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WillNewRulesSaveLivesonMountEverest?新规能否拯救珠峰上的生命?ExperiencedclimbersofMountEverestarewonderingifnewproposedruleswilldealwiththerootcausesofdeathsontheworld'stallestmountain.经验丰富的珠穆朗玛峰登山者正疑惑,新拟定的规则能否解决这座世界最高峰上死亡事故的根源问题。Theproposals,ifapprovedbythegovernmentofNepal,wouldaddstepstothepermittingprocessforclimbers.AmericanmountaineersEdViestursandAlanArnettesaidthemeasuresareunlikelytostopinexperiencedclimbersfromtryingtotravelupMountEverest.这些提议若获尼泊尔政府批准,将会为登山者的许可证申请流程增加更多环节。美国登山家埃德·维斯特尔斯和艾伦·阿内特表示,这些措施不太可能阻止缺乏经验的登山者尝试攀登珠峰。Thisyear,elevenclimbersdiedwhiletryingtoclimbthe8,850-meterhighmountain.ManyofthemdiedinlateMayaftertheywerestuckina"trafficjam"nearitssummit.Viesturssaidthatmanyteamstriedtoreachthesummitassoonastheyheardpredictionsofgoodweather.今年,有11名登山者在试图攀登这座海拔8850米的高山时不幸遇难。其中许多人是在5月下旬被困在接近山顶的“交通拥堵”区域后丧生的。维斯特尔斯称,许多登山队一听到天气预报说天气良好,就争先恐后地试图登顶。"Everyoneisafraidofmissingwhatmightbetheoneandonlyperfectday.Therearetypicallyseveralgoodsummitdays,butthere'spressuretogowheneveryoneelsegoes,"hesaid.他说道:“大家都生怕错过可能是唯一一个绝佳的登顶日。通常会有几个不错的登顶日,但当所有人都选择行动时,你也会感受到压力,不得不跟着出发。”Traditionally,Nepalhasgivenclimbingpermitstoanyonepreparedtopayafeeof$11,000.Thisyear,thegovernmentapprovedarecord381permits.按照传统,尼泊尔会向任何愿意支付1.1万美元费用的人发放登山许可证。今年,该国政府批准了创纪录的381份许可证。WithessentialSherpasandguidesadded,morethan800peopleweretryingtoreachthesummitduringtheshortweatherwindow.Theovercrowdingledtodeadlydelaysinwhatisknownasthe"deathzone,"theareaabove8,000meters.再加上必不可少的夏尔巴向导和普通向导,在短暂的天气窗口期内,有800多人试图登顶。过度拥挤导致在海拔8000米以上的“死亡地带”出现了致命的延误。Italsoraisedconcernsthatguidecompanieswereurginginexperiencedmountaineerstoattempttheclimb.Amongthesuggestedchangesisaruleforclimberstohaveacertifieddoctorprepareareportontheirmedicalhistoryandgeneralhealth.AnothersuggestedrequirementisthatclimbersprovideevidencetheyhaveclimbedanothertallmountaininNepal.这也引发了人们的担忧,即登山向导公司正在怂恿缺乏经验的登山者尝试攀登珠峰。在建议的改革措施中,有一项规定要求登山者必须由一名有资质的医生出具一份关于其病史和整体健康状况的报告。另一项建议要求登山者提供证据,证明他们曾攀登过尼泊尔境内的另一座高山。Theproposalshavebeenofferedtothecabinetforapproval,saidMiraAcharya,whooverseesclimbingactivitiesforNepal'sDepartmentofTourism.Thegovernmenthasyettosaywhenthelawsmighttakeeffect.尼泊尔旅游部负责登山活动的官员米拉·阿查里亚表示,这些提议已提交内阁批准,但政府尚未说明这些法律何时可能生效。Viesturssaidtheproposedchangeswillnotdoenoughtostopthe"groupthink"mentalitythatledtothetrafficjaminlateMay.Hesaidclimbleadersatbasecampalsoneededtoconsiderhowtofixtheproblem.维斯特尔斯表示,拟议的改革措施并不足以遏制导致5月下旬“交通拥堵”的“从众”心态。他说,大本营的登山领队也需要考虑如何解决这一问题。"Iknowseveralclimberswhowaiteduntillaterandhadthemountainalmosttothemselves,"Viesturssaidofthe2019climbingseason."Wereallyneedtoanswerwhysomanypeopleareonthesummitridgeonthesameday?Howcanyoucontrolit?"维斯特尔斯在谈到2019年的登山季时说:“我知道有几位登山者等到后面才出发,结果几乎独享了整座山峰。我们真的需要弄清楚,为什么同一天会有这么多人出现在山顶山脊上?又该如何控制这一局面呢?”
