美国国家公共电台 NPR--A 28-year-old accountant on why he chose to move back in with his parents

A 28-year-old accountant on why he chose to move back in with his parents

Transcript¹

Eric Salazar, 28, is an accountant living in his parents' basement. He hopes to buy the whole place when they retire, but says he'll rent out the rooms to make ends meet.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

As we've been reporting, the pandemic, inflation² and higher costs of living are forcing many young adults to move back home. Here's the story of a Denver accountant who moved into his parents' basement. And, as you might expect, it sort of cramped³ his love life. NPR's Claire Murashima has the story.

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CLAIRE MURASHIMA, BYLINE⁴: Eric Salazar is 28 and likes hanging out at punk rock concerts and drag shows.

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MURASHIMA: He was doing all right until...

ERIC SALAZAR: I broke up with my girlfriend of, like, three years.

MURASHIMA: Natasha Pilkauskas teaches public policy at the University of Michigan.

NATASHA PILKAUSKAS: One of the things that causes people to move in together often is some sort of crisis⁵.

MURASHIMA: And for Eric, that meant moving into his parents' basement. And it was easy.

SALAZAR: I didn't need to go, like, sign a new lease⁶ or anything like that.

MURASHIMA: A quarter of 25- to 34-year-olds live in multigenerational family households.

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MURASHIMA: In Eric's case, he hopes to buy the whole place one day. He's an accountant with a master's degree and says he can't do much to increase his earning potential. He invests⁷ around 60% of his income but says he'll likely have to rent out the rooms to make ends meet once he owns the house. His parents don't charge him rent.

SALAZAR: Because, I think, part of the idea is that, like, if Eric can save, then it puts him, like, closer to being able to afford a down payment⁸ on a house.

MURASHIMA: Still, moving back in was an adjustment.

SALAZAR: Even though you're 28 or, like, even though I'm getting close to 30 - right? - your parents are still your parents. They still see you as their kid. I had, like, this expectation that I was like, oh, man, I must be a real loser to be back in my parents' house, right? And then, like, I was, like, embarrassed to bring someone over - right? - because that - you know, it's like a mark of failure.

MURASHIMA: Now he's back on the dating scene and says that deleting⁹ dating apps has improved his love life. He's been meeting people through friends and has found them to be more understanding of his living situation.

SALAZAR: Dating apps are, like, the worst thing for you. For me, personally, like, it commodifies your self-worth in a very dangerous way.

MURASHIMA: He says the apps made him more lonely despite the sea of options.

SALAZAR: It doesn't actually put you in a community of people who like the same stuff¹⁰ you like. When you have a sense of community with people that you enjoy being around, you're much more likely to find successful relationships and partners.

MURASHIMA: Meeting the parents is usually something that happens later in relationships. But when your parents are your roommates, that's not always the case.

SALAZAR: I don't want that, like, meet-the-parents moment where it's like, hey, Mom, look at this person, and it's, like, the second time you've ever see me.

MURASHIMA: And he's had some awkward¹¹ moments.

SALAZAR: Me and my friends had a board games night. And she spent the night at my place. And so, like, she was up before I was. And then when my parents were home, they were like, oh, hey, you (laughter).

MURASHIMA: Despite the uncomfortable moments, he says living with his parents is mostly positive. His situation allows him to save money for the day when he does buy the house. For now, he plans to replace some of their old kitchen appliances¹² as a Christmas gift this year.

Claire Murashima, NPR News.

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1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 inflation   

n.胀大，夸张，通货膨胀

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• The inflation of the airbed took several minutes.给空气床垫充气花了几分钟时间。

3 cramped   

a.狭窄的

参考例句：

• The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence. 房子十分狭小拥挤，但经纪人却把它说成是小巧别致的住宅。
• working in cramped conditions 在拥挤的环境里工作

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

6 lease   

n.租约，租期，租；v.出租，租出，租得

参考例句：

• When does the lease of the house run out?这房子的租约何时到期？
• He signed the lease yesterday.昨天他在租约上签了字。

7 invests   

投资，花费( invest的第三人称单数 )； 授予； （把资金）投入； 投入（时间、精力等）

参考例句：

• Fog invests the city. 大雾笼罩城市。
• Why is the man who invests all your a broker? 为什么帮你管理所有投资的人叫做“不名一文的人”？

8 payment   

n.付款，支付，偿还，偿还，报应

参考例句：

• I gave ten pounds in payment for the goods I bought.我买那些东西付了10英镑。
• This last payment will wipe out your debt to me.这最后一笔付款将了结你欠我的债务。

9 deleting   

v.删除( delete的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Counterintelligence achieved by banning or deleting any information of value to the enemy. 通过取缔或删除任何有价值的情报来完成的反间谍活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The term configuration describes moving, adding, or deleting persistent objects. 术语“配置”概括了移动、添加或者删除持久对象。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

10 stuff   

n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱

参考例句：

• We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
• He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。

11 awkward   

adj.笨拙的，尴尬的，使用不便的，难处理的

参考例句：

• John is so shy and awkward that everyone notices him.约翰如此害羞狼狈，以至于大家都注意到了他。
• I was the only man among the guests and felt rather awkward.作为客人中的唯一男性，我有些窘迫。

12 appliances   

n.器具，器械，装置( appliance的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Dish washer is one of the appliances. 洗碗机是家用电器的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• You can buy refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, and other appliances there. 在那里可以买到冰箱、炉具、洗碗机和其他家电产品。 来自朗文快捷英语教程 1