今天Michael和李华要出去买东西。李华会学到两个常用语：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:  你今天没事干呀？太好了，我正想去买几件春天穿的衣服。那些旧的都已经过时了。

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，实在不像话，怪不得你的室友要把它扔掉呢。哎，那太好了，咱们就一块儿去买东西吧。不过，Michael，你刚才说I'm down with that。那是什么意思呀？就是你愿意去的意思吗？

M:   Yes, the expression "I'm down with that" means going shopping is okay with me and I'm willing to go.

L:   这很有意思。那要是你问我，要不要跟你一块儿吃晚饭，我很愿意的话，我能不能说：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:   你建议我们星期六晚上上你朋友家去聚会啊。嗯，那一定很好玩，我愿意去，I'm down with that。

M:   Right.  Now, where do you want to go shopping?  There are lots of places close by. 

L:   去哪儿买东西呀？学校附近有很多买东西的地方。去附近那个购物中心，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.  我们可以搭公共汽车去，几分钟就到了。然后我们有一整天去买我们要买的东西。还可以在购物中心吃饭呢！

M:   Okay, I'm down with that.

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L:   哎，Michael，这家店看起来真好。我们能不能进去看看呀？我肯定他们有很好的衣服。

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:   我也猜想它们的衣服一定很贵。你说要在他们这里买件衬衣就要pay through the nose? 东西贵和鼻子有什么关系呀？

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就是用高价买一样东西，往往要比原来的价值高很多。像普通店里一件衬衣要40美元，在他们这里就要200美元。可是，Michael, 我还是不懂，一个人的鼻子和钱有什么关系呀？

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，我不进去了。我只是个学生，没那么多钱，I can't afford to pay through the nose for things.  我啊，付不起这么高的价钱。

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，能够用便宜的价钱买到的东西为什么要浪费那么多钱去买呢？对了，Michael, 那什么时候我们还可以用to pay through the nose这个说法的呢？

M:   Well, some people are willing to pay through the nose to buy tickets to see their favorite singers. 

L:   噢，花好多钱买票去听他们喜欢的歌手唱歌。我就有几个朋友爱买名牌的东西。她们就愿意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.  我也有点饿了。但是，I don't want to pay through the nose.

李华今天学到了两个常用语。一个是：down with that, 意思是“同意”，或者是“愿意”。另一个是：to pay through the nose, 意思是“出高价买东西”。