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HeavyChatGPTuserstendtobemorelonely,suggestsresearch高频使用 ChatGPT 的用户往往更孤独HeavyusersofChatGPTtendtobelonelier,moreemotionallydependentontheAItoolandhavefewerofflinesocialrelationships,newresearchsuggests.最新研究指出,频繁使用 ChatGPT 的用户不仅更容易感到孤独,还可能在情感上愈发依赖这一 AI 工具,同时其线下社交圈也相对更为狭窄。OnlyasmallnumberofusersengageemotionallywithChatGPT,butthosewhodoareamongtheheaviestusers,accordingtoapairofstudiesfromOpenAIandtheMITMediaLab.根据 OpenAI 与麻省理工学院媒体实验室联合开展的两项研究,尽管只有少数用户会与 ChatGPT 建立起情感联系,但这类用户恰恰是使用频率最高的群体。Theresearcherswrotethattheuserswhoengagedinthemostemotionallyexpressivepersonalconversationswiththechatbotstendedtoexperiencehigherloneliness –thoughitisn'tclearifthisiscausedbythechatbotorbecauselonelypeopleareseekingemotionalbonds.研究人员在报告中指出,那些与聊天机器人进行深度情感交流的用户,往往孤独感更为强烈。不过,目前尚无法确定这是聊天机器人本身所导致的结果,还是孤独人群在主动寻求情感慰藉。Whiletheresearchershavestressedthatthestudiesarepreliminary,theyaskpressingquestionsabouthowAIchatbottools,whichaccordingtoOpenAIisusedbymorethan400millionpeopleaweek,areinfluencingpeople'sofflinelives.尽管研究人员强调这些研究尚处于初步阶段,但它们无疑提出了一个亟待解答的问题:鉴于 OpenAI 透露,每周有超过4亿人使用人工智能聊天机器人工具,那么这些工具究竟是如何影响人们的线下生活的呢?Theresearchers,whoplantosubmitbothstudiestopeer-reviewedjournals,foundthatparticipantswho"bonded"withChatGPT – typicallyinthetop10%fortimespentwiththetool – weremorelikelythanotherstobelonely,andtorelyonitmore.研究人员计划将这两项研究提交至同行评审期刊。他们发现,与 ChatGPT 建立起“情感纽带”的参与者(即使用该工具时间最长的前10%用户)相较于其他用户,更容易陷入孤独,且对聊天机器人的依赖程度也更高。Theresearchersestablishedacomplexpictureintermsoftheimpact.Voice-basedchatbotsinitiallyappearedtohelpmitigatelonelinesscomparedwithtext-basedchatbots,butthisadvantagestartedtoslipthemoresomeoneusedthem.在探讨这些工具对用户的影响时,研究人员勾勒出了一幅复杂的图景。相较于基于文本的聊天机器人,基于语音的聊天机器人在初期似乎更有助于缓解用户的孤独感。然而,随着使用频率的增加,这一优势逐渐减弱。Afterusingthechatbotforfourweeks,femalestudyparticipantswereslightlylesslikelytosocialisewithpeoplethantheirmalecounterparts.ParticipantswhointeractedwithChatGPT'svoicemodeinagenderthatwasnottheirownfortheirinteractionsreportedsignificantlyhigherlevelsoflonelinessandmoreemotionaldependencyonthechatbotattheendoftheexperiment.在使用聊天机器人四周后,女性研究参与者的社交意愿相较于男性参与者有所降低。实验结束时,那些选择使用与自己性别不符的语音模式与 ChatGPT 互动的参与者,其孤独感显著增强,对聊天机器人的情感依赖也更为严重。Inthefirststudy,theresearchersanalysedreal-worlddatafromcloseto40minteractionswithChatGPT,andthenaskedthe4,076userswhohadthoseinteractionshowtheyfelt.在第一项研究中,研究人员对近4000万次与 ChatGPT 的互动数据进行了深入分析,并随后询问了这4076名参与互动的用户他们的真实感受。