每日英語 #128: The Value of the White House
The Value of the White House
When the “economy” (how much money and things of value a country has) is poor, people “lament” (feel very sad about) the “drop” (decrease) in home prices. When the economy “falters” (loses its strength), the “housing market” (buying and selling of homes) is one of the main areas that “take a hit” (is affected in a negative way).
當「經濟」（一個國家擁有的金錢和有價物）不好時，人們會「哀嘆」（對…感到非常難過）房價的「下跌」（下降）。當經濟「衰退」（失去力量）時，「房地產市場」（房屋買賣）是主要「受創」（受到負面影響）的領域之一。
Although the “value” (what something is worth) of your home may have dropped during the poor economic times in the mid to late 2000s, did it drop by $253 million?
雖然在2000年代中後期的經濟低迷時期，你的房子的「價值」（某物的價值）可能下跌了，但它下跌了2.53億美元嗎？
In the years 2009 to 2012, the value of the “White House,” where the President of the United States and his or her family lives, dropped over 23% in value. Of course, no one plans to put the White House “on the market” (offered for sale) at that time, but it was a sign of the decline in the “real estate” (buying of land, buildings, and homes) market that “plagued” (caused trouble for) the “recession” (period of economic problems) during this period.
在2009年至2012年間，美國總統及其家人居住的「白宮」的價值下降了超過23%。當然，沒有人計劃在那個時候把白宮「上市」（出售），但這是當時「房地產」（土地、建築物和住宅的買賣）市場因「衰退」（經濟問題時期）「困擾」（造成麻煩）的象徵。
The White House is a 132-room “mansion” (large, fancy house), with 16 bedrooms and 35 bathrooms on 18 “acres” (units of land) in the middle of the country’s “capital” (most important governmental city). It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and it was built between 1792 and 1800. It has been the home of every U.S. president since John Adams, the second president from 1797 to 1801.
白宮是一座擁有132個房間的「豪宅」（大型、華麗的房子），坐落於18「英畝」（土地單位）的土地上，有16間臥室和35間浴室，位於國家的「首都」（最重要的政府城市）的中心。它位於華盛頓特區賓夕法尼亞大道1600號，建於1792年至1800年間。自第二任總統約翰·亞當斯（1797-1801年）以來，它一直是每位美國總統的住所。
重要單字
- 1. Economy [ɪˈkɑnəmi] - 經濟
- 2. Lament [ləˈmɛnt] - 哀嘆
- 3. Drop [drɑp] - 下降
- 4. Falter [ˈfɔltər] - 衰退
- 5. Housing market [ˈhaʊzɪŋ ˈmɑrkɪt] - 房地產市場
- 6. Value [ˈvælju] - 價值
- 7. On the market [ɑn ðə ˈmɑrkɪt] - 上市（出售）
- 8. Real estate [ˈriəl ɪˈsteɪt] - 房地產
- 9. Plagued [pleɪgd] - 困擾
- 10. Recession [rɪˈsɛʃən] - 經濟衰退
