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。