论文部分内容阅读
去年年末的谷底,今年三四月的“小阳春”,中国的房地产市场行情可谓扑朔迷离。其实无论是出现在东方的中国房地产震荡,还是大洋彼岸的美国房地产危机,都只是世界房地产界的一个缩影。经济危机影响下的各地楼市,是涨是跌,是短期反弹还是全面复苏,谁也说不清楚。不过,楼价动荡倒是让不少人蠢蠢欲动,纷纷量度是否该“出手”啦。
Reporter(Reggie): 1.2 million homes have gone into 1)foreclosure in just the past year and a half, and of course, for each individual family it is a huge deal. It’s 2)devastating, but it also devastates the market and the neighborhoods that surround it. So we are joined now by John Adams. He is a real estate 3)broker, a radio host and a columnist here in Atlanta. He talks all things real estate. So let’s get right into that. We see these foreclosure numbers that are inching up every month, and then we’re also seeing what’s happening in these neighborhoods. An empty house…
John: It’s bad.
Reporter: … is a bad thing. There’s no question about it.
John: Reggie, I think it’s important we recognize, as Christine said, it is a tragedy for each individual family, but it’s broader than that. When the house is empty, it tends to attract 4)vagrants, it attracts crime, the bank takes the house back, they’re losing money on a daily basis, the house goes into 5)disrepair often, the air conditioning is…the air conditioning 6)compressor is stolen, the…in many cases the actual copper wiring is ripped out of the walls, so the house loses value on an ongoing basis, and this is a problem for the neighborhood. Who wants to buy a house in a neighborhood where there are homes like this out there, and there’s nobody to buy these houses, because each represents a major construction project. So it’s a real serious problem.
Reporter: And you say that it’s time for the government to step in and to start offering 7)incentives, 8)left and right, to get buyers, who can afford a home right now, to buy those homes.
John: Well, I think the President’s housing initiative has some good first steps. The loan 9)refinancing, for those that can afford it, the loan modification for people in
10)imminent danger of foreclosure. The $8,000 tax credit was a good first step, but I agree with Senator Johnny Isakson who said that, “…housing led us into this
11)recession; housing is gonna lead us out.” I’d like to see a $20,000 federal tax credit for anybody who buys a foreclosed home. I’d like to see financing made available for investors who are willing to take on … These are major 12)renovations; it’s not just paint and carpet, Reggie. Somebody’s gotta go in there and spend $15,000 to $20,000 to restore this house to livable status, and then either put 13)tenants in it or sell it, and in this marketplace, selling is tough, so more than likely this home will have to be rented.
Reporter: Alright, so let’s talk about renting, because there are a lot of people out there who say, “Look, it might not be time for you to buy at all, or maybe you’re just not a home-owner. Maybe this is going to be a renting life that you’re going to have.” Is there anything wrong with that?
John: Well, not at all, and, and I think this represents a change from multiple administration policy for the last 20 years, where we had this idea that we have to put every American into a position of home ownership.
Reporter: Hmm-hmm.
John: Right now about 30% of American households rent, and as we try to move higher than that 70% ownership figure, each percentage point is much more difficult to achieve. And we now can look back and say that in the early 2000, or 2001, 2002, we were making loans to people who, quite frankly, shouldn’t have been buying if they weren’t ready. And I think the return to stricter underwriting guidelines makes sense, and I think some people, we need to recognize, simply value the flexibility of renting; it gives them the opportunity to make a decision to move. Some people, particularly young people, shouldn’t be pushed into home ownership. If you buy a 14)condo for example in Atlanta, Georgia, right now, and within a year or two you’re transferred or you take a job somewhere else, you may have a great difficulty selling that condo in this market.