Forthesecondstudy,theMediaLabrecruitedalmost1,000peopletotakepartinafour-weektrialexamininghowparticipantsinteractedwithChatGPTforaminimumoffiveminuteseachday.Participantsthencompletedaquestionnairetomeasuretheirfeelingsofloneliness,levelsofsocialengagement,andemotionaldependenceonthebot.而在第二项研究中,媒体实验室招募了近1000名志愿者,进行了一项为期四周的试验。该试验旨在考察参与者每天至少与 ChatGPT 互动五分钟的情况。试验结束后,参与者需填写一份问卷,以评估他们的孤独感、社交参与度以及对聊天机器人的情感依赖程度。Thefindingsechoearlierresearch,forexamplein2023MITMediaLabresearchersfoundthatchatbotstendedtomirrortheemotionalsentimentofauser'smessages – happiermessagesledtohappierresponses.这些发现与早期的研究成果不谋而合。例如,2023年麻省理工学院媒体实验室的研究就曾指出,聊天机器人往往会模仿用户消息中的情感倾向——即用户发送更快乐的消息时,聊天机器人也会给出更积极的回应。DrAndrewRogoyski,adirectorattheSurreyInstituteforPeople-CentredArtificialIntelligence,saidthatbecausepeoplewerehard-wiredtothinkofamachinebehavinginhuman-likewaysasahuman,AIchatbotscouldbe"dangerous",andfarmoreresearchwasneededtounderstandtheirsocialandemotionalimpacts.萨里以人为本人工智能研究所主任安德鲁·罗戈伊斯基博士对此表示忧虑。他认为,由于人类天生会将表现得像人类一样的机器视为同类,因此人工智能聊天机器人可能潜藏着巨大的风险。他强调,为了深入了解这些工具的社会和情感影响,还需要开展更多的研究。"Inmyopinion,wearedoingopen-brainsurgeryonhumans,pokingaroundwithourbasicemotionalwiringwithnoideaofthelong-termconsequences.We'veseensomeofthedownsidesofsocialmedia – thisispotentiallymuchmorefar-reaching,"hesaid.他警告称:“在我看来,我们目前的行为无异于对人类进行一场无知的‘开颅手术’,随意摆弄着人们的基本情感线路,却对可能产生的长期后果一无所知。我们已经目睹了社交媒体所带来的种种弊端,而人工智能聊天机器人的潜在影响可能更为深远且复杂。”DrTheodoreCosco,aresearcherattheUniversityofOxford,saidtheresearchraised"validconcernsaboutheavychatbotusage",thoughhenotedit"opensthedoortoexcitingandencouragingpossibilities".牛津大学研究员西奥多·科斯科博士则认为,这项研究虽然提出了对高频使用聊天机器人的合理担忧,但同时也为探索人工智能的积极应用提供了新的视角。"TheideathatAIsystemscanoffermeaningfulsupport — particularlyforthosewhomayotherwisefeelisolated — isworthexploring.However,wemustbethoughtfulandintentionalinhowweintegratethesetoolsintoeverydaylife."他强调:“人工智能系统确实有可能为那些感到孤立的人提供有意义的支持。然而,在将这些工具融入日常生活的过程中,我们必须保持谨慎和深思熟虑的态度。”DrDorisDippold,whoresearchesinterculturalcommunicationattheUniversityofSurrey,saiditwouldbeimportanttoestablishwhatcausedemotionaldependenceonchatbots."Aretheycausedbythefactthatchattingtoabottiesuserstoalaptoporaphoneandthereforeremovesthemfromauthenticsocialinteraction?Orisitthesocialinteraction,courtesyofChatGPToranotherdigitalcompanion,whichmakespeoplecravemore?"萨里大学专注于跨文化交际研究的多丽丝·迪波尔德博士则指出,确定人们为何会对聊天机器人产生情感依赖至关重要。“是因为与聊天机器人聊天让用户被束缚在电子设备前,从而远离了真实的社交互动吗?还是因为 ChatGPT 或其他数字伴侣所提供的社交体验让人们欲罢不能呢?”
