英语博客：Suspicious bills.

 　　Paying bills can be such a pain. It's a necessary evil. It's also something that keeps us honest: when we have to look at our true expenses in the face*, it makes us consider our life styles, and whether or not we are being responsible. But still, it's a pain. I have to have peace and quiet to do it properly: no one around, no music, no tv. Like other people, I have a system that helps me. Daily, I sort out the bills from the junk mail. The junk goes into the recycling bin¹, and the bills go in a neat pile on my desk. Then, later on, I'll open the bills and sort them out chronologically², so the ones that need to be paid soonest go on top of the pile. The system cuts down on paperwork, and it makes me feel as if the job is already half done. So, when I eventually sit down to pay the bills, I'm organised: I have stamps, stickers with my name and address, extra envelopes, and the bills. What else do I need*? Enthusiasm.... The bills that take up most of my time are from the credit card companies that we use. Why? Well, it's because I pay a lot of my bills automatically with my credit card. It saves me* getting a late fee because I've forgotten to pay, let's say, my electricity bill, or my phone bill on time. It's convenient, and nowadays, most credit card companies have security arrangements, so you only pay what you really owe. If there is a charge to your credit card that you're unfamiliar³ with, you can always question it, or even stop it. Suspicious charges do crop up every now and then, and so it's important to check all of the charges on your monthly statement. That has been my experience. Even today, as I looked over the list of figures, I saw a substantial charge from a company that I know I owe nothing. I had previously⁴ bought a product from them, but had paid 50% of the total cost when I placed the order, and the remaining 50% when I received the product. "Gosh!" I said to myself. "They're charging me a third time!" I got on the phone, and told one of their billing specialists. Surprisingly, she was not apologetic at all, quite the opposite; she was abrupt⁵ and impatient. Perhaps she'd been hearing from lots of people about the same issue. She asked for my credit card number in order to reimburse⁶* me, and we said goodbye. I wasn't satisfied, however. So, I called the credit card company and asked them to make a note that I don't owe anything else to this particular company. The lady said that customers, like myself, need to be vigilant⁷. It is our responsibility to keep checking to see if the reimbursement⁸ has taken place. "It can take three days, or even up to 28 days, depending on the company." I was glad that she told me that, and have decided⁹ to check every few days to make sure that these suspicious bills don't crop up again.

　　Related vocabulary and expressions: to look something in the face, what else, it saves (a person) or (a continuous verb), to reimburse

　　1. He looked his laziness in the face, and decided to take action and do his laundry.

　　2. We've got everything for the trip: passports, money, credit cards, hotel reservations....what else do we need? Oh, luggage!

　　3. Pin the socks together before they go in the washing machine. It saves searching for the other sock afterwards. OR It saves your mother time!

　　4. I was overcharged when I bought the sofa, but after telling the company, they reimbursed¹⁰ me.

1 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

2 chronologically   

ad. 按年代的

参考例句：

• Manuscripts show cases arranged topically not chronologically. 从原稿看案例是按专题安排的而不是按年代次序安排的。
• Though the exhibition has been arranged chronologically, there are a few exceptions. 虽然展览的时间便已经安排好了，但是也有少数的例外。

3 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 abrupt   

adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的

参考例句：

• The river takes an abrupt bend to the west.这河突然向西转弯。
• His abrupt reply hurt our feelings.他粗鲁的回答伤了我们的感情。

6 reimburse   

v.补偿，付还

参考例句：

• We'll reimburse you for your travelling expenses.我们将付还你旅费。
• The funds are supposed to reimburse policyholders in the event of insurer failure.这项基金将在保险公司不能偿付的情况下对投保人进行赔付。

7 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

8 reimbursement   

n.偿还，退还

参考例句：

• He received reimbursement for his travel expenses.由于出差的花费他可以得到公司的补偿。
• Which forms do I need to complete for my travel reimbursement?我需要填什么表来报我的旅费？

9 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

10 reimbursed   

v.偿还，付还( reimburse的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Any out-of-pocket expenses incurred on the firm's business will be reimbursed. 由公司业务产生的开销都可以报销。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Employees are reimbursed for any legal fees incurred when they relocate. 员工调往异地工作时，他们可以报销由此产生的所有法律服务费用。 来自《简明英汉词典》