记者(雷吉):在过去一年半的时间里,有120万户家庭房产陷入丧失赎回权风潮,不可置疑,这对每一个家庭来说,都是一件大事。它具有相当的破坏性,也进而影响了房产市场和房子的周边环境。我们现在来与约翰·亚当斯聊一聊,他是亚特兰大的一位房地产经纪人,又身兼电台主持和专栏作者的身份。他可是房地产界的专家。现在让我们开始这一话题吧。我们看到丧失赎回权的房子数量每个月都在小范围上升,我们也看到在这些房子周边发生的一系列情况。一个空房子……
约翰:情况很糟糕。
记者:……是很糟糕。毫无疑问。
约翰:雷吉,就像克莉丝汀说的,对于每个家庭来说,这都是一个悲剧。但我想我们也很应该认识到,它的影响远远大于家庭悲剧。一间房子空了出来,乞丐游民、犯罪就接踵而至;银行回收房子,每天都损失无数;房子失修;空调机……空调压缩机被偷;还有……还有很多房子连墙里的电线都被挖了出来。房子的价值逐日下降,而这对于街坊邻居来说,更是头痛的问题。试问谁想在一个这类房子遍布的社区买房呢?而这些房子没人买,因为一套房子就是整个建筑工程的缩影。所以这真的是一个很严重的问题。
记者:你说政府是时候介入(房地产市场)并制定尽可能多的刺激方案,来让那些现在有能力买房的人买下这些房子。
约翰:嗯,我认为总统先生提出的房地产刺激方案已经开了个好头。比如重新贷款政策,让那些有支付能力的借贷人能修改房贷,以缓解当下的止赎权危机;对首次置业者实行税收抵免8000美金的政策也是利好措施。我同意参议员约翰尼·艾萨克森的看法,他说:“……是房地产把我们卷入这一场经济危机,也最终要由房地产带我们走出这场危机。”我希望看到的是对每个购买断供房的买房者实行抵免联邦税收两万美金的政策;我希望看到的是国家、银行仍肯借贷给那些愿意承担购买房产风险的投资者……这些房子需要大整修,而不仅仅是简单的刷刷墙铺铺地毯什么的而已,雷吉。买的人必须花上1万5到2万美金来装修,才能让它勉强达到可居住标准,然后他们要不就把房子租出去,要不就卖了它。但在这一市场环境下,出售是相当困难的,所以最终的可能应该是将房子出租。
记者:好的,现在我们来谈谈租房,因为有好多人都说:“看看,这不是买房子的时机,或者你根本就不应该成为业主,又或者你这一辈子可能租房子住就行了。”这种看法不对吗?
约翰:呃,这种看法无可厚非。我想这也是代表过去20年来多任政府内阁政策的一个变化。过去我们总认为必须让每一个美国人都拥有自己的房产。
记者:嗯嗯。
约翰:现在,有30%的美国家庭住在租来的房子里,当我们努力要把余下70%拥有自己产业的美国家庭这个数字往上涨时,提高每个百分点都相当相当困难。而我们现在回过头来看,其实早在2000年、2001年、2002年的时候,坦白说,我们实际上是在向那些没准备好、不应该买房子的人提供住房贷款,因此我认为重新严格制定贷款规则是对的。我们也必须承认,有些人考虑得更多的是租房的弹性。租房让他们有机会做出搬迁的决定。一些人,尤其是年轻人,其实不应该鼓励他们置业。举个例子来说,如果你现在乔治亚州亚特兰大买一个公寓单位,但一两年后你被调遣或到其他地方工作,那么你要在现今市场下卖掉这个公寓单位就相当困难了。
“现在正是买房良机。”
正方
● If you are ready to settle down and start a family, owning your own place goes a long way to giving you and your family peace of mind. It’s nice to have a place you can call home.
Tips: 中国人总觉得“安家”才能“立业”。对年轻人来说,要安定下来(settle down)结婚成家,首要解决的问题就是房子。一间属于自己的房子对你和你的家人来说都是一个安心的存在。短语“go a long way”这里表示“对……大有帮助”,而“peace of mind”则表示“内心的安宁”之意。所以,当你有了一个可以称之为“家”的地方,也就为灵魂找到栖息处了。
● Rent is always going up and it’s basically like pouring money down the drain. While housing costs may be high, at the end of the day, you will own your home.
Tips: 租金水涨船高估计是每个租客心中的痛。尤其当你认为这租房的钱都打了水漂(pour money down the drain)的时候,心痛指数更是一路飙升。相比起租房,买房的费用固然大,月供也不少,但这个房子终有一天(at the end of the day)是自己的。为自己的东西投资,心甘情愿。短语“at the end of the day”字面表示一天结束时,但在口语中也常用来表示“最终、最后”之意。
● Houses increase in value over time. If you wait it out, after ten or twenty years, you could be sitting on a gold mine.
Tips: 最近的楼市再怎么震荡,楼价比起以前却是有增无减,房子仍然是增值(increase in value)的东西。如果你买了房子,等个十年二十年再转手卖出去,估计就成了坐拥千金万银的富豪了。“wait sth. out”也可作“wait out sth.”意为“等到某事发生/结束”。而“sitting on a gold mine”则生动地描绘出坐拥金矿的富贵形象。
● Nowadays, many governments are throwing money at homebuyers as incentives to promote spending. Not to mention there is a whole range of tax breaks available.
