2014年ESL之商务英语 06 Retiring Abroad

 

Retiring Abroad 

Wanda: I just heard the news. You’re moving to McQuillanland? 

George: I am. I’ve decided¹ to retire abroad. 

Wanda: Why? 

George: It makes a lot of sense for people with a fixed² income. Social Security will only go so far here, but the cost of living is much lower in other countries, including McQuillanland. I can live it up at a fraction of the cost of living modestly here. 

Wanda: But you’re moving away from all of your friends and family. 

George: I can stay in touch remotely and there is an American expat community there so I can make new friends. I am a little worried about learning the language and adjusting to life abroad, but I’ll be living a simpler life there and there’ll be less stress. 

Wanda: But sometimes things aren’t so reliable when you live abroad. 

George: Like what? 

Wanda: I’ve heard that the Internet services can be unreliable and power outages are common in McQuillanland. Are you sure you want to put down stakes in a foreign country? 

George: What do I have to lose? I already have my residency visa and a condo on the beach waiting for me. The real question is: when are you going to take the plunge³? 

 

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse 

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

3 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。