趣味阅读：和信贷紧缩抗争 1天只花1英镑
2010-08-11 01:44:54   来源：看英语   评论：0 点击：

Anyone finding it hard to cope with the credit crunch will find little sympathy from teacher Kath Kelly.
艰难面对信贷紧缩的人们多多少少都会对卡丝·凯里老师给予些许同情。

When Kath Kelly complained to friends in the pub she was so broke she couldn't afford a wedding present for her brother, she decided to take drastic action.
卡丝·凯里在酒吧里向朋友抱怨自己快要破产以至于没法给弟弟买结婚礼物，随后，她决定采取疯狂的举动。

She made a bet that she could defy the credit crunch and live on just one pound a day for a year.
她打赌自己可以和信贷紧缩抗争——1天只花1英镑并且持续一年的时间。

After paying her landlord 3,000 pounds in advance for rent and bills, the teacher from Bristol radically changed her way of life.
提前向房东支付了一年3,000镑租金之后，这位来自英国布里斯托尔的老师开始了她疯狂的生活方式。

With her rent paid for the year, her budget had to cover transport, food, clothes and socialising.
房租预付后，她一天的开销包括交通、饮食、穿着和社交费用。

She visited book launches and lectures that had free buffets and scoured supermarkets for discounted food close to its sell-by date.
她去参加讲座和书店里的新书发布活动，因为这些活动都会提供免费的餐饮机会。她会在超市快关门前冲进去购买廉价处理的食品。

"I went to the public lectures at Bristol University that had a buffet afterwards, and I went to the library's 100th birthday where they had a buffet as well."
“我去布里斯托尔大学参加面向社会的讲座，因为讲座结束后那里会提供餐饮，还有一次白吃的机会是在一家图书馆的百年庆典上。”

She ditched her mobile phone and cycled to friends' houses if she wanted to speak to them, leaving a note if they were out. 
甩掉手机后，如果她想找朋友聊天，就骑自行车去对方的家。如果朋友不在家，她就留张字条。

Out went her mobile phone and clothes shopping, replaced by trips to jumble sales and foraging for berries in hedgerows.
远离了手机和逛街买衣服，她去逛各种杂物的拍卖场，并去树丛里摘野果子。

Kelly says one of her best tips is to hand out small gifts where you can--what you receive in return will usually be of a greater value.
凯里表示，最好的诀窍之一就是在可能的时候送别人一些小礼物，因为通常你会得到比小礼物价值大得多的回报。

Her trip to France came when she decided to visit her brother, who was restoring a house in Brittany.
她还去了趟住在法国布列塔尼的弟弟家，他弟弟新近在那里翻新了房子。

"I hitchhiked to the Channel Tunnel, got a free ride as the passenger of a French woman and hitched to Brittany," she said.
她说：“我先搭顺风车到了隧道口，然后又碰到一位法国女士把我免费带到了目的地。”

"On the way back I travelled on the ferry with a lorry driver, and even had dinner at the drivers' canteen."
“回来的时候我搭上一辆大卡车坐渡轮，卡车司机还请我在司机食堂里吃了顿饭。”

By walking more and keeping her eyes on the ground, she even picked up 117 pounds in loose change.
她在街头走路时时刻刻留意地面，竟然还捡到别人遗失的117镑零钱。