名人教英文：以特低价钱
for a knockdown price
以特低价钱
rhea: what do you think of the apartment now?
雷亚﹕你认为这套房现在怎样？
minty: well, i can hardly believe it. when you bought it, it looked terrible, so dark and dirty.
明蒂﹕嗯，真是难以置信。这套房，你购买的时候，看来糟透了，又暗又肮脏。
rhea: it certainly was in a very poor state. but do you like what i've done?
雷亚﹕当时状况的确很差。你喜欢我的改动吗？
minty: oh yes! the colour scheme is great. the pastel colours make it look so light and airy. and i just love the sofa. it looks so comfortable. was it very expensive?
明蒂﹕很喜欢。色调搭配得好极了。柔和的颜色，使套房看来光亮、通风。我也喜欢这张沙发椅，看来很舒适。很昂贵吗？
rhea: it should have been, it's a top brand. but i got it for a knockdown price because the store wanted to get rid of it to make way for new stock.
雷亚﹕本来是。这是最好的牌子。不过，那商店要把这张椅卖掉，腾出地方放新货品，因此，我以特低价钱买到。
minty: that was a great opportunity. you must have saved yourself hundreds.
明蒂﹕那真是个好机会。你一定节省了好几百元。
明蒂说喜欢装修之后的套房﹕the colour scheme is great. the pastel colours make it so light and airy。colour scheme指「色彩的调配」，特别是室内设计的色彩，例如﹕(1) he chose a blue and yellow colour scheme for the living room（他给客厅选择蓝、黄二色的搭配）。(2) the colour scheme of her bedroom is pink and cream（她卧房的色彩调配是粉红色加淡黄色）。
pastel作名词，指「蜡笔」；作形容词，指「蜡笔的」或「（色彩）轻淡的」，例如︰(1) there was a pastel landscape above the sofa（沙发椅上方，挂了一幅蜡笔风景画）。(2) she wore to the party a pastel green dress（她穿一袭淡绿色衣裳出席派对）。pastel blue、pastel purple等等，就是「淡蓝色」、「淡紫色」。
雷亚谈到他买的沙发椅﹕i got it for a knockdown price because the store wanted to get rid of it。「优惠价」叫bargain price、discount price或knockdown price都可以。knockdown作形容词，指「价格特低的」，必须用在名词之前，所以英文可以说this is a knockdown price（这是特低的价钱），却不可说this price is knockdown。
说「店铺」，英式英文多用shop一字，美式则较多用store。不过，说大商店，英式英文也会不用shop而用store， 例如a furniture store（家具店）、a clothing store（服装店）、a department store（百货公司）。