為什麼生存地堡如此昂貴 | 為什麼這麼貴：英語精讀講義

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

過去，購買生存地堡還只是末日論者和生存主義者才會做的事。

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

但受到疫情影響，德州這家工廠如今供不應求。

People want these like yesterday. 慣用語

大家急著要，恨不得昨天就拿到。

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

他們想要得不得了，願意加錢立刻拿貨。

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

最基本的宜居地堡起價為5萬美元，

not including installation.

還不包括安裝費。

But if you want to include a movie theater,

但如果你想加入電影院、

pool, and rock-climbing wall,

游泳池和攀岩牆，

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

最高可以花到450萬美元。

So,

那麼，

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

人們為什麼要花這麼多錢，買一個可能永遠都用不到的東西？

And why are bunkers so expensive?

地堡為什麼這麼貴？

Meet Ron Hubbard, 文化背景

這位是Ron Hubbard，

not the founder of Scientology.

不是山達基教的創辦人。

Just Ron,

他只是Ron，

the founder of Atlas Survival Shelters.

Atlas Survival Shelters的創辦人。

So, how do you get prepared?

那麼，要怎麼做好準備？

Well,

首先，

you get your food and water.

你得備好食物和水。

But once you have all that,

但這些都備齊之後，

you're going to need a bunker.

你還需要一座地堡。

And that's when I come into play. 慣用語

這時就輪到我登場了。

He sells bunkers out of his 10-acre factory

他在自己占地10英畝的工廠裡銷售地堡，

in Sulphur Springs,

工廠位於Sulphur Springs，

Texas.

德州。

First and foremost,

首先，也是最重要的，

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

我們要確保地堡完全氣密，因為

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

萬一出現任何經空氣傳播的瘟疫或煙霧，

chemical warfare,

化學戰、

biological warfare,

生物戰，

whatever.

或任何其他狀況，那就糟了。

Ron says he builds about 24 bunkers a year

Ron說，他每年建造大約24座

that are the size of homes,

房屋大小的地堡，

as well as hundreds of smaller storm shelters.

以及數百個較小的防風暴避難所。

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

他說，人們確實需要一個地下逃生處，

pandemic and politics aside. 表達脈絡

這和疫情或政治無關。

Conservative or liberal,

不管是保守派還是自由派，

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

你總得擔心家人的安全，

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

以防這個國家有一天爆發任何形式的革命、

civil war,

內戰，

or if we go into some kind of World War.

或是我們捲入某種世界大戰。

The craze for bunkers is not exactly new.

地堡熱潮其實並不新鮮。

A new housing development near Denver,

科羅拉多州丹佛附近的一處新住宅開發案，

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

展示了全美首批內建核落塵避難所的樣品屋。

Thousands of Americans built their own nuclear fallout shelters

數以千計的美國人建造了自己的核落塵避難所，

at the height of the Cold War 講解

當時正值冷戰高峰，

in the 1950s and 60s.

也就是1950至1960年代。

They were made out of steel

這些避難所由鋼材建造，

to protect against radiation.

用來抵禦輻射。

Larry Hall converted a Cold War nuclear missile silo

Larry Hall把一座冷戰時期的核子飛彈發射井

in Central Kansas

——它位於堪薩斯州中部——

into a 15-story inverted skyscraper.

改造成一棟15層樓的倒置摩天大樓。

The government decommissioned the silo 用詞

政府讓這座發射井除役後，

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

Larry在2008年以30萬美元將它買下。

Whether it was Kim Jong Un before this

不論是先前的金正恩，

or Iran with the previous threats

還是伊朗之前發出的威脅，

or when Barack Obama was elected as president

或是歐巴馬當選總統時，

or when Donald Trump was elected as president.

又或川普當選總統時。

I mean,

我是說，

people have a variety of fears.

人們有各式各樣的恐懼。

The Survival Condo Project has 12 apartments,

Survival Condo Project共有12戶公寓，

some costing up to $4.5 million each.

其中有些每戶價格高達450萬美元。

So far,

到目前為止，

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

除了兩戶，他已把其他公寓全賣掉了。

We have residential level

我們的住宅樓層包括

5, 6,

5樓、6樓，

7, 8,

7樓、8樓，

9, 10, and 11.

9樓、10樓和11樓。

Then there's a library and classroom,

此外還有圖書館和教室、

a theater and lounge,

電影院和交誼廳，

exercise and spa.

健身區和水療中心。

We also have a sauna

我們還有一間三溫暖室，

complete with different-colored mood lighting. 片語搭配

配有不同顏色的情境照明。

After all, 表達脈絡

畢竟，

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

如果你得長時間待在地下設法求生，

and if you can afford it,

而且你負擔得起，

you may as well thrive. 文法

那不妨讓自己過得有滋有味。

In recent years,

近年來，

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

個人化的防災準備已發展成價值數百萬美元的產業。

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

至少有1,320萬名美國人表示，他們已備妥計畫和物資，

to survive a month or more without power,

能在沒有電力的情況下生存一個月以上，

running water, or transportation.

