下个月，我打算去国外旅游，所以今天上午我去银行换钱。
Next month I plan to travel abroad, so this morning I went to the bank to exchange money.
银行里人特别多，我拿了号以后，等了四十分钟才见到工作人员。
The bank was especially crowded; after taking a number, I waited forty minutes before I got to see a staff member.
她问我：“您好，您需要换多少钱？”
She asked me: "Hello, how much money would you like to exchange?"
我说：“我想用五千块人民币换美元。”
I said: "I'd like to exchange five thousand yuan for US dollars."
她让我把护照给她看一下，然后让我写自己的名字。
She asked me to show her my passport, then had me write my name.
十几分钟以后，我就拿到了七百多美元。
A dozen or so minutes later, I had a little over seven hundred US dollars in hand.
从银行出来，我一边走一边想：钱换好了，就等着去旅游了！
Walking out of the bank, I thought to myself: the money is all exchanged — now I'm just waiting for my trip!
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Key words 生词
换huànto exchange; to change
银行yínhángbank
人民币rénmínbìRMB (Chinese yuan)
美元měiyuánUS dollar
护照hùzhàopassport
打算dǎsuànto plan; to intend
Grammar note 语法点
……才 + verb
才 before the verb signals that something happened later than expected — 'only after / not until'. It often follows a duration, e.g. 等了很久才来.
我等了四十分钟才见到工作人员。 — I waited forty minutes before I got to see a staff member.
一边……一边……
一边 A 一边 B describes two actions happening at the same time, each 一边 followed by a verb, e.g. 他一边吃饭一边看电视.
我一边走一边想：钱换好了！ — As I walked, I thought: the money is all exchanged!
verb + 好 (resultative)
Adding 好 after a verb shows the action is finished successfully or brought to a good state, e.g. 饭做好了 'the food is ready'.
钱换好了，就等着去旅游了！ — The money is all exchanged; now I'm just waiting for my trip!
Check yourself 小测验
1. Why did the narrator go to the bank?
2. How long did he wait before being served?
3. What did the staff member ask to see?
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