Business Channel 2006-11-05&07

The housing market is softening¹ up around the country and you would think that the high-end homes will take the biggest hit, but that's not the case. Sales of homes above a million-dollar-mark appear to be going strong with no flagging in sight.You see high-end buyers are less affected² by things like higher interest rates or taxes and they have more cash to put down.But at the same time,high end homes tend to spend more time in the market because wealthy buyers can afford to be picky.Here's CNN Money's quarterly look at what some of those buyers may be looking at for a million dollars or more around the country.

This house in Brooklyn,New York is 17-foot wide,four-bedroom,3500 square-foot brownstone in the popular Park Slope Area.It's one block from Prospect³ Park,a popular summertime hangout and the subway, a must in the city. And it's close to shopping as well.With a master bedroom suite⁴, a formal dinning⁵ room, and a country pine kitchen,it's a prime spot for parties.The owner didn't like the creaking halls or stairways,so they were recently rebuilt.But the crowning glory of this home in the city is the backyard,quite a luxury in any New York neighborhood.It is currently on the market for 1.99 million dollars.

This home in Cranston Rhode Island could become someone's summer retreat.It's about 10 miles from Providence⁶ and sits on half-an-acre of waterfront.The 4,200-square-foot cottage has everything from a private beach to a separate carriage house complete with its own bed and bath. And if those New England winters are too much for you,there is always the sunroom. It's all yours for a mere⁷ 1.6 million dollars.

If you're an architecture buff, this home in Oak Park, Illinois could be for you. It's one of the three modest homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright's draughtsman,John Van Bergen.It was recently remodeled inside using more than a mile of oak trim, and in addition, connected to the home by a double-height glass atrium, replicates⁸ the original structure of a 1914 space. The artist's landscape was a number of Japanese plants replicating⁹ the Asian style Frank Lloyd Wright was so fond of . This house is on the market for 1.55 million.

Finally, this home in Savannah, Georgia with its four bedrooms and backyard koi pond has a looking feel of an elegant lady, includes a double parlor¹⁰, a library and a rooftop garden on the third floor. And if the mortgage payments get to be too much, the basement has a two-bedroom apartment with a screened porch and walk-out access to the gardens. It's on the market for 1.35 million dollars.

For more on this and other real estate features, go to CNNMoney.com and click on the real estate section.



high-end: (adj.) relating to products or services that are more expensive and of better quality than other products of the same type

Those are considered to be high-end personal computers and single-user systems.

1 softening   

变软，软化

参考例句：

• Her eyes, softening, caressed his face. 她的眼光变得很温柔了。它们不住地爱抚他的脸。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• He might think my brain was softening or something of the kind. 他也许会觉得我婆婆妈妈的，已经成了个软心肠的人了。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

4 suite   

n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员

参考例句：

• She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
• That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。

5 dinning   

vt.喧闹（din的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• The cries of his tormentors were still dinning in his ears. 使他痛苦的人们的叫嚣仍然在他的耳际震响。 来自辞典例句
• The meals in the artistic little dinning-room were pleasant. 在雅致的小餐厅里吃饭是一种享受。 来自辞典例句

6 providence   

n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝

参考例句：

• It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat.乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
• To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence.照你的所作所为那样去行事，是违背上帝的意志的。

7 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

8 replicates   

复制( replicate的第三人称单数 )； 重复； 再造； 再生

参考例句：

• The bluetongue virus replicates in the insect. 蓝舌病病毒在这种昆虫体内繁殖。
• The chameleon's skin replicates the pattern of its surroundings. 变色龙的皮肤可随环境的模式而改变颜色。

9 replicating   

复制( replicate的现在分词 )； 重复； 再造； 再生

参考例句：

• Applications create these partitions for storing and replicating data. 应用程序创建这些分区用来储存和复制数据。
• The closest real things to these creatures were bits of self-replicating RNA. 最贴近这些造物的实物是能做一点微不足道的自复制的核糖核酸。

10 parlor   

n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅

参考例句：

• She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
• Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店？