2016年公共英語二級閲讀翻譯指導

買房前須知

Buying a house is an exciting but scary step. Home ownership means making an investment in your future, but it also means committing to stay put, at least for a while. Before you make that commitment, you should ensure you are making an informed decision, and not one based on how beautiful the home is or your desire to be on your own.

買房子是令人興奮卻又讓人慌亂的一步。房屋所有權意味着對你的未來做了一次投資，此外也表示將承諾紮根於此，至少也會是一段時間。在你做出承諾前，你應該明瞭你正在做一項明智的決定，而不是因為房子是多麼漂亮或是你渴望能獨立。

1. Your Financial Situation

你的財務狀況

Just because you qualify for a loan does not necessarily mean you should take a loan. On the other hand, if you don't think you can qualify for a loan, you might be mistaken. When you consider buying a home, sit down with a professional--a loan counselor at your bank or a representative from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development, for instance--and discuss your options. Have tax and income documents ready, as well as a list of your expenses and a copy of your credit report.

僅僅因為你夠資格去貸款也不意味着你應該貸款。換句話説，如果你認為自己沒有資格申請貸款，那你可能誤解了。當你在考慮買房時，和專業人士一起坐着談談你的選擇——比方説銀行的貸款諮詢顧問或是美國住房和城市發展部的辦事員。準備好税收和收入的文件證明，以及開銷清單和一份信用報告。

According to CNN Money, you should try to find a home that is two and a half times your yearly salary. So, if you have a yearly salary of $40,000, you should not choose a house that costs more than $120,000. However, if you have large loan payments or other expenses, you may not want to, or be qualified to, go that high. Ask the professional to help you get a good picture of your earnings, expenses and how they would change if you bought a home.

根據CNN財經頻道，你找的房子房價應該是你年薪的2.5倍。所以，如果你年薪40,000美元，你不應該選成本超過120,000美元的房子。然而， 如果你有大額貸款或其它開銷，你可能不會想或是沒有資格去申請那麼多的貸款。諮詢專業人士，讓他們幫你明瞭你的收入、支出，以及如果你想買房收支應該做哪些調整。

2. Home's History

房屋概況

A beautiful home on several acres of green yard might look appealing, but that pretty picture could be hiding problems that will cost you thousands of dollars and hours of lost sleep in the long run. According to the American Association of Realtors, you should find out as much as you can about the home before you buy.

帶有幾畝綠地庭院的漂亮房子可能看起來很有吸引力，但這美麗的畫面背後可能隱藏着諸多問題，從長遠來看，這些問題將花費你上千美元，以及引發不少失眠。據美國房地產經紀人協會的建議，在你買房前，你應該找出儘可能多的關於這個房子的情況。

Even issues that have been repaired can give you insight into what problems you might be facing a few years down the road. Get a home inspection and carefully go over the results with your inspector. If anything in the home makes you suspicious, don't hesitate to order another inspection from a different company.

即使問題已經解決，在接下來的幾年時間裏你可以對將來要面臨的問題做到心中有數。對房子做檢查，認認真真地和檢查人員審視檢查結果。如果你對房子有任何疑慮，毫不猶豫地請另一家公司再做一次檢查。

3. Neighborhood

街坊鄰里

A wonderful home isn't much good if it is in a terrible neighborhood, so find out as much as you can about the neighborhood before you buy. Talk to potential neighbors about any issues the area has been facing, and check to see if there is a neighborhood association or club. Scan newspaper police blotters to see if there is a large amount of crime in the area, and interview principals and teachers at the area schools, if you have children. You might also seek out PTA members or parents of children at those schools to learn more about the climate inside them.

如果處在一個糟糕的街坊鄰里環境中，有好房子也未必是好事。所以在買之前，儘可能找出關於街坊鄰里的信息，越多越好。跟將來的鄰居談談小區正在面臨的問題，看看有沒有鄰里協會或俱樂部。看看報紙上警情通報，瞭解在該地區是否發生過很多罪案。如果你有孩子，拜訪一下該地區的學校校長和教師。你也可以尋找家庭教師協會成員或是在這些學校裏學習的孩子們的父母，以此更多地瞭解學校裏的氛圍。

The aesthetic appearance of the neighborhood is also important. You probably would not want to move into a home where yours is the only house on the street that is not falling down.

外觀的美感同樣重要。你也不想搬到在整一條街上就只有你家的房子不搖搖欲墜的地方吧。

4. What Comes with the Home

隨屋之物

It is customary for home owners to leave some major appliances, like the refrigerator and dishwasher, when they leave the home, but if you see anything else that you like, check if it is for sale. Some sellers won't mind throwing their furniture or decorations in with the home since they are moving anyway.

按照慣例，當業主賣房時，他們會留下一些主要的家用電器，如冰箱、洗碗機，然而如果你看到房子裏還有你喜歡的，問一問它們是不是可以出手。一些賣家不介意把傢俱或裝飾留着，反正他們都要搬了。

Make sure you and the seller understand exactly what is coming with the home before you sign the contract, and list the items on the contract if it makes you feel more comfortable. Also, confirm the land boundaries and whether outdoor structures, like portable sheds and above-ground pools, will be included before you sign on the dotted line.

