对话文本


H: I swear I will never shop at a street market in China. It's a terrible place full of excellent profiteers! You have to keep an eye whenever it comes to paying for something.

J: cool down, Harry! What are you really mad about? Did you get ripped off?

H: yes. Last Sunday I went to a nearby market. It was on open-air fair. I chanced upon this bag and bought it on the spot, without even trying to strike a bargain. I paid one hundred and twenty. And just now I was told by my chinese colleagues I bought it overpriced. I could have talked my way to thirty.

J: is that so? I'm afraid people here will not take pity on unlucky guys like you. Bargaining has always been an indispensable precedure in business deals. It's the norm of free trade. The seller sets a preposterous price, and the buyer tries his best to bring it down, until a compromise is reached. Yet you ignored the process. No wonder you ended up easy prey.

H: but don't you think it annoying to overcharge the customers by such a handsome margin?

J: of course, that's something really irritation. And the only way to avoid being trapped is to know in advance about the real worth of the stuff. I recommend you to consult the price tags in the supermarket first. And then you may negotiate for a real deal.

参考翻译


我发誓再也不会在中国的农贸市场上乱买东西了.全是些宰人的高手,太可怕了.买什么东西都得额外小心.
哈里,消消气!你怎么了?买东西被宰了?
呃,上周日,我去了附近的一个小集市,露天的.偶然看到这个包,当场就买下了,砍价都忘了,花了我120元.刚才,我的中国同事跟我说,我买贵了,只要30块钱就好了.
这样啊?恐怕这里没人会同情你这样的倒霉蛋.买东西不讨价还价哪行啊?这是规矩.卖家漫天要价,顾客就地还价,直到双方满意为止.而你居然忽略了这道程序,难怪被宰.
可是你不觉的,这样宰顾客未免也太气人了么?
当然,是很烦人.要想不被宰,恐怕只有是先知道价格. 我建议你先去超市看看标价,然后你才能还价成功,买卖公平.

核心词汇


Swear: to make a serious promise to do something 郑重承诺;发誓要;表示决心要
He swore revenge on the man who had killed his father.
他发誓要向那个杀死他父亲的人报仇.
I swear (that) I'll never leave you.
我保证决不离开你.
She made him swear not to tell anyone.
她要他发誓不告诉任何人.

overpriced: too expensive; costing more than it is worth 价格太高的;过于昂贵的

Indispensable: essential; too important to be without 必须的;不可或缺的
Cars have become an indispensable part of our lives.
汽车已成了我们生活中必不可少的一部份.
She made herself indispensable to the department.
她成为这个部门不可缺少的一分子.
A good dictionary is indispensable for learning a foreign language.
一本好词典是学习外语必备的.

Preposterous: completely unreasonable, especially in a way that is shocking or annoying 荒唐的;极不合情理的
These claims are absolutely preposterous!
这些要求简直荒谬绝伦!

Overcharge: to make somebody pay too much for something 多收(某人的)钱
Make sure they don't overcharge you for the drinks.
注意别让他们多收饮料费.
We were overcharged by £5.
我们让人家多收了 5 英镑.

核心词组


on the spot
1. immediately 当场;当下
He answered the question on the spot.
他当场就回答了那个问题.
an on-the-spot parking fine
当场缴纳的违章停车罚款

2. at the actual place where something is happening 在现场
An ambulance was on the spot within minutes.
几分钟之内,一辆救护车便赶到现场.
an on-the-spot report
现场报道

3. in one exact place, without moving in any direction 在原地
Running on the spot is good exercise.
原地跑步是一种很好的锻炼.

In advance: 预先
I ought to have told you in advance.
我应该事先告诉你.

an easy prey:容易上当受骗的人