ESL 244: Larry Needs a New Air-Conditioner


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It had been another hot spring day. By ten o'clock in the evening, it had only cooled down to 87 degrees, according to Larry's thermometer in the living room. He rarely looked at his thermometer because he usually didn't care what the exact temperature was.

Larry had two table fans in his bedroom. Because of the high temperatures, the last three evenings had been "two-fan" nights. He used his air-conditioner only occasionally. During one month the previous summer, he had used the air-conditioner 10 days consecutively, day and night. His electric bill that July, normally about $30, was $77.

But Larry figured that, once in a while, using the AC wouldn't kill him. So that evening at 11:30, just before he went to bed, he turned on the AC. He set the thermostat to 72 degrees. He woke up four hours later when he heard a big bang, which sounded like two cars had run into each other on the street outside. But it wasn't two cars. It was the AC capacitor on the roof; it had just blown up. Larry's air-conditioner was officially dead.

Two circuit breakers had switched off, so he switched them back on. Larry had already suspected that there was something wrong with his air-conditioner. He called Jack, the repairman, but Jack didn't show up until four days later because he was so busy repairing all the other air-conditioners in the neighborhood.

When Jack finally came, he climbed up on the roof. Larry heard a lot of banging. Twenty minutes later Jack told Larry, "You need a new air-conditioner. Yours is the original model that came with this apartment building. All the other original AC units have been replaced. Yours lasted longest, but now it's kicked the bucket. I'm going to call your landlady to see if she will approve a new AC unit for you. It's going to cost $1200 parts and labor."

"Wow," said Larry.

Jack said that if everything went as planned, he'd install a new unit Monday morning. "Until then," he said with a smile, "stay cool."

Larry said, "No problem," but he wondered if he should drive to the thrift store to look for a third fan for his bedroom.

*Vocabulary:

• air-conditioner:
• approve:
• capacitor:
• circuit:
• consecutively:
• electric:
• normally:
• original:
• rarely:
• thermometer:
• thermostat:
• thrift:
• blow_up:
• kick_the_bucket:
• once_in_a_while:
• switch_off:

=======================

*Yes/No Questions:

• Was it springtime?

• Was it still hot that night?

• Was it cooler than 87 degrees before 10 p.m.?

• Does Larry’s thermometer work?

• Does Larry usually ignore his thermometer?

• Does Larry prefer to use his air-conditioner instead of his fans?

• Did the air-conditioner almost kill Larry?

• Was Larry in bed by ten o’clock?

• Did Larry set the thermometer to 72 degrees?

• Did Larry’s roof blow off?

=======================

*Fill in blanks:

It had been another hot spring day. By ____ o’clock in the evening, it had only cooled ____ to 87 degrees, according to Larry's thermometer in ____ living room. He rarely looked at his thermometer____ he usually didn't care what the exact temperature ____ .

Larry had two table fans in his bedroom. ____ of the high temperatures, the last three evenings ____ been “two-fan” nights. He used his air-conditioner only ____ . During one month the previous summer, he had ____ the air-conditioner 10 days consecutively, day and night. ____ electric bill that July, normally about $30, was ____ .

But Larry figured that, once in a while, ____ the AC wouldn't kill him. So that evening ____ 11:30, just before he went to bed, he ____ on the AC. He set the thermostat to____ degrees. He woke up four hours later when heard a big bang, which sounded like two ____ had run into each other on the street ____ . But it wasn't two cars. It was the ____ capacitor on the roof; it had just blown ____ . Larry's air-conditioner was officially dead.

Two circuit breakers ____ switched off, so he switched them back on. ____ had already suspected that there was something wrong ____ his air-conditioner. He called Jack, the repairman, but____ didn't show up until four days later because ____ was so busy repairing all the other air-conditioners ____ the neighborhood.

When Jack finally came, he climbed ____ on the roof. Larry heard a lot of ____ . Twenty minutes later Jack told Larry, "You need ____ new air-conditioner. Yours is the original model that ____ with this apartment building. All the other original ____ units have been replaced. Yours lasted longest, but ____ it’s kicked the bucket. I'm going to call ____ landlady to see if she will approve a ____ AC unit for you. It’s going to cost ____ parts and labor.”

“Wow,” said Larry.

Jack said ____ if everything went as planned, he'd install a ____ unit Monday morning. “Until then,” he said with ____ smile, “stay cool.”

