李華在陪Larry找房子。他們會用到兩個常用語：on the same wavelength和ballpark estimate.

LH: Larry，這房子到底在什么地方??？我走得腿都疼了。

Larry: Believe me, Lihua, I'm tired too. This is the fifth place I've looked at in the last two days. Hopefully, I'll find my new apartment soon.

LH: ??？兩天里你已經看了4個地方，卻一個都看不上？是不是你太挑剔了？

Larry: Well, it's not just a matter of how I like the apartment, Lihua. All the current housemates have to like me, as well. Sometimes a good shared apartment in a good location is very competitive.

LH: 是啊，你想找個多人合租的大公寓，所以公寓里的每個室友都得喜歡你，等于你每次去看房，就跟面試差不多!真麻煩!

Larry: At the very least, they want to make sure the new housemate has similar interests and lifestyle, you know, to make sure he or she is on the same wavelength as the other housemates.

LH: "On the same wavelength"？在同一個頻率上？我猜，說 two people are on the same wavelength 就是說他們的愛好、性格什么的都比較相同，是不是??？

Larry: That's right, Lihua. Being on the same wavelength with someone else can also refer to a mutual understanding between people. For example, when you first came the United States, it was difficult at times to communicate with you because of cultural and language differences.

LH: 對! 我剛來美國時，因為文化差異，咱倆在很多事情上不能相互理解，We definitely were not on the same wavelength. 比如我去你家，你居然沒讓我在門口換鞋，我當時覺得真奇怪!

Larry: Yea, and you took your shoes off anyway - which I thought was weird.

LH: 哈哈，更糟的是，你也不給我拖鞋，我只能光著腳!

Larry: That's a great example of not being on the same wavelength. But that's OK, Lihua - I enjoyed the time we have spent getting to know each other better. And now, I'd say we are pretty much on the same wavelength.

LH: 對，我們現在多有默契啊! 所以，找和你on the same wavelength - 聊得來的室友，的確很重要!

Larry: Exactly. Although, there are other problems when looking for a new apartment besides being on the same wavelength as your roommates - like rent. Most places in this neighborhood are too expensive for me.

LH: 這個地區的房子很貴么？租金多少？

Larry: Well...that depends on a lot of different factors, but I'm thinking of a ballpark estimate of around $800 per month.

LH: 你說什么？A ballpark? 球場? 這和房租有什么關系？

Larry: I'm not talking about a literal ballpark, Lihua. A "ballpark" or a "ballpark estimate" is a general estimate or range.

LH: 原來，A ballpark estimate就是大概齊的估算。

Larry: That's right. I don't have an exact number in mind for the amount of rent I want to pay - that will depend on the location and condition of a given apartment - not to mention if the current housemates and I are on the same wavelength in terms of our lifestyles.

LH: 所以你剛才說，這個地方的房子大概齊也要一個月800塊上下？

Larry: Well, a ballpark of $800 could vary widely, maybe $600 to $1,000, more or less. But something like $10,000 would be way outside of the ballpark.

LH: 明白了，你是說在這片地區，600到1000的房租都有可能。不過要是每月一萬的房租就太離譜了，不可能出現在這里。

Larry: You got it, Lihua!

LH: 不過Larry，我們下地鐵之后都走了快20分鐘了，還沒到。我覺得這房子的地理位置也不怎么樣，房租大概要比地鐵周圍的便宜很多吧？

Larry: In this city, everything within a ballpark of 20 minutes away from the subway can still be very expensive. Of course, it gets cheaper once you start getting into the suburbs.

LH: 你是說，在地鐵站周圍走路20分鐘能到的房子房租都很高？ 不過就算這樣，你也別住到The suburbs - 郊區去! 太遠了，咱倆見面多不方便!

Larry: Well, that's true, but on the other hand, I would save a lot of money...

LH: Larry, 我知道你是開玩笑的，你可騙不了我! 別忘了，咱們倆可是在同一個wavelength上的！

Larry: I guess I can't fool you anymore...

今天李華學了兩個常用語。一個是，on the same wavelength，表示“興趣相投，聊得來”。另一個是a ballpark estimate, 意思是“大概齊的估算”。