家住洛杉矶的Phil想趁周末来躺自驾游，去赌城拉斯维加斯享受一番。不过，他得先租辆车。

Professor: Winnie, have you ever gone to Las Vegas?

去过一次。Professor Bowman, 如果我是租车公司老板，一定不愿意把车租给去赌城的人，因为他们可能会连车一起输掉!

Phil: Hello, I'd like to rent a car please.

Employee: OK, how long do you need it for?

Phil: I just need it for the weekend.

Employee: Alright, how far will you drive the car?

Phil: Umm ... I'm not sure. How far away is Las Vegas?

看来，Phil准备周末打个来回。不过，租车公司的店员为什么要问Phil去哪儿呢？这关她什么事？

Professor: Winnie, sometimes if you drive a long distance, it will cost you more money to rent the car.

啊？在租车时，如果开得远就要多交钱？那么，从洛杉矶到拉斯维加斯算不算远呢？

Professor: Well, Phil doesn't know how far he has to drive, so he asks the attendant how far away Las Vegas is.

Employee: Las Vegas is about 260 miles from here. Is that where you're going?

Phil: Yes, so I need a nice car so that I look really cool.

Employee: I see .... well would you like a car with a sunroof?

Phil: A sunroof? That's not cool enough. I need a convertible.

Professor: So Winnie, what kind of car does Phil want to drive to Las Vegas.

他想开一辆酷酷的车！去拉斯维加斯这种花花世界当然得开辆好车了!

Professor: Yes, and what kind of car does the rental company employee say he might like?

店员建议Phil租一辆有sunroof - 天窗的车，可他觉得这还不够酷，他要一辆convertible - 敞篷车! 真希望他能把我也带上!

Employee: Yes, we have a nice red convertible for an extra 40 dollars per day.

Phil: Alright, are there any other taxes or fees?

Employee: Not if you remember to fill the car with gas before you return it.

Phil: Hmm ... well, this sounds like a pretty good deal.

看来扮酷也是有代价的！ 敞篷车每天的租金比普通车高出40美元...不过，想到开着敞篷车，在风中驰骋的感觉，这笔钱，咬咬牙，值了！

Professor: Maybe ... but then you wouldn't look very cool if your hair is all messed up by the wind and all the bugs splattered on your face.

Professor Bowman，你怎么总要破坏气氛！

Professor: Okay, Winnie. So, what does Phil have to do before he returns the car?

店员说，他在还车前要把油加满。除此之外，就没有其它的taxes or fees--税和费用了。Phil觉得这是个good deal，很值，看来他就打算租这辆敞篷车了！

Professor: Well, not so fast. Let's see what happens.

Phil: Actually, I have one more question. Is the car a manual or an automatic?

Employee: It's a manual. Is that alright?

Phil: No, I can only drive an automatic.

Employee: Well I'm sorry, but all of our convertibles are manuals.

Professor: Well Winnie, do you know what the difference between a manual and an automatic car is?

当然知道，manual transmission就是手动换档，人工换档，相反的，an automatic transmission是自动换档的车。可惜，这里所有的敞篷车都是manual的，而Phil只会开automatic。

Phil: Oh no ... all your convertibles are manuals? Well, do you have any other cool cars?

Employee: Not really. Our cars are economical, not cool.

Phil: Well too bad ... Maybe my friend Tom will let me borrow his convertible.

Employee: I'm sorry we couldn't help you.

Professor: Winnie, do you know what an economical car is?

Economical, e-c-o-n-o-m-i-c-a-l是"经济实惠"的意思，所以economical car就是经济型轿车喽!

Professor: That's right! So Phil wants to borrow his friend Tom's convertible. That will be very "economical" for him, and he will look cool.

嗯，这的确是个省钱又扮酷的好主意！就是不知道Tom愿不愿意把自己的敞篷车借给Phil。

Professor: Well, we will have to listen next time to find out!

这次的美语三级跳就播送到这里。美语三级跳节目取材于美国之音最新推出的美语教学强档网站 goenglish.me网址是：www.goenglish.me

• attendant [ə´tendənt]   n.随员 a.伴随的   (初中英语单词)
• actually [´æktʃuəli]   ad.事实上；实际上   (初中英语单词)
• automatic [,ɔ:tə´mætik]   a.自动的 n.自动装置   (高中英语单词)
• manual [´mænjuəl]   a.用手(操作)的 n.手册   (英语四级单词)
• economical [,i:kə´nɔmikəl]   a.节俭的；经济的   (英语四级单词)
• bowman [´bəumən]   n.(弓箭)射手   (英语六级单词)