31. Shopping in the Dime Store 在低价商店购物

A: Do you carry black ink?

B: The ink should be next to the paper clips and thumb tacks in the stationary section, sir.

A: I've looked, but I didn't see any black ink.

B: Then I'm afraid there's none in stock.

A: Well, I'll settle for blue-black. I'll also take a dozen airmail envelopes.

B: They come in packages of ten or twenty.

A: Give me a package of twenty, then. And where do I find shoelaces?

B: On counter three.

A: Thank you. I never can find my way around this store.

B: I know. It took me three weeks, and I work here.

Notes

Dime store 一角商店(美国出售低价小商品的百货店)

Carry 有…出售

In stock 有货

Settle for-be satisfied with

Take 买

Find my way around 找得到应去的地方

A：你们有黑墨水卖吗？

B：墨水应该在文具部的回形针和图钉旁边，先生。

A：我看过了，但没找到黑墨水。

B：那我想是缺货了。

A：嗯，那要蓝黑的也可以。我还要一打航空信封。

B：信封分成十只一扎或二十只一扎出售。

A：那就给我二十只一扎的。还有我去哪儿可以找到鞋带。

B：在第三号柜台。

A：谢谢，我在这家商店里总是搞不清商品的部位。

B：我知道。我在这儿工作，花了三个星期才熟悉。

32. Trading Stamps 用赠券换东西

A: Every time I go to the grocery, the clerk asks me if I save stamps. I always say no, but sometimes I get them anyway.

B: Oh, never turn them down. You can always find someone who'll take them. People spend hours pasting them in little books, and when a book is full, they drive miles to a redemption center where the stamps can be traded for things like pillow cases, or playing cards, or garden tools. But you have to save millions of them to get anything worth having.

Notes

Stamp 美国一些商店或超级市场送给顾客的(如邮票大小的)赠券。积到一定数量后可以换取实物礼品

Clerk 售货员

Turn them down-refuse them

Redemption center 用赠券换取礼品的商店

Trade-exchange

A：每次我去杂货店，店员都问我是否收集赠券，我总是说“不”，不过有的时候我还是积下些赠券。

B：啊，别丢掉它。你总会找到回收赠券的人。有些人花时间把赠券粘贴在小本子上，当一本贴满后，开几英里的车到回收中心去，在那儿可以用赠券交换像枕头套、扑克牌或修整花园的工具等东西。不过你得收集相当多张才能换回一些有重要价值的东西。

33. Best Seller 畅销书

A: What's that book you have under your arm?

B: It's the best seller everone's been talking about for the last six months.

A: How in the world did you get a copy? I've had a hold in at the public library for weeks, and I'm still waiting my turn.

B: I checked it out of the rental library. It only costs five cents a day.

A: Is it really worth paying for?

B: I can't tell yet. I haven't got beyond the first chapter.

A: If it's any good, I'll buy a copy when it comes out in the pocket edition.

Notes

Best seller 畅销书(或物品，但常指书)

Had a hold in 预订(借阅)

Rental library 出租书籍的图书馆

Can't tell-cannot be certain

Pocket edition 价格较低的平装书

A：你手上挟着的那本是什么书？

B：这是最近六个月来人人都在谈论的最畅销的书。

A：你怎么会搞到的？我在公共图书馆已经预约几个星期了，现在还在等着轮到我。

B：我是在出租图书馆借到的，每天只要五分钱。

A：它真是值得花钱去租来看吗？

B：我还吃不准。我还没有看完第一章。

A：如果这本书还不错，等下次出袖珍本时我就买一本。