ESL杰夫的一天 第74期:开车回家和跑腿(1)

 It's five o'clock and it's quitting time. 现在是下午五点，该下班了。

I put a few files into my bag, grab¹ my mug, and say goodnight to the rest of the people in my area.  我把一些文件装入包中，拿上马克杯，向我部门里剩下的人道了晚安。

I go to the parking garage and get into my car.  我走到停车场，然后上了车。

I signal my turn onto the street and drive toward the freeway onramp. 我打开转向灯，开上了大街，然后开向高速公路匝道。

I merge² as best as I can onto the freeway, which is always a bit of a hassle at this hour.  我尽可能地并入高速公路，在这个点时总会有点麻烦。

Traffic is stop-and-go all the way from downtown. 离开市区的路上交通非常缓慢。

I hear on the radio that there's a stalled³ car in fast lane near La Brea, backing up traffic all the way to Hoover.  我从广播上得知，靠近拉布雷阿街的快车道上有一辆车子抛锚了，一直堵到胡佛街。

I decide to get off the freeway and to take surface streets for the rest of the trip. 我决定开下高速公路，走普通的道路。

I need to make a stop on the way home.  我需要在回家的路上停一停。

I know that the fridge is empty, so I decide to stop by the market. 因为我知道冰箱里没有食物了，所以我决定在超级市场那停一下车。

I get there and I pick up some French bread, a bag of apples, a few bananas, some pasta, tomato sauce, and a cooked chicken. 我到那里后，拿了一些法国面包、一袋苹果、一些香蕉、一些意大利面、番茄酱和熟鸡肉。

Luckily, they have a lot of checkout⁴ stands open, and I get through the line pretty quickly. 所幸的是，他们的很多收银台都开放了，所以我很快就结了账。

I thank the cashier and the bagger and push my cart to my car. 我跟收银员和装袋工道了谢，然后把购物车推到了我车子旁边。

I open the trunk and load everything up. 我打开后备箱并把所有东西都装了进去。

Just then my wife calls me on my cell phone. 就在这时，我妻子给我打了个电话。

She was going to be a little late getting home and asks me to make something for dinner. 她要晚一点回家，叫我自己做晚餐吃。

Tonight, I will be the cook. 今晚，我要亲自下厨。

1 grab   

vt./n.攫取，抓取；vi.攫取，抓住(at)

参考例句：

• It is rude to grab a seat.抢占座位是不礼貌的。
• The thief made a grab at my bag but I pushed him away.贼想抢我的手提包，但被我推开了。

2 merge   

v.(使)结合，(使)合并，(使)合为一体

参考例句：

• I can merge my two small businesses into a large one.我可以将我的两家小商店合并为一家大商行。
• The directors have decided to merge the two small firms together.董事们已决定把这两家小商号归并起来。

3 stalled   

失速的

参考例句：

• The post is stalled fast in the ground. 那根柱子牢牢地竖在地上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The engine stalled suddenly. 发动机突然熄火了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 checkout   

n.（超市等）收银台，付款处

参考例句：

• Could you pay at the checkout.你能在结帐处付款吗。
• A man was wheeling his shopping trolley to the checkout.一个男人正推着购物车向付款台走去。