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Arevacationsworthit?度假真的值得吗?Vacationscansometimesseemlikemoretroublethanthey’reworthwhenyoucomehometoafullinboxandafirehoseofproblemsrequiringimmediateattention.当你度假归来,迎接你的是满当当的收件箱和一堆亟待解决的棘手问题时,度假似乎有时显得得不偿失。Butpeoplewhoskipvacationsmaybemissingoutonimportanthealthbenefits,accordingtoagrowingbodyofresearchlinkingregulargetawaystoeverythingfrombetterhearthealthtoalowerriskofmetabolicdisordersandevenalongerlife.然而,越来越多的研究表明,规律度假对健康大有裨益,从改善心脏健康、降低代谢疾病风险,甚至到延长寿命,不一而足。因此,那些放弃度假的人可能正错失这些重要的健康益处。A2025reviewof32previousstudiesintheJournalofAppliedPsychologyalsofoundthattheimmediateeffectsonwell-beingaremoreprofoundandlong-lastingthanpreviouslythought.2025年,《应用心理学杂志》对32项先前的研究进行了综述,发现度假对福祉的即时影响比人们之前认为的更为深远且持久。Amongthefindingsinonelongitudinalstudythatfollowedmorethan12,000menathighriskofcoronaryheartdisease:Thosewhotookavacationeveryyearoveranine-yearperiodreducedtheiroverallriskofdeathbyabout20percentandtheirriskofdeathfromheartdiseasebyasmuchas30percent,accordingtothestudy’smainauthor,BrooksB.Gump,aprofessorofpublichealthatSyracuseUniversity,whostudiesthehealtheffectsoftakingvacations.在一项对12000多名冠心病高风险男性进行的长达九年的纵向研究中,研究主要作者、雪城大学研究度假健康效应的公共卫生学教授布鲁克斯·B·冈普发现:那些每年都坚持度假的人,总体死亡风险降低了约20%,因心脏病死亡的风险更是降低了高达30%。Otherresearchershaveidentifiedlinksbetweentakingvacationsandfewerstress-relatedphysicalcomplaints,lowerlevelsofexhaustionanddepression,andgreaterhappinessandwell-being.其他研究人员也发现,度假与更少的压力相关身体不适、更低的疲惫和抑郁水平,以及更高的幸福感和福祉感之间存在关联。Evenshortbreakshavehealthpayoffs.Whenmiddlemanagerswereassignedtoeithertakeafour-dayvacationortaketimeoffathome,thosewholefttownreportedgreaterpositiveeffectsonstressandwell-being,accordingtoresearchersatAustria’sUniversityforHealthSciences,MedicalInformaticsandTechnology.Andunlikeatanline,thevacation “afterglow” continuedforaslongas45dayspost-vacation.即便是短暂的休假,也对健康大有裨益。奥地利健康科学、医学信息学与技术大学的研究人员发现,当中层管理人员被分配到为期四天的度假或在家休息时,那些离开所在城市的人报告称,度假对缓解压力和提升福祉有更显著的积极影响。而且,与晒痕不同,度假的“余晖”效应在度假结束后仍能持续长达45天。Notsurprisingly,vacationsmayalsohelppaydownasleepdebt,longassociatedwithagreaterriskofobesityanddiabetes,a2022studyinNatureHumanBehaviorsuggests.ResearchersreliedondatacollectedfromSonySmartBandswornbysome20,000people,covering218,000nightsoftravel,someofwhichmayhavebeenforbusiness.毫不意外的是,2022年《自然·人类行为》杂志上的一项研究表明,度假还有助于偿还“睡眠债”。长期睡眠不足与肥胖和糖尿病风险增加有关。研究人员利用约20000人佩戴的索尼智能手环收集的数据,覆盖了21.8万个夜晚的出行记录,其中部分出行可能是出于商务目的。Amongthetravelers,peoplewhoweresleep-deprived-sleepinglessthan7.5hoursanight-clockedmorehoursofsleepwhentheywereawayfromhome.(Peoplewhotypicallygotmorethan7.5hoursnightlytendedtosleeplesswellontheroad.)在这些旅行者中,那些睡眠不足(每晚睡眠少于7.5小时)的人,在离家旅行时睡眠时间更长。(而那些每晚睡眠超过7.5小时的人,在旅途中睡眠质量则往往较差。)Regardlessofthesettingorcircumstances,it’sthebreakingupofintenseperiodsofworkwithlongperiodsofrestandrecoverythatmakesthedifferencetohealthandwell-being.Weneedvacationstotakecareofourselves.无论环境或情况如何,真正对健康和福祉产生影响的是,用长时间的休息和恢复来打破高强度的工作周期。我们需要度假来关爱自己。
