敏感話題問年齡

Jason takes the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to Berkeley， grabs a cab， and goes to pick up Amber at her apartment. On the way to the restaurant that Ethabella suggested， Jason asks Amber her age. She is a little reluctant to tell him at first， but then does so. Is there a problem with asking this question?

Jason: You really do look great tonight， Amber.

Amber: Why， thank you. You don't look so bad yourself. (laughs)

Jason: (laughing also) I appreciate that. Speaking of which， I was wondering if I am older than you， because you look so young. How old are you， anyway?

Amber: (hesitatingly) Oh， I'm not too old， but I'm over eighteen.

Jason: I'm sorry， maybe that was a dumb question.

Amber: No， it's not that. Just... well， I was just a little surprised with your question. It's a bit unusual here for people to ask about age so soon.

Jason: Forgive me. I didn't mean to be impolite or rude.

Amber: I know. Anyway， I'm 27.

Jason: Really. You don't look a day over 23. How do you stay so young looking?

Amber: (flattered) No special way. Just a happy-go-lucky type of person， I guess.

Jason: Well， it works. You really don't look your age. I'm 28， by the way.

Amber: (jokingly) Is that right? I thought you might be a bit older…… just joking.

Jason: I guess I deserved that. (changing the subject) So， what about……

Jason乘海岸快速列車到了Berkeley，叫了一輛出租車就去接Amber。在去Ethabella建議的餐廳的路上，Jason問起了Amber的年齡。開始她有點不愿意告訴他，但最后還是說了。這個問題有什么不對勁嗎？

Jason: 你今天晚上看起來很美，Amber。

Amber: 謝謝。你看起來也不錯??！(笑起來)

Jason: (也笑起來)非常感謝，說起這個，我在想我一定比你大，因為你看起來很年輕。你多大了？

Amber: (猶豫了一下)哦，我還不算太老，但是也過了18歲了。

Jason: 對不起，可能這是個很愚蠢的問題。

Amber: 不，不是那么回事，只是……我真是被你的問題弄得很吃驚。在這里，這么快地問別人有多大不太常見。

Jason: 請原諒我，我不是故意這么粗魯無理的。

Amber: 我知道，不管它了，我27歲了。

Jason: 真的嗎？你看起來還不到23歲。你是怎么保持年輕的？

Amber: (高興狀)沒什么特殊的方法。只是生性快樂罷了。

Jason:看來行得通。你看上去真的沒那么大。另外我28歲了。

Amber: (開玩笑地說)是真的嗎？我覺得你可能更老一點……開開玩笑而已。

Jason: 我想你說得對。(換了一個話題)那么……

美眉成了電視迷

Amber goes to a department store to buy some empty videotape cartridges. She has become enthralled by a TV program called 'Cops'， and is recording every episode. She also wants to check out the video cameras while she's at it. How does she get around the store? And what is so interesting about this show?

Amber: (to another shopper) Excuse me. Where can I find the information desk?

Shopper: Just around the corner (points the way).

Amber: Thanks. (She gets to the information counter. He overhears an inquiry by the customer ahead of him).

Customer: Where's the 'Lost and Found' counter?

Officer: On the 2nd floor， near the elevator.

Customer: Where's the elevator?

Officer: To your right， near the middle of the store.

(Now it's John's turn. She steps up to the desk)

Amber：Hello， Can you tell me the closing time?

Officer: 10 PM， miss.

Amber: Thank you. And can you point me to the video cameras?

Officer: 5th floor， to the left of the escalators.

Amber: Thank you. (He gets on the escalator and goes to the 5th floor. First he picks up a supply of videotapes， and then he browses around the video cameras for a while. Then he overhears another customer).

Customer: Let's go to the food court and get something to eat.

(Sounds like a good idea to Amber， since she hasn't had dinner yet. She wanted to make sure she could tape the next episode of 'Cops'， so she left for the department store right after work. She finds out where the food court is and goes to eat).

Amber來到當(dāng)?shù)氐囊患疑痰?，她想買一些空白的錄像帶。她最近迷上了一個叫‘Cops’的電視節(jié)目，每集必錄。同時她還想去看看錄像機。她怎樣在超市里找到正確的路徑呢？那個節(jié)目到底有什么吸引人的方呢？

Amber: (對另一個店員說)打擾一下，哪可以找到咨詢臺？

Shopper: 就在那個拐角處。(指出了方向)

Amber: 謝謝。(她來到咨詢臺，恰好聽到前面的顧客在咨詢)

Customer: 失物認(rèn)領(lǐng)處在哪？

Officer: 在二樓，靠近電梯。

Customer: 電梯呢？

Officer: 在你的右邊，在商店的中部。

(現(xiàn)在該輪到Amber了。她走到臺前。)

Amber：你好，請問什么時候結(jié)束營業(yè)？

Officer: 晚上十點，小姐。

Amber: 謝謝。你能給我指一下攝影機柜臺在哪嗎？

Officer: 在五樓，就在自動扶梯的左邊。

Amber: 謝謝。(她踏上自動扶梯上了五樓。先選了一些空白帶，然后又隨便看了看錄像機。這時她又恰巧聽見了一個顧客的話).

Customer: 我們?nèi)ナ称饭衽_買點吃的。

(Amber 覺得是一個好主意，因為她還沒吃飯呢。她為了確保能錄到下一集 ‘Cops’，一下班就跑到商店里來了。她找到餐廳就去吃飯了。)