Qatar is hosting the biggest sporting event in the world, the World Cup, next month.
卡塔尔将在下个月举办世界上最大的体育赛事——世界杯。
Visitors to the Gulf Arab country will have many places to stay, including hotels, camps, and large ships. But the cost of housing has greatly increased for those who live in Qatar. Many can no longer pay for their own places.
前往海湾阿拉伯国家的游客将有许多住宿选项，包括酒店、营地和大型船只。但是对于居住在卡塔尔的人来说，住房成本已经大大增加。许多人再也付不起房租。
"Landlords are taking full advantage of the situation and there's nothing in place to support the people who already live here," said Mariam. She is a 30-year-old British resident whose landlord did not renew her yearly contract in September.
玛丽亚姆说：“房东们正在充分利用这个商机，但是却没有人为已经住在这里的人考虑过。”她是一名 30 岁的英国居民，她的房东在 9 月没有与她续签下一年的合同。
The landlord increased her monthly rent by four times - from about $1,370 to $5,490. Unable to pay for the increase, she had no choice but to move out.
房东将她的月租金提高了四倍——从大约 1,370 美元增加到 5,490 美元。由于无法支付增加的费用，她别无选择，只能搬出去。
Residents in Qatar are mostly from other countries. They say the rising demand and shortage of rooms ahead of the World Cup have led landlords to charge more for rent. Sometimes they are raising rent by over 40 percent on very short notice, forcing residents to move.
卡塔尔的居民大多来自其他国家。他们说，世界杯前不断增长的需求和房间短缺导致房东提高租金。有时他们会在很短的时间内将租金提高 40% 以上，迫使居民搬家。
The Qatari government admitted there has been an increased demand for housing. It said residents who believe they have been wronged to bring the matter up with the government's rental disputes office.
卡塔尔政府承认对住房的需求有所增加。它说，认为自己受到委屈的居民可以向政府的租赁纠纷办公室提出此事。
About 1.2 million fans are expected to arrive next month for the World Cup.
预计下个月将有大约 120 万球迷抵达世界杯。
Local officials say Qatar has set aside 130,000 rooms for visitors. They say the cost will start at around $80 a day. But it is not clear how many low-cost choices there are.
当地官员说，卡塔尔为游客预留了 130,000 个房间，大概费用最低每天80美元左右起。但目前尚不清楚有多少低成本的选择。
A price limit applies to 80 percent of the rooms, the government said in a statement to The Associated Press. It did not answer questions about whether and how the limit has been put into effect. The price limit can go as high as $780 for places to stay.
政府在给美联社的一份声明中说，80%的房间实行价格限制。它没有回答有关这一限制是否以及如何实施的问题。住宿的价格上限最高可达780美元。
Many long-term residents say they are being driven out to make room for players, workers and fans during the event. Some said landlords posted signs saying their buildings have been "chosen by the government to host the 2022 World Cup guests and events." And they were ordered to leave ahead of the event.
许多长期居住的居民说，他们被赶出来是为了在比赛期间给球员、工作人员和球迷腾出地方。一些人说，房东张贴告示说，他们的建筑“被政府选为2022年世界杯的招待客人和举办活动的地点”。他们被命令在活动之前离开。
Omar al-Jaber is the director of housing at Qatar's Supreme Committee of Delivery and Legacy. He said the government played no part in contracts that ended for long-term residents.
奥马尔·贾比尔是卡塔尔交付和遗产最高委员会的住房主管。他说，政府在处理终止长期居民合同这一事件中没有发挥任何作用。
"To be honest with you, we are not controlling what happens in the market," he told the AP.
“老实说，我们并没有控制市场的动向。”他告诉美联社。
One woman said that when she signed her contract a year ago, her landlord promised he would not remove her during the World Cup. But just days before her contract was to be renewed, her landlord said he could not rent her the place for "personal reasons." The next day, the room was listed on Airbnb for nearly $600 more a month than she had paid.
一位女士说，一年前她签合同时，房东承诺在世界杯期间不会让她搬走。但就在她续签合同的前几天，她的房东表示，出于“个人原因”，不能再租给她这个地方。第二天，这个房间就在 Airbnb 上挂牌，比她支付的月租多出近 600 美元。
"You're kicking out long-term residents for a one-month event?" she said. "People are angry. It's very disruptive."