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CouldAItranslateanimalsoundsintowords?TechexpertshopesoAI能否将动物声音转化为人类语言?科技专家对此满怀期待AChinesetechcompanyhasrevealeditisexploringwhetheritispossibletouseAItotranslateanimalsoundsintohumanlanguage.近日,一家中国科技公司透露,正在探索利用AI技术,把动物声音转化为人类语言的可能性。Baidu,theownerofChina'slargestsearchengine,hasfiledapatentwiththeChinaNationalIntellectualPropertyAdministration.Theplanswererevealedinapatentdocumentpublishedthisweek.这家公司便是中国最大搜索引擎的拥有者——百度。百度已向中国国家知识产权局提交了一项专利申请。本周公布的一份专利文件,披露了相关计划的具体内容。Thepatentisforasystemthatcollectsanimaldatalikevocalsounds,behaviourandphysiologicalsignals.Itwouldthenbeprocessedandmerged,beforeanAI-poweredanalysisdesignedtorecognisetheanimal'semotionalstate.该专利所涉及的是一个系统,该系统能够收集动物的数据,包括叫声、行为以及生理信号等。收集到的数据会先经过处理和整合,随后借助AI进行分析,以识别动物的情绪状态。Thoseemotionalstatescouldthenbetranslatedintohumanlanguageandcouldimprove"theaccuracyandefficiencyofcross-speciescommunication",accordingtoBaiduinthedocument.百度在文件中提到,识别出的这些情绪状态,后续可转化为人类语言,进而“提升跨物种交流的准确性和效率”。Thetranslatoris"stillintheresearchstage",accordingtoaBaiduspokespersonwhosaidtherehadbeena"lotofinterestinthefiling".据百度一位发言人介绍,这款翻译器目前“仍处于研究阶段”。该发言人还表示,此次专利申请“引发了广泛关注”。Althoughanimaltranslationhaslongfascinatedhumans,technologicaladvanceshavemadeitseemmorepossiblerecently.尽管动物翻译这一课题长期以来一直吸引着人类,但最近的技术进步,让这一设想看起来更具实现的可能。Videosonsocialmediafrequentlygoviralofdogsappearingtousebuttonsonhexagonalmats,knownasAugmentativeandAlternativeCommunication(AAC)boards,tocommunicatewiththeirowners.在社交媒体上,经常能看到一些狗狗似乎在利用六边形垫子上的按钮与主人交流的视频。这些垫子被称为辅助和替代交流(AAC)板。WhetherthesedogsareactuallycommunicatingisthesubjectofmuchdiscussionandscientistsatUCSanDiegoarerunningastudyon2,000dogstotryandsettlethedebate.关于这些狗狗是否真的在交流,引发了大量的讨论。加州大学圣地亚哥分校的科学家正在对2000只狗狗展开研究,试图为这场争论画上句号。Baidu'snewtechniqueofleveragingAIcouldofferanewoptiontounderstandpets,butsomeonChinesesocialmediaremainunconvinced.百度利用AI的新技术,或许为人类理解宠物提供了一种全新的途径。然而,在中国社交媒体上,仍有一些人对这一技术持怀疑态度。"Whileitsoundsimpressive,we'llneedtoseehowitperformsinreal-worldapplications,"commentedoneuseronWeibo.一位微博用户评论道:“虽然这个想法听起来很了不起,但我们还得看看它在现实应用中的实际效果如何。”
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DuckcaughtbySwissspeedcameraforthesecondtime瑞士测速摄像头再度捕捉到超速鸭子WhentrafficpoliceintheSwisstownofKoenizsiftedthroughthelatestbatchofspeedingoffenders,theycouldn'tbelievewhattheywereseeing:ithadhappenedagain.当瑞士科尼茨镇的交警翻阅最新一批超速违规记录时,眼前的景象让他们难以置信:这一幕竟然再次上演。Forthesecondtimeinsevenyears,awildduckhadracedpastthecameraat32mph,breakingthe20mphspeedlimitandsettingofftheflash.七年间,一只野鸭竟两次以每小时32英里的速度从测速摄像头前呼啸而过,远超每小时20英里的限速,瞬间触发了闪光灯。Themallard,whichwasdescribedbythetowncouncilas"anotoriousspeederandrepeatoffender"wascaughtflyinglowthroughOberwangen,onWangentalstrasseonApril13,"probablyinahurry".4月13日,这只被镇议会戏称为“臭名昭著的超速惯犯”的绿头鸭,在旺根塔尔街的奥伯旺根路段低空飞行时被摄像头捕捉,当时它“或许正急着赶路”。"Weknowthisforsurebecauseshewaspickedupandflashedbytheradaratthatmoment,"thetowncouncilsaid.Remarkably,itisbelievedittobethesameduckcaughttravellingatthesamespeedinthesamelocationonthesamedatesevenyearsearlier.