外国人最想和你聊的时事话题：住房问题

     There's a growing need for cheap housing in the larger cities.
     大城市对低价住房的要求越来越迫切了。
     When you rent a house, you pay its owner a fix monthly amount to live there.
     当你租房时，你需要每个月付给房东固定的租金。
     There is a wide variety of rental housing in China. In the cities, this mostly means apartments.
     在中国，出租的住宅种类繁多。城市中出租的主要是单元公寓住宅。
     The rising demand and the concurrent raising of prices by investors are to blame.
     房地产需求的持续增长和房地产商不断提价是房价上涨的主要原因。
     It is unrealistic to help each person purchase an apartment of his/her own.
     为每个人提供购房补贴是不现实的。
     The real estate industry should focus on developing reasonably priced commercial housing for ordinary people.
     房地产业应重点发展面向广大群众的普通商品住房。
     A whopping 80 percent believe that real estate prices would continue to rise this year, and 30 percent fear it would do so at a greater pace.
     高达80%的受访者认为今年的房价还会继续攀升，30%的人担心今年的涨幅将会更大。
     Many people prefer to live near the center of cities, but because houses there are expensive, they often commute from suburbs.
     许多人比较喜欢住得离市中心近一点，但是因为那儿的房子太贵，所以他们经常住郊区上下班往返。
     Mortgage slave is adopted to describe those people whose mortgage payment is more than half of their monthly salary.
     "房奴"一词被用来描述那些按揭还款超过月薪一半的人。
     Buying a house for most of the people is once in a lifetime decision, which means people decide to do so only after coming across the ideal house.
     买房对于大多数人来说是个一辈子的决定，但做出这个决定的前提是必须要遇到一套理想的房子。
     When you buy a property for the first time, it is usually a small flat, simply because you can't afford a bigger place.
     人们很难负担得起大房子昂贵的房价，所以第一次买的房子通常都是一些小型的公寓房。
     As you get older and have better jobs and higher pay, and perhaps have a family, then you buy a bigger house and sell your small one; you can keep doing this till you retire, it's like climbing up a ladder.
     随着年龄的增长，找到理想的工作、特别是随着收入的提高，组建了家庭以后，人们通常会卖掉原来的小公寓房，转而购买更大一些的住宅。如果你愿意的话，可以一直这样从小到大地换下去，直到退休为止。而这个过程就像是在爬梯子。
     About 60% of first-time buyers would consider borrowing five times their salary. Four out of five are willing to take on extra long term mortgages and nearly 40% would sign up for riskier interest-only mortgages.
     差不多60%的初次购房者将考虑借自己年薪五倍左右的钱。而80%的人愿意延长还贷期限。更有将近四成的人选择风险更高的支付利息的贷款方式。
     Nowadays, the proportion of investment into economically affordable housing only accounts for 5 percent of the total, which is far short of the increasing demand for new houses from middle and low-income families.
     目前，经济适用房的投资比例只占房地产总投资的5%，远远不能满足中低收入家庭不断增长的购房需要。
     After years of frothy price growth, these developers are also facing the prospect of a turning point in China's broader property market, especially in the south, a stronghold for many of the biggest developers.
     中国房价泡沫经过多年的膨胀后，开发商将遇到一场大范围的房价逆转，特别是在许多大开发商盘踞的华南地区。

     Agent: Good morning. May I help you, Madam?
     代理人：早上好。有什么可以帮你吗，夫人？
     Mrs. Smith: Yes. My husband and I are interested in renting a house for the winter.
     史密斯夫人：是的。我和我丈夫想租一间房子过冬。
     Agent: Do you want a furnished house or an unfurnished house?
     代理人：你想要带家具的还是不带家具的？
     Mrs. Smith: Furnished. Bur we have our own sheets and towels.
     史密斯夫人：带家具的。但是我们自己有被单和毛巾。
     Agent: Very well. How long do you want the house? All winter?
     代理人：很好。你们要租多长时间？整个冬天吗？
     Mrs. Smith: Yes. For three months. Is the house in good condition?
     史密斯夫人：是的。要三个月。房子的状况好吗？
     Agent: Yes, it is. It was just painted and it has all the modern conveniences, including the heating system.
     代理人：好。刚刚刷过油漆，现代化设备齐全，包括暖气设备。
     Mrs. Smith: Good. How much is the rent?
     史密斯夫人：太好了!租金是多少？
     Agent: It is 130 dollars per month. When would you like to see it?
     代理人：一个月130美元。你什么时候去看看？
     Mrs. Smith: Tomorrow morning. I will come with my husband. How much security do you want?
     史密斯夫人：明天上午。我会和丈夫一起来。押金多少？
     Agent: Two months' rent. You'll get the money back when you move.
     代理人：两个月的租金。离开时退给你。
     Next morning:
     第二天上午：
     Mrs. Smith: May I come in?
     史密斯夫人：我可以进来吗？
     Agent: Yeah, please do. Now let me show you the house.
     代理人：请进来吧。我来带你看一看房子吧。
     Mrs. Smith: This seems like a pretty nice room, I should say.
     史密斯夫人：房子看起来还是相当不错的。
     Agent: You bet. This is nicest room in the district. You know what, I just had all the wall repainted last month.
     代理人：你说对了。这是这个区最好的房子。你知道吗，上个月我刚把所有的墙壁粉刷了一下。
     Mrs. Smith: What about the kitchen?
     史密斯夫人：厨房怎么样？
     Agent: It's a well furnished eat-in kitchen. The stove and the icebox are in good order, and the plumbing is OK, too.
     代理人：厨房设备很全，可以在里面吃饭。炉灶和冰箱都正常，管道也没有问题。
     Mrs. Smith: I see. I'd like to live here for about three years.
     史密斯夫人：哦，我知道了。我打算在这里住上三年。
     Agent: Terrific! When are you moving in?
     代理人：太好了!你什么时候搬进来？
     Mrs. Smith: Next Saturday at the earliest.
     史密斯夫人：最快也得下周六。