ESL Podcast 294 – Living in a Condo or Co-op

Diane: I’m so exasperated¹! I’m really tired of the homeowner’s association in my condo building.

Ricardo: What’s the matter with it?

Diane: The people who sit on the condo association board are a bunch of do-nothings. I’ve filed complaint after complaint and they refuse to enforce the house rules.

Ricardo: Well, that might not be so bad. I used to live in a co-op in New York City. The board of directors in my building was constantly issuing violations² to the shareholders³ and we were fined for the smallest infraction⁴. It was a nightmare. What kinds of complaints have you been filing?

Diane: I’ve been complaining about my noisy neighbors. They have parties every weekend. The board said it sent letters to them, but nothing has changed.

Ricardo: That’s a tough one. It’s often hard to get people to quiet down.

Diane: That’s not all. The common areas aren’t well maintained, and they’re often dirty or in need of repair.

Ricardo: That’s too bad...

Diane: And, the clubhouse is always busy with board events when I want to reserve it.

Ricardo: That’s frustrating⁵...

Diane: You bet it is. And, what’s more...

Ricardo: Whoa. I think I have a solution for you.

Diane: What?

Ricardo: Move!


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

1 exasperated   

adj.恼怒的

参考例句：

• We were exasperated at his ill behaviour. 我们对他的恶劣行为感到非常恼怒。
• Constant interruption of his work exasperated him. 对他工作不断的干扰使他恼怒。

2 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

3 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

4 infraction   

n.违反；违法

参考例句：

• He was criticized for his infraction of the discipline.他因违反纪律而受到了批评。
• Parking at the bus stop is illegal,Motorists committing this infraction are heavily fined.在公交站停车是违法的，触犯此条的司机将受重罚。

5 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》