镇议会方面表示:“我们之所以如此确定,是因为雷达在那时精准捕捉到了它,并触发了闪光灯。”更令人惊奇的是,人们推测这只鸭子与七年前在同一天、同一地点、以相同速度被拍到的那只鸭子是同一只。Thecouncilsaid:"ColleaguesatthepoliceinspectoratewereastonishedwhentheylookedataradarcameraimagefromApril132025.Aduckhadindeedbeencaughtinthespeedtrapagain.Sevenyearstothedaylater,attheexactsamespotandatexactlythesamespeed."镇议会进一步说明:“2025年4月13日,当警察督察处的同事们审视雷达摄像头传回的图像时,无不感到震惊。一只鸭子竟然再次落入了测速陷阱。七年后,在同一个地点,以同样的速度,这一幕再次上演。”Thepreviousincidentmadeheadlinesaroundtheworldin2018.Policedeniedthattheimagescouldhavebeenfabricated.2018年,这起事件曾引发全球媒体的广泛关注。当时,警方坚决否认图像被篡改的可能性。Thetowncouncilsaid:"Accordingtothepoliceinspectorate,it'simpossiblethattheimageortheradarsystemweretamperedwith.Thecomputersarecalibratedandtestedannually...andthephotosaresealed."镇议会方面重申:“据警察督察处证实,图像和雷达系统均未遭到任何篡改。计算机每年都会接受严格的校准和测试……所有照片也都密封完好。”Itadded:"Wehopeyouenjoyponderingcuriouscoincidences,criminalactivitiesofanimalsandthemaximumflightspeedofducks."镇议会还幽默地补充道:“希望大家能享受这份探索离奇巧合、动物‘犯罪’行为以及鸭子最大飞行速度的乐趣。”SpeedinginSwitzerlandinvolvesstrictpenalties.Exceedingthelimitbymorethan20kph(12mph)inanon-builtupareacanleadtoafineof240SwissFrancs(£214).Muchfaster,andthedrivercanbechargedwithacriminaloffence.在瑞士,超速行为将面临严厉的处罚。在非建成区,若超速超过20公里/小时(即12英里/小时),驾驶员将面临240瑞士法郎(约合214英镑)的罚款。若超速更为严重,驾驶员甚至可能面临刑事指控。Athigheraltitudes,mallardsflyatbetween40mphand60mph,accordingtoDucksUnlimited,theAmericancharity.Thefastestamallardhaseverbeenrecordedflyingwas103mph.据美国慈善机构“无限制鸭子组织”介绍,绿头鸭在高空飞行时的速度通常在每小时40至60英里之间。而据记录,绿头鸭的最高飞行速度曾达到每小时103英里。TheanimalinquestionwasmigratingacrosssouthernMinnesotaandsouth-eastNorthDakotainAprillastyear,helpedbystrongtailwinds.去年4月,这只涉事的绿头鸭在强尾风的助力下,正迁徙穿越明尼苏达州南部和北达科他州东南部。
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Only ‘1in10peopleunder44canaffordtobuyafirsthome’仅10%的44岁以下人群买得起首套房Onlyoneintenyoungpeoplewhorenttheirhomecanaffordtogetonthehousingladder,newresearchsuggests,threateningtheviabilityofthegovernment'shousebuildingtarget.一项新的研究表明,在租房的年轻人中,仅有十分之一的人有能力购买首套房,这给政府设定的建房目标能否实现带来了威胁。Ministershavesetagoalof1.5millionnewhomesoverthenextfouryearsandpromisedrestorewhatSirKeirStarmerhascalledthe"dreamofhomeownership".大臣们设定了未来四年建造150万套新住房的目标,并承诺恢复基尔·斯塔默爵士所说的“拥有住房的梦想”。Butnewanalysissuggeststhatmanyfirst-timebuyerswillstruggletoaffordthenewhomesbeingbuilt,anddevelopershavesaidtheywillnotbuildmoreifthereisnodemandatcurrentprices.然而,新的分析显示,许多首次购房者将难以负担得起正在建造的新房,开发商也表示,如果当前价格下没有需求,他们不会建造更多房屋。Economicmodellingestimatedthat10.4percentofpeopleaged20to44whodonotownapropertyareinafinancialpositiontopurchaseafirsthome.根据公共优先咨询公司为住宅建筑商联合会撰写的一份报告,经济模型估算,在20至44岁且没有房产的人群中,仅有10.4%的人有经济能力购买首套房。However,manyinthisgroupwereonlyabletobuybecausetheywereinarelationship,givingthemdoublethepurchasingpower.Thereportestimatedthat2.9percentofyoungsingleadultswereinafinancialpositiontogetonthehousingladder.不过,该群体中的许多人之所以能买房,是因为他们处于恋爱关系中,这使他们的购买力翻倍。报告估算,仅有2.9%的年轻单身成年人有经济能力迈入购房行列。Thetrendisdrivenbypoorwagegrowth,lowratesofsavingsandstubbornlyhighhouseprices,accordingtoareportbythePublicFirstconsultancyfortheHomeBuildersFederation.