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(qǐng)進(jìn),讓我?guī)銈兿瓤纯础_@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(huì)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(huì)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(huì)退還給我對(duì)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(chǔ)藏室,儲(chǔ)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(chǔ)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。