#144. Live in a traditional house or in a modern apartment building?
Choosing a home is a very personal decision to make. Some people prefer to live in traditional houses, while others would rather live in modern apartment buildings. Personally, I would prefer to live in a modern building over a traditional house. Modern buildings provide better services, they are stronger and safer, and they are more conveniently located.
When people move into a modern apartment building, they are immediately surrounded by all of the comforts they could possibly want. Modern buildings typically have new plumbing and hardware. Because of this there are usually very few problems with new apartment buildings. In addition to this, they also come supplied with refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioning, and the Internet. Many new buildings have the added bonus of having a workout facility or a swimming pool. All of these advantages make an apartment a much more attractive option than a traditional house.
Modern buildings are also stronger and safer than traditional houses. They are made completely of concrete, which is a very durable material. These buildings are always designed by important architects who have a detailed knowledge of building materials, and methods that ensure that natural disasters will not affect the stability of the complex. In addition to this, all modern buildings have to be inspected by engineers, who carefully evaluate the structure to ensure that it is sound and can withstand natural or unnatural disasters. Many older structures were built using the experience of the builder rather than any empirical understanding of building materials and the forces they can withstand.
Traditional houses are also usually built in quiet areas outside the city. Most modern apartment buildings are constructed in the core of the city, offering the residents a wide range of services right outside their door. Detailed analyses are made by civic engineers and city planners to ensure that all necessary services are readily available. This includes transportation, shopping, employment and recreational facilities. Living too far outside the city can be a hindrance to one's business and social life.
144. 住传统房屋还是现代公寓？
选择住房是一个个人决定。有些人更愿意住在传统的房屋里，而有些人则愿意居住在现代化的公寓大楼里。就我而言，我更愿意住在一座现代化的建筑物里，而不是传统的房屋里。现代化的建筑提供更完善的服务，它们更坚固、更安全，而且它们的位置更加优越。
当人们搬进一处现代化的公寓大楼时，他们就会处于可能需要的各种舒适的条件之中。现代化建筑往往拥有新型管道装置和硬件设施，因此，新建的公寓建筑通常问题很少。除此以外，公寓还配有冰箱、洗衣机、空调和互联网。另外许多新建筑还拥有户外运动设备或者游泳池。所有这些优势都使得公寓成为比传统房屋更具吸引力的选择。
现代建筑还比传统房屋更加坚固和安全。它们完全是用混凝土制成的，这是一种非常耐用的材料。这些建筑物往往是由重要的设计师设计的，他们对建筑材料和确保建筑整体的稳定性不受自然灾害影响的方法都有详尽的了解。此外，所有的现代化大楼必须经过工程师的审查，他们对建筑仔细做出评估，以确保建筑坚固，能够抵御自然或非自然的灾害。许多老式的建筑物是凭借建筑者的经验建造而成的，而没有利用对建筑材料及其所承受能力的任何实用知识。
传统房屋还通常建在城外安静的区域。大多数现代公寓建筑都建造在城市的中心地带，因此可以给住户提供近在咫尺的各种各样的服务。市政工程师和城市规划者都做了详细的分析，以确保所有必需的服务设施都可以轻松获得。这包括交通、购物、就业和娱乐设施。住在城外太远的地方可能成为一个人事业和社交生活的一个障碍。
- conveniently ［kənˈvi:njəntli］ adv. 方便地
- withstand ［wiðˈstænd］ v. 抵御，承受
- plumbing ［ˈplʌmiŋ］ n. 管道装置
- empirical ［emˈpirikəl］ adj. 根据经验的，实用的
- hardware ［ˈha:dwεə］ n. 硬件设施
- stability ［stəˈbiliti］ n. 稳定性
- core ［kɔ:］ n. 中心
- complex ［kɔmˈpleks］ n. 综合性建筑
- readily ［ˈredəli］ adv. 容易地
- evaluate ［iˈvæljuˌeit］ v. 评估
- hindrance ［ˈhindrəns］ n. 障碍