当你去到一个陌生的城市或国家，首先要解决的一件事就是住在哪里。如果只是短暂逗留几天，那可以选择宾馆旅店；若是要呆上好一段时间，那就需要租房咯。今天我们就来看看如何用英语约见房东吧！
约见房东Sam: Is this Ms. Li?
Li: Yes, are you calling about the apartment?
Sam: Yes, is it still available?
Li: How did you find out about it?
Sam: I saw your advertisement on one of the bulletin boards。
Li: Well, you're welcome to come over and see it. The address is on the ad。
Sam: Great. I'll be there in about twenty minutes。
(20 minutes later)
Li: What do you do in China?
Sam: I study Chinese and Chinese history。
Li: Sounds interesting...So, do you want to share with any roommates or live alone?
Sam: I prefer to live alone. I need my peace and quiet。
Li: Good. That will make everything simpler. I like to keep things simple。
Sam: Me too. And I like my privacy。
Li: OK, now I'll show you the apartment. This is the balcony, and that is the kitchen. The bedroom is over there。
Sam: This place is perfect! It's so quiet! But, the kitchen is kind of small.。。
Li: You won't need much space if you're cooking for one。
Sam: Well, I guess that's true. So what about the trash?
Li: You take it to the first floor. It's picked up daily around 9 p.m。
Sam: Great! If it's OK with you, I think I'll take the apartment。
Li: You seem like the ideal tenant. OK, let me go get the contract。
讲解：
1. 在这段对话中，Sam看到了招租广告以后，打电话给Ms. Li，预定看房。首先说一下这个Ms. , 表示“女士”。在英语中，未婚女性称为“Miss”，小姐。已婚女性称为“Mrs。”，太太， 而Ms. 则是在不考虑或不知道婚姻状况的情况下使用，放在姓氏或姓名前。
2. 当Ms. Li问are you calling about the apartment? 你是打电话来问公寓的事情吗？Sam回答说，Yes, is it still available? 是的，房子还没租出去吧？就是说房子还能租吗？available 这个词表示“可用到的，可利用的”。例如：I'm sorry, those overcoats are not available in your colour and size. 对不起，这种外套没有你要的颜色和尺码。它还表示“有空的”， 例如：The lawyer is not available now. 律师现在没空。
3. Ms. Li比较谨慎，问Sam，How did you find out about it? 你是怎么知道有这么个公寓出租呢？Sam回答I saw your advertisement on one of the bulletin boards. 我在一个公告栏上看到了你的广告。
4. Ms. Li比较放心了，答应Sam可以来看房子，她说you're welcome to come over and see it. 欢迎你过来看看。welcome这个词不仅可以做动词、名词，还可以做形容词，表示“受欢迎的”，例如：You are always welcome in my home. 你在我家总是受欢迎的。You are welcome to join us. 我们非常乐意邀请你加入我们。welcome做动词，表示“欢迎”，比如：My aunt welcomed me with a hug. 我姑姑用拥抱迎接了我。做名词，表示“款待，接待”，例如：They gave us an unfriendly welcome。他们对我们的接待很不友好。还有就是大家比较熟悉的Welcome to China! 欢迎到中国来！Welcome back 欢迎你回来！