Larry said, “No problem,” but ____ wondered if he should drive to the thrift ____ to look for a third fan for his____ .

======================

*Translate into Vietnamese:

..............

ESL 244: Larry Needs a New Air-Conditioner

*Vocabulary:

• air-conditioner: máy điều hoà nhiệt độ
• approve: chấp thuận, duyệt
• capacitor: tụ điện
• circuit: mạch điện, chu vi
• consecutively: liên tục
• electric: điện
• normally: thông thường
• original: gốc
• rarely: hiếm
• thermometer: bảng đo nhiệt
• thermostat: máy đo nhiệt
• thrift: tiết kiệm
• blow_up: thổi phồng
• kick_the_bucket: đá
• once_in_a_while: một lần
• switch_off: tắt

===========================================================

*Yes/No Questions:

• Was it springtime? Yes

• Was it still hot that night? Yes

• Was it cooler than 87 degrees before 10 p.m.? No

• Does Larry’s thermometer work? Yes

• Does Larry usually ignore his thermometer? Yes

• Does Larry prefer to use his air-conditioner instead of his fans? No

• Did the air-conditioner almost kill Larry? No

• Was Larry in bed by ten o’clock? No

• Did Larry set the thermometer to 72 degrees? Yes

• Did Larry’s roof blow off? No

===========================================================

*Fill in blanks:

It had been another hot spring day. By _ten___ o’clock in the evening, it had only cooled __down__ to 87 degrees, according to Larry's thermometer in _the___ living room. He rarely looked at his thermometer____because__ he usually didn't care what the exact temperature __was__ .

Larry had two table fans in his bedroom. ____Because__ of the high temperatures, the last three evenings __had__ been “two-fan” nights. He used his air-conditioner only ____occasionally__ . During one month the previous summer, he had _used___ the air-conditioner 10 days consecutively, day and night. __His__ electric bill that July, normally about $30, was _$77___ .

But Larry figured that, once in a while, __using__ the AC wouldn't kill him. So that evening __at__ 11:30, just before he went to bed, he __turned__ on the AC. He set the thermostat to__72__ degrees. He woke up four hours later when heard a big bang, which sounded like two __cars__ had run into each other on the street ____outside__ . But it wasn't two cars. It was the __AC__ capacitor on the roof; it had just blown __up__ . Larry's air-conditioner was officially dead.

Two circuit breakers __had__ switched off, so he switched them back on. ____Larry__ had already suspected that there was something wrong __with__ his air-conditioner. He called Jack, the repairman, but__Jack__ didn't show up until four days later because __he__ was so busy repairing all the other air-conditioners __in__ the neighborhood.

When Jack finally came, he climbed __up__ on the roof. Larry heard a lot of ____banging__ . Twenty minutes later Jack told Larry, "You need _a___ new air-conditioner. Yours is the original model that __came__ with this apartment building. All the other original __AC__ units have been replaced. Yours lasted longest, but __now__ it’s kicked the bucket. I'm going to call __your__ landlady to see if she will approve a _new___ AC unit for you. It’s going to cost __$1200__ parts and labor.”

“Wow,” said Larry.

Jack said _that___ if everything went as planned, he'd install a __new__ unit Monday morning. “Until then,” he said with __a__ smile, “stay cool.”

Larry said, “No problem,” but __he__ wondered if he should drive to the thrift ____store__ to look for a third fan for his____bedroom__ .

===========================================================

*Translate into Vietnamese:

Larry cần một cái máy điều hoà mới

Đó là một ngày mùa xuân nóng nực nữa. Vào mười giờ tối, trời chỉ mát lên 87 độ, theo nhiệt kế trong phòng khách của Larry. Anh hiếm khi nhìn nhiệt kế vì anh thường không quan tâm nhiệt độ chính xác là bao nhiêu.

Larry có hai có quạt bàn trong phòng ngủ. Vì nhiệt độ cao, ba đêm vừa rồi là những đêm dùng "hai quạt". Anh ít dùng máy điều hoà. Trong một tháng hè năm ngoái, anh dùng máy điều hoà 10 ngày liên tục, ngày và đêm. Hoá đơn tháng bảy đó, thường là $30, là $77.

