Attempt a guess at the following question: In the English-speaking world, which country ha

Attempt a guess at the following question: In the English-speaking world, which country has the least affordable homes? You are wrong if you guessed the US, even with the housing bubble (气泡) and main sadness. Nor is it the UK, where prices have risen because demand is far from supply. According to a recent survey of 227 cities around the globe, you must go south of the equator (赤道) to Australia to find the priciest homes.
The report measured a city’s housing market along the following guidelines. An “affordable” home required three times or less of the average family’s ine to purchase. At four times earnings, a home fell into the “unaffordable” category. And a “seriously unaffordable” home needed five times a family’s ine. In Australia, homes in the least affordable city cost just about 9.5 times the average ine. Sydney, Perth, and Melbourne were only a little under this figure.
Australian officials offered little ment, apart from a general statement on the dismal findings. These prices make the possibility that many Australians will one day own a home largely unbelievable. Land rationing (配给制) and excessive development charges have raised prices, and the problem will only be solved through urgent action by the Rudd government.
Some American cities were also included on the least affordable list, four of which were in California. America is still involved in a mortgage（抵押）crisis, though, affecting the affordability of homes. Yet a number of US cities garnered “affordable” status, namely Dallas and Kansas. Australia had no cities listed in the top fifty places with affordable homes.
The survey suggests that you can find affordable homes in most places, just not if you’re Australian and choose to live down under.
【小题1】To buy an affordable house, you should pay     .A．3 times or less of the average family’s ineB．4 times or less of the average family’s ineC．5 times or less of the average family’s ine D．9.5 times or less of the average family’s ine【小题2】What caused the prices of houses to increase in Australia?A．The rising family’s ine.B．The demand over supply.C．The excessive development charges.D．The decrease of land.【小题3】The underlined word “dismal” in Paragraph 3 may mean     .A．cheerfulB．satisfactoryC．difficultD．gloomy【小题4】What might be the most suitable title for the passage?A．Affordable HousesB．A House is a Dream First C．Housing BubbleD．Homes Too ExpensiveA