At nine on Saturday morning, Mum put down消退 /daʊn/ her phone手机 /foʊn/ and stared at the upstairs楼上的 /ˌʌpˈsterz/ apartment公寓 /əˈpɑːrt.mənt/. The new tenant租客 /ˈten.ənt/ had changed her schedule时刻表 /ˈsked.juːl/: instead of coming逼近 /ˈkʌm.ɪŋ/ on Sunday, she wanted a viewing看房 /ˈvjuː.ɪŋ/ at noon中午 /nuːn/. The apartment was clean打扫 /kliːn/ enough足够 /ɪˈnʌf/ for an ordinary普通的 /ˈɔːr.dɪ.ner.i/ day, but not ready准备好了 /ˈred.i/ for a resident居民 /ˈrez.ɪ.dənt/. A kitchen厨房 /ˈkɪtʃ.ɪn/ tap水龙头 /tæp/ was dripping, one bedroom light灯光 /laɪt/ did not function正常运转 /ˈfʌŋk.ʃən/ properly真正地 /ˈprɑː.pɚ.li/, and the last上个 /læst/ tenant had left剩余 /left/ a dark黑暗中 /dɑːrk/ mark on the wall墙 /wɔːl/. "We have three hours," Mum said, opening开门营业 /ˈoʊ.pən.ɪŋ/ her checklist检查清单 /ˈtʃek.lɪst/. "Jack, please inspect检查 /ɪnˈspekt/ every room and note what needs replacing. Dad, can you fix the tap? I will scrub擦洗 /skrʌb/ the kitchen and prepare the contract合同 /ˈkɑːn.trækt/."
Jack checked each detail细节 /ˈdiː.teɪl/. The bathroom浴室 /ˈbɑːθ.ruːm/ needed soap香皂 /soʊp/ and clean towels. The kitchen lacked basic household supplies日常家居用品, and the empty fridge冰箱 /frɪdʒ/ made the place地方 /pleɪs/ feel感觉 /fiːl/ less appealing有吸引力的 /əˈpiː.lɪŋ/. He added light bulbs灯泡 /bʌlbz/, cleaning products, groceries食品杂货 /ˈɡroʊ.sɚ.iz/, and a small plant植物 /plænt/ to the shopping购物 /ˈʃɒp.ɪŋ/ list清单 /lɪst/. Mum set安装 /set/ a strict budget预算 /ˈbʌdʒ.ɪt/ of forty pounds. "Do we really need需要 /niːd/ the plant?" Jack asked. "It is not exactly正是 /ɪɡˈzækt.li/ a daily日常的 /ˈdeɪ.li/ supply." "No, but a viewing is about more than function," Mum replied. "A prepared准备 /prɪˈperd/ apartment should feel like a home, not an empty product商品 /ˈprɑː.dʌkt/ on display陈列 /dɪˈspleɪ/."
At the hardware五金用品 /ˈhɑːrd.wer/ store店铺 /stɔːr/, an employee员工 /ɪmˈplɔɪ.i/ helped Jack choose the correct bulb and replace a damaged tap washer. At the grocery store, he compared two cleaning brands and used the family loyalty card会员积分卡 to cut削减 /kʌt/ the total总价 /ˈtoʊ.təl/ cost代价 /kɑːst/. The shopper behind在身后 /bɪˈhaɪnd/ him became impatient不耐烦的 /ɪmˈpeɪ.ʃənt/ while Jack checked the receipt收据 /rɪˈsiːt/, but he stayed within budget预算 /ˈbʌdʒ.ɪt/ and saved seven pounds.
Back home, Dad had removed the old washer but could not fit合身 /fɪt/ the new one. Jack showed him the diagram printed打印 /ˈprɪn.tɪd/ on the packet. Together they followed each step台阶 /step/, tightened the connection联结 /kəˈnek.ʃən/, and tested the tap. This time it stayed dry. Mum called from the hall食堂 /hɔːl/. "The client客户 /ˈklaɪ.ənt/ is ten minutes away离开 /əˈweɪ/." Then she laughed at herself. "Tenant, not client. I have been reading this formal正式的 /ˈfɔːr.məl/ contract for too long漫长的 /lɔːŋ/."
The family moved quickly迅速地 /ˈkwɪk.li/. Jack arranged整理；摆放 /əˈreɪndʒd/ the groceries食品杂货 /ˈɡroʊ.sɚ.iz/, Dad carried the cleaning equipment设备 /ɪˈkwɪp.mənt/ downstairs下楼 /ˌdaʊnˈsterz/, and Mum placed the contract beside the apartment keys. Just before noon, they stood back to inspect their work. The rooms looked bright鲜亮的 /braɪt/, tidy, and welcoming.
The prospective tenant准租客, Ms. Lewis, arrived wearing a formal shirt and carrying a notebook笔记本 /ˈnoʊt.bʊk/. She was a director总监 /dəˈrek.tɚ/ at a local firm公司 /fɜːrm/ and wanted somewhere quiet安静的 /ˈkwaɪ.ət/ near靠近 /nɪr/ her office. She checked the warm water热水, asked whether rent included household家用的 /ˈhaʊs.hoʊld/ bills账单 /bɪlz/, and read every section区域 /ˈsek.ʃən/ of the contract before signing签约 /ˈsaɪ.nɪŋ/. "The place has been prepared with real care关爱 /ker/," she said. "The small details impressed me."
After she left, Mum sat on the stairs, satisfied满意的 /ˈsæt.ɪs.faɪd/ but exhausted. The apartment had a new resident, the repair维修 /rɪˈper/ had worked, and the budget预算 /ˈbʌdʒ.ɪt/ still静止 /stɪl/ had money left. Jack looked at the crossed-out checklist. Their productive有成效的 /prəˈdʌk.tɪv/ morning had succeeded because every family member had accepted a clear明确的 /klɪr/ task任务 /tæsk/ and asked for help when necessary必要的 /ˈnes.ə.ser.i/.