字神帝國英語天地

今日主題：Flood insurance-- Sea change
洪水保險--海平面上升

康康精選GRE&GMAT會考的主題，堅持每天精讀一定會進步的哦!

MP3音檔 (按右鍵可下載聽)：喜歡的同學，幫忙推或按讚哦~~
http://xia2.kekenet.com/Sound/2015/…/ecow1105_2236822eWe.mp3　

只有音檔怎夠，聽不懂地方，不用怕，康康幫你準備好中英文稿了：

中英文稿：
Flood insurance-- Sea change
洪水保險--海平面上升

If you have an expensive house near the sea, it's time to sell
如果你在海邊有一棟豪宅，那麼現在趕快拋售吧

ON DECEMBER 6th the largest storm surge since 1953 hit Britain's coasts, flooding 1,400 houses. The fact that only two people died—compared with 326 in the earlier storm—is testament to the tidal barriers built in Britain over the past few decades. Yet the system that created many of those sea defences, and encouraged people to keep living in flood-prone areas, is being abandoned.
12月6日，英國沿海地區遭遇自1953年以來最嚴重的暴風雨，有1400間民居受災，兩人死亡。和1953年死亡326人的情況相比，這場災難人員傷亡 大大減少。原因是，在過去幾十年裡，英國修建了大量的防波堤。儘管之前政府修建了許多海防工事並鼓勵人們住在洪水風險區的，目前這一計畫正面臨著擱淺的命 運。

Since the 1960s the government has paid to build flood defences while insisting that insurers cover most properties in flood-prone areas. This arrangement has gradually become a casualty of austerity and climate change. Spending on flood defences fell from 629m ($972m) to 510m between 2010 and 2012. Simply repairing existing defences would cost 1 billion per year by 2035. New flood defences will be subject to a rigorous cost-benefit analysis, with more land in effect surrendered to the sea. The last agreement with the insurance industry came to an end this July.
自從20世紀60年代以來，英國政府就出資修建海防工事，並宣稱住在洪水風險區的承包人的保險可覆蓋大部分財產。這一政策調整逐漸成為通貨緊縮和氣候變化 的犧牲品。從2010年到2012年，用於海防工事的投資從六億兩千九百萬英鎊（九億七千兩百萬美元）降到了五億一千萬英鎊。到2035年，每年僅檢修目 前的海防工事就要耗資10億英鎊。新的海防工事將納入嚴格的成本效益分析，涉及更大範圍的沿海地區。今年六月，英國政府與保險業簽訂的上一個協定落下了帷 幕。

In place of the old system, the government has proposed shifting the costs of flooding onto homeowners. All households taking out insurance will now pay a 10.50 levy to Flood Re, a not-for-profit fund, to subsidise premiums for 500,000 houses in flood-prone areas.
新的保險系統下，政府提出將洪災的費用加到房主的身上。參與洪水保險的家庭現在要向洪水再次保險（一個非盈利性的基金會）繳納10.5英鎊的稅款，以幫助修復那些位於洪水風險區的500,000間房屋。

The new scheme is patchy. Whereas the old agreement covered all properties with no worse than a 1-in-75 annual risk of flooding, the new scheme will exclude many. Houses in the top council-tax band and businesses will not be allowed to join the scheme. Houses built since 2009 will also not be covered (28,000 were planned to be built on floodplains in 2011 alone). If properties flood too often they will be thrown out of the scheme. MPs in flood-prone places such as Hull are not happy.
新的洪水保險計畫條款很瑣碎。舊保險系統覆蓋了1到79項洪災嚴重性的情況下所有財產的保險，而新保險系統則刪除了很多受災情況。繳納最高家庭稅的房子和 公司不能加入這一保險計畫，也不包括建於2009年後的房子（僅2011年在氾濫平原區就計畫修建了28000間房子）。如果涉及洪水的財產太多，政府將 擱置這一計畫。來自洪水風險區的國會議員，如赫爾，對此非常不滿。

Worse, Flood Re's sums do not yet add up. One government study suggested that the fund has a 58% chance of running out of money in the initial 20 years the scheme is to run for. Some fear that the state may find itself spending some of the money saved by building fewer defences on topping the scheme up.
更糟糕的是，還未合計洪水再保險的資金總額。一項政府調查說，該基金有58%的概率已經花完了該計畫前20年的資金。有些人擔心政府會為了省錢而減少海防工事的修建量，從而堵上該計畫的資金漏洞。

The housing market seems already to be pricing in higher risk. Between 2008 and 2012 property prices rose in four out of the five Lincolnshire postcodes with the lowest flood risk. They fell in four out of the five areas of highest risk (see chart). This may have some good effects. Forcing homeowners to shoulder more of the costs of flooding should encourage them to invest in precautions and discourage builders from erecting houses in risky areas. But in the meantime, in low-lying parts of Britain, wellington boots and sandbags may make wiser investments than houses.
房地產市場的房價似乎面臨著更大的危險。從2008年到2012年，由於少有洪水災害，林肯郡的房價已經漲了80%。由於日前洪災的巨大威脅，房價已經降 了80%。這可能會起到一些積極的作用。迫使房主承擔更多的洪災風險可促使他們謹慎投資，避免建築商重建危險地帶的房屋。然而，在同一時間，在英國低窪地 區，與房地產投資比起來，投資長筒防水靴和沙包是更為明智的選擇。