【英语趣味课堂】讨价还价-Bargains

I'm an English teacher in Japan and when I first came here I didn't really have very much money so I found things quite expensive and I went out looking for cheap bargains. I came across a shop and it called the 100 Yen¹ shop. It's absolutely fantastic. 100 Yen is about 50 p, 50 pence that is. I think that's about 1 dollar, and you go in there and everything is 100 yen. You can buy all sorts of things in a 100 yen shop. You can buy food. You can buy things for your house, things for your bathroom, your kitchen. You can buy ornaments³ and stationary⁴ and things like shampoo. I really, really like to get a bargain and when I go in and I know that I've found something and it's worth buying, I really, really get excited about it, and it sends shivers down my spine⁵. We have a shop in Britain and it's quite similar to the 100 yen shop. It's called Pound Land and so everything in it is 1 pound. Not everything is a real bargain. Some things are really pretty rubbish but if you do find a bargain, it's great. It reminds me really of what we have in Britain called car boot sales. They are places where people go and they fill their cars full of things that they don't want anymore and they sell them and people look through other people's items and they find the things that they want to buy and they barter⁶, so they try and get things for a cheap price. It's really good though when you get a bargain. How do you feel about that?

 

学习内容：

 

cheap bargains

 

I didn't really have very much money, so I went out looking for cheap bargains. 

 

If something is sold at a price which is lower than it should be, you can say it is a 'bargain.' Notice the following:

 

All the stores are having sales now, so there's tons of cheap bargains.

This is a place to find really cheap bargain, but you have to spend some time looking.

ornaments

 

You can buy all sorts of things in a 100-yen shop, including ornaments. 

 

An 'ornament²' is something that is used to decorate. Notice the following:

 

Let's take out the ornaments to decorate the house for the holidays.

My grandparents' house is full of ornaments from their home country.

worth buying

 

When I know I've found something that's worth buying, I really get excited about it. 

 

When the price for something is less than or equal to  what it will mean for you, then it is 'worth buying.'  If you think something is too expensive for what you will use it for or get out of it, than it is not worth buying.  'Worth' refers to the value of something.  Notice the following:

 

None of this stuff is worth buying, because it just breaks right away.

This area is so touristy that it's full of things that aren't worth buying.

shivers down my spine

 

It sends shivers down my spine when I get excited about something I like to buy. 

 

When you are cold, nervous or excited you may feel a 'shiver down your spine.'  Your spine is the bone that goes down the middle of your back.  Sometimes when you are cold you feel a tremble or a shake in this bone.  Notice the following:

 

Every time I hear this song it gives me shivers down my spine.

That sound gives me shivers down my spine.

rubbish

 

Some things are really pretty rubbish, but if you do find a bargain, it's great. 

 

Something that is 'rubbish' is garbage or not useful in any way.  Notice the following:

 

There is a lot of rubbish in the street here.

I can't believe you keep this stuff.  It's just a bunch of rubbish.

barter

 

People look through other people's items and if they find something they want, they barter. 

 

When you 'barter' with a salesperson⁷ you negotiate a price that you feel comfortable paying and the salesperson feels comfortable accepting.  This is very common in many cultures, especially where prices are not listed.  Notice the following:

 

All the salespeople⁸ start out with a high price, because they expect you to barter.

I hate bartering⁹.  If I feel like the price is too high, I just walk away.

1 yen   

n. 日元；热望

参考例句：

• He wanted to convert his dollars into Japanese yen.他想将美元换成日币。
• He has a yen to be alone in a boat.他渴望独自呆在一条船上。

2 ornament   

v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物

参考例句：

• The flowers were put on the table for ornament.花放在桌子上做装饰用。
• She wears a crystal ornament on her chest.她的前胸戴了一个水晶饰品。

3 ornaments   

n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 stationary   

adj.固定的，静止不动的

参考例句：

• A stationary object is easy to be aimed at.一个静止不动的物体是容易瞄准的。
• Wait until the bus is stationary before you get off.你要等公共汽车停稳了再下车。

5 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

6 barter   

n.物物交换，以货易货，实物交易

参考例句：

• Chickens,goats and rabbits were offered for barter at the bazaar.在集市上，鸡、山羊和兔子被摆出来作物物交换之用。
• They have arranged food imports on a barter basis.他们以易货贸易的方式安排食品进口。

7 salesperson   

n.售货员，营业员，店员

参考例句：

• A salesperson works in a shop.售货员在商店工作。
• Vanessa is a salesperson in a woman's wear department.凡妮莎是女装部的售货员。

8 salespeople   

n.售货员，店员；售货员( salesperson的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The shop usually employs additional salespeople for the Christmas toy trade. 这家商店通常雇一些临时售货员来做圣诞节玩具生意。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Under our new system, salespeople sit down with each of our dealers. 根据新的制度，销售人员应逐个地同承销商洽商。 来自辞典例句

9 bartering   

v.作物物交换，以货换货( barter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Parliament would be touchy about bartering British soil for ships. 用英国国土换取舰只，议会感到为难。 来自辞典例句
• In former times trade was based on bartering--goods were exchanged for other goods. 以前，贸易是以易货（即货物交换）的方式进行的。 来自辞典例句