Upper-Intermediate - Getting a License Plate (D1611)

A: 小军!
Xiǎojūn!
Xiao Jun!
B: 哎哟,大齐,你怎么才来?
āiyōu, Dàqí, nǐ zěnme cái lái?
Hey, Daqi. What made you so late?
A: 哎!堵死了。首都已经成了首堵了。不过也好,我在车上把早点吃了,晨报也看完了。哎,不说我的事儿了。你新买的车呢?
āi! dǔ sǐ le. shǒudū yǐjīng chéng le shǒu dǔ le. bùguò yěhǎo, wǒ zài chē shang bǎ zǎodiǎn chī le, chénbào yě kàn wán le. ài, bù shuō wǒ de shìr le. nǐ xīn mǎi de chē ne?
Agh! Traffic was packed. The capital's supposed be the most important city in the country - more like the most congested. But oh well, I was able to eat a light breakfast and read the morning news in the car. Enough about me. Where's your new car?
B: 喏,那不是吗?
nuò, nà bùshì ma?
Is that not it?
A: 哟,这车靓,车屁股翘得多性感!
yō, zhè chē liàng, chē pìgu qiào de duō xìnggǎn!
Hey, what a nice-looking car. The back end is looking pretty sexy!
B: 那还用说。
nà hái yòng shuō.
You know it.
A: 你小子这次动作快,让你赶上了末班车。否则后天开始可就要摇号上牌了。
nǐ xiǎozi zhècì dòngzuò kuài, ràng nǐ gǎnshàng le mòbānchē. fǒuzé hòutiān kāishǐ kě jiù yào yáohào shàngpái le.
You really jumped on buying this car, huh? Now you still have a chance at getting plates. Otherwise, you'd have to go through the lottery system that starts the day after tomorrow.
B: 咳,真不知道这是哪个猪脑子想出来的治堵方案。
hài, zhēn bù zhīdào zhè shì nǎ ge zhūnǎozi xiǎng chūlai de zhìdǔ fāng'àn.
Agh, I really have no idea what numbskull came up with this program to fix the traffic congestion.
A: 哎!公车不去限,整个城市的规划也没点儿远见,不堵才怪!
āi! gōngchē bù qù xiàn, zhěnggè chéngshì de guīhuà yě méi diǎnr yuǎnjiàn, bù dǔ cái guài!
Agh! There's no limits on government cars, and all over the city their plans don't have any foresight. It'd be strange if it wasn't packed!
B: 不过还好不像上海那样要牌照拍卖,一张牌照要好几万呢。
bùguò háihǎo bù xiàng Shànghǎi nàyàng yào páizhào pāimài, yī zhāng páizhào yào hǎo jǐ wàn ne.
At least it's not like Shanghai where they auction off plates. Each plate is tens of thousands of yuan.
A: 那简直就是抢钱嘛!对了,你上牌照的东西都准备好了没有?
nà jiǎnzhí jiùshì qiǎngqián ma! duì le, nǐ shàng páizhào de dōngxi dōu zhǔnbèi hǎo le méiyǒu?
That's highway robbery! Oh, that's right. Have you gotten all the stuff ready that you need to apply for a plate?
B: 身份证,户口本,购车发票,临时牌照,保险单......基本上都齐了。
shēnfènzhèng, hùkǒuběn, gòuchē fāpiào, línshí páizhào, bǎoxiǎndān...... jīběn shang dōu qí le.
ID card, residency booklet, proof of purchase for the car, temporary plates, insurance papers - I've got most of it together already.
A: 那咱就早点儿出发吧!这两天车管所的人爆满,比医院的人还多,都赶着限购令出来之前上牌。
nà zá jiù zǎo diǎnr chūfā ba! zhè liǎng tiān chēguǎnsuǒ de rén bàomǎn, bǐ yīyuàn de rén hái duō, dōu gǎn zhe xiàngòulìng chūlái zhīqián shàngpái.
Well, let's get going a bit early then! These days the Vehicle Administration has been packed. There's more people there than at the hospital. The new limitations have everyone out rushing to get a plate before they're put into place.
B: 我们待会儿去上牌,是怎么个流程?
wǒmen dāi huǐr qù shàngpái, shì zěnme ge liúchéng?
We're going to get the plates soon. What's the procedure?
A: 先填这个表那个表,然后交钱,车辆购置税,车船税,检测费,完了再验车、拍照,最后领行驶证和牌照,走人。
xiān tián zhè ge biǎo nà ge biǎo, ránhòu jiāoqián, chēliàng gòuzhì shuì, chēchuán shuì, jiǎncè fèi, wán le zài yàn chē、 pāizhào, zuìhòu lǐng xíngshǐ zhèng hé páizhào, zǒurén.
First you fill out some forms, then pay the fees - the car purchasing tax, the vehicle tax and the examination fee. When that's over the car is examined, they take some pictures and finally you pick up the driving permit and plate and go.
B: 真麻烦,咱快走吧。
zhēn máfan, zán kuài zǒu ba.
What a pain. Let's get going.

Key Vocabulary

首都 shǒudū capital (of a country)
shǒu first of all
congested
晨报 chénbào morning newspaper
liàng beautiful, handsome
qiào to perk up
性感 xìnggǎn sexy
赶上末班车 gǎnshàng mòbānchē to catch the last train, [fig. to be just in time]
否则 fǒuzé otherwise
摇号 yáohào to hold a lottery, raffel
上牌 shàngpái to get a license plate
猪脑子 zhūnǎozi pig brain, [fig. moron]
zhì to cure
方案 fāng'àn plan, scheme
xiàn to limit
规划 guīhuà plan, program
远见 yuǎnjiàn foresight
牌照 páizhào license plate, tag
拍卖 pāimài auction
户口本 hùkǒuběn household registration
临时 línshí temporary
保险单 bǎoxiǎndān insurance form
complete, prepared
车管所 chēguǎnsuǒ department of motor vehicles
爆满 bàomǎn full to point of bursting
限购令 xiàngòulìng purchase limitations
流程 liúchéng process
车辆购置税 chēliàng gòuzhì shuì car purchasing tax
车船税 chēchuán shuì vehicle tax
检测 jiǎncè examination
lǐng to claim
行驶证 xíngshǐ zhèng driver's permit, license

Supplementary Vocabulary

车牌 chēpái license plate
治理 zhìlǐ to govern
拥堵 yōngdǔ crowded, jammed
车辆管理所 chēliàng guǎnlǐ suǒ Vehicle Administration
限制 xiànzhì to limit, to restrict
购买 gòumǎi to buy, to purchase
法令 fǎlìng laws
驾驶执照 jiàshǐ zhízhào driver's license
政策 zhèngcè policy
对策 duìcè countermeasure

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