万花筒 2011-11-27&11-29 买豪宅，送宝马——中国房地产泡沫将破？

 You know it’s a bad sign if your local real estate agent is giving away BMWs. But that’s exactly what Lin Zhangzhong is doing in the Chinese city of Wenzhou. He’s offering a Bimmer for the first 150 customers who buy a new apartment. 

 

 

 

"People are excited and are coming because our BMW giveaway," he says, "After all, it is BMW." 

 

 

 

It’s also a signal that China’s property market could be in for a rough ride. 

 

 

 

"Everyone is watching housing prices in China. People are worried that the market is a bubble and could come crashing down. The agents here say the prices have already fallen by 20% so far this year. "

 

 

 

Chinese real estate is a key driver of global growth, accounting¹ for about 1/5 of China’s economy, helping² to lift prices of steel, cement and other materials at a time when countries in the west are losing steam. In recent years home prices in manufacturing towns like Wenzhou have been soaring. But with the government concerned about inflation, reinning in lending and restricting sales, demand for apartments is on the decline, prompting agents like Lin to throw in a free luxury car with 10% of one of his new flats. 

 

 

 

"Homes are harder to sell than before," he says.

 

 

 

After the policies were enacted³ last year, it created a very unstable⁴ situation for real estate market. That instability might not be such a bad thing. Housing has been increasingly out of reach for the vast majority of people here, a concern for authorities looking to prevent any social unrest. 

 

 

 

"The government should definitely be doing more,"this laborer⁵ says, "We work so hard, it’s nearly impossible to afford to live anywhere."

 

 

 

To ward⁶ off those complaints, Beijing pledges to continue its campaign to calm prices, and move investors⁷ hope it won’t tank China’s economic engine when the rest of the world is trying to stay afloat. Eunice Yoon, CNN, Wenzhou.

1 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

4 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

5 laborer   

n.劳动者，劳工

参考例句：

• Her husband had been a farm laborer.她丈夫以前是个农场雇工。
• He worked as a casual laborer and did not earn much.他当临时工，没有赚多少钱。

6 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

7 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会