導(dǎo)航

【盲聽情況】【知識點】【拓展閱讀】

【盲聽情況】

聽第一遍大概明白是什么意思了

聽第二、三遍很多單詞聽了出來，但是一些弱讀還是要注意，比如是a hotel in the housing不是and the housing

單詞以前學(xué)過但是沒有聽出來，比如marina

【知識點】

to come together formally in order to discuss sth開會；會晤

meet

The committee meets on Fridays.

委員會每周五開會。

The Prime Minister met other European leaders for talks.

首相與其他歐洲首腦舉行會談。

The President met with senior White House aides.

總統(tǒng)會見了白宮的高級幕僚。

地塊

plot of land

a specially designed harbour for small boats and yachts小船塢；游艇?？繀^(qū)

marina

US [m??rin?]

land=

lot

[c]an area of land used for a particular purpose（作某種用途的）一塊地，場地

lot

a parking lot

停車場

a vacant lot(= one available to be built on or used for sth)

一塊空地

We're going to build a house on this lot.

我們打算在這塊地上建造一座房子。

【拓展閱讀】

What is a condominium?

What is a condo? Short for “condominium,” a condo is a private residence within a larger building or complex.

1.

（類型相似的）建筑群a group of buildings of a similar type together in one place

a sports complex

綜合體育場

an industrial complex(= a site with many factories)

工業(yè)建筑群

The first condo in the United States was built in Salt Lake City in 1960, according to Matthew Gordon Lasner, author of “High Life: Condo Living in the Suburban Century.” Since then, this residence style has truly taken off. Currently, there are approximately 17 million privately owned condominiums in the U.S.

1.

to begin suddenly to be very successful or popular

Often a good option for first-time buyers or those looking to downsize, condos might look like a lot of other types of real estate you may have heard of—like apartments, co-ops, or townhouses—but condos have their own distinct features, rules, pros, and cons. Here’s what condos are all about, and how they’re different from other structures in which you can live.

How condos work

Since a condo is part of a larger residential structure (although “detached condominiums” also exist), condo residents typically share certain common areas and amenities with their neighbors.

So what does this mean for a condo owner? It means you and your neighbors might park in a common parking lot or garage. You might use the same rec room or roof deck, or bump into one another at the condo complex’s swimming pool or gym.

Furthermore, these shared areas and amenities are enjoyed by all condo members without the need to maintain them on their own. Instead, condo owners pay dues to a board (typically made up of elected condominium owners) who then handle the hiring of landscapers, pool cleaners, and other professionals for anything that must be maintained or fixed, from faulty elevators to gopher infestations in common areas.

Condo vs. apartment: What’s the difference?

While condominiums and apartments might look exactly the same—a residence in a larger building—the key difference has to do with who owns the property. Condos are homes you can buy, own, and sell when you wish. Apartments are places you can rent, but do not own.

Another key difference between a condo and apartment has to do with property’s maintenance and repairs. With a rental, the apartment’s owner—often called a landlord—is typically responsible for any maintenance and repairs inside the unit as well as out. So for instance, if a renter’s faucet drips or they’ve got pest problems like mice or roaches, all they need to do is call the landlord to come fix the problem.

Condo owners, in contrast, are responsible for any repairs or maintenance inside their unit.

How much are condo fees, and what do they cover?

Average condo fees range from around $100 to $700 per month, although these fees can go much higher based on what amenities they cover. If the condo complex has high-end shared features such as a swimming pool, gym, and spa, condo fees can be several thousand per month.

what is a condo

Some condo complexes come with swimming pools.(typhoonski / Getty Images)

Generally, condo fees pay for the maintenance of any amenities outside your personal living space that you share with your neighbors.

“Condo fees are your percentage share of the costs to run the building as a whole,” explains Janice Pynn, president of Simerra Property Management.

And in case you think your condo fees are too high, know this: No one pockets a cent of your checks or is getting rich off condo dues.

“They are not a profit source for building management; in fact, each building is registered as a nonprofit corporation,” Pynn points out. In other words, these fees go solely toward enhancing the value of your real estate, which is a good thing!

Here are the services and amenities you can expect your condo fees to cover:

Interior maintenance: Condo owners share the cost of maintaining common building areas like parking structures, storage rooms, laundry rooms, game rooms, fitness centers, saunas, and hallways, as well as mechanical systems like heating, cooling, electric, gas, plumbing, and elevator maintenance. If a crew comes regularly to clean the common spaces, its fees are also included.

Exterior maintenance: Condo owners also share the cost of exterior common areas like fences, walls, gates, pools, landscaping, and window cleaning, and seasonal expenses like snow removal, winterizing, and cleaning out rain gutters. If a gardening crew comes regularly to take care of the landscaping, its fees are also included.

Security: This could range from cameras at the entrance to full-time guards patrolling the grounds. If visitors have to be buzzed in to the building, this system will be covered by your condo fees.

Utilities: Most developments’ condo fees cover utilities such as water, sewer, and trash. Some buildings even include heat, electricity, cable, and Wi-Fi. Remember that the more utilities covered, the higher your condo fees will probably be.

Insurance: Most condo fees include a homeowners insurance policy that covers exteriors and shared common areas. Depending on where the condos are located, the insurance policies might also cover flood and/or earthquake damage. The nice thing here is that condo owners need only to purchase insurance policies that cover the interior of their home and their possessions.

Reserve fund: There are expenses that don’t come up on a monthly, or even an annual, basis that will need attending to, so a well-managed condo board will charge owners a certain amount per month that will go into a reserve fund. It would cover things like paving, reroofing, replacing water heaters, exterior painting, hallway and lobby flooring and redesign, and more.

What condo fees do not cover is property tax. If you find one you like, be sure to ask your real estate agent about the property taxes on a condo.