“你要为一个为期一个月的活动踢出长期居民?” 她说。“人们很生气。这非常具有破坏性。”
Residents trying to find new homes because of the rent increases say it is nearly impossible to find places they can pay for. Most two-bedroom housings on the Pearl, a man-made island off the city of Doha, cost over $1,000 a night on Airbnb. The website also lists some places for $200,000 a month.
由于租金上涨而试图寻找新房的居民表示，几乎不可能找到他们可以负担得起的地方。珍珠岛是多哈市附近的一个人造岛屿，大多数两居室住房在 Airbnb 上每晚的价格超过 1,000 美元。该网站还列出了一些每月 200,000 美元的房子。
The government is hoping the first World Cup in the Arab world will be a celebration for Qatari citizens and foreign residents. But residents say the housing problem shows the event comes at a cost.
卡塔尔政府希望，阿拉伯世界的第一届世界杯能成为卡塔尔公民和外国居民的庆祝活动。但居民们说，住房问题表明，这一事件是有代价的。
"It's costing me a lot of stress and money," said a British teacher who had to leave his place after seven years. "I'm having to pay for the World Cup."
“这让我付出了很多压力和金钱，”一位在这住了七年而被迫离开的英国老师说。“我得为世界杯买单。”
I'm Dan Novak.
丹·诺瓦克报道。
Qatar is hosting the biggest sporting event in the world, the World Cup, next month.
Visitors to the Gulf Arab country will have many places to stay, including hotels, camps, and large ships. But the cost of housing has greatly increased for those who live in Qatar. Many can no longer pay for their own places.
"Landlords are taking full advantage of the situation and there's nothing in place to support the people who already live here," said Mariam. She is a 30-year-old British resident whose landlord did not renew her yearly contract in September.
The landlord increased her monthly rent by four times - from about $1,370 to $5,490. Unable to pay for the increase, she had no choice but to move out.
Residents in Qatar are mostly from other countries. They say the rising demand and shortage of rooms ahead of the World Cup have led landlords to charge more for rent. Sometimes they are raising rent by over 40 percent on very short notice, forcing residents to move.
The Qatari government admitted there has been an increased demand for housing. It said residents who believe they have been wronged to bring the matter up with the government's rental disputes office.
About 1.2 million fans are expected to arrive next month for the World Cup.
Local officials say Qatar has set aside 130,000 rooms for visitors. They say the cost will start at around $80 a day. But it is not clear how many low-cost choices there are.
A price limit applies to 80 percent of the rooms, the government said in a statement to The Associated Press. It did not answer questions about whether and how the limit has been put into effect. The price limit can go as high as $780 for places to stay.
Many long-term residents say they are being driven out to make room for players, workers and fans during the event. Some said landlords posted signs saying their buildings have been "chosen by the government to host the 2022 World Cup guests and events." And they were ordered to leave ahead of the event.
Omar al-Jaber is the director of housing at Qatar's Supreme Committee of Delivery and Legacy. He said the government played no part in contracts that ended for long-term residents.
"To be honest with you, we are not controlling what happens in the market," he told the AP.
One woman said that when she signed her contract a year ago, her landlord promised he would not remove her during the World Cup. But just days before her contract was to be renewed, her landlord said he could not rent her the place for "personal reasons." The next day, the room was listed on Airbnb for nearly $600 more a month than she had paid.
"You're kicking out long-term residents for a one-month event?" she said. "People are angry. It's very disruptive."
Residents trying to find new homes because of the rent increases say it is nearly impossible to find places they can pay for. Most two-bedroom housings on the Pearl, a man-made island off the city of Doha, cost over $1,000 a night on Airbnb. The website also lists some places for $200,000 a month.
The government is hoping the first World Cup in the Arab world will be a celebration for Qatari citizens and foreign residents. But residents say the housing problem shows the event comes at a cost.
"It's costing me a lot of stress and money," said a British teacher who had to leave his place after seven years. "I'm having to pay for the World Cup."
I'm Dan Novak.
Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press.
______________________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
host - n. a person who is entertaining guests socially or as a job
landlord - n. a person who owns a house, apartment, etc., and rents it to other people
advantage - n. something that helps to make someone or something better or more likely to succeed than others
resident - n. someone who lives in a particular place
rent- n. money that you pay in return for being able to use property and especially to live in an apartment, house, etc., that belongs to someone else
disrupt - v. to cause to be unable to continue in the normal way : to interrupt the normal progress or activity of (something)
stress - n. a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc.
内容来自 VOA英语学习网：https://www.chinavoa.com/show-8832-243285-1.html
