华盛顿邮报 全美房租暴涨，拜登政府能做什么？ (3)

 

    At this point, this applies to everyone.

    在这一点上，每个人都希望如此。

    People with families, people who don't have families who are professional people trying to find an affordable¹ place to live and can't find something that even in a one-bedroom or studio that's affordable.

    成家的人与没有成家的专业人士都想找到一个负担得起的地方居住，但即使是一居室或单间公寓也找不到负担得起的。

    So this applies to different races, different socioeconomic statuses.

    不同种族的人都是如此，不同社会经济地位的人也是如此。

    This is all types of people dealing² with housing stability.

    这是处理住房稳定问题的各类人。

    And that even if that is taking on more urgency now, it doesn't mean that this is a problem unique to COVID.

    即使这一问题现在变得更加紧迫，但这并不意味着这是新冠独有的问题。

    Rachel, has the Biden administration had any luck in working with some local governments to help renters?

    蕾切尔，拜登政府能有幸与一些地方政府合作，帮助租户吗?

    Yeah. So, the administration has gotten some commitments, like from two state-level agencies in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, that have said they're going to cap annual rent increases for publicly subsidized housing.

    是的。拜登政府已经得到了一些承诺，比如威斯康星州和宾夕法尼亚州的两个州级机构，它们表示将限制保障性住房年度租金上涨。

    It's also gotten some commitments from private organizations, private companies, like the National Apartment Association said it would work on programs to help tenants⁴ build and improve credit.

    拜登政府还得到了一些私人组织和私人公司的承诺，比如，全美公寓协会表示将致力于帮助租户建设和改善信贷的项目。

    Realtor.com is piloting a program to pinpoint⁵ units and landlords that take federal housing vouchers⁶.

    Realtor.com正在试行一个项目，以确定接受联邦住房代金券的单位和房东。

    They have gotten quite a few commitments from some of the federal agencies that have said they're going to take up some of these calls to action.

    他们已经从一些联邦机构那里得到了相当多的承诺，这些联邦机构表示，他们将响应其中一些呼吁采取行动。

    The Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are going to collect information exploring unfair practices in the rental⁷ market.

    美国联邦贸易委员会和消费者金融保护局将收集信息，探查租赁市场的不公正做法。

    That includes the use of things like tenant³ background checks.

    这包括使用租户背景调查之类的做法。

    The Justice Department is looking into competition issues in the rental market.

    美国司法部正在调查租赁市场的竞争问题。

    You've also got the Department of Housing and Urban Development and other agencies that are saying, "We will do this."住房与城市发展部以及其他机构也在表示，“我们也会这样做的。”

    Now, I think the question is whether others join them and how the White House follows up on those commitments.

    现在，我认为问题是其他机构是否会加入他们的行列，以及白宫如何落实这些承诺。

    So, Rachel, I'm curious, though, what all of this will mean for renters. Rent is due every month.

    蕾切尔，我很好奇，这一切对租户意味着什么。房租每个月都要交。

    Will someone struggling to pay their rent see some kind of material benefit from these action plans?

    那些付不起房租的人会从这些行动计划中看到某种物质利益吗?

    Well, many of the activists⁸, organizers, including many who spoke⁹ to the White House about planning for these proposals directly, they say no.

    嗯，许多活动人士，组织者，包括许多直接与白宫讨论这些提案的人士，他们都表示不能。

    They say that these plans are not going to do anything when rent is due on February 1st or February 15th or March 1st, that there is nothing in here that will meaningfully bring down rent or that a renter will feel tangibly¹⁰ in their life tomorrow.

    他们表示，当2月1日、2月15日、3月1日房租到期时，这些计划不会起任何作用，这里没有任何计划能实质性地降低租金，租户明天在他们的生活中也不能感受到真切的变化。

    They have pretty much did a step in the right direction, but as far as doing something, I think this is just a tip of the iceberg¹¹.

    他们在正确的方向上迈出了一步，但就行动而言，我认为这只是冰山一角。

    It's nowhere close to what they really could do to help tenants and to show that they understand.

    这与他们真正能做的帮助租户的事情相去甚远，与他们承诺之事相去甚远。

    These are things that are on a higher level and depend on others besides the White House to actually carry these plans through.

    这些都是在更高层面上的事情，依赖于白宫以外的其他人来实际实施这些计划。

1 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

2 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

3 tenant   

n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用

参考例句：

• The tenant was dispossessed for not paying his rent.那名房客因未付房租而被赶走。
• The tenant is responsible for all repairs to the building.租户负责对房屋的所有修理。

4 tenants   

n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者

参考例句：

• A number of tenants have been evicted for not paying the rent. 许多房客因不付房租被赶了出来。
• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。

5 pinpoint   

vt.准确地确定；用针标出…的精确位置

参考例句：

• It is difficult to pinpoint when water problems of the modern age began.很难准确地指出，现代用水的问题是什么时候出现的。
• I could pinpoint his precise location on a map.我能在地图上指明他的准确位置。

6 vouchers   

n.凭证( voucher的名词复数 )；证人；证件；收据

参考例句：

• These vouchers are redeemable against any future purchase. 这些优惠券将来购物均可使用。
• This time we were given free vouchers to spend the night in a nearby hotel. 这一次我们得到了在附近一家旅馆入住的免费券。 来自英语晨读30分（高二）

7 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

8 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 tangibly   

adv.可触摸的，可触知地，明白地

参考例句：

• Suddenly the problem of future loomed tangibly for me. 突然，前途的问题明确地出现在我眼前。 来自辞典例句
• Virtue is tangibly rewarded. 善行得到具体的报答。 来自互联网

11 iceberg   

n.冰山，流冰，冷冰冰的人

参考例句：

• The ship hit an iceberg and went under.船撞上一座冰山而沉没了。
• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。