Helen: Hello, this is Real English from BBC Learning English, I’m Helen.
Zo: 还有我，刘佳。
Helen: In Real English, we look at words and phrases that you might not find in your dictionary.
Zo: 那Helen, 我们今天要学的新词是什么呢？
Helen: Today’s phrase is ‘pay-as-you-go’. Pay-As-You-Go.
Zo: Pay as you go. 这个短语对于一些在英国留学过的人一定不陌生。还是让我们来先听听它的英文解释吧.
Helen: Well, if you have a mobile phone you can pay for your calls on a monthly contract or you can pay as you go – paying for calls as you make them
Zo: 你猜对了吗？和我们的中国联通一样，英国的手机也有那种边打电话边充值，没有月租的服务，就叫pay as you go, 说的就是先买充值卡，再打电话。
Helen: That’s right. The meaning is in the phrase: Pay-As-You-Go.
Insert
A: Is that a new mobile phone?
B: Yes, I got it last week.
A: Did you change your contract?
B: No, it’s a pay-as-you-go phone.
Zo?: 为什么在英国，有些人是和电话公司签的合同，有些人用的是手机充值卡呢？
Helen: Good question, Zo?. In the UK a contract usually lasts for 12 months and you have to pay every month for a year no matter if you don’t use the phone.
Zo: 哦，和电话公司签合同，至少是一年，这就意味着，你要一直被束缚在和这个公司的合同上。
Helen: Yes, but with pay-as-you-go you only pay for the calls you make. So for some people it’s more flexible and economical.
Zo: 如果你是用充值卡来打电话，就不会被任何公司的合同束缚，所以这是个既经济又自由的办法。
Helen: That’s what a lot of people think. Well, that’s all we have time for today.
Zo: Bye.
Helen: See you next time.