走遍城市角落

看看，Mark這一大清早的任務可不輕松啊。趕快找前輩Carol請教一下吧，不然到時候可真的要像只無頭蒼蠅了。不過Mark的功夫可是一點也沒白費，你看Carol的提醒是多么地必要，要是辦完Visa再去郵局的話，Mark可就只能望著郵包興嘆了！

Mark: Carol， I need your help.

Carol: Sure. What’s up?

Mark: I’ve got a whole list of things I have to do tomorrow and I know ①I’m going to be running around like a chicken with its head cut off if I don’t get some directions.

Carol: OK. Take it easy. Tell me what you need to

get done.

Mark: I have to go to the bank to exchange some money; I got a notice to say there is a package for me at the post office， so I have to go and pick that up; and I have to go to the Public Security Bureau to apply for a new visa.

Carol: Well， ②you are going to be a busy little bee， aren’t you? Are you sure you can do all that in one day?

Mark: Well I have no choice. After today， ③I’m booked solid for a week. So， what do you recommend as the best plan of attack?

Carol: From my experience， you are best off getting to the PSB as early as possible because the place gets packed from about 9:30 onwards. So， get there at 8:30 in the morning， if you can.

Mark: ④Am I better off getting a taxi or is there a bus that goes there?

Carol: ⑤You probably won’t want to stuff around with buses at that time of the morning. Much more efficient to jump in a cab—it’ll take you straight there as well.

Mark: Cool. OK， so PSB is first on my list.

Carol: Now， which post office do you have to pick up your package from?

Mark: Umm…this one.

Carol: Oh， that is right near where you are going， ⑥so just pop in there when you are done with the visa application.

Mark: Do I just show them this ticket?

Carol: Yes， but you will also need to show your passport…

Mark: But if I go to the PSB first， I won’t get my passport back for about a week.

Carol: Oh， of course! OK， well， you are going to have to go to the post office before you process your visa. It’s no problem， they will just hand you the package right away. Shouldn’t take more than five minutes.

Mark: Great.

Carol: As for the bank， there are a few near your house. Any bank should be able to exchange money for you. They will have a board in the foyer with all the exchange rates. ⑦Just shop around a bit until you find the best rates. The fees can be pretty high. Just be smart and ⑧don’t let them pull the wool over your eyes.

Mark: What’s the best time to go?

Carol: Again， as early as you can. Make sure you get a ticket when you get there. When they call your number， head up to the window.

Mark: OK， I think I’m sorted. Thanks so much for your help. ⑨I owe you one.

Carol: ⑩Don’t mention it.

