金融時(shí)報(bào):香港房市之痛：被迫分居

香港房市之痛：被迫分居

在香港房市的壓力下，不少已婚夫妻在婚后無(wú)奈選擇和各自的父母住在一起，“分居”生活。

測(cè)試中可能遇到的詞匯和知識(shí)：

millennials千禧一代[m?'l?n??ls]

vexed惱怒的；為難的['vekst]

alien to不相容的；與…相反

gross總額[gr??s]

norm標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，規(guī)范[n??m]

deliberate深思熟慮的[d?'l?b(?)r?t]

repercussion反響；彈回[ri?p?'k??(?)n]

domestic chores家庭雜務(wù)

Hong Kong cost of living forces married couples into separate beds（466 words）

By Gloria Cheung in Hong Kong

Jim and Grace Lai, a couple in their early thirties, had the wedding of their dreams last year. But five months later they are still living apart with their respective parents.

Welcome to the world of Hong Kong millennials, every bit as vexed as the experiences of their counterparts in the US and Europe. Seventy-six per cent of Hongkongers aged 18-35 are still living with their parents, according to the Urban Research Group of City University of Hong Kong, despite an unemployment rate of just 3 per cent.

That is almost twice the level of the US, the UK or France.

Concerns about job opportunities and being locked out of the housing market mean Hong Kong millennials have much in common with their western peers. But while American and European youths are entering a world alien to previous generations, the problem confronting Hong Kong's millennials is one with which their parents are all too familiar.

The land-scarce territory has the least affordable homes in the world, a position it has held for years. Median prices last year — which may represent a peak — were 19 times gross income, more than twice the proportion in the UK although some parts of London have already reached a similar level.

Even though multi-generational households have long been the norm in Asia the relentless rise of house prices has accelerated the stay-at-home trend over the past decade.

The number of couples “married but living apart” hit a record high last year, according to a study by Hong Kong Ideas Centre, a think-tank. The Lais know three other married couples in the same situation.

Ji Ling of the City University research group characterise the new generation's housing choices as a deliberate strategy “to bridge the gap between dreams and reality” at a time of uncertainty and financial stress. Political tension with the mainland is rising and the economy — forecast by the government to grow just 1-2 per cent this year — is slowing, as China's rate of growth declines.

There are deep repercussions to young people's decisions to stay home with their parents: at 1.1 children per woman, Hong Kong's fertility levels are far below the replacement rate.

But another factor is also at play, one that parents far from Hong Kong might recognise.

An overwhelming 95 per cent of those living with their parents like to do so, according the Urban Research Group. The city's millennials prefer to have more money to spend by not paying rent; most said they liked being taken care of and avoiding domestic chores.

The newly-wed Mrs Lai recalls her mother once suggesting it was “funny” to live separately but has little time for such doubts herself.

“We see friends who spend most of their salary on rent,” she says. “Why suffer so much for it?”

請(qǐng)根據(jù)你所讀到的文章內(nèi)容，完成以下自測(cè)題目：

1.What's the percent of Hongkongers aged 18-35 are still living with their parents?

A.7%

B.3%

C.35%

D.76%

答案(1)

2.What is different between Hong Kong millennials and their western peers as mentioned?

A.pressure for parents

B.job opportunities

C.housing market

D.unemployment rate

答案(2)

3.Which one is wrong about HK's median prices in 2015?

A.London have already reached a similar level.

B.It was 19 times gross income.

C.It is less than a half the proportion in the UK.

D.It may represent a peak.

答案(3)

4.What can be inferred as the main reason to live with parents after marriage?

A.domestic chores

B.house rent

C.feeling fresh with mate

D.taking care of parents

答案(4)

* * *

(1)答案：D.76%

解釋：盡管失業(yè)率只有3%，但還是有大約76%的年輕人（18-35歲之間）依然與自己的父母生活在一起。

(2)答案：A.pressure for parents

解釋：在工作機(jī)會(huì)和房地產(chǎn)市場(chǎng)壓力上香港的千禧一代和西方同齡人還是比較有共鳴的。但是，在歐美年輕人正在進(jìn)入一個(gè)令上幾代人感到陌生的世界之際，香港千禧一代面臨的問(wèn)題對(duì)于他們的父母來(lái)說(shuō)實(shí)在太熟悉了。

(3)答案：C.It is less than a half the proportion in the UK.

解釋：去年，香港房?jī)r(jià)中值（或許已達(dá)到峰值）達(dá)到了家庭稅前年收入中值的19倍，是英國(guó)的兩倍多，雖然倫敦部分地區(qū)早已升至同等水平。

(4)答案：B.house rent

解釋：根據(jù)全文，尤其是后三段可以推斷出，和父母在一起住可以省下房租，同時(shí)也可以免于自己打理家務(wù)。香港千禧一代喜歡這種不用交房租、把更多的錢用于消費(fèi)的狀態(tài)。