Tips: 经济危机下,全球政府都不约而同地制定刺激消费方案,让利消费者,以拉动内需。政府如此这般地砸钱(throw money),估计多少能吸引国民消费。再加上各种各样的税收减免、抵免政策,如果不是经济危机闹得人心惶惶,如今可算是消费者的黄金时期了。“Not to mention…”引导从句大家再熟悉不过了,意为“更不用提……”。
反方
● Buying a house brings with it a lot of unwanted stress and pressure. House hunting, signing contracts, and transferring funds will have you tearing your hair out!
Tips: 决定了买房子,许多想都没想过的压力也随之而来。买房子不仅是个体力活,更是场斗智斗勇的心理战。看看,从看房子、签合同到处理银行资金事务,每一步都复杂繁琐,让人抓狂(tear your hair out)。“tear your hair out”在上几期的《疯狂英语口语版》中反复出现,读者朋友应该不陌生了。想想看,都要把头发扯出来了,还不心烦至极吗?
● Spending or borrowing a huge sum of money is going to leave you in the red and result in some financially tough times. It could take years till you are back on your feet.
Tips: 如今买房子不像几十年前流行一次性买断,按揭还款几乎成了主流方式。向银行借贷让你在接下来的几十年间成为名副其实的债务人,财政永远处于赤字(in the red)状态。更甚者,银行贷款还可能让你陷入财政危机。如果你想达到无债一身轻、再谋出路(back on one’s feet)的境地,估计要经过几十年紧衣缩食的磨炼才行。
● As we’ve seen in the US, you could lose everything but the shirt on your back if you don’t make the monthly payments. Think it through before you bite off more than you can chew.
Tips: 美国的房地产危机让我们知道,如果你不按时交付月供的话,可能真会尝到山穷水尽的滋味,“everything but…”表示“除了这一个之外”,“the shirt on one’s back”这个词组是从固定搭配“take the shirt off one’s back”延伸而来,表示你所拥有的最后一件东西。如果你到最后沦落到只剩一衣蔽体的境地,那是何其悲凉。所以买房子前要考虑清楚,别落得个“贪多嚼不烂”(bite off more than you can chew)的下场。
● Think about the upkeep of the home. It’s not gonna be a walk in the park. There are bills to pay, lawns to mow and repairs to be made. And in this economy the cost of building supplies and laborers have also gone up.
Tips: 买了房子也不是一劳永逸。想想房子的维修费(upkeep of the home)。那也是很可观的,不是什么小菜一碟(a walk in the park)。 “a walk in the park”自然是公园散步的意思,但作为常用表达,它也表示“相当容易、小菜一碟”的意思。
Reporter(Reggie): 1.2 million homes have gone into 1)foreclosure in just the past year and a half, and of course, for each individual family it is a huge deal. It’s 2)devastating, but it also devastates the market and the neighborhoods that surround it. So we are joined now by John Adams. He is a real estate 3)broker, a radio host and a columnist here in Atlanta. He talks all things real estate. So let’s get right into that. We see these foreclosure numbers that are inching up every month, and then we’re also seeing what’s happening in these neighborhoods. An empty house…
John: It’s bad.
Reporter: … is a bad thing. There’s no question about it.
John: Reggie, I think it’s important we recognize, as Christine said, it is a tragedy for each individual family, but it’s broader than that. When the house is empty, it tends to attract 4)vagrants, it attracts crime, the bank takes the house back, they’re losing money on a daily basis, the house goes into 5)disrepair often, the air conditioning is…the air conditioning 6)compressor is stolen, the…in many cases the actual copper wiring is ripped out of the walls, so the house loses value on an ongoing basis, and this is a problem for the neighborhood. Who wants to buy a house in a neighborhood where there are homes like this out there, and there’s nobody to buy these houses, because each represents a major construction project. So it’s a real serious problem.
Reporter: And you say that it’s time for the government to step in and to start offering 7)incentives, 8)left and right, to get buyers, who can afford a home right now, to buy those homes.
John: Well, I think the President’s housing initiative has some good first steps. The loan 9)refinancing, for those that can afford it, the loan modification for people in
10)imminent danger of foreclosure. The $8,000 tax credit was a good first step, but I agree with Senator Johnny Isakson who said that, “…housing led us into this
11)recession; housing is gonna lead us out.” I’d like to see a $20,000 federal tax credit for anybody who buys a foreclosed home. I’d like to see financing made available for investors who are willing to take on … These are major 12)renovations; it’s not just paint and carpet, Reggie. Somebody’s gotta go in there and spend $15,000 to $20,000 to restore this house to livable status, and then either put 13)tenants in it or sell it, and in this marketplace, selling is tough, so more than likely this home will have to be rented.
