新西兰英语 15 Building Codes

　　The government announced today some changes to building which might help to make houses cheaper. House prices have risen sharply¹ in recent years, making it hard for young people to buy their own house. Mortgage² rates have gone up too.
It has been a long tradition for New Zealanders to buy their own home. Twenty years ago, 74% of New Zealanders owned their own home. Today, this has come down to 67% and it looks as if this percentage could drop even more with the cost of new homes.
One of the reasons for the high cost is red tape. Red tape means³ all the laws and the paper work that is needed to get permission to build. It takes time and it costs money. If you want to build a house, you have to send your house plans into the local council⁴ for them to check the plans. You have to pay for this and wait around 2 months if you are lucky. Sometimes you have to pay a lawyer to help with all the red tape. Building inspectors⁵ cost money too. They check the house several times while it is being built, to make sure that the work is done properly. Even if you want to make small changes to an older house, you must get permission and pay the council.
There was a big problem a few years ago with houses that were not well built or checked properly. Rain water got inside the walls. These homes were called “leaky homes”. Owners did not notice until it was too late and the walls became soft. Because of this problem, the government brought in more laws about the kind of materials that are used and the way builders have to protect the house from the weather. All these laws have made the cost of houses more expensive.
The changes that were announced today might help a little. Builders will be able to build many houses with the same plans. They will need only one request for permission. Also, some houses will be much simpler so that it will be easier to get permission and will not take so long. The government has already set up a plan for cheaper loans⁶ for first home buyers.
All these things sound good but the main reason for the high cost of homes is the price of land. These changes today will not change the price of land.

1 sharply   

adj.锐利地，急速；adv.严厉地，鲜明地

参考例句：

• The plane dived sharply and rose again.飞机猛然俯冲而后又拉了起来。
• Demand for personal computers has risen sharply.对个人电脑的需求急剧增长。

2 mortgage   

n.抵押，抵押贷款；vt.抵押

参考例句：

• He's having a lot of trouble paying his mortgage every month.他付每月的抵押借款利息有很大的困难。
• The bank refused to accept any mortgage on land.银行拒绝接受任何土地抵押。

3 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

4 council   

n.理事会，委员会，议事机构

参考例句：

• The town council passed a law forbidding the distribution of handbills.市议会通过法律，禁止散发传单。
• The city council has declared for improving the public bus system.市议会宣布同意改进公共汽车系统。

5 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 loans   

n.借出物，借款( loan的名词复数 )v.借出，贷与（尤指钱）( loan的第三人称单数 )；出借（贵重物品给博物馆等）

参考例句：

• They are offering loans at extortionate rates of interest. 他们在放高利贷。
• Government loans have been the salvation of several shaky business companies. 政府的贷款救活了几家濒临倒闭的公司。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》