A：have you thought of moving at all Sarah?

　　萨拉，你们究竟有没有想过搬家。

　　B：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.

　　想过。但是我们夫妻俩目前都还买不起。所以我们现在只能住在这个破破烂烂的地方，我真是不愿意待在这里。

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

　　买房的确很贵，但是想住便宜一点的房子还是有不少办法的。

　　B：like what?

　　比如说?

　　A：well, sometimes the city auctions off 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，有时候政府会向老百姓拍卖一些房子。你必须得在一天之内迅速作出决定是否要申请买了来，但是这样你可以省下不少钱。

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

　　这是个好办法。你认识什么人以前是这么做的吗?

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

　　当然，我哥哥嫂嫂刚刚用这个办法买了套房子。他们对此很满意。

　　B：is the house pretty run-down.

　　那房子的状况糟糕吗?

　　A：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.

　　一点儿都不坏。原来的屋主是个女人，把房子打理的很好。只是她去世的时候既没有亲人也没有留下遗嘱，所以政府只好替她把房子卖掉。

　　B：was it very old house?

　　那房子旧吗?

　　A：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年的历史了。需要做一些整修，但既不需要花很多钱也不需要花太多时间。

　　B：Is it in a good location?

　　位置好吗?

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

　　晚上会有点乱，但是附近的邻居都会互相照顾，所以还好啦