Reporter: Alright, so let’s talk about renting, because there are a lot of people out there who say, “Look, it might not be time for you to buy at all, or maybe you’re just not a home-owner. Maybe this is going to be a renting life that you’re going to have.” Is there anything wrong with that?
John: Well, not at all, and, and I think this represents a change from multiple administration policy for the last 20 years, where we had this idea that we have to put every American into a position of home ownership.
Reporter: Hmm-hmm.
John: Right now about 30% of American households rent, and as we try to move higher than that 70% ownership figure, each percentage point is much more difficult to achieve. And we now can look back and say that in the early 2000, or 2001, 2002, we were making loans to people who, quite frankly, shouldn’t have been buying if they weren’t ready. And I think the return to stricter underwriting guidelines makes sense, and I think some people, we need to recognize, simply value the flexibility of renting; it gives them the opportunity to make a decision to move. Some people, particularly young people, shouldn’t be pushed into home ownership. If you buy a 14)condo for example in Atlanta, Georgia, right now, and within a year or two you’re transferred or you take a job somewhere else, you may have a great difficulty selling that condo in this market.
记者(雷吉):在过去一年半的时间里,有120万户家庭房产陷入丧失赎回权风潮,不可置疑,这对每一个家庭来说,都是一件大事。它具有相当的破坏性,也进而影响了房产市场和房子的周边环境。我们现在来与约翰·亚当斯聊一聊,他是亚特兰大的一位房地产经纪人,又身兼电台主持和专栏作者的身份。他可是房地产界的专家。现在让我们开始这一话题吧。我们看到丧失赎回权的房子数量每个月都在小范围上升,我们也看到在这些房子周边发生的一系列情况。一个空房子……
约翰:情况很糟糕。
记者:……是很糟糕。毫无疑问。
约翰:雷吉,就像克莉丝汀说的,对于每个家庭来说,这都是一个悲剧。但我想我们也很应该认识到,它的影响远远大于家庭悲剧。一间房子空了出来,乞丐游民、犯罪就接踵而至;银行回收房子,每天都损失无数;房子失修;空调机……空调压缩机被偷;还有……还有很多房子连墙里的电线都被挖了出来。房子的价值逐日下降,而这对于街坊邻居来说,更是头痛的问题。试问谁想在一个这类房子遍布的社区买房呢?而这些房子没人买,因为一套房子就是整个建筑工程的缩影。所以这真的是一个很严重的问题。
记者:你说政府是时候介入(房地产市场)并制定尽可能多的刺激方案,来让那些现在有能力买房的人买下这些房子。
约翰:嗯,我认为总统先生提出的房地产刺激方案已经开了个好头。比如重新贷款政策,让那些有支付能力的借贷人能修改房贷,以缓解当下的止赎权危机;对首次置业者实行税收抵免8000美金的政策也是利好措施。我同意参议员约翰尼·艾萨克森的看法,他说:“……是房地产把我们卷入这一场经济危机,也最终要由房地产带我们走出这场危机。”我希望看到的是对每个购买断供房的买房者实行抵免联邦税收两万美金的政策;我希望看到的是国家、银行仍肯借贷给那些愿意承担购买房产风险的投资者……这些房子需要大整修,而不仅仅是简单的刷刷墙铺铺地毯什么的而已,雷吉。买的人必须花上1万5到2万美金来装修,才能让它勉强达到可居住标准,然后他们要不就把房子租出去,要不就卖了它。但在这一市场环境下,出售是相当困难的,所以最终的可能应该是将房子出租。
记者:好的,现在我们来谈谈租房,因为有好多人都说:“看看,这不是买房子的时机,或者你根本就不应该成为业主,又或者你这一辈子可能租房子住就行了。”这种看法不对吗?
约翰:呃,这种看法无可厚非。我想这也是代表过去20年来多任政府内阁政策的一个变化。过去我们总认为必须让每一个美国人都拥有自己的房产。
记者:嗯嗯。
约翰:现在,有30%的美国家庭住在租来的房子里,当我们努力要把余下70%拥有自己产业的美国家庭这个数字往上涨时,提高每个百分点都相当相当困难。而我们现在回过头来看,其实早在2000年、2001年、2002年的时候,坦白说,我们实际上是在向那些没准备好、不应该买房子的人提供住房贷款,因此我认为重新严格制定贷款规则是对的。我们也必须承认,有些人考虑得更多的是租房的弹性。租房让他们有机会做出搬迁的决定。一些人,尤其是年轻人,其实不应该鼓励他们置业。举个例子来说,如果你现在乔治亚州亚特兰大买一个公寓单位,但一两年后你被调遣或到其他地方工作,那么你要在现今市场下卖掉这个公寓单位就相当困难了。
“现在正是买房良机。”
正方
● If you are ready to settle down and start a family, owning your own place goes a long way to giving you and your family peace of mind. It’s nice to have a place you can call home.
