为什么生存地堡如此昂贵 | 为什么这么贵：英语精读讲义

Buying a survival bunker used to be just something for doomsdayers and survivalists. 語法

过去，购买生存地堡还只是末日论者和生存主义者才会做的事。

But this factory in Texas can't keep up with demand because of the pandemic. 短語動詞

但受疫情影响，得州这家工厂如今供不应求。

People want these like yesterday. 習語

人们急着要，恨不得昨天就拿到。

They want them so bad they'll pay up to get them right now. 短語動詞

他们想要得不得了，愿意加钱立刻拿货。

The most basic habitable bunkers start at $50,000,

最基本的宜居地堡起价为5万美元，

not including installation.

还不包括安装费。

But if you want to include a movie theater,

但如果你想加上一间电影院、

pool, and rock-climbing wall,

游泳池和攀岩墙，

you can spend as much as $4.5 million dollars. 語法

最高可以花到450万美元。

So,

那么，

why do people spend this kind of cash on something they might never use?

人们为什么要花这么多钱，买一个可能永远都用不上的东西？

And why are bunkers so expensive?

地堡为什么这么贵？

Meet Ron Hubbard, 文化背景

这位是Ron Hubbard，

not the founder of Scientology.

不是山达基教的创始人。

Just Ron,

他只是Ron，

the founder of Atlas Survival Shelters.

Atlas Survival Shelters的创始人。

So, how do you get prepared?

那么，该怎么做好准备呢？

Well,

首先，

you get your food and water.

你得备好食物和水。

But once you have all that,

但这些都备齐以后，

you're going to need a bunker.

你还需要一座地堡。

And that's when I come into play. 習語

这时就轮到我登场了。

He sells bunkers out of his 10-acre factory

他在自己占地10英亩的工厂里销售地堡，

in Sulphur Springs,

工厂位于Sulphur Springs，

Texas.

得克萨斯州。

First and foremost,

首先也是最重要的，

we want to make sure that the bunkers are airtight, because

我们要确保地堡密不透气，因为

God forbid any kind of airborne plague or smoke, 語氣意圖

万一出现任何经空气传播的瘟疫或烟雾，

chemical warfare,

化学战、

biological warfare,

生物战，

whatever.

或者任何其他情况，那可不得了。

Ron says he builds about 24 bunkers a year

Ron说，他每年建造约24座

that are the size of homes,

房屋大小的地堡，

as well as hundreds of smaller storm shelters.

以及数百个更小的风暴避难所。

He says there's a real demand for an underground escape,

他说，人们确实需要一个地下逃生之所，

pandemic and politics aside. 表達脈絡

这与疫情和政治无关。

Conservative or liberal,

无论是保守派还是自由派，

you've just got to be concerned for the safety of your family 語法

你总得为家人的安全着想，

in case this country ever ends up into any kind of revolution,

以防这个国家有朝一日爆发某种革命、

civil war,

内战，

or if we go into some kind of World War.

或者我们卷入某种世界大战。

The craze for bunkers is not exactly new.

地堡热潮其实并不新鲜。

A new housing development near Denver,

科罗拉多州丹佛附近的一处新住宅区，

Colorado shows the nation's first model homes with built-in fallout shelters.

展示了全美首批内置核辐射避难所的样板房。

Thousands of Americans built their own nuclear fallout shelters

数以千计的美国人建造了自己的核辐射避难所，

at the height of the Cold War 講解

当时正值冷战最激烈的时期，

in the 1950s and 60s.

也就是20世纪50至60年代。

They were made out of steel

这些避难所用钢材建成，

to protect against radiation.

用来抵御辐射。

Larry Hall converted a Cold War nuclear missile silo

Larry Hall把一座冷战时期的核导弹发射井

in Central Kansas

——它位于堪萨斯州中部——

into a 15-story inverted skyscraper.

改造成了一栋15层的倒置摩天大楼。

The government decommissioned the silo 用詞

政府让这座发射井退役后，

and Larry bought it for $300,000 in 2008.

