365个英语简短小故事-346. The Refund (1)

Delbert figured the bill would be a little over $15. He had bought seven Hershey’s Special Dark 5-ounce chocolate bars. They were on sale, reduced from $1.49 to $1 each. He had studied the various deals on toilet paper. You need a calculator to figure out what the best deal is, he muttered¹ as he looked at each price tag beneath each item. Knowing that the house brand is almost always cheaper than the name brand, he settled on Ralfs Nice ‘n Soft 2-ply tissue.

The large plastic package proclaimed² “Comfy Softness.” The 12 double rolls were reduced from $7.19 to $5.39. Delbert read the small print on the package: “Embossed for softness—Ralfs Bathroom Tissue is Soft, Thick and Plush. Safe for sewer³ and septic systems.”

He had also bought about 2 ½ pounds of bananas, at 67 cents a pound. A week ago, no bananas were available. Instead, a sign had said, “Bad weather in Ecuador is affecting our banana supply.”

Delbert was surprised when the bill came to $15.91. He gave the checker a twenty and got his change. Then he pushed his cart over near the coffee counter to double-check his bill. There it was--$5.91 for the toilet paper. He pushed the cart back to aisle⁴ 4. He looked at the price tag on the bottom of the shelf again—it said $5.32. Ha, he thought. He went back to the same checker and told her about the overcharge.

 

1 muttered   

轻声低语，咕哝地抱怨( mutter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He muttered a curse at the other driver. 他低声咒骂另一位开车的人。
• She turned away and muttered something unintelligible. 她转向一旁，嘴里不知咕哝些什么。

2 proclaimed   

v.正式宣布( proclaim的过去式和过去分词 )；显示

参考例句：

• The president proclaimed a state of emergency. 总统宣布了紧急状态。
• The ringing bells proclaimed the birth of the prince. 响亮的钟声宣布王子的诞生。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 sewer   

n.排水沟，下水道

参考例句：

• They are tearing up the street to repair a sewer. 他们正挖开马路修下水道。
• The boy kicked a stone into the sewer. 那个男孩把一石子踢进了下水道。

4 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。