Tips: 中国人总觉得“安家”才能“立业”。对年轻人来说,要安定下来(settle down)结婚成家,首要解决的问题就是房子。一间属于自己的房子对你和你的家人来说都是一个安心的存在。短语“go a long way”这里表示“对……大有帮助”,而“peace of mind”则表示“内心的安宁”之意。所以,当你有了一个可以称之为“家”的地方,也就为灵魂找到栖息处了。
● Rent is always going up and it’s basically like pouring money down the drain. While housing costs may be high, at the end of the day, you will own your home.
Tips: 租金水涨船高估计是每个租客心中的痛。尤其当你认为这租房的钱都打了水漂(pour money down the drain)的时候,心痛指数更是一路飙升。相比起租房,买房的费用固然大,月供也不少,但这个房子终有一天(at the end of the day)是自己的。为自己的东西投资,心甘情愿。短语“at the end of the day”字面表示一天结束时,但在口语中也常用来表示“最终、最后”之意。
● Houses increase in value over time. If you wait it out, after ten or twenty years, you could be sitting on a gold mine.
Tips: 最近的楼市再怎么震荡,楼价比起以前却是有增无减,房子仍然是增值(increase in value)的东西。如果你买了房子,等个十年二十年再转手卖出去,估计就成了坐拥千金万银的富豪了。“wait sth. out”也可作“wait out sth.”意为“等到某事发生/结束”。而“sitting on a gold mine”则生动地描绘出坐拥金矿的富贵形象。
● Nowadays, many governments are throwing money at homebuyers as incentives to promote spending. Not to mention there is a whole range of tax breaks available.
Tips: 经济危机下,全球政府都不约而同地制定刺激消费方案,让利消费者,以拉动内需。政府如此这般地砸钱(throw money),估计多少能吸引国民消费。再加上各种各样的税收减免、抵免政策,如果不是经济危机闹得人心惶惶,如今可算是消费者的黄金时期了。“Not to mention…”引导从句大家再熟悉不过了,意为“更不用提……”。
反方
● Buying a house brings with it a lot of unwanted stress and pressure. House hunting, signing contracts, and transferring funds will have you tearing your hair out!
Tips: 决定了买房子,许多想都没想过的压力也随之而来。买房子不仅是个体力活,更是场斗智斗勇的心理战。看看,从看房子、签合同到处理银行资金事务,每一步都复杂繁琐,让人抓狂(tear your hair out)。“tear your hair out”在上几期的《疯狂英语口语版》中反复出现,读者朋友应该不陌生了。想想看,都要把头发扯出来了,还不心烦至极吗?
● Spending or borrowing a huge sum of money is going to leave you in the red and result in some financially tough times. It could take years till you are back on your feet.
Tips: 如今买房子不像几十年前流行一次性买断,按揭还款几乎成了主流方式。向银行借贷让你在接下来的几十年间成为名副其实的债务人,财政永远处于赤字(in the red)状态。更甚者,银行贷款还可能让你陷入财政危机。如果你想达到无债一身轻、再谋出路(back on one’s feet)的境地,估计要经过几十年紧衣缩食的磨炼才行。
● As we’ve seen in the US, you could lose everything but the shirt on your back if you don’t make the monthly payments. Think it through before you bite off more than you can chew.
Tips: 美国的房地产危机让我们知道,如果你不按时交付月供的话,可能真会尝到山穷水尽的滋味,“everything but…”表示“除了这一个之外”,“the shirt on one’s back”这个词组是从固定搭配“take the shirt off one’s back”延伸而来,表示你所拥有的最后一件东西。如果你到最后沦落到只剩一衣蔽体的境地,那是何其悲凉。所以买房子前要考虑清楚,别落得个“贪多嚼不烂”(bite off more than you can chew)的下场。
● Think about the upkeep of the home. It’s not gonna be a walk in the park. There are bills to pay, lawns to mow and repairs to be made. And in this economy the cost of building supplies and laborers have also gone up.
Tips: 买了房子也不是一劳永逸。想想房子的维修费(upkeep of the home)。那也是很可观的,不是什么小菜一碟(a walk in the park)。 “a walk in the park”自然是公园散步的意思,但作为常用表达,它也表示“相当容易、小菜一碟”的意思。