今天Michael和李華要出去買東西。李華會學到兩個常用語：down with that和to pay through the nose。
M: Hey, Li Hua. What do you want to do today? I don''t have any special plan, so we can do whatever you want.
L: 你今天沒事幹呀？太好了，我正想去買幾件春天穿的衣服。那些舊的都已經過時了。
M: I''m down with that. I need to buy some new tennis shoes. My old ones are really gross. My roommate is threatening to throw them out.
L: 我也注意到你的`球鞋了，實在不象話，怪不得你的室友要把它扔掉呢。哎，那太好了，咱們就一塊兒去買東西吧。不過，Michael，你剛才說I''m down with that。那是什麼意思呀？就是你願意去的意思嗎？
M: Yes, the expression "I''m down with that" means going shopping is okay with me and I''m willing to go.
L: 這很有意思。那要是你問我，要不要跟你一塊兒吃晚飯，我很願意的話，我能不能說：I''m down with that?
M: Yes, that would let me know that you are willing to have dinner with me. What would you say if I suggested we go to my friend''s party on Saturday night.
L: 你建議我們星期六晚上上你朋友家去聚會啊。嗯，那一定很好玩，我願意去，I''m down with that。
M: Right. Now, where do you want to go shopping? There are lots of places close by.
L: 去哪兒買東西呀？學校附近有很多買東西的地方。去附近那個購物中心，好不好？
M: Okay, that''s fine with me. That mall has a shoe store and it''s close. Let''s go.
L: Okay, I''m down with that. 我們可以搭公共汽車去，幾分鐘就到了。然後我們有一整天去買我們要買的東西。還可以在購物中心吃飯呢！
M: Okay, I''m down with that.
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L: 哎，Michael，這家店看起來真好。我們能不能進去看看呀？我肯定他們有很好的衣服。
M: That''s Neiman-Marcus. They have nice stuff, but they''re really, really expensive. You have to pay through the nose to buy even a shirt there.
L: 我也猜想它們的衣服一定很貴。你說要在他們這裡買件襯衣就要pay through the nose? 東西貴和鼻子有什麼關係呀？
M: To pay through the nose is to pay a lot of money for something, usually way more than the item is worth. For instance, a shirt in a normal store costs about $40. However, a shirt in Neiman-Marcus easily costs $200. That''s paying through the nose.
L: 我懂了。To pay through the nose就是用高價買一樣東西，往往要比原來的價值高很多。像普通店裡一件襯衣要40美元，在他們這裡就要200美元。可是，Michael, 我還是不懂，一個人的鼻子和錢有什麼關係呀？
M: Yeah, it is a strange expression, but that''s the way it is. Do you still want to go into that store?
L: 不要，不要，我不進去了。我只是個學生，沒那麼多錢，I can''t afford to pay through the nose for things. 我啊，付不起這麼高的價錢。
M: I agree. I don''t want to pay through the nose for anything either. It''s stupid to waste so much money on something you can buy cheaper somewhere else.
L: 就是呀，能夠用便宜的價錢買到的東西為什麼要浪費那麼多錢去買呢？對了，Michael, 那什麼時候我們還可以用to pay through the nose這個說法的呢？
M: Well, some people are willing to pay through the nose to buy tickets to see their favorite singers.
L: 噢，花好多錢買票去聽他們喜歡的歌手唱歌。我就有幾個朋友愛買名牌的東西。她們就願意pay through the nose。
M: I don''t understand paying through the nose to eat at fancy restaurants either. Food is food. Li Hua, I''m getting hungry. Can we go eat first?
L: I''m down with that. 我也有點餓了。但是，I don''t want to pay through the nose.
李華今天學到了兩個常用語。一個是：down with that, 意思是“同意”，或者是“願意”。另一個是：to pay through the nose, 意思是“出高價買東西”。
