考研英语阅读理解中的文章,很多来自一些外刊杂志方面的题材。接下来,北京文都考研网为扩宽2020考研学子的知识面,整理了考研英语经济学人外刊:别买了,全球的房价都在跌!,供考生参考。
2020考研英语经济学人外刊:别买了,全球的房价都在跌!
One Blackfriars soars into the sky from the south bank of the River Thames, announcing its presence to central London. The new 50-storey tower contains 274 luxury flats that range in value from a merely expensive £1m ($1.3m) to an eye-watering £15m.
坐落在泰晤士河南岸的布莱克法尔一号直插云霄,仿佛在向伦敦市中心宣示着它的存在。这座新建的50层高的大楼共有274套豪华公寓,公寓的售价从不算太贵的100万英镑(约合130万美元)到令人瞠目结舌的1500万英镑不等。
Thanks to its distinctive midriff the building has been nicknamed “The Tummy” by Robert Shiller, who won a Nobel economics prize for his work on spotting asset bubbles. The name might also apply to London’s bloated housing market. Prices have nearly doubled since 2009.
由于其独特的类似于人体腹部的造型,这座建筑被罗伯特·希勒戏称为“大肚子”,希勒曾因发现了资产泡沫而荣获诺贝尔经济学奖。这个昵称或许一语双关,还指代了伦敦膨胀的住宅市场。自2009年以来,伦敦的房价几乎翻了一番。
It is not only in London that property values bulged in the decade after a housing bust that nearly took down the world’s financial system: prices are near new highs in many places, according to The Economist’s latest roundup of global housing markets.
根据《经济学人》对全球住宅市场的最新概览,在几乎摧毁了世界金融体系的房地产泡沫破灭后的十年时间里,不仅伦敦的房价大幅上涨,许多地方的房价都创下新高。
In five of the world’s most desirable cities—Hong Kong, London, New York, Sydney and Vancouver—home prices climbed steadily for several years after 2009.
2009年之后,全球虽受欢迎的五个城市(香港、伦敦、纽约、悉尼和温哥华)的房价都连续数年稳步攀升。
Now, though, particularly in the priciest, “prime” areas of such cities, excess is being shed. In Vancouver, where prime prices have fallen by 12% in the past year, agents bemoan hefty discounts on swanky properties.
然而,如今的这些城市,尤其是在它们价格最高的“黄金”地段,巅峰正在成为过去。去年,温哥华黄金地段的房价下跌了12%,豪宅的大幅跌价让房产中介们为之哀叹。
Michael Bublé, a chart-topping crooner, recently sold his West Vancouver pad for 28% less than the assessed value. Prices started falling in August in Hong Kong and have dropped by 9% since.
迈克尔·巴布雷(一位在排行榜上名列榜首的的歌手)最近以低于估价28%的价格卖掉了他在西温哥华的公寓。自去年8月份起,香港房价也开始下跌,跌幅超过了9%。
Developers there were spooked when their bids for a vacant parcel of land in the world’s most expensive neighbourhood—aptly called “The Peak”—failed to meet the government’s reserve price in October.
去年10月,在对“太平山”这个世界上最昂贵地段的一片空地的竞标中,开发商们的出价均未达到政府的低价,这让他们感到惊慌不已。
In Manhattan prices fell by 4.3% last year; StreetEasy, an online-listings firm, calculates that 60% of homes offered for $1m or more in 2018 failed to sell. In Sydney, prime prices have slipped by 16% since 2017.
去年,曼哈顿的房价下跌了4.3%;据在线房产交易公司街易的估计,2018年,售价在100万美元以上的房屋有6成未能售出。自2017年以来,悉尼黄金地段的房价也下跌了16%。
In London Savills, a consultancy, estimates that prime-property prices have fallen by 20% from their 2014 peak. Sales of homes worth over £1m are 20% lower than in 2016.
据第一太平戴维斯咨询公司的估计,相比于2014年的最高点,伦敦黄金地段的房价已经下跌了20%。售价超过100万英镑的房屋的销售量比2016年减少了20%。
Although Brexit has not helped, there are broader reasons for the slowdown, says Lucian Cook, head of research at Savills: falling cross border capital flows; government policy; the cost of money; and increased supply.
第一太平戴维斯的市场研究主管卢西恩·库克表示,尽管销售量的下跌与英国脱欧有一定的关联,但还有更深层次的原因:跨境资本流动的减少、政府政策、资金成本以及供应量的增加。
In China, home to one-sixth of the world’s new millionaires, it has become increasingly difficult to sneak money out of the country. In 2015-16, $1.3trn flowed out of China (excluding foreign direct investment).
中国拥有全球六分之一的新百万富豪,但想把钱偷偷转移到境外变得越来越难了。2015年-2016年,中国有1.3万亿美元的资金流出海外(这还不包括在海外的直接投资)。
But the authorities have since cracked down on corruption among the elite and tightened enforcement of a limit of $50,000 per person on access to dollars and other foreign currencies. That has affected residential markets far and wide.
但自那以后,中国政府一直在对精英阶层的腐败进行打击,并且严格执行着每人5万美元(或等值其他外币)兑换上限的规定。这对住宅市场产生了广泛而深远的影响。
America’s National Association of Realtors estimates that Chinese buyers spent $30bn on homes in America in the year to March 2018, down by 4% from a year earlier.
美国全国房地产经纪人协会估计,在截至2018年3月的一年时间里,中国买家在美国的购房支出为300亿美元,同比下降了4%。
In Australia, where international buyers are restricted to new-builds, Chinese investment in new development fell by 36% to A$1.3bn ($970m) in 2018. Yet the Chinese still account for a quarter of international buyers, as they do in London.
在澳大利亚,外国人只能够买新房,2018年,中国对澳大利亚的新房购房支出下降了36%,降至13亿澳元(约合9.7亿美元)。然而,就和伦敦一样,在澳大利亚购房的中国人仍占到外国买家的有四分之一。
Politicians have played their part, too. Egged on by disgruntled citizens who have found themselves priced out of urban markets, city and national governments have sought to cool market excesses. Vancouver raised its transaction tax on property purchases by non-residents from 15% to 20% in 2018.
政客们也在发挥他们的作用。市民们因买不起市区里的房子而感到不满,在他们的鼓动下,地方和国家政府也试图给过热的住宅市场降降温。2018年,温哥华把非本地居民的房产交易税从15%上调至20%。
Britain’s government has increased transaction taxes. It levies as much as £288,000 on a £2.5m home purchase, up from £100,000 in 2010. It has also imposed extra taxes on non-citizens. New Zealand has gone furthest, introducing a blanket ban on foreign purchases of existing homes last October.
英国政府也提高了交易税,一套售价250万英镑的房屋的交易税高达28万英镑,远高于2010年的10万英镑。同时,英国还对非本地居民收取附加税。新西兰的手段最狠,它于去年10月全面禁止外国人购置现房。
[重难点词汇]
midriff ['mɪdrɪf] n. 膈;上腹部
bemoan [bɪ'mon] vt. 惋惜;为…恸哭 vi. 叹息
spook [spuːk] n. 鬼;幽灵 vt. 惊吓;鬼怪般地出没 vi. 受惊
disgruntled [dɪs'ɡrʌntld] adj. 不满的;不高兴的
以上是北京文都考研网给出的“2020考研英语经济学人外刊:别买了,全球的房价都在跌!”,希望对备考2020考研英语的考生有所帮助!祝2020考研顺利!
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