M：Have you thought of moving at all, Sarah?

薩拉，你們究竟有沒有想過搬家。

S：We’ve thought about it, but my husband and I can’t afford it right now. The only thing we could afford would be living in the slums, which is something I don’t want to do.

想過。但是我們夫妻倆目前都還買不起。所以我們現(xiàn)在只能住在這個破破爛爛的地方，我真是不愿意待在這里。

M：Buying a house can be expensive, but there are ways to find cheaper houses.

買個別墅的確很貴，但是想住便宜一點的房子還是有不少辦法的。

S：Like what?

比如說?

M：Well, sometimes the city auctions offer houses to the community. You’d have to make a quick decision about the offer in a day, but you would definitely save money doing it that way.

嗯，有時候政府會向老百姓拍賣一些房子。你必須得在一天之內迅速作出決定是否要申請買了來，但是這樣你可以省下不少錢。

S：That’s a good idea. Do you know anyone who has done that before?

這是個好辦法。你認識什么人以前是這么做的嗎?

M：Sure, my sister-in-law and her husband just bought a house that way. They’re pretty satisfied with it.

當然，我哥哥嫂嫂剛剛用這個辦法買了套房子。他們對此很滿意。

S：Is the house pretty run-down.

那房子的狀況糟糕嗎?

M：Not at all. The woman, who owned it, took good care of it. But when she died, she had no family left and no will, so the government had to sell it for her.

一點兒都不壞。原來的屋主是個女人，把房子打理的很好。只是她去世的時候既沒有親人也沒有留下遺囑，所以政府只好替她把房子賣掉。

S：Was it a very old house?

那房子舊嗎?

M：It was about 75 years old. There were a few repairs that needed doing, but it didn’t take a lot of money or time.

大概有75年的歷史了。需要做一些整修，但既不需要花很多錢也不需要花太多時間。

S：Is it in a good location?

位置好嗎?

M：The area can be a bit rough in the evenings, but the neighbors watch out for each other, so it’s ok.

那個地區(qū)晚上可能有點亂，但是鄰居們會互相照應的，所以問題不大。