学区房 School-District Housing

在zài中国Zhōngguó的de大dà城市chéngshì，有yǒu一种yì zhǒng特别tèbié的de房子fángzi，叫做jiàozuò“学区房xuéqūfáng”。

In China's big cities there is a special kind of home, known as "school-district housing".

这种zhè zhǒng房子fángzi本身běnshēn可能kěnéng又yòu小xiǎo又yòu旧jiù，价格jiàgé却què贵guì得de让ràng人rén吃惊chījīng。

The house itself may be small and old, yet the price is shockingly high.

原因yuányīn很hěn简单jiǎndān：买mǎi了le它tā，孩子háizi就jiù能néng进入jìnrù附近fùjìn最好zuì hǎo的de学校xuéxiào。

The reason is simple: buy it, and your child can enter the best school in the area.

为了wèile孩子háizi的de教育jiàoyù，许多xǔduō家长jiāzhǎng不得不bùdébù花光huāguāng所有suǒyǒu的de积蓄jīxù，甚至shènzhì借jiè很多hěn duō钱qián。

For their children's education, many parents have no choice but to spend all their savings, or even borrow heavily.

我wǒ的de一位yí wèi同事tóngshì就是jiùshì这样zhèyàng：他tā卖掉màidiào了le宽敞kuānchang的de大dà房子fángzi，搬进bānjìn了le一套yí tào五十wǔshí平方米píngfāngmǐ的de老lǎo房子fángzi。

One of my colleagues did exactly that: he sold his spacious house and moved into a fifty-square-meter old apartment.

他tā笑xiào着zhe说shuō：“房子fángzi是shì旧jiù了le点儿diǎnr，可是kěshì孩子háizi的de未来wèilái不bù能néng等děng。”

He said with a smile: "The place is a bit old, sure, but my child's future can't wait."

学区房xuéqūfáng现象xiànxiàng反映fǎnyìng了le教育jiàoyù资源zīyuán分配fēnpèi不bù平均píngjūn的de问题wèntí。

The school-district housing phenomenon reflects the uneven distribution of educational resources.

凡是fánshì好hǎo学校xuéxiào集中jízhōng的de地方dìfang，房价fángjià就jiù一定yídìng特别tèbié高gāo。

Wherever good schools are concentrated, housing prices are invariably sky-high.

近年来jìn nián lái，政府zhèngfǔ正在zhèngzài想xiǎng办法bànfǎ让ràng教育jiàoyù资源zīyuán更加gèngjiā公平gōngpíng，但是dànshì要yào彻底chèdǐ解决jiějué这个zhège问题wèntí，恐怕kǒngpà还hái需要xūyào很hěn长cháng时间shíjiān。

In recent years the government has been looking for ways to make educational resources fairer, but solving the problem completely will, I'm afraid, take a very long time.

🔊 Audio uses your device's Chinese voice for now — teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.

Key words 生词

学区房xuéqūfángschool-district housing

积蓄jīxùsavings

资源zīyuánresources

分配fēnpèito distribute; distribution

平均píngjūneven, equal

彻底chèdǐthorough(ly), complete(ly)

Grammar note 语法点

凡是…，就/都…

Means 'whatever / whoever / wherever...' — states a rule that applies to every case in a category, e.g. 凡是他说的话，大家都相信.

凡是好学校集中的地方，房价就一定特别高。 — Wherever good schools are concentrated, housing prices are invariably especially high.

又…又…

Links two qualities that are true at the same time: 'both A and B', e.g. 这个孩子又聪明又可爱.

这种房子本身可能又小又旧，价格却贵得让人吃惊。 — The house itself may be both small and old, yet the price is shockingly high.

恐怕

Means 'I'm afraid that...' — expresses a worried estimate about something probably negative, e.g. 现在出发，恐怕已经来不及了.

要彻底解决这个问题，恐怕还需要很长时间。 — To solve this problem completely will, I'm afraid, still take a very long time.

Check yourself 小测验

1. Why is school-district housing so expensive?

2. What did the author's colleague do?

3. According to the text, what does the school-district housing phenomenon reflect?

学区房XuéqūfángSchool-District Housing

Key words 生词

Grammar note 语法点

Check yourself 小测验

More HSK 5 reading practice