在你籤合同前，明瞭你和賣方完全達成統一都有什麼是隨同房子一起出售的，如果你覺得可以的話，在合同裏把這些條目列舉出來。此外，在簽名處簽上你的大名前，確認好房子邊界以及是否包括室外結構，如便攜式棚屋和室外水池。

5. "Annoying" Factors

“惱人”因素

Every home has its annoyances: the third step creaks, or the neighbor's cat likes to lounge on your porch. Even if you are moving to a brand-new home, there are bound to be some annoying factors about your new home and your new location. However, try your hardest before you buy your home to know the difference between small annoying issues and deal breakers.

每個房子都有它的煩惱：在樓梯上沒邁出三步就咯吱咯吱響了，或是鄰居家的貓喜歡在你家的門廊上懶洋洋地躺着。即使你搬到了嶄新的房子裏，新房子和新的定居點肯定會有一些惱人的地方。不過在買房前，要盡你最大努力瞭解哪些是惱人的小問題，哪些又是原則問題。

For instance, the American Association of Realtors notes that extra traffic and noise caused by a school might not be something you are willing to deal with. Further, consider how having a difficult-to-remodel home will affect you in five years. Visit the home you are planning to buy as many times as you can; stay overnight if possible. Look for anything that would bother you on a daily basis, and if you find something, look for another home.

例如，美國房地產經紀人協會指出，你可能沒有心力去處理因學校而引起的額外交通量和噪聲問題。再者，考慮一下在今後五年時間裏，一棟很難改造的房子將會如何影響你。參觀你打算要買的房子，能去多少次就去多少次;如果可以就在那過夜。找一找在日常生活中有哪些會影響到你。如果你發現了一些問題，那就再去看其它房子。

幸福之國的不幸

Hundreds of youth have torched cars and attacked police in four nights of riots in immigrant suburbs of Sweden's capital, shocking a country that dodged the worst of the financial crisis but failed to solve youth unemployment and resentment among asylum seekers.

Violence spread from the North to the South of the city on Wednesday as groups of youth pushed throughStockholm's suburbs casting stones, breaking windows and setting cars alight. Police in the southern Swedish city of Malmo said two cars had been set ablaze.

Local media said a police station office was set on fire in the southern suburb of R?gsved, where several people were also detained. No one was hurt and the fire was quickly put out.

The attackers have awaited nightfall before setting out, defying a call for calm from the country's prime minister and damaging stores, schools, a police station and an arts and crafts centre in the four days of violence.

"I think there is a feeling that we need to be in more places tonight," said Towe Hagg, spokeswoman forStockholm police. One police officer was injured in the latest attacks and five were arrested for attempted arson.

Selcuk Ceken, who works at a local youth activity centre in Hagsatra, said between 40 and 50 youths threw stones at police and smashed windows, then ran off in different directions. He noted the people were in their 20s and seemed well organized.

"It's difficult to say why they're doing this," he said. "Maybe it's anger at the law and order forces, maybe it's anger at their own personal situation, such as unemployment or having nowhere to live."

The riots appear to have been sparked by the police killing of a 69-year-old man wielding a machete in the suburb of Husby this month, which prompted accusations of police brutality. The riots then spread from Husby to other poor Stockholm suburbs.

"We see a society that is becoming increasingly divided and where the gaps, both socially and economically, are becoming larger," said Rami Al-khamisi, co-founder of Megafonen, a group that works for social change in the suburbs.

"And the people out here are being hit the hardest ... We have institutional racism."

The riots were less severe than those of the past two summers in Britain and France but provided a reminder that even in places less ravaged by the financial crisis than Greece or Spain, state belt-tightening is toughest on the poor, especially immigrants.

"The reason is very simple. Unemployment, the housing situation, disrespect from police," said Rouzbeh Djalaie, editor of the local Norra Sidan newspaper, which covers Husby. "It just takes something to start a riot, and that was the shooting."

IDENTITY CHECKS

Djalaie said youths were often stopped by police in the streets for unnecessary identity checks. During the riots, he said some police called local youths "apes."

The television pictures of blazing cars come as a jolt to a country proud of its reputation for social justice as well as its hospitality towards refugees from war and repression.

"I understand why many people who live in these suburbs and in Husby are worried, upset, angry and concerned," said Justice Minister Beatrice Ask. "Social exclusion is a very serious cause of many problems, we understand that."

After decades of practicing the "Swedish model" of generous welfare benefits, Stockholm has been reducing the role of the state since the 1990s, spurring the fastest growth in inequality of any advanced OECD economy.

While average living standards are still among the highest in Europe, successive governments have failed to substantially reduce long-term youth unemployment and poverty, which have affected immigrant communities worst.

Some 15 percent of the population are foreign-born, and unemployment among these stands at 16 percent, compared with 6 percent for native Swedes, according to OECD data.

Youth unemployment in Husby, at 6 percent, is twice the overall average across the capital.

