Charles: I don’t know how long this power outage is going to last. Do you think we should call Elizabeth to tell her we’ll be late for dinner? Jane: That’s a good idea. Do you know her phone number offhand?
Charles: No, I don’t, and I can’t look it up in my address book or in the phone book without any lights. Oh, wait. I have it programmed into my cell phone. I should be able to use speed dial to call her. Oh, no.
Jane: Maybe we can use the landline to call directory assistance. The operator should be able to give us her number. Charles: I doubt it. There must be more than one Elizabeth Bennett in our area code.
Jane: You’re probably right, but I’ll try anyway. Where’s the phone? Oh, here it is. Why aren’t I getting a dial tone?
Jane：或许吧，但是我也要试试。 电话呢？ 嘿，在这里。 怎么电话没声音呢？
Charles: Try listening through the earpiece instead of the mouthpiece.
Charles：把听筒放到耳朵上，你现在放在耳朵上的是话筒。
Jane: Oh, right. How do I dial 411 if I can’t see the keypad?
Jane：哦，对的。 我看不到键盘，怎么拨114呢？
Charles: Hey, the power is back on!
Charles：嘿，又有电了！
Jane: Not a moment too soon!
Jane：不早不晚，刚刚好！
Our dialogue between Charles and Jane begins by Charles saying, “I don’t know how long this power outage is going to last.” A “power outage” is when there’s a failure in the electricity system of a city or an area that means that people do not have electricity in their homes and businesses. This sometimes happens here in California in the summertime. When there are so many people trying to use air conditioners, for example, there is often a power outage. I shouldn’t say often – sometimes a power outage. There’s a power outage in our dialogue.
这是Charles和Jane之间的对话，Charles一开始就说，“I don’t know how long this power outage is going to last.” “power outage” 是指一个城市或者一个地区电力系统不能正常运转，这就意味着家里或者商店没电。 有时夏天加州会停电。 如果很多人同时使用电器，比如空调，就会停电。 不是经常，只是偶尔。 对话中，就停电了。
Charles asks, “Do you think we should call Elizabeth to tell her we’ll be late for dinner?” Jane and Charles are going to have dinner with Elizabeth. Jane says, “That’s a good idea. Do you know her phone number offhand?” The phone number in the United States has a total of 10 numbers, 11 if you dial “1.” Every telephone number has 10 numbers; sometimes, however, if you are in the same city or area, you only have to dial the last seven numbers. Phone numbers in the United States are usually grouped by three numbers for the area code – the general area where you’re calling, then followed by three numbers and then four numbers. So, for example: 310-555- 1212, that would be a typical phone number in the U.S. Jane asks if Charles knows the phone number offhand. “Offhand” means without needing to look it up. You know it right away, immediately; you’ve memorized the number. “Offhand” is one word. Take look at our Learning Guide for some additional explanations of that term.
Charles问道，“Do you think we should call Elizabeth to tell her we’ll be late for dinner?” Jane和Charles要和伊莉莎白一起吃晚餐。 Jane说，“That’s a good idea. Do you know her phone number offhand?” 美国的电话号码是10位数，如果加拨“1”就有11位。 每个电话号码都是10位数；但是，有时候，如果你们是在同一个地方，就只需要拨打最后7位数。 美国电话号码的区号（你正在给那个区打电话）通常是3位数，之后还有一个三位数和一个四位数的号码。 因此，比如说：310-555- 1212 ，这就是典型的美国号码。 Jane问Charles能不能记住电话号码。 “Offhand”意思是不用看。 你立马就知道了；你已经记住号码了。 “Offhand”是一个词。 看看学习指导中这个词的附加解释。
Charles says, “No, I don’t, and I can’t look it up in my address book or the phone book without any lights.” Your “address book” is a small book that people have with people’s names, addresses, and telephone numbers. Many people now have these electronically on their computer or phone. Charles says he can’t look it up in the address book he has or in his phone book unless he has some lights, and of course, because there’s no electricity, there are no lights that he can use. The “phone book” is a large book that has everyone’s phone number; usually most businesses have their phone number there as well.
Charles说，“No, I don’t, and I can’t look it up in my address book or the phone book without any lights.” “address book”是一个小本子，用来记名字、地址还有电话号码。 大部分人现在都记在电子产品上，比如电脑手机。 Charles说没有灯，看不到，不能在电话本里查找。停电了，当然没有灯。 “phone book”是存有很多人电话的大本子；大部分商人都把电话记在这个本子里。
Then he says, “Oh, wait. I have it programmed into my cell phone.” “To program something into something else” is to save information, for example, on your cell phone so you can find it later. “I should be able to use the speed dial to call her,” he says. “Speed dial” is a technology that allows you to automatically dial all 7 or 10 numbers, or 11 numbers, of a phone number just by pressing one number usually on your cell phone or also on your phone at home. Charles then says, “Oh, no,” and Jane says, “What’s the matter?” What is wrong? He says, “My cell phone battery is dead.” The “battery” is, as you may know, a small device that stores electricity to give power to things like your cell phone. There are several meanings of that word; take a look at the Learning Guide for some more help on that. He says that his “battery is dead,” meaning it has no more power.