Larry于2008年以30万美元将其买下。

Whether it was Kim Jong Un before this

无论是此前的金正恩，

or Iran with the previous threats

还是伊朗之前发出的威胁，

or when Barack Obama was elected as president

抑或贝拉克·奥巴马当选总统时，

or when Donald Trump was elected as president.

又或唐纳德·特朗普当选总统时。

I mean,

我是说，

people have a variety of fears.

人们的恐惧五花八门。

The Survival Condo Project has 12 apartments,

Survival Condo Project共有12套公寓，

some costing up to $4.5 million each.

其中一些每套售价高达450万美元。

So far,

到目前为止，

he's sold all but two of the condos. 語法

除了两套，他已将其余公寓全部售出。

We have residential level

我们的住宅楼层包括

5, 6,

5层、6层，

7, 8,

7层、8层，

9, 10, and 11.

9层、10层和11层。

Then there's a library and classroom,

此外还有图书馆和教室、

a theater and lounge,

电影院和休息室，

exercise and spa.

健身区和水疗中心。

We also have a sauna

我们还有一间桑拿房，

complete with different-colored mood lighting. 短語搭配

配有不同颜色的氛围灯。

After all, 表達脈絡

毕竟，

if you're going to spend a serious amount of time trying to survive underground, 表達脈絡

如果你要在地下长时间努力求生，

and if you can afford it,

而且你负担得起，

you may as well thrive. 語法

那不妨让自己过得有滋有味。

In recent years,

近年来，

personalized disaster prep has grown into a multi-million dollar business. 用詞

个性化防灾准备已发展成一门价值数百万美元的生意。

At least 13.2 million Americans say they have plans and provisions in place 短語搭配

至少有1320万美国人表示，他们已制定计划并备好物资，

to survive a month or more without power,

足以在没有电力的情况下生存一个月或更久，

running water, or transportation.

即使没有自来水或交通工具也能撑下去。

Prepping can simply mean storing a number of items to help cope during a blackout

备灾可以只是储存一些物品，以应对停电，

or having a storm shelter to survive tornadoes and hurricane-force winds.

也可以是准备一个风暴避难所，躲过龙卷风和飓风级强风。

Since the start of 2021,

自2021年初以来，

storm shelter sales are up 30%.

风暴避难所的销量增长了30%。

That's on top of a 35% increase the previous year. 短語搭配

而前一年已经增长了35%。

Possibly part of what has driven that increase in sales 語法

推动销量增长的部分原因可能是，

is that 2020 was such a traumatic year for all of us.

2020年对我们所有人来说都太过惨痛。

So,

所以，

putting a storm shelter in place for their family was something they can control,

为家人安装风暴避难所，是一件他们可以掌控的事，

they could actually impact and have some control over the safety of their family. 短語搭配

他们确实可以借此改善家人的安全，并获得一些掌控感。

But bunkers are in a different league. 習語

但地堡完全是另一个级别。

Ron sells bunkers with a variety of add-ons

Ron出售的地堡可搭配各种附加设施，

like escape tunnels and hidden doors.

比如逃生隧道和暗门。

So,

比如说，

this typically will have a secret passage

这里通常会有一条秘密通道，

leading to a secret hatch going down to a secret room.

通往一个隐秘舱口，再向下进入密室。

This isn't our grandfather's bomb shelter. 表達脈絡

这可不是我们祖父辈那种防空洞。

They have all the bells and whistles that you would have in a house. 習語

它拥有住宅里应有的一切设施，样样俱全。

I mean,

我是说，

if you can have it in a house,

只要家里能装的，

you can have it in the bunker.

地堡里也能装。

This model costs about $500,000 and fits three private bedrooms, 用詞

这一型号售价约50万美元，设有三间独立卧室、

two bathrooms,

两间浴室、

a kitchen,

一间厨房、

dining room,

餐厅、

living room,

客厅，

and a game room.

