五、生活習(xí)慣類話題語料庫

　　1、The attachments some enjoy with individuals outside the family circle are enough to carry them through life. Classmates and workmates become close friends and figurative family. There is a tendency to be closer to "strangers," than our own blood. Families rarely live in the same city, thus family dinners are no more, and annual reunions are a thing of the past. With the influx of people relocating to different parts of the country, and the passing of older ones, who were the nucleus of some families, many realize that family closeness is fading. We drift apart from that special cousin, and daily calls to grandparents become weekly chores.

　　對于家庭圈外人的依屬感貫穿了很多人的一生。同伴同學(xué)和同事成為了好朋友，成為了意義上的家人。我們傾向于對陌生人比自己的親人更加親近。一家人很少住在一個城市了，家庭晚宴也不在可能了，年度聚會也是過去的事情了。隨著大家不斷的搬居到其他地方，隨著過去家庭核心成員老年人的去世，很多人意識到家人的親近度在降低。我們逐漸對表親疏遠，給祖父母打電話也變成了每周任務(wù)。

　　3、My Grandparents actively practiced simplicity. They both grew up in very large families and lived through the Great Depression. Saving for a rainy day and avoiding rampant consumerism was integral to their life philosophy. Rather than seeking fulfillment through material items they chose to spent quality time together, with family, and in nature.

　　1. Save extra cash by living small.

　　Home-ownership is one of the largest expenses in America. By living in a small home, you can save a lot of extra cash. Here’s what David Crook, a Wall Street Journal columnist, has to say about home-ownership:

　　“You can easily end up spending three times the purchase price of a house. Today’s buyer of a typical $300,000 single-family home who takes out a 30-year loan will end up paying the price of the house again just in interest. Add 30 years of property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, regular maintenance and a couple of big-ticket repairs or improvements, and the total cost of buying the home could easily top out at well over $1 million.”

　　2. Plant a garden.

　　My Grandparents lived in a small home, but had a huge garden. They loved gardening because it reduced their grocery bill, improved their health, and gave them an excuse to be outside. Even if you live in a small home or apartment you don’t have to forgo gardening. Vertical gardening, community gardens, and window farming are all options to consider.

　　3. Avoid lifestyle creep.

　　Lifestyle creep is when we try to keep up with the mythical Joneses and end up unhappy and in debt. My Grandparents avoided lifestyle creepy by paying for their own home in cash and building it themselves. They also reused and recycled everything. For instance, they drove the same car for over 15 years and didn’t buy anything new until their stuff was worn out.

　　4. Living well on less isn’t about self-deprivation.

　　My Grandparents taught me that living a simple life isn’t about self-deprivation. Instead, it’s about giving yourself the time, freedom, and money to pursue your dreams. Becoming debt free, downsizing to a smaller home, and going car-lite are a few ways to take control of your life and start pursuing your dreams.

　　5. Take action.

　　If you’re thinking of living a simpler lifestyle take action! Below are a few tips to get you started:

　　Consider starting a vertical gardening project or join a community garden in your neighborhood.

　　Add up the amount you spend on housing and transportation every month. Brainstorm ways you can cut those expenses.

　　The next time you have the urge to go shopping ask yourself if your really “need” more stuff. Be mindful of your consumption choices and remember your priorities.

　　我的祖父母一直都遵循簡單原則。他們都是在大家族環(huán)境下成長的，并且都經(jīng)歷了大蕭條的年代。未雨綢繆和杜絕浪費是他們?nèi)松�信條中不可或缺的理念。比起通過物質(zhì)來追求滿足，他們更愿意用更多的時間和家人在一起來享受滿足。

　　1. 簡約生活節(jié)約開銷

　　買房在美國是一項最大的開銷。住小一點的房子，能節(jié)省很多額外的支出。華爾街日報的專欄作家，David Crook，這樣寫到：

　　”你可以輕松地告別買一個房子卻要支付3倍房價的生活。如今，如果一個家庭買一套30萬美元的房子，當支付完30年的貸款，光支付的利息就夠再買一套這樣的房子了。除此之外，還要支付30年的財產(chǎn)稅、房屋財產(chǎn)保險費、日常維護費，在加上偶爾幾次的大修理或改建，你花在這個房子上的錢很容易就超過100萬美元了�！�

　　2. 種植自己的花園

　　我祖父母的房子雖然小，但花園很大。他們熱愛園藝，因為這不僅能減少雜物開銷，還能鍛煉身體，并且是一個非常好的戶外活動的引子。就算你住在一個小房子或者小公寓，你也不能放棄園藝。縱向園地、社區(qū)花園、窗臺農(nóng)場都是可以考慮的選擇。

　　3. 活著就要有底氣

　　生活沒底氣就好像你試圖去向你周圍的人的生活看齊，但這些人的生活又是你自己假想出來的，最終就會很不開心，還會負債。我祖父母就避免了這樣，他們買房子沒有貸款，并且自己蓋房子，而且還盡量把所有的東西都重復(fù)和循環(huán)利用。比如，他們的車一開就是15年，其他東西也是沒有罷工之前絕不買新的。

　　4. 自在活而自苦活

　　我祖父母教育我說，過簡單的生活并不是自己虧待自己，而是給自己時間、自由、金錢去追求自己的夢想。沒有負債，減少房子面積，減少用車頻率，這些都是控制生活成本的方式，這樣就可以開始追尋你的夢想了。

　　5. 行動起來

　　如果你正在思考過簡單的生活，那就開始行動吧。下面是給你的幾點提示：

　　考慮一下縱向花園吧，或者加入你周圍的社區(qū)花園。

　　計算出你每個月花在房子和交通上的支出，頭腦風(fēng)暴的方式可以幫你減少這些花銷。

　　下次你急著去超市的時候，問問自己你是不是真的需要這些東西。慎重對待你的消費選擇，切記你的優(yōu)先級。