之后他说，“Oh, wait. I have it programmed into my cell phone.” “To program something into something else”就是储存信息。比如，存在电话上，方便以后查找。 “I should be able to use the speed dial to call her,”他说。 “Speed dial”是只按一个键，就自动拨打7或者10或者11位数电话的技术，可以在手机上或者是家里的座机。 Charles之后说，“Oh, no,” Jane说，“What’s the matter?” 怎么了？ 他说，“My cell phone battery is dead.” “battery”你可能也知道，是存储电量为手机供电的小设备。 这个词有几种不同意思；看看学习指导中一些其他解释。 他说他的“battery is dead,”意思是没电了。
Jane says, “Maybe we can use the landline to call directory assistance.” A “landline” (one word) is a traditional telephone that is connected with a wire in your home or office. It’s not a mobile phone; it’s not a cell phone. It’s the phone that we used to have, exclusively, before cell phones; the only phones we used to have were landlines. “Directory assistance” is a service offered by phone companies, or sometimes now by automatic computer systems, where you can find a phone number for a person by calling them up. It used to be that directory assistance was always free in the United States, now sometimes you have to pay for directory assistance.
Jane说，“Maybe we can use the landline to call directory assistance.” “landline”是家里或办公室那种接线的传统电话。 不是移动电话；也不是手机。 在手机之前使用的电话；我们过去用的都是座机。 “Directory assistance”是电话公司或者自动电脑系统提供的服务，可以给他们打电话查询某个人的电话号码。 过去美国的电话号码咨询都是免费的，但是现在有时候还要收费。
Jane says, “The operator should be able to give us (Elizabeth’s) number.” The “operator” is the employee at the phone company who actually answers your call and gives you the information. If it’s a computer, of course, there is no operator.
Jane说，“The operator should be able to give us (Elizabeth’s) number.” “operator”是电话公司接你电话给你提供信息的员工。 如果是电脑，当然就没有接线员。
Charles says, “I doubt it (I don’t think so). There must be more than one Elizabeth Bennett in our area code.” What he’s saying is that the operator won’t be able to help them because there are many different people with the same name, Elizabeth Bennett in this case, in our area code. Your “area code” is the region or area where you’re located. Remember I said that telephone numbers in the U.S. have 11 digits: one plus three numbers for the area code. So in my part of Los Angeles, the area code is 310, and everyone who lives around me in my neighborhood has that same area code. He’s saying here that there are too many people with same name in the area code, so the operator won’t know which one we want.
Charles说，“I doubt it (I don’t think so). There must be more than one Elizabeth Bennett in our area code.” 他是说接线员不能给他们提供帮助，因为在我们区号范围内有很多叫伊莉莎白贝内特的人。 “area code”是你所在地区。 记住，我说过。美国电话有11位数：1加上3位数的区号。 因此，在洛杉矶区号是310。我周围居住的所有人的区号都是这个。 他是在说有很多人使用同一个区号，所以接线员不知道我们说的是哪个伊莉莎白贝内特。
Jane says, “You’re probably right, but I’ll try anyway. Where’s the phone? “Oh, here it is,”she says, “Why aren’t I getting a dial tone?” Why am I not receiving or hearing a dial tone? A “dial tone” is the sound you hear when you pick up a phone before you start dialing the number; that’s a “dial tone.” It tells you that the phone is working and you can then press the numbers for the person you are trying to call.
Jane说，“You’re probably right, but I’ll try anyway. 电话在哪里？ “Oh, here it is,”她说。 “Why aren’t I getting a dial tone?” 我怎么听不到电话声音呢？ “dial tone”是你拿起电话拨号之前听到的声音。 听到声音就是说电话是好的，你可以打电话。
Charles says, “Try listening through the earpiece instead of the mouthpiece.” The “earpiece” of a phone is what goes next to your ear so you can hear what the other person is saying. The “mouthpiece,” logically, is the part of the phone that goes by your mouth so you can talk to someone. What happened here is that Jane has the phone upside down so that the mouthpiece is by her ear and the earpiece is by her mouth. Not too smart, Jane!
Charles说，“Try listening through the earpiece instead of the mouthpiece.” 电话的“earpiece”是放到耳朵旁听别人讲话的东西。 “mouthpiece,”理论上说，是电话上放到嘴边讲话的部件。 这里是说Jane把电话拿反了，她把话筒放到嘴上，听筒放到了嘴上。 太不聪明了，Jane！
Jane says, “Oh, right. How do I dial 411 if I can’t see the keypad?” She’s saying it’s so dark she can’t see the numbers on the phone to press them in order to call someone. We call those numbers the “keypad.” There are 12 buttons on a telephone, with the numbers zero (0) through nine (9) and then two other little buttons, one of which we call the “asterisk,” it looks like a star(*).
Jane说，“Oh, right. How do I dial 411 if I can’t see the keypad?” 她是说太黑了，看不清电话上的号码，不能打电话。 我们把这些号码叫做“键区.” 电话上有12个按键，从数字0到9，另外还有两个小按键，一个叫星号键，看起来像个星星。
The other is called the “pound sign”, which has two lines vertically and two lines horizontally. It’s also the symbol that we use for “number” – the “pound sign”.
另一个叫做“磅字符,”图案有两条竖线，两条直线。 我们也用磅字符标记“数字”。
Charles then says, “Hey, the power is back on!” The power is working; the electricity is now working correctly. Jane says, “Not a moment too soon!” That expression, “not a moment too soon,” means just in time. You say this when you’re waiting for something to happen and then it finally happens, just as you need it, right at the right moment, not too late. You say, “Not a moment to soon!”
Charles之后说， “Hey, the power is back on!” 有电了；通电正常了。 Jane说，“Not a moment too soon!” 短语“not a moment too soon,”意思是很快。 如果你期盼某件事的发生就会用到这句话，最终事情发生了，就像你想的那样，时间刚刚好。 你就会说，“Not a moment to soon!” 作者: 小尾巴猪 时间: 2011-11-29 20:34
My cell phone battery is dead.作者: 生物炭 时间: 2011-12-7 14:41
