3、Apartment Hunting
租房子
Kim’s Note:
This is a difficult but necessary task if you are going to be in America for a long time.
(1)Hunting for an Apartment 找房
A:Come on in, let me show you around. Here’s the living room. There are two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
請進(jìn),讓我?guī)銈兿瓤纯?。這是起居室。有兩間臥室和兩個(gè)洗手間。
B:Great! The view from this window is wonderful.
太棒了!窗外的風(fēng)景很美。
A:This is the kitchen.
這是廚房。
B:It looks new.
看起來很新。
A:Yes, we renovated just last year and replaced all the appliances.
是的,我們?nèi)ツ陝偡捱^,而且更換了所有的器具。
B:Just look at all the closet space in the master bedroom!
看主臥室的壁廚空間多大呀!
A:Well, I’m sure you can fill these closets in no time!
我相信你很快就會把這些壁柜填滿。
B:Oh come on, give me a break. I don’t have that much stuff.
快別這么說。我哪有那么多東西呀。
A:And here’s a bathroom.
這是洗手間。
B:What did you say the rent was?
你剛才說的房租是多少?
A;Fifteen hundred dollars a month.
一個(gè)月1500美元。
B:Does that include utilities?
包水電費(fèi)嗎?
A:It includes heat, gas, and hot water. Electricity and telephone are extra.
包暖氣、煤氣和熱水。電和電話費(fèi)另付。
B:When will the apartment be available?
什么時(shí)候可以搬進(jìn)來?
A:On the first of the month.
月初。
B:We like it a lot, but we’ll have to think about it. Can we call you tomorrow?
我們很喜歡這套房子,但還得考慮一下。明天給你打電話好嗎?
A:Sure. But don’t wait too long. I have other people who are interested in renting this place.
當(dāng)然行了。但是別拖得太久。還有其他人看上了這房子。
(2)Renting an Apartment 租房
A:Hello, Mr. Jackson, this is Jim Johnson. I’m calling about the apartment we looked at yesterday. We’d like to take it, if it’s still available.
喂,杰克遜先生,我是吉姆•約翰遜。我打電話想跟你談?wù)勛蛱煳覀兛催^的那套房子。如果還空著的話,我們想租下來。
B:Great!
那太好了!
A:So, what’s the next step?
那下一步做什么呢?
B:I’ll draw up a lease and send it to you. What I’ll need from you is one month’s rent as a security deposit, and the first month’s rent in advance.
我會把租約寫好給你寄去。你要給我一個(gè)月的房租做保證金。另外預(yù)付第一個(gè)月的房租。
A:I’ll get the deposit back, won’t I?
保證金以后會退還給我對嗎?
B:Of course, as long as the place is not damaged beyond the usual wear and tear when you move out.
當(dāng)然了,只要你搬走時(shí)房間里除正常磨損以外沒有別的損壞就行。
A:Great! Can I send you a check?
太好了!可以給你支票嗎?
B:Sure, a check will be fine. Just send it along with the lease after you’ve signed it.
當(dāng)然,支票可以。你在租約上簽字后把支票一塊寄來就行了。
A:Thanks!
謝謝。
額外成就感
租房用語
lease 租約
* You should read the lease carefully before you sign it.
你在租約上簽字之前要先仔細(xì)閱讀。
* Could I have the lease translated before I sign it?
在我簽租約之前能不能讓人先把它翻譯一下?
* I want to have a lawyer look over this lease.
我要找個(gè)律師過目一下這份租約。
landlord 房東
* I have a really nice landlord.
我的房東人很不錯(cuò)。
* I’ve been trying to get a hold of my landlord for a week.
這個(gè)星期以來我一直在試著跟我的房東取得聯(lián)系。
storage space 儲藏室,儲藏東西的地方
* I’m looking for an apartment with a lot of storage space.
我在找一個(gè)有很大儲藏室的房子。
* Is there storage space in the building where I can keep my bike?
這棟樓里有沒有地方可以放我的自行車?
laundry room 洗衣店
* Does this building have a laundry room?
這樓里有沒有洗衣房?
* I forgot my wallet in the laundry room. I have to go back and get it.
我把錢包忘在洗衣房了。我得回去取。
wear and tear 磨損
* Don’t worry about it. A little wear and tear is to be expected.
別擔(dān)心,一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)的磨損是免不了的。
* This is a sturdy model. It can take a lot of wear and tear.
這個(gè)模型很堅(jiān)固,經(jīng)得起磨損。