又到一年畢業找房季！

Suzanna： Hey， Harold. Congratulations on graduating！

Harold： Hey， Suzanna！ Thanks， and same to you！

Suzanna： So， do you know where you’re going yet？ Got any good job leads？

Harold： Leads？ I’ve got better than that. ①I’ve got a real， bona-fide offer！

Suzanna： Congratulations！ You always were one step ahead of the rest of the class. So where are you off to？

Harold： ②None other than Beijing！ The company’s headquarters is in the CBD.

Suzanna： Company headquarters？ Beijing？ CBD？ ③You’re in the big leagues now！

Harold： Not really. It’s just an entry-level position， so I haven’t “arrived” just yet. And besides， Beijing comes with its own set of difficulties， like paying the rent.

Suzanna： Yeah， I’ve heard the housing situation is pretty competitive over there. Have you found an apartment？

Harold： Not yet. There are some nice places near my new job， but they’re all out of my price range.

Suzanna： ④Housing prices have been creeping up lately. Have you looked at the suburbs？

Harold： I don’t think I want a long 1）commute. I hear Beijing’s transportation is pretty crowded.

Suzanna： It’s 2）legendary. I remember seeing videos of hundreds of people squeezed into trains like 3）sardines.

Harold： If I live way out in the suburbs then it will be easier to get on the subway， maybe even get a seat. But then I’d be on the train for over two hours every day， which is not something I’m willing to put up with.

Suzanna： You could bring a book. Two hours of reading time every day sounds like a pro， not a con. Your commute doesn’t have to be wasted time， you know！

Harold： We can’t all be as cultured as you， Sue. ⑤I’d be bored to tears.

Suzanna： What about getting a roommate？ Sharing an apartment can make it more affordable.

Harold： It could. ⑥The problem is， I don’t know anybody in Beijing， and I don’t want to get locked into a lease with some stranger who could turn out to be my worst nightmare.

Suzanna： Point taken.

Harold： I wish I’d started looking earlier. I hear that prices are better around the new year， when everybody leaves the city and goes home.

Suzanna： Really？ You mean you can get a better price just for renting at a specific time of year？

Harold： It’s unbelievable， isn’t it？ Makes me wonder why the prices are this high to begin with. I’m afraid that no matter where I live， I’ll still be getting 4）fleeced.

Suzanna： ⑦That’s the price you pay for living in the big city， I guess. What if you tried to find a landlord directly， instead of going through an agent？

Harold： I’d love to. ⑧These agents all seem like used car salesmen. Problem is， I’ve never been to Beijing， so I’m stuck with what I can find online.

Suzanna： Well， you could go there without an apartment， and just stay in a hotel until you get things figured out.

Look for local ads in grocery stores or on bulletin boards. Living with students， or close to a university is a good way to find cheap housing.

Harold： Aw， man. And here I thought I was ready to move on from the university lifestyle！