公共优先咨询公司为住宅建筑商联合会撰写的这份报告指出,这一趋势是由工资增长缓慢、储蓄率低以及房价居高不下所导致的。Itfoundthatifallthosepeoplewhowereinafinancialpositiontobuyahomeweretodosooverthenextfiveyears,thiswouldresultinonly69,000first-timebuyersayear.Thisissignificantlybelowthetypicalannualnumberoffirst-timemortgagedpurchases,whichusuallyrangesfrom200,000to300,000.报告发现,如果所有有经济能力购房的人都在未来五年内买房,那么每年仅有6.9万名首次购房者。这一数字远低于典型的年度首次购房贷款人数,通常在20万至30万之间。Ministershopethatdoublingthenumberofhousesbuiltoverthenextfiveyearswillleadtoafallinhouseprices,makingiteasierforyoungpeopletobuy.Buttheindustryarguesthatgivenconstructioncostsandtightprofitmargins,developerswillnotbuildthenumberofhomesthegovernmentwants.大臣们希望,未来五年将建房数量翻倍会导致房价下跌,从而使年轻人更容易购房。但建筑行业认为,鉴于建筑成本高和利润空间小,开发商不会建造政府期望数量的住房。"Thehomebuildingindustryfacesmajorchallengesthatcontinuetodeterinvestmentinnewsites,"NeilJefferson,thechiefexecutiveofthefederation,said."Withoutaprospectivebuyerbase,supportedbyaffordablemortgagefinance,builderswillbehard-pressedtomakethesignificantinvestmentsnecessarytoboosthousingsupply."该联合会首席执行官尼尔·杰斐逊表示:“住宅建筑行业面临着重大挑战,这些挑战继续阻碍对新地块的投资,如果没有潜在的购房群体,且没有可负担的抵押贷款支持,建筑商将很难进行必要的重大投资来增加住房供应。”First-timebuyersaccountforasignificantpercentageofthehousingmarket,particularlyfornewhomes.Aboutathirdofallhomesaresoldtofirst-timebuyers,risingtohalfinLondon.首次购房者在住房市场中占有相当大的比例,尤其是在新房市场。约三分之一的房屋售给了首次购房者,在伦敦这一比例上升至一半。Thefederationiscallingonministerstobringbackaversionofthelastgovernment'sHelptoBuyequityloanschemewhichcametoanendin2023.Thiswouldgivefirst-timebuyersinterest-freeloansforthefirstfiveyearswithdepositsofaslittleas5percent.该联合会呼吁大臣们恢复上一届政府“购房援助计划”的某个版本,该计划于2023年结束。这将为首次购房者提供前五年免息贷款,首付比例可低至 5%。ItarguesthatRachelReeves'snewborrowingrulesmeantheschemewouldbetreatedascapitalinvestmentandwouldnotcounttowardsday-to-daygovernmentdebt.联合会认为,蕾切尔·里夫斯新出台的借贷规则意味着该计划将被视为资本投资,不会计入政府的日常债务。JackAirey,thehousingandinfrastructuredirectoratPublicFirst,saidhelpwasneededbecausehousingdemandwas"muchweakerthancommonlythoughtforfirst-timebuyers".公共优先咨询公司的住房和基础设施主管杰克·艾雷表示,需要提供帮助,因为首次购房者的住房需求“远比人们普遍认为的要弱”。"Ourresearchfindsthatwithoutsignificantwagegrowth,oraschemethatmakeslowdepositmortgagesmoreaffordableandaccessible,theywillbecutofffromhomeownershipforyearsordecadestocome,"hesaid."Ashrinkingfirst-timebuyermarketisruinousforthegovernment'shousebuildingtargets.Wefindthenumberoffirst-timebuyersoverthenextfiveyearscouldbeathirdofthenormalrate.Iffewerpeoplecanbuyhomes,fewerwillbebuilt."他说:“我们的研究发现,如果没有显著的工资增长,或者没有能让低首付抵押贷款更实惠、更易获得的计划,他们在未来数年或数十年内都将与拥有住房无缘,首次购房者市场萎缩,将对政府的建房目标造成毁灭性打击。我们发现,未来五年首次购房者的数量可能仅为正常水平的三分之一。如果买房的人少了,建造的房屋也会减少。”TheMinistryofHousing,CommunitiesandLocalGovernmentsaid:"We'recommittedtosupportingfirst-timebuyerswithanewpermanentmortgageguaranteescheme,helpingthemtaketheirfirstcrucialstepontheladderwithasmalldeposit.Thisisontopofournewinvestmentof£800milliontodeliverthebiggestboostinaffordableandsocialhousinginageneration."英国住房、社区与地方政府部表示:“我们致力于通过新的永久性抵押贷款担保计划支持首次购房者,帮助他们以小额首付迈出购房的第一步。除此之外,我们还投资8亿英镑,为一代人提供最大规模的保障性住房和社会住房建设支持。”