The left-leaning tabloid Aftonbladet said the riots represented a "gigantic failure" of government policies, which had underpinned the rise of ghettos in the suburbs.

As unemployment has grown, the anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats party has risen to third in polls ahead of a general election due next year, reflecting many voters' worries that immigrants may be partly to blame.

ASYLUM NUMBERS RISING

While many of the immigrant Nordic neighbors closely tied to Sweden by language or culture, the debate has tended to focus on poor asylum seekers from distant war zones.

Out of a total 103,000 immigrants last year, 43,900 were asylum seekers, almost 50 percent up from 2011. Nearly half of these were refugees from fighting in Syria, Afghanistan or Somalia, and will get at least temporary residency.

Among 44 industrialized countries, Sweden ranks fourth in the absolute number of asylum seekers, and second relative to its population, according to U.N. figures.

Policing in Stockholm has already been the focus of controversy this year, with allegations that police were picking out darker-skinned immigrants for identity checks in subway trains.

據外國媒體5月23日報道，瑞典首都斯德哥爾摩移民區連續四天晚上爆發了騷亂，數以百計的年輕人焚燒汽車、襲擊警察。騷亂震驚了瑞典。

22日，暴力行動由北向城市南部蔓延，成羣年輕人穿越市郊，投擲石頭，打碎窗户，點燃汽車。瑞典南部城市馬爾默的警察透露，有兩輛汽車被點燃。

當地媒體報道稱，斯德哥爾摩南郊拉格斯維德的警察局起火，有幾個人被拘留。不過，火勢很快被撲滅，也沒有人員傷亡。

攻擊者無視瑞典首相呼籲冷靜，在夜幕降臨後出動。在四天的暴力行動中，一些商店和學校遭到破壞、一個警察局和一所工藝美術中心也被殃及。

斯德哥爾摩警察局女發言人特維·黑格説，“我感覺，今天晚上我們需要在更多的地方。”在最近的襲擊中，一名警官受傷，5人涉嫌縱火未遂被捕。

在哈格塞特拉青年活動中心工作的塞爾丘克·切肯説，四五十名青年向警察投擲石頭，砸碎窗户，然後四散而逃。他注意到，那些人20多歲，似乎組織有序。他還説，“很難説他們為什麼這麼做。也許是怨恨法治部門，也許因為不滿個人處境，例如失業或沒有住處。”

本月，警察殺死一名在赫斯比郊區手持砍刀的69歲男子，引發對警察暴行的職責。騷亂似乎源自此事，並從赫斯比蔓延到斯德哥爾摩其他貧窮郊區。

社會組織Megafonen創始人拉米·哈米斯説，“我們看到社會日益分化，社會和經濟差距越來越大。這裏的人正在受到最嚴重的打擊。我們存在制度上的種族歧視。”

此次騷亂雖然沒有過去兩年夏季英國和法國騷亂那麼嚴重，但是提醒世人即使在遭受金融危機打擊比希臘或西班牙小的國家，對窮人，尤其是移民來説，緊縮政策也極其難熬。

“原因非常簡單：失業、住房情況、警察無禮。”當地報紙編輯魯茲貝赫説，“引發騷亂只需要乾點事情，那就是開槍。”

身份檢查

魯茲貝赫説，警察經常在街上攔住年輕人，進行無必要的身份檢查。在騷亂期間，有些警察稱當地年輕人“大猩猩”。

汽車燃燒的'電視畫面震驚了這個以社會公正、善待難民著稱的國家。司法大臣比阿特麗斯·阿斯克説，“我理解住在這些郊區和赫斯比的許多人擔憂、不安、憤怒和關切的原因。社會排斥引發許多問題，我們理解。”

實行以福利著稱的“瑞典模式”幾十年之後，自上世紀90年代以來，斯德哥爾摩一直在削減政府角色，不平等迅速增加，甚於何發達的經合組織成員。

雖然平均生活標準依然在歐洲高居榜首，多屆政府未能有效減少青年長期失業和貧困問題，移民社區最受影響。

經合組織的數據顯示，瑞典約15%的人口出生在國外，這些人的失業率高達16%，而瑞典本地人失業率為6%。

赫斯比青年失業率為6%，是斯德哥爾摩平均失業率的兩倍。

《瑞典晚報》(Aftonbladet)稱，騷亂體現了政府政策的“巨大失敗”。

隨着失業率的增長，反移民的瑞典民主黨在明年大選前的民調中已躍居第三位，反映了許多選民的擔心，而移民可能是部分原因。

難民增加

許多移民來自在語言典關係密切的北歐鄰國，窮苦的戰爭難民成為爭論焦點。

瑞典去年移民總數為10.3萬，其中4.39萬人是難民，比2011年幾乎增加了50%。這些人中將近一半是來自敍利亞、阿富汗或索馬里戰區的難民，至少將得到臨時居住權。

聯合國數據顯示，在44個工業化國家中，在入境難民的絕對數量上，瑞典排名第四。

今年，斯德哥爾摩警察，有人指控稱警方在地鐵上對膚色較黑的移民進行身份檢查。