Suzanna： One step at a time， big guy！

蘇珊娜：嘿，哈羅德，恭喜你畢業了！哈羅德：嘿，蘇珊娜！謝謝，你也是！蘇珊娜：那么，你知道自己要去哪兒沒有？有找到好工作的機會嗎？

哈羅德：機會？我不只是有機會，我找到一份貨真價實的好工作！

蘇珊娜：恭喜你！你總是比班里的其他人快走一步。那么你要去哪兒呢？

哈羅德：當然是北京啊！那家公司的總部就在北京的中央商務區。

蘇珊娜：公司總部？北京？中央商務區？你現在加入高大上企業了！

哈羅德：還不是呢。只是個入門的職位，所以我還沒有進那個圈子呢！另外，在北京也有一系列的困難，像租房。

蘇珊娜：嗯，我聽說那邊的住房競爭很激烈。你找到公寓了嗎？

哈羅德：還沒呢。我新工作地點附近有一些很好的住房，但它們都超出了我能支付的范圍。

蘇珊娜：最近房價一直在慢慢上漲。你有去郊區找找嗎？

哈羅德：我不想往返工作要那么長的時間。我聽說北京的交通很擁擠。

蘇珊娜：這已經是家喻戶曉了。我記得曾看過一個錄像，成百上千的人像沙丁魚那樣擠進地鐵。

哈羅德：如果我住在郊區，那么上地鐵會容易很多，也許還能有一個座位，但是這樣我每天就要在地鐵耗上兩個多小時的時間，這是我不能忍受的。

蘇珊娜：你可以帶一本書。每天兩個小時的閱讀時間聽起來有利而無一害啊。你往返上下班的路程就不會浪費時間，你懂的！

哈羅德：我們不能像你這樣文藝，蘇，這樣我會悶死的。

蘇珊娜：那么找一個室友呢？合租一個公寓能夠讓你更容易負擔得起。

哈羅德：是可以。但問題是，我在北京一個人也不認識，我不想跟一個可能會成為我噩夢的陌生人綁在一起。

蘇珊娜：有道理。

哈羅德：我要是能早點找房子就好了。聽說臨近新年時房價形勢會稍微好些，因為人人都離開城市返鄉了。

蘇珊娜：真的嗎？你意思是你能在一年的一個特定時間租到好一點價格的房子？

哈羅德：很不可思議，對吧？這讓我好奇為什么房價一開始要定這么高，恐怕不管我住在哪兒，我都會被宰。

蘇珊娜：我想，這就是你住在大城市所要付出的代價。那么如果你直接去找個房東，而不是去找中介呢？

哈羅德：我也想這樣。這些中介看起來都像二手車銷售員一樣不可靠。問題是，我從來沒有去過北京，所以我不知

道能在網上找到什么。

蘇珊娜：好吧，你到那兒可以先不租房，先在酒店待一段時間，直到你想到辦法。在雜貨店或者公告欄找一些當地的廣告。和學生一起住，或者住得離學校近一點，都是能找到廉價房子的好方法。

哈羅德：啊，天啊。我還以為我即將脫離大學生活，邁向社會了！

蘇珊娜：一步一步來，大個子！

Smart Sentences

① I’ve got a real， bona-fide offer！ 我找到一份貨真價實的好工作！

bona-fide： authentic； genuine， real（真正的，真誠的）。例如：Look at Ray’s sales figures. He is a bona-fide superman.

看看雷的銷售數據，他可是一個真正的超人啊。

② None other than Beijing！ 當然是北京啊！

none other than sb./sth： used to emphasize the person or thing is the only possibility（用以強調某人或某事是惟一的可能）。例如：

The colossal mistake was made by none other than Mr. Carelessness， John Thompson！

犯下這個嚴重的錯誤的當然是粗心先生——約翰·湯姆森！

③ You’re in the big leagues now！ 你現在加入高大上企業了！

the big league： the highest level of one’s profession or field of activity（某個領域里的高大上）。例如：

Why are you so excited？ It’s not like you got an offer from one of the companies in the big league.

你激動啥？你找到的工作又不是什么高大上企業。

④ Housing prices have been creeping up lately. 最近房價一直在慢慢上漲。

creep up： advance stealthily or unnoticed（不知不覺中發展）。例如：

The price of food is creeping up these days， but our salary has remained the same.

這一陣子，食物價格慢慢地上漲了，但我們的工資卻沒變過。

⑤ I’d be bored to tears. 這樣我會悶死的。

bored to tears： extremely bored（非常無聊）。例如：

As Mr. Randall went on and on with the technicalities of the new product， everyone was bored to tears.

蘭度先生滔滔不絕地在講新產品的技術細節，所有人都煩透了。

⑥ The problem is， I don’t know anybody in Beijing， and I don’t want to get locked into a lease with some stranger who could turn out to be my worst nightmare.但問題是，我在北京一個人也不認識，我不想跟一個可能會成為我噩夢的陌生人綁在一起。

get locked into： bonded to sth. and cannot escape easily（受某事約束，不能輕易解脫）。例如：

You should not get your mortgage locked into a high interest rate.

你不應該讓你的房貸鎖定在高息上。

⑦ That’s the price you pay for living in the big city， I guess. 我想，這就是你住在大城市所要付出的代價。

pay the price： the negative consequences sb. has to suffer for doing sth.（做某事的代價）。例如：

Losing good employees is usually the price you pay when you restructure a business.

一家企業如果要重組，代價常常會是失去好的員工。

⑧ These agents all seem like used car salesmen. 這些中介看起來都像二手車銷售員一樣不可靠。

used car salesman： sb. who is a smooth talker， but not very honest or reliable（能說會道，卻不太誠實、可靠之人）。例如：

—Why did you dump the new boyfriend so fast？

你怎么這么快就把新男朋友甩了？

—Oh God， he talked like a used car salesman. Not my type.

天啊，那家伙滿嘴跑火車，根本不適合我。