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Men'sprisonscouldrunoutofspaceinmonths,governmentwarns政府警告:男子监狱或于数月内人满为患Men'sprisonsinEnglandandWalescouldrunoutofspacelaterthisyear,thegovernmenthaswarned,asitannouncedthreenewjailscostingatotalof£4.7bnwillbebuiltstartingthisyear.英国政府发出警告,英格兰和威尔士的男子监狱极有可能在今年晚些时候出现人满为患的状况。与此同时,政府宣布将从今年起着手建造三座新监狱,总投入高达 47 亿英镑。JusticeSecretaryShabanaMahmoodrevealedtheexpansionplansinDowningStreetalongsideAmyRees,theoutgoingchiefexecutiveofHisMajesty'sPrisonandProbationService(HMPPS).司法大臣沙巴娜·马哈茂德与即将卸任的英国监狱与缓刑服务局局长艾米·里斯在唐宁街共同公布了监狱扩建计划。MsReesoutlinedhowthemaleprisonpopulationwasat99%capacityandsettorunoutofroominNovember.Shehighlightedissueslikelongeraveragesentencesandnotenoughnewprisoncapacityascontributingfactorstothecrisis.里斯女士介绍道,当前男性囚犯数量已达到监狱容量的 99%,预计到 11 月监狱将再无空位。她着重指出,平均服刑期限的延长以及新监狱建设进度滞后是造成此次监狱危机的关键因素。Ahighnumberofcriminalsbeingrecalledtocustodywasalsonoted.Repeatingpreviousschemestoreleasepeopleearlierintheirsentenceswould"onlybuyustime",MsReessaid.此外,她还提到,大量罪犯被重新召回监狱羁押。里斯女士表示,若再次沿用以往提前释放囚犯的做法,“只能暂时缓解压力,并非长久之计”。MsMahmoodwentontocriticisetheConservatives,sayingthesituationtheUKfounditselfinwas"shameful".SheclaimedLabouradded28,000placesunderSirTonyBlairandGordonBrown'sgovernments,whilethe14yearsofTory-ruleafterthatonlysaw500newplaces.马哈茂德女士随即对保守党提出批评,称英国目前面临的监狱困境“实在令人汗颜”。她表示,工党在托尼·布莱尔和戈登·布朗执政期间,为监狱系统新增了 2.8 万个床位;而保守党在此后长达 14 年的执政期间,仅新增了 500 个床位。Thejusticesecretarythenconfirmedthat£4.7bnwouldbeinvestedtobuildnewprisons.TheannouncementcomesaheadofthespendingreviewandMsMahmoodsaysitwillallowthreepenitentiariestostartconstruction.随后,司法大臣确认将投入 47 亿英镑用于新监狱建设。在支出审查前夕宣布这一消息时,马哈茂德女士表示,这将使三座新监狱得以顺利开工。MsMahmoodsaidlastyearthat£2.3bnwouldbespentonprisons,meaningatotalof£7bnhasbeenannouncedbythenewgovernment.Thethreenewprisonsarethesameasthoseannouncedlastyear,andalongsideHMPMillsikewhichhasalreadyopened.Torelievethepressureonprisonsintheinterim,thegovernmentsaiditwasgoingtolimitrecallconditionsforsomeinmates.马哈茂德女士去年曾表示,将在监狱方面投入 23 亿英镑。这意味着新政府已宣布在监狱建设上投入总计 70 亿英镑。这三座新监狱与去年公布的计划一致,此外,已投入使用的 HMP 米尔西克监狱也将发挥作用。为暂时缓解监狱的拥挤状况,政府表示将限制部分囚犯的召回条件。Thisincludesprisonersservinguptofouryearsonlybeingsubjecttorecallperiodsof28days,althoughrepeatoffendersandthoseathigherriskwillnotbeeligibleforthelimit.具体而言,对于刑期不超过四年的囚犯,其召回期限将仅限定为 28 天;不过,惯犯和高风险囚犯将不在此限制范围内。Theplanscomeafterthegovernment'scontroversialearlyreleaseschemelastyear,whichsawsomeinmatesfreedafterservingonly40%oftheirsentences,ratherthantheusual50%.此前,政府于去年推行了一项备受争议的提前释放方案,部分囚犯仅服刑原定刑期的 40%(而非通常的 50%)便获释出狱。Meanwhile,thelatestweeklystatisticsforEnglandandWalesshowedtheprisonpopulationstoodat88,087.Thefigureis434belowthelastpeakintheprisonpopulationof88,521inmateson6September2024-justbeforetheearlyreleaseschemebegan.与此同时,英格兰和威尔士的最新每周监狱统计数据显示,当前在押囚犯人数为 88,087 人。这一数字比 2024 年 9 月 6 日(提前释放方案实施前不久)的 88,521 人这一峰值低了 434 人。
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