礼节美语 Business Etiquette 164 Staycation (2)

　　很久不见的好友Lisa, Karen和Gina一起吃饭。三个人都说，现在手头很紧，彼此交换勤俭持家的经验。Karen 说，
K: We've stopped going to the theater! We used to take the kids every Saturday, but with each ticket costing about 10 bucks², it adds up to a couple of hundred dollars a month! These days we just rent a movie and stay at home.
G: But you know, even though we can't do as many things as we used to, I feel like our family has grown closer since we've been spending more time together.
Karen说，原来每星期六都要带孩子去看电影，但是电影票一张十块钱，10 bucks, buck¹ is spelled b-u-c-k, buck 是口语里提到美元时常用的词。
一个月下来，一家人看电影就要两百块，上面用到的it adds up to是加在一起的意思，把这笔钱省了，一家人租影碟在家看。Gina说，虽然没那么多钱玩这玩那了，但是一家人经常在一起，our family has grown closer，感情反而更亲密了。
L: That's true for us as well. We play board games at night with the kids and when we watch movies we do it as a family.
It's funny, but the recession³ is forcing us to get creative and actually...it's kind of fun!
K: You know the old saying: troubles can be a blessing⁴ in disguise⁵.
L: I think it all depends on your attitude. If you stay positive, saving money can be a fun challenge. But being depressed⁶ about it doesn't help anything.
Lisa也有同感，因为经济衰退逼得大家不能花钱买娱乐，不得不回去陪孩子玩游戏，一家人一起看电影，反而其乐融融。老话说，troubles can be a blessing in disguise，塞翁失马，焉知非福。Lisa表示同意，说一切都取决于心态，如果心态是positive，积极的话，省钱也能变成一件开心的挑战，萎靡不振doesn't help anything，于事无补。
G: Another thing that has really helped our family is instituting the thirty-day rule.
K: What's the thirty-day rule?
G: Well, every time we think about buying something we don't really need, we wait thirty days and then ask ourselves if we still want it. A lot of times after thirty days, we can't even remember why we wanted it in the first place!
Gina说，为省钱，她们家还采纳了thirty-day rule，三十天原则，就是买一件东西之前，必须等30天，如果30天后还是想买的话，才可以买。Gina说，a lot of times，很多时候，30天过后，她们早就记不起来当初为什么想买了。三个人省钱还有什么高招吗？我们下次继续听。

1 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

2 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 recession   

n.（工商业的）衷退（期），萧条（期）

参考例句：

• Manufacturing fell sharply under the impact of the recession.受到经济萧条的影响，制造业急剧衰退。
• A rise in interest rates plunged Britain deeper into recession.利率的提高导致英国经济更加萧条。

4 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

5 disguise   

vt.把...假扮起来；n.伪装物，假装，伪装

参考例句：

• He went about in the disguise of a sailor.他伪装成海员到处流窜。
• It is impossible to disguise the fact that business is bad.生意不好这件事无法隐瞒。

6 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。