馬克：卡羅爾，我需要你的幫忙。

卡羅爾：好的。什么事？

馬克：明天我有很多事情要做。我知道如果沒有人給我一些指引的話，我就會像一只被砍掉了腦袋的雞漫無目的地到處跑的。

卡羅爾：好的。放松點。告訴我你都要做什么事情。

馬克：我要到銀行兌換些錢；我收到一張通知單說郵局有一個包裹給我，所以我必須要去取包裹；然后我還要到公安局去申請新簽證。

卡羅爾：嗯，你將要像小蜜蜂一樣忙得不可開交了，不是嗎？你確定你能在一天之內把所有這些事情都完成嗎？

馬克：唉，我別無選擇。今天之后，我整整一個星期都沒空。所以你有什么好招數能讓計劃如愿完成呢？

卡羅爾：依我的經驗，你最好盡早到公安局去，因為那里從9點半開始就人山人海了。所以，如果你可以，早上8點半就到那里吧。

馬克：我是坐出租車好呢，還是有公交車到那兒呢？

卡羅爾：你大概不想在早上那個鐘點在公交車上跟人擠吧。坐出租車會快捷得多——而且你可以直達那兒。

馬克：太好了。好吧，那么去公安局是我的第一個任務。

卡羅爾：那么，你要到哪個郵局取包裹呢？

馬克：呃……這個。

卡羅爾：哦，這個就在你將要去的地方附近。那么你完成了簽證申請之后就順道去那兒吧。

馬克：我向他們出示這張通知單就行了嗎？

卡羅爾：要的，但你也要出示你的

護照……

馬克：但是如果我先去公安局的話，要在大約一周之后才能拿回我的護照。

卡羅爾：哦，當然！好吧，你最好先去郵局，然后再進行你的簽證申請了。沒問題的，他們會馬上給你包裹的，應該不用5分鐘。

馬克：太好了。

卡羅爾：至于銀行，在你家附近就有不少。任何一家銀行都應該能幫你兌換現金的。在大堂里都會有一個顯示所有匯率的公告板。你就到處看看，直到你找到最劃算的匯率。手續費有可能挺高的。機靈點，不要讓他們把你給騙了。

馬克：最好是什么時候去呢？

卡羅爾：同樣，越早去越好。你去到那兒要確保自己拿到排隊號碼。叫到你的號時，你就直奔那個窗口吧。

馬克：好的，我想我已經弄清楚了。很感謝你的幫助。我欠了你一個人情。

卡羅爾：別客氣。

Smart Sentences

① I’m going to be running around like a chicken with its head cut off. 我就會像一只被砍掉了腦袋的雞一樣漫無目的地到處跑的。

run around like a chicken with its head cut off: behave in an erratic way（行為怪異，行為不合理，無目的）。例如：

Instead of running around like a chicken with its head cut off， you should use your time in a more productive way.

與其漫無目的地做，還不如把時間好好地加以利用。

② You are going to be a busy little bee. 你將要像小蜜蜂一樣忙得不可開交了。

a busy little bee: be quite busy（挺忙的），also “as busy as a bee.”（也可說成as busy as a bee）。例如：

During the Olympics， all the volunteers at the Bird’s Nest were busy

little bees.

在奧運會期間，鳥巢的志愿者們都忙得不可開交。

③ I’m booked solid for a week. 我整整有一個星期都沒空。

solid: without any stop or interruption throughout a period of time（連續無間斷的）。例如：

We had worked together for two solid years.

我們曾在兩年的時間里不間斷地合作。

④ Am I better off getting a taxi or is there a bus that goes there? 我是坐出租車好呢，還是有公交車到那兒呢？

better off doing sth.: doing sth. will bring benefit from it（從中得益）。例如：

With the roads under construction， you’ll be better off leaving 30 minutes earlier.

既然正在修路，你如果能提前半小時出發會好些。

⑤ You probably won’t want to stuff around with buses at that time of the morning. 你大概不想在早上那個鐘點在公交車上跟人擠吧。

stuff around: waste time doing sth.（浪費時間）。例如：

You stuffed around all morning; now you’re going to be late for work.

你已經浪費了一個早上，你上班要遲到了。

⑥ So just pop in there. 順道去那兒吧。

pop in (somewhere): go somewhere for a short time（在某處短暫停留）。例如：

Amy only popped in for her brother’s birthday party last night.

艾米昨晚只在她弟弟的生日會上停留了一小會兒。

⑦ Just shop around a bit until you find the best rates. 你就到處看看，直到你找到最劃算的匯率。

shop around: go to different shops to compare prices and quality of goods before making a final decision（貨比三家）。例如：

I shopped around for three months before I bought this huge bookcase.

我貨比三家三個月后才買了這個大書柜。

⑧ Don’t let them pull the wool over your eyes. 不要讓他們把你給騙了。

pull the wool over sb.’s eyes: try to deceive sb. to take advantage（蒙蔽某人）。例如：

Don’t pull the wool over my eyes. I’ve done my homework on this.

別想騙我，我可是有備而來的。

⑨ I owe you one. 我欠了你一個人情。

I owe you one: indicates you are grateful and would like to return a favor in the future（我欠你一個人情）。例如：

Thank you for helping me to start my flower shop. I owe you one.

謝謝你幫我開了這家花店，我欠你一個人情。

⑩ Don’t mention it. 別客氣。

Don’t mention it.: a polite reply for sb.’s thanks（別客氣）。例如：

—Thank you very much.

非常感謝。

—Don’t mention it.

不客氣。