365个英语简短小故事- 5. Shopping for Bargains

Jim went to the thrift¹ shop. He wasn’t looking for anything in particular. He liked to go there just to browse². A big sign on the front door said OPEN. The shop was closed on Sunday and Monday. The rest of the week, it opened at 10 a.m. and closed at 2 p.m.

Two women worked inside. They rang up sales and put the items into plastic bags for the customers to carry out. At the back of the shop was a big room where another lady worked. She sorted the new donations and put price tags on them. At the end of each day, she would bring the new donations out to the main part of the shop.

Everyone who worked at the thrift shop was a volunteer. The only "payment" they received was that they had the opportunity to see, and buy, any items in the shop before the customers did.

When Jim entered, the lady at the register told him hello. He smiled and said hello. She knew Jim because he was a regular customer.

Jim said, "What’s new?"

She laughed and said that nothing was ever new at a thrift shop. "It’s always old and it’s always used," she smiled.

Jim looked at the watches in the glass case. He saw one that he liked.

"Could I look at that one?" he asked.
 

1 thrift   

adj.节约，节俭；n.节俭，节约

参考例句：

• He has the virtues of thrift and hard work.他具备节俭和勤奋的美德。
• His thrift and industry speak well for his future.他的节俭和勤勉预示着他美好的未来。

2 browse   

vi.随意翻阅，浏览；(牛、羊等)吃草

参考例句：

• I had a browse through the books on her shelf.我浏览了一下她书架上的书。
• It is a good idea to browse through it first.最好先通篇浏览一遍。