即使沒有自來水或交通工具也能撐下去。

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

備災可以只是儲存一些物品，以便在停電時應急，

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

也可以準備防風暴避難所，躲過龍捲風和颶風等級的強風。

Since the start of 2021,

自2021年初以來，

storm shelter sales are up 30%.

防風暴避難所的銷量成長了30%。

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

而前一年已經成長了35%。

Possibly part of what has driven that increase in sales 文法

促使銷量增加的部分原因可能是，

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

2020年對我們所有人來說都太過煎熬。

So,

所以，

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

為家人安裝防風暴避難所，是他們能夠掌控的一件事，

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

他們確實可以藉此提升家人的安全，也獲得一些掌控感。

But bunkers are in a different league. 慣用語

但地堡完全是不同等級。

Ron sells bunkers with a variety of add-ons

Ron販售的地堡可以加裝各種設施，

like escape tunnels and hidden doors.

像是逃生隧道和暗門。

So,

比如說，

this typically will have a secret passage

這裡通常會有一條秘密通道，

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

通往一個隱密艙口，再往下進入密室。

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

這可不是祖父那個年代的防空洞。

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

它擁有房子裡會有的各種配備，應有盡有。

I mean,

我是說，

if you can have it in a house,

只要房子裡能有的，

you can have it in the bunker.

地堡裡也能有。

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

這個型號售價約50萬美元，設有三間獨立臥室、

two bathrooms,

兩間浴室、

a kitchen,

一間廚房、

dining room,

飯廳、

living room,

客廳，

and a game room.

還有一間遊戲室。

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

Ron說，他手上的訂單已經積壓超過一年，

even though prices for the materials to build the bunkers

儘管建造地堡所需的材料價格

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

從去年11月以來已上漲15%到20%。

The cost of wood has tripled,

木材成本漲到原來的三倍，

the cost of steel has tripled,

鋼材成本也漲到原來的三倍，

the cost of gas has doubled,

燃料成本翻了一倍，

everything's gone through the roof. 慣用語

所有東西都貴得嚇人。

Some people decide to build their own shelters.

有些人決定自己蓋避難所。

About 60 miles outside of Dallas,

在達拉斯郊外約60英里處，

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

一名40多歲的醫師自建了一座1,200平方英尺的地堡。

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

談到這個心血之作時，他要求保持匿名。

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

我把它看作類似壽險和失能保險的東西。

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

如果負擔得起，就該備上一個。

So far,

到目前為止，

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

他已在這座地堡上花了大約10萬美元，

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

它位於自家房屋下方，但至今還沒真正用過。

I don't advertise it.

我不會到處宣傳。

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

我不介意讓家人或朋友過來。

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

我會讓他們進來參觀，

show it,

帶他們看看，

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

但我不想公開，也不希望所有人都知道。

But what makes a bunker so costly?

但地堡究竟為什麼這麼貴？

The pretty things like the stainless steel appliances

不鏽鋼家電這些好看的東西，

and nicer furniture and the higher ceilings

再加上更好的家具和挑高的天花板，

are all really relatively low-cost.

其實成本都相對不高。

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

真正推高成本的是維生系統。

Those are tremendously expensive.

那些系統貴得驚人。

Bunkers are made of steel and concrete.

地堡是用鋼材和混凝土打造的。

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

這名醫師花了大約一年時間，以及價值2.2萬美元的材料，

to plan and engineer his bunker.

來規劃和設計他的地堡。

He paid an excavation company $12,200

他付給一家開挖公司1.22萬美元，

to dig a hole 80 feet long 文法

挖出一個80英尺長、

and 50 feet wide

50英尺寬，

and about 16 feet below ground.

深入地下約16英尺的大坑。

Then he built the bunker quickly

接著他迅速蓋起地堡，

because he was afraid rain would ruin the excavation work.

因為擔心下雨會毀掉已完成的開挖工程。

He poured a concrete foundation,

他灌注了混凝土地基、

walls,

牆體，

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

並在四周和頂部回填泥土。

He paid more than $20,000 for concrete,

他花在混凝土上的錢超過2萬美元，

$12,000 for Styrofoam,

保麗龍花了1.2萬美元，

and $2,000 for this single door.

單是這扇門就花了2,000美元。

He said he'll invest another $30,000

他說還會再投入3萬美元，

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

用來蓋好廚房和其他房間。

Of course,

當然，

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

他已在地堡裡囤放價值3萬美元的槍枝和彈藥。

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

即使疫情結束，對疫情的恐懼也很可能持續多年，

and the truth is,

而事實是，

there's always something to fear.

總有事情讓人害怕。

Nobody knows what the future has,

沒有人知道未來會發生什麼，

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

所以大家的想法是：寧可備而不用，

than to need it and not have it.

也不要用時無備。