Topic 44 理想的房子

1. What types of residential houses are popular in China?
Most Chinese people like living in apartments in high-rise buildings. It’s very popular for urban people in particular. The most important reason is that apartments are more affordable than a house, even though most of them still have a huge mortgage394. Plus, living in an apartment doesn’t require a lot of maintenance395. As long as they’re well-decorated396, apartments can be very nice to live in.

2. Do people prefer living in an apartment or a house?
I think that usually, people like living in an apartment better. For one, apartments are cheaper than houses. Most families can afford to buy or rent an apartment. It’s way harder for them to buy a house in China. Plus, apartment buildings are usually located in urban areas. You can live closer to the downtown area of a city. That means more convenience and easy access to public services397.

3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in an apartment or a flat?
One advantage is that it’s less expensive than living in a house. Plus, you don’t have to worry as much about maintenance. You can also have a cool view398 if you live on a higher floor. But apartments don’t have as much space as houses do. You have a small balcony instead of a big backyard. Plus, you might have noisy neighbors. That can become very annoying.

4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a house?
The first advantage I can think of is that living in a house gives you lots of space. You can have a large living room. Yo u can also have lots of bedrooms. Sometimes you can even put a gym in your house. Plus, houses usually have a front yard or a backyard. You can grow flowers or plants that you like. But houses are more expensive to live in. You usually have to get a mortgage. That’s very costly399.

5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in cities?
A major advantage400 of living in cities is having access to a variety of things. There are lots of different facilities and stores to go to. There are usually more job opportunities too. But cities can be very crowded and expensive to live in. Sometimes it feels like there are too many people living there. Traffic can be very slow and frustrating401. Plus, many urban people in China say the cost of living402 in cities makes them stressed.

6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in the countryside?
One advantage of living in the countryside is being around nature403. Most of the time, you can breathe fresh air and enjoy beautiful natural scenery404. Another advantage is that there’s lots of space. It isn’t crowded with buildings. But there may not be as many stores and facilities to enjoy. Another disadvantage is that life in the countryside is very slow-paced405. That can become very boring.

7. What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in a new house? How about living in an old house?
In a new house, everything is up-to-date406 and suitable for your tastes407. It’s nice living somewhere like that. It feels very modern and stylish. But living in a new house can be very expensive. Some new houses might take your whole life’s savings to afford408. Old houses are usually much cheaper. So they’re more affordable for average families409. But they probably require more maintenance.

394 have a huge mortgage：有巨额贷款
395 require a lot of maintenance：需要经常维修
396 well-decorated：装修好
397 easy access to public services：更容易获得公共服务
398 have a cool view：视野很好
399 costly：昂贵，高价
400 A major advantage：一个主要的优势
401 frustrating：令人郁闷
402 the cost of living: 生活成本
403 being around nature：亲近大自然
404 natural scenery：自然风光
405 slow-paced：慢节奏的生活
406 up-to-date：新式的、时髦的
407 suitable for your tastes：适合你的口味，符合你的需求
408 take your whole life’s savings to afford：花光一辈子的积蓄来买房
409 average families：普通家庭