中英双语新闻——Rents on the rise

 　　RENT is rising in cities across China, and young Chinese are feeling the brunt of this worrying trend.

 
　　最近一段时间，中国各大城市的房租都在持续上涨，年轻人成了这一趋势的主要受害人群。
 
　　Apartment rent in major cities like Beijing, Guangzhou and Wuhan has increased by an average of 10 percent, according to Xinhua News Agency. Prices are up as much as 20 percent in some of these cities` districts.
 
　　据新华社报道，北京、广州、武汉等主要城市的房租平均增长了10％。其中，个别城区的房租上涨幅度达20％之多。
 
　　Experts blame the rising costs of renting an apartment on a number of factors, such as recent government regulations on housing prices, and an influx 1 of rental 2 demand from new graduates and other groups.
 
　　对此，专家认为，导致房租上涨的原因很多，例如，不久前政府调控房价、应届毕业生和其他人群租赁需求的涌入等等。
 
　　"The government`s recent policy on real estate has cooled down the housing prices a bit, so more apartment owners are choosing to rent their apartments," said news pundit 3 Zhang Hong on the CCTV program Observe Today.
 
　　“不久前，政府颁发的房地产行业政策导致房价有所松动，因此，部分房主开始选择出租房屋，”新闻评论员张鸿在央视《今日观察》栏目中说。
 
　　Zhang insists, however, that the problem will be only temporary because the government will take measures to make sure the problem does not get out of hand. "As the policy on housing prices keeps working, the rent prices will be contained."
 
　　然而，张鸿坚信这个问题只是暂时性的，因为政府定会采取措施，确保局面的可控性。“只要房价政策仍在贯彻，房租价格就一定会被遏制住。”
 
　　21st Century talked to young people in three cities to find out what impact rising rent costs are having on them.
 
　　《21世纪英文报》采访了三大城市的年轻人，看看房租上涨对他们到底有什么影响。
 
　　Beijing prices go through the roof
 
　　北京房租价格飞涨
 
　　The average rent of a Beijing apartment (from one-bedroom to three-bedroom types all included) rose to 2,792 yuan in the first half of the year, a year-on-year jump of 18.5 percent, according to data from Beijing-based property agent Homelink Real Estate. The average rent has increased even further over the last two months, hitting 2,885 yuan in May and June-up 19.8 percent from the same period in 2009.
 
　　北京链家地产近期公布的数据显示，2010年上半年全市套均租金为每月2792元（从一居室到三居室全部包含在内），同比上涨约18.5%。过去两个月的租金上涨幅度更大，5月份套均租赁价格为2885元/月，比去年同期上涨19.8%。
 
　　Gao Song, a 23-year-old graduate from Beijing Institute of Technology, lives in a two-bedroom apartment near Tongzhou, a suburban 4 area. "It used to cost me 1,000 yuan a month," said Gao. "But last month when we renewed the contract, the landlord told us that the rent has increased."
 
　　高松（音译），23岁，北京理工大学毕业生，在京郊通州区租了一个两居室。“以前每月房租1000元，”高松说，“但是，上个月续约时房东告诉我们房租上涨了。”
 
　　Now he has to pay 1,200 yuan for rent-almost half of his salary.
 
　　现在，他不得不支付1200元的房租--几乎是他工资的一半。
 
　　In 2009, the average monthly income for new graduates in Beijing was 2,472 yuan, according to Xinhua. This suggests that rental prices are at least 17 percent higher than the average monthly income of many new graduates in Beijing.
 
　　据新华社报道，2009年，北京应届毕业生的月平均工资为2472元。这就意味着，目前的租金至少高出北京应届毕业生月平均收入的17％。
 
　　White-collars feel the pinch in Guangzhou
 
　　广州白领生活拮据
 
　　The situation is no better in Guangzhou. Rent has increased by 10.9 percent over the last two months and has now hit an average of 30.44 yuan a square meter in downtown areas, according to China Daily.
 
　　广州的情况同样糟糕。据《中国日报》报道，过去两个月，广州房租上涨10.9％，市中心的平均租金达到每平方米30.44元。
 
　　In addition to college graduates, some white-collar employees are also feeling the pressure of rising rent prices. Xia Meng, a 24-year-old who works as an accountant, is one of them. Last month, she moved out of her old apartment due to higher rent.
 
　　除大学毕业生外，部分白领同样感到了房租上涨所带来的压力。24岁的会计师夏梦（音译）就是其中一位。上个月，由于租金上涨，夏梦搬出了原来的公寓。
 
　　"Yes, now I pay less rent, but I need to spend two extra hours each day traveling to and from work," Xia said.
 
　　“现在的房子虽然租金较低，但每天上下班却不得不多花2个小时，”夏梦说。
 
　　She thinks the rise in rental prices will have a direct effect on her peers 5. "If housing prices keep going up, we will choose not to buy an apartment," she said. "No big deal. But if rent keeps increasing, it`ll drive many crazy."
 
　　她认为，房租的上涨肯定会给同龄人带来直接影响。“如果房价持续上涨，我们会选择不买房，”她说。“没什么大不了的。但是如果房租持续上涨，相信很多人会疯掉。”
 
　　In Wuhan, students fret 6 about the future
 
　　武汉学子忧心未来
 
　　Rent prices in Wuhan have also risen 10 to 15 percent. According to Xinhua, the average rent in March was 19.04 yuan a square meter. But in June, the average rent jumped to 20.36 yuan a square meter-up from 18.33 yuan at the same time last year.
 
　　武汉的房租同样上升了10％至15％。据新华社报道，3月份武汉的平均房租是每平米19.04元。但6月份的平均房租涨到了每平米20.36元--去年同期的价格是18.33元。
 
　　Even though the rising prices in Wuhan can`t compare with those in Beijing and Guangzhou, they still worry many current college students.
 
　　即便武汉的房租上涨不能和北京、广州相比，很多大学生仍对此忧心忡忡。
 
　　Tang Jiaying, a 22-year-old junior at Jianghan University, is reconsidering living on his own after graduation.
 
　　唐嘉颖（音译），22岁，江汉大学大三学生，正在重新考虑毕业后是否要独自生活。
 
　　"If it means I`ll have to spend about half of my salary for rent, I think it would be better to live with my parents for a while."
 
　　“如果独自生活意味着要花一半工资付房租的话，我想最好还是暂时和父母住在一起。”