还有一间游戏室。

Ron says he has over a year's worth of back orders, 用詞

Ron说，他手上的积压订单已经排到一年以后，

even though prices for the materials to build the bunkers

尽管建造地堡所需的材料价格

have gone up between 15% and 20% since last November.

自去年11月以来已上涨15%至20%。

The cost of wood has tripled,

木材成本涨至原来的三倍，

the cost of steel has tripled,

钢材成本也涨至原来的三倍，

the cost of gas has doubled,

燃料成本翻了一番，

everything's gone through the roof. 習語

什么都在疯涨。

Some people decide to build their own shelters.

有些人决定自己建造避难所。

About 60 miles outside of Dallas,

在达拉斯郊外约60英里处，

a doctor in his 40s built his own 1,200-square-foot bunker.

一名40多岁的医生自建了一座1200平方英尺的地堡。

He asked to remain anonymous about his labor of love. 講解

谈到这个心血之作时，他要求保持匿名。

I look at this as kind of like life insurance and disability insurance. 講解

我把它看作类似人寿保险和伤残保险的东西。

It's something that you have if you can afford it.

如果负担得起，就该备上一个。

So far,

到目前为止，

he's spent around $100,000 on the bunker

他已在这座地堡上花费约10万美元，

that sits underneath his home and has yet to actually use.

它位于自家房屋下方，而他至今还没有真正用过。

I don't advertise it.

我不会到处宣传。

I don't mind having our family or friends over. 講解

我不介意让家人或朋友过来。

I'll let them I'll give them tours,

我会让他们进来参观，

show it,

给他们看看，

but publicly I don't want everyone to know about it.

但我不想公开，也不希望所有人都知道。

But what makes a bunker so costly?

但地堡究竟为什么这么贵？

The pretty things like the stainless steel appliances

不锈钢电器这些好看的东西，

and nicer furniture and the higher ceilings

再加上更高档的家具和更高的层高，

are all really relatively low-cost.

其实成本都相对较低。

The things that are the cost drivers are the life-support systems. 用詞

真正推高成本的是生命保障系统。

Those are tremendously expensive.

那些系统贵得惊人。

Bunkers are made of steel and concrete.

地堡由钢材和混凝土建成。

It took the doctor about a year and $22,000 worth of materials 語法

这名医生花了约一年时间和价值2.2万美元的材料，

to plan and engineer his bunker.

来规划和设计他的地堡。

He paid an excavation company $12,200

他向一家土方开挖公司支付了1.22万美元，

to dig a hole 80 feet long 語法

挖出一个80英尺长、

and 50 feet wide

50英尺宽，

and about 16 feet below ground.

地下约16英尺深的大坑。

Then he built the bunker quickly

随后他迅速建起地堡，

because he was afraid rain would ruin the excavation work.

因为担心下雨会毁掉已经完成的开挖工程。

He poured a concrete foundation,

他浇筑了混凝土地基、

walls,

墙体，

and filled in the dirt around and over it. 短語動詞

并在四周和顶部回填泥土。

He paid more than $20,000 for concrete,

他花在混凝土上的钱超过2万美元，

$12,000 for Styrofoam,

Styrofoam材料花了1.2万美元，

and $2,000 for this single door.

单是这扇门就花了2000美元。

He said he'll invest another $30,000

他说还会再投入3万美元，

to build out a kitchen and other rooms. 短語動詞

用于建好厨房和其他房间。

Of course,

当然，

he's already stocked the bunker with $30,000 worth of guns and ammunition. 短語搭配

他已经在地堡里储备了价值3万美元的枪支弹药。

Pandemic fears are likely to stay strong for years after it's over,

即使疫情结束，对疫情的恐惧也很可能持续多年，

and the truth is,

而事实是，

there's always something to fear.

总有事情让人害怕。

Nobody knows what the future has,

没人知道未来会发生什么，

so the attitude is it's better to have it and not need it 語法

所以大家的想法是：宁可备而不用，

than to need it and not have it.

也不要用时无备。