Jason takes the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to Berkeley, grabs a cab, and goes to pick up Amber at her apartment. On the way to the restaurant that Ethabella suggested, Jason asks Amber her age. She is a little reluctant to tell him at first, but then does so. Is there a problem with asking this question?
Jason:You really do look great tonight, Amber.
Amber:Why, thank you. You don't look so bad yourself (laughs)
Jason:(laughing also) I appreciate that. Speaking of which, I was wondering if I am older than you, because you look so young. How old are you, anyway?
Amber:(hesitatingly) Oh, I'm not too old, but I'm over eighteen.
Jason:I'm sorry, maybe that was a dumb question.
Amber:No, it's not that. Just…well, I was just a little surprised with your question. It's a bit unusual here for people to ask about age so soon.
Jack:Forgive me. I didn't mean to be impolite or rude.
Amber:I know. Anyway, I'm 27.
Jason:Really. You don't look a day over 23. How do you stay so young-looking?
Amber:(flattered) No special way. Just a happy-go-lucky type of person, I guess.
Jason:Well, it works. You really don't look your age. I'm 28, by the way.
Amber:(jokingly) Is that right? I thought you might be a bit older…just joking.
Jason:I guess I deserved that. (changing the subject) So, what about….
Jason乘海岸快速列车到了Berkeley,叫了一辆出租车就去接Amber了。在去Ethabella建议的餐厅的路上, Jason问起了Amber的年龄。开始她有点不愿意告诉他,但最后还是说了。这个问题有什么不对劲吗?
Jason:你今天晚上看起来很美,Amber。
Amber:谢谢。你看起来也不错啊!(笑起来)
Jason:(也笑起来)非常感谢,说起这个,我在想我一定比你大因为你看起来很年轻。你多大了?
Amber:(犹豫了一下)哦,我还不算太老,但是也过了18岁了。
Jason:对不起,可能这是个很愚蠢的问题。
Amber:不,不是那么回事,只是……我真是被你的问题弄得很吃惊。在这里,这么快地问别人有多大不太常见。
Jason:请原谅我,我不是故意这么粗鲁无理的。
Amber:我知道,不管它了,我27岁了。
Jason:真的吗?你看起来还不到23岁。你是怎么保持年轻的?
Amber:(高兴状)没什么特殊的方法。只是生性快乐罢了。
Jason:看来行得通。你看上去真的没那么大。另外我28岁了。
Amber:(开玩笑地说)是真的吗?我觉得你可能更老一点……开开玩笑而已。
Jason:我想你说得对。(换了一个话题)那么……