強人所難的tall order

Chris告訴同事Jason, 準備買輛新車。

Jason: Hey there Chris, what are you up to?

Chris: I'm just poring over some brochures about various car models.

J: Oh, so you're thinking about buying a new car?

C: Yeah, it looks that way. My wife has been bugging me about it. I thought we could probably survive without one, but with a baby on the way, maybe it is time to get a car.

J: So this would be your first automobile?

C: That's right. For quite a few years, I rode a bicycle to work. Then I got a motorbike.

Chris太太懷孕，所以不得不考慮買車。Chris說，my wife has been bugging me about it. 意思是我太太一直在軟磨硬泡要說服我，to bug someone是沒完沒了煩某人的意思，比如說，Stop bugging me. 意思就是別煩我了。這是Chris的第一輛車，他以前都是騎自行車或是騎摩托車上班，但現在 with a baby on the way 眼看就要有孩子了，所以只好考慮買車。Jason表示理解。

J: Yeah, I think I can understand your wife's position. Asking her to ride on a motorcycle when she's pregnant is a tall order.

C: Oh...I don't let her ride with me. It's just too dangerous. She takes the bus to work, but it is sometimes difficult to get a seat and it's crowded and hot.

J: So it's time to buy your very first car! Wow, that's exciting!

C: Yes, but it's also a pretty big financial responsibility.

J: Yeah. I still remember my first car. It was an old clunker that my dad gave me when I turned 17. I drove it around for a couple of years until I scraped together enough money to buy a better secondhand car.

Jason說，讓太太挺著大肚子坐Chris的摩托車確實有點強人所難，It's a tall order. tall order 意思是很難完成的任務或要求。Chris解釋說，其實太太不坐他的摩托車上班，但是擠公交車也很辛苦，所以才必須買車。Jason說，他的第一輛車是17歲過生日時老爸送的，It was an old clunker. clunker是老破車的意思，開了幾年后，攢夠了錢才自己買了輛稍微像點兒樣的secondhand car二手車。Chris說，

C: I'm having a hard time deciding which model is best for us.

J: Yeah, it is a tough call. Each one has its pros and cons. Are you looking for a sedan?

C: Yes, I'd like a Jeep, but my wife says we have to get a comfortable sedan for long drives home to see her relatives.

J: I'd advise you to listen to your wife. She will be sitting in the back taking care of the kids so whatever she prefers is probably the best choice.

Chris說，拿不定主意應該買什么型號的車。Jason承認，It's a tough call. tough call意思是很難做的決定。他還說，不同型號的車有各自的優缺點，pros and cons是指一件事情的正反面，pros 是優點，正面的，cons是缺點，負面的。Chris想買吉普車Jeep，但他太太堅持要買轎車sedan, 因為sedan開長途坐著更舒服些。

C: What do you think about this one? Here...take a look.

J: I like it. It's quite stylish. But...it's also pretty small.

C: That's OK. We are only a family of three.

J: This model has a 1.3 liter engine. With a small engine, you'll save a lot of money on gas.

C: That's one of the reasons I'm considering this one. It gets good gas mileage and overall has good value.

J: When I was young, having a car was all about power, prestige and fashion. But today, everything is about economy, value and savings.

C: The world has changed.

Chris看中了一款車，征求Jason的意思。Jason說，車外觀還是挺有型的，但就是有點小。Chris覺得，小點沒關系，因為他們就三口人，a family of three, 小點也夠用了。Jason說，這款車引擎是1.3公升的，省油，是優點。Chris承認，這也是他看中這款車的原因之一，It gets good gas mileage and overall has good value. 意思是說這輛車油耗低，總體上說很劃算。Jason大發感慨，說自己年輕那會兒買車就是為了馬力、時尚，如今大家考慮的卻都是實用和省錢。

J: Have you considered getting a secondhand car?

C: My wife rejected that idea. She says that you never know if the car dealer is unscrupulous. The car could be water damaged or could have been involved in an accident.

J: She makes some good points. Anyway, having a new car is a great experience.

C: I'm also trying to decide if I should take the three or fiveyear payment option.

J: If I can make a suggestion: go with a threeyear plan. The fiveyear might look easier, but in the end, the interest payments are not worth it.

Chris不準備買二手車，因為他太太擔心碰上個缺德的二手車車行老板，把出過車禍的車買回家，上面所說的unscrupulous意思是沒有道德操守的。Jason覺得，she makes some good points. 她說的很有道理。在貸款方面，Chris不知道應該三年還清還是五年還清，Jason建議他做三年的貸款，因為五年貸款每個月付的錢看上去雖然少些，但其實把交的利息都算進去，就不值了。

C: I'll go home and do the math, but you're probably right.

J: How about the color?

C: Blue is my lucky color, so I'll pick blue if possible. My wife says we should consider black because it doesn't look dirty so quickly.

J: Cool! Well, let me know when you decide. I'd love to check out your new car!

C: Sure, Jason. Thanks for the input.

Chris說，我回家算算I'll go home and do the math. Do the math是口語里很常用的一種說法，意思是算算清楚，特別是指明擺著的事情，比如：We cannot afford that house with our salaries. You do the math. 咱們的工資買不起那棟房，你自己算算吧。在顏色選擇上，Chris說，藍色是自己的幸運色，而太太覺得黑色經臟。Jason最后說，I'd love to check out your new car! 買了新車別忘了給我看看。

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（來源：VOA英語教學 編輯：丹妮）