地道英语口语:Pay As You Go 电话充值

地道英语口语学习:Pay As You Go 电话充值

Helen: Hello, this is Real English from BBC Learning English, I’m Helen.
Zoë: 还有我，刘佳。

Helen: In Real English, we look at words and phrases that you might not find in your dictionary.

Zoë: 那Helen, 我们今天要学的新词是什么呢？

Helen: Today’s phrase is ‘pay-as-you-go’. Pay-As-You-Go.

Zoë: Pay as you go. 这个短语对于一些在英国留学过的人一定不陌生。还是让我们来先听听它的英文解释吧.

Helen: Well, if you have a mobile phone you can pay for your calls on a monthly contract or you can pay as you go – paying for calls as you make them

Zoë: 你猜对了吗？和我们的中国联通一样，英国的手机也有那种边打电话边充值，没有月租的服务，就叫pay as you go, 说的就是先买充值卡，再打电话。

Helen: That’s right. The meaning is in the phrase: Pay-As-You-Go.

Insert

A: Is that a new mobile phone?

B: Yes, I got it last week.

A: Did you change your contract?

B: No, it’s a pay-as-you-go phone.

Zoë: 为什么在英国，有些人是和电话公司签的合同，有些人用的是手机充值卡呢？

Helen: Good question, Zoë. In the UK a contract usually lasts for 12 months and you have to pay every month for a year no matter if you don’t use the phone.

Zoë: 哦，和电话公司签合同，至少是一年，这就意味着，你要一直被束缚在和这个公司的合同上。

Helen: Yes, but with pay-as-you-go you only pay for the calls you make. So for some people it’s more flexible and economical.

Zoë: 如果你是用充值卡来打电话，就不会被任何公司的合同束缚，所以这是个既经济又自由的办法。

Helen: That’s what a lot of people think. Well, that’s all we have time for today.

Zoë: Bye.

Helen: See you next time.