汽油)
High test 高级汽油
Number 30 30号润滑油
Gas-gasoline 汽油

A：今天我能为您做些什么？
B：只要加满油并检查一下机油。
A：加普通汽油还是高级汽油。
B：我想加乙烷汽油。这是我通常使用的。机油是30号的。啊，或许你最好再检查一下水和轮胎的气，还有电瓶。
A：看来都没问题，先生。我替你擦一下挡风玻璃。呶，总共十三元五角。十加仑汽油十一元三角，一夸脱机油两元两角。
B：嗯，这是我的信用卡。
A：好了，请收好，先生。这是您的发票。谢谢您光顾。

49. Are Women Good Drivers? 女人是好的驾驶人吗？

A: Joe said something funny to me yesterday. I didn't understand him at all.
B: What did he say?
A: That I was just another women driver.
B: What were you talking about?
A: I had some trouble with a policeman. I was making a U-turn downtown, and he made an awful fuss. He didn't give me a ticket, though.
B: You were lucky. What Joe meant was that probably you were in the wrong. American men always say that women are bad drivers, even when they're not.

Notes
U-turn 将汽车掉头开(在美国城市某些街道上有No U-turn标记，即不准在此将汽车掉头)
Fuss 大惊小怪
Ticket 汽车违章罚款单

A：昨天乔对我说了一些奇怪的话。我全然没有听懂他的意思。
B：他说了什么？
A：他说我只不过是又一个女驾车人？
B：你们在谈论什么来着？
A：我同一位警察发生点麻烦。我在市中心区把车掉头，他大肆发作。可是他没有给我罚单。
B：算你运气。乔的意思是说，看来你是做了错事。美国男人总是说女人是蹩脚的驾车人。即使在她们开得并不差的时候。

50. Free Will 自由意志

A: Do you believe in free will, Frank? Or do you think that everything a person does is determined in advance?
B: I think that man always has free choice.
A: But look. Suppose you knew everything about someone, where he was born, what his parents were like, everything that happened to him since he was a baby, even what he had for breakfast and how his shoes were tied. If you know all those things, don't you think you could predict his behavior?
B: Stated that way I might be tempted to agree. But surely you don't believe one can ever know all these things about people. For all practical purposes, you'd have to say man has free will.

Notes
Free will 自由的选择
Stated-said, presented
Tempted-induced, lured

A：你相信自由意志吗，弗兰克？或者你认为一个人做的每件事都是事先定好的？
B：我想每人都可能随时做出选择。
A：但是，假定你知道某人的一切：他在何处出生，他的父母是什么模样，从幼儿起他所经历的一切事，甚至他早餐吃些什么和他鞋如何系鞋带。如果你知道所有这些事，难道你不认为你能预知他的行为吗？
B：在这个意义上，我会同意你的说法。但是你肯定不会认为一个人能够了解到有关别人的所有这些细节。因此，现实地说，你还是应该承认人有无法预计的自由行动的可能。