Nhưng Larry tính rằng, thỉnh thoảng một lần, dùng AC không giết anh. Nên tối đó vào lúc 11:30, chỉ trước khi đi ngủ, anh bật AC. Anh cài nhiệt độ 72 độ. Anh thức giấc bốn giờ sau đó khi anh nghe một tiếng nổ lớn, nghe như hai chiếc xe đụng nhau ngoài đường. Nhưng không phải hai chiếc xe. Đó là tụ điện của AC trên mái nhà; nó vừa bị nổ. AC của Larry đã chính thức hỏng.

Hai dòng điện bị ngặt, cho nên anh bật chúng lên. Larry đã nghi ngờ có gì không ổn với máy điều hoà của anh. Anh gọi Jack, người sửa chữa, nhưng Jack không đến cho đến bốn ngày sau vì anh bận sửa những máy điều hoà cho những nhà xung quanh.

Khi cuối cùng Jack đến, anh leo lên mái nhà. Larry nghe nhiều tiếng động. Hai mươi phút sau Jack nói với Larry, "anh cần cái máy điều hoà mới. Cái của anh là cái gốc cuẩ toà nhà. Tất cả những cái AC khác đã được thay. Cái của anh lâu nhất, nhưng giờ cũng đã đến lúc. Tôi sẽ gọi người cho thuê xem bà ấy có đồng ý mua chiếc AC mới cho anh không. Nó sẽ có giá $1,200 tiền thiết bị và công."

"Wow," Larry nói.

Jack nói rằng nếu theo dự kiến, anh sẽ lắp đặt một máy mới vào thứ hai tuần sau. "Cho đến lúc đó," anh nói và mỉm cười, "hãy lạnh lùng."

Larry nói, "không vấn đề," nhưng anh tự hỏi anh có nên lái xe đến cửa hàng tiết kiệm để tìm cái quạt thứ ba cho phòng ngủ của mình.

LESSON 244:

LARRY NEEDS A NEW AIR-CONDITIONER -
LARRY CẦN MỘT MÁY ĐIỀU HOÀ KHÔNG KHÍ MỚI.

===========================================================

*Vocabulary:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
• air-conditioner: máy lạnh, máy điều hoà không khí.
• approve: chấp thuận.
• capacitor: tụ điện.
• circuit: (vật lý) mạch.
• consecutively: liên tiếp, dồn dập.
• electric: điện.
• normally: thông thường, như thường lệ.
• original: căn nguyên, đầu tiên.
• rarely: hiếm khi.
• thermometer: nhiệt kế.
• thermostat: bộ điều chỉnh nhiệt, máy điều nhiệt (tự động).
• thrift: sự tiết kiệm, tính tiết kiệm/tằn tiện.
• blow_up: nổ, làm nổ, cho nổ.
• kick_the_bucket: chết, ngoẻo.
• once_in_a_while: đôi khi, thỉnh thoảng.
• switch_off: cắt

===========================================================

*Yes/No Questions:
-----------------------------------------------------------------
• Was it springtime?
- Yes, it was.

• Was it still hot that night?
- Yes, it was.

• Was it cooler than 87 degrees before 10 p.m.?
- No, it wasn't.

• Does Larry’s thermometer work?
- Yes, it does.

• Does Larry usually ignore his thermometer?
- Yes, he does.

• Does Larry prefer to use his air-conditioner instead of his fans?
- Yes, he does.

• Did the air-conditioner almost kill Larry?
- No, it didn't.

• Was Larry in bed by ten o’clock?
- No, he wasn't.

• Did Larry set the thermometer to 72 degrees?
- No, he didn't. Larry set the thermostat to 72 degrees.

• Did Larry’s roof blow off?
- No, it didn't.

===========================================================

*Fill in blanks:
------------------------------------------------------------------
It had been another hot spring day. By 10 o’clock in the evening, it had only cooled down to 87 degrees, according to Larry's thermometer in the living room. He rarely looked at his thermometer because he usually didn't care what the exact temperature was.

Larry had two table fans in his bedroom. Because of the high temperatures, the last three evenings had been “two-fan” nights. He used his air-conditioner only occasionaly. During one month the previous summer, he had used the air-conditioner 10 days consecutively, day and night. The electric bill that July, normally about $30, was $77.

But Larry figured that, once in a while, using the AC wouldn't kill him. So that evening at 11:30, just before he went to bed, he turned on the AC. He set the thermostat to 72 degrees. He woke up four hours later when heard a big bang, which sounded like two cars had run into each other on the street outside. But it wasn't two cars. It was the AC capacitor on the roof; it had just blown up. Larry's air-conditioner was officially dead.

Two circuit breakers had switched off, so he switched them back on. Larry had already suspected that there was something wrong with his air-conditioner. He called Jack, the repairman, but Jack didn't show up until four days later because he was so busy repairing all the other air-conditioners in the neighborhood.

When Jack finally came, he climbed up on the roof. Larry heard a lot of banging. Twenty minutes later Jack told Larry, "You need a new air-conditioner. Yours is the original model that came with this apartment building. All the other original AC units have been replaced. Yours lasted longest, but now it’s kicked the bucket. I'm going to call your landlady to see if she will approve a new AC unit for you. It’s going to cost $1,200 parts and labor.”

“Wow,” said Larry.

Jack said that if everything went as planned, he'd install a new unit Monday morning. “Until then,” he said with a smile, “stay cool.”

Larry said, “No problem,” but he wondered if he should drive to the thrift shop to look for a third fan for his bedroom.

===========================================================

*Translate into Vietnamese:
------------------------------------------------------------------
Đó là một ngày mùa xuân nóng bức nữa. Vào lúc 10 giờ tối, trời chỉ mát xuống 87 độ(30,5 độ C), theo nhiệt kế ở trong phòng khách của Larry. Anh hiếm khi nhìn vào nhiệt kế vì anh không quan tâm mấy đến sự chính xác của nhiệt độ.

Larry có hai cái quạt để bàn ở trong phòng ngủ. Do nhiệt độ tăng cao, trong ba đêm rồi là ba đêm dùng "hai quạt". Anh chỉ dùng máy điều hoà không khí(AC)một đôi lúc thôi. Trong thời gian một tháng vào mùa hè trước, anh dùng AC 10 ngày liên tục, ngày lẫn đêm. Hoá đơn tiền điện tháng Bảy, như thường lệ là 30 đô-la, lại là 77 đô-la.

Nhưng Lary nghĩ rằng, thỉnh thoảng dùng AC sẽ không gây tai hại gì. Vì thế tối đó vào lúc 11 giờ 30, chỉ trước lúc đi ngủ, anh mới bật máy AC. Anh cài đặt bộ điều chỉnh nhiệt ở mức 72 độ(22 độ C). Anh thức giấc bốn tiếng đồng hồ sau đó khi anh nghe một tiếng nổ lớn, nghe có vẻ giống như hai chiếc xe tông vào nhau ở ngoài đường phố. Nhưng đó không phải là hai chiếc xe. Đó là tụ điện của AC ở trên mái nhà; nó vừa phát nổ. Cái máy điều hoà không khí của Larry chính thức không còn dùng được nữa.

Hai cái cầu dao tự động đã bật tắt, vì thế anh bật chúng lên trở lại. Larry nghi ngờ có điều gì đó không ổn với cái máy điều hoà không khí của mình rồi. Anh gọi cho Jack, người thợ sửa chữa, nhưng Jack không tới được cho đến bốn ngày sau đó vì quá bận rộn với việc sửa chữa mấy cái máy lạnh khác trong khu lân cận.

Khi Jack cuối cùng đã tới, ông leo lên mái nhà. Larry nghe rất nhiều tiếng đập ầm ầm. Hai mươi phút sau Jack bảo với Larry, "Cậu cần có một máy điều hoà không khí mới. Máy của cậu là kiểu đầu tiên đi kèm với khu chung cư này. Tất cả những máy AC đầu tiên của các căn hộ khác đã được thay. Cái máy của cậu bền nhất, nhưng bây giờ nó tiêu rồi. Tôi sẽ gọi cho bà chủ nhà của cậu để xem bà có bằng lòng một máy AC mới cho căn hộ của cậu hay không. Nó sẽ tốn hết 1.200 đô-la cho máy móc và tiền công."

"Ái chà," Larry nói.

Jack bảo nếu mọi thứ tiến hành như kế hoạch, ông sẽ lắp đặt một máy mới vào sáng Thứ Hai. "Cho tới lúc đó," ông mĩm cười nói, "Hãy giữ bình tĩnh nhé."

Larry nói, "Đừng lo," nhưng anh tự hỏi anh có nên lái xe đến cửa hàng tiết kiệm để kiếm một cái quạt thứ ba cho phòng ngủ của mình hay không.