By Darlene Mase

There are three different kinds of areas you can live in： urban， suburban， and rural. You can describe living in a rural area as living out in the sticks1 or the country. This type of living is seen as idyllic for those seeking reprieve from crowds.2 Rural areas generally have small， selfsustaining populations.

Urban living is city living： active nightlife， full of noise， sophisticated public transit system，3 and sometimes small and expensive city apartments. Some people find the urban life threatening while others think its stimulating. Urban areas tend to be densely populated and have more intense traffic and pollution as a result.

For those seeking an intermediary4 between urban and rural living， the suburbs might be just the thing. Suburbs are large residential areas away from the core of town yet close enough to the city center. Single-family houses are typically found in the suburbs whereas multi-family apartment buildings and condos are characteristic of urban living.5

Can you afford to live in the city？

Choosing whether to live in the city or the suburbs is often a matter of budget—where can you afford to live？ By and large， living in the city is more expensive than living in the suburbs， though thats not always the case.

A joint study by Zillow and Care.com found that the cost of living in New York City was $71，237 more per year versus the cost of living in the surrounding suburbs. That is a huge difference. Comparatively， living in the heart of San Francisco cost $12，560 more per year than in the nearby suburbs.

市區(qū)還是郊區(qū)，住在哪里更好？考慮到房價、租金、空氣質量問題，如今越來越多的人選擇遠離城市中心，搬到郊區(qū)居住。但住在郊區(qū)也有一些煩惱：距離遠、通勤時間長，且基礎設施不如城市里完善等等。兩者二選一是個令人頭疼的問題，而且你要考慮的因素遠不止這些：你的生活水平、你習慣的生活方式、你的工作性質、家庭成員的數量、你的身體健康狀況……綜合起來，這道計算題你會怎么做？

But suburban living is not always better on your wallet. In Las Vegas， Phoenix， Pittsburgh， Cleveland， and a few other cities， urban living is more economical.

Your lifestyle influences your happiness in the city or suburbs.

For someone who enjoys five-star restaurants， vibrant nightlife， glamorous boutiques， and fast-paced living， residing in an urban hub is a dream come true.6 On the other hand， if you find crowds and tons of noise overwhelming， then a large city might feel like purgatory7.

Your lifestyle is one of the primary considerations in deciding where you ought to live. If you are into fishing， hiking， and spending time outdoors， then realize that you may have to drive several hours to enjoy your hobbies if you choose city living.

Is your career better suited for the city or suburbs？

Your career should also play an integral8 role in helping you decide on the city or suburban life. For example， if your job is in landscape， you might find it difficult to find work in the city because there is not a high demand for landscape artists9. The fact of the matter is that most city homes dont have large yards with grass to cut， and competition for landscaping contracts is probably fierce. Similarly， a business executive may find that the suburbs do not offer the convenience and accessibility afforded by city living.

Children （furry or not） will probably be happier in the suburbs.

In general， suburban homes are much larger than urban homes. This extra room means that your children and pets will have more room to spread out in the suburbs. Furthermore， suburban homes typically boast10 at least some yard space. This is heaven for pets and small children. On the contrary， children and pets that live in an urban setting have to rely on parks for their outdoor time. This also puts extra strain on parents. Instead of just letting your kids play in the backyard or your animals play outside， you have to walk them to the park， which takes time out of your schedule.

Your health should be a factor， too.

Think for a moment about New York City. Whether youve visited or lived there， you probably remember a few things about the Big Apples streets： dark alleyways littered with rodent infested trash bags， nasty roaches in stairwells and hallways， and mounds of gray snow on the street corner during the winter.11 The fact of the matter is that environmental conditions in cities are less than ideal. Pollution leads to respiratory12 disease， dense population means that viruses and illnesses spread faster， and fast-paced living increases stresses and stress worsens existing conditions or increases the likelihood of being diagnosed with a new condition.

However， living in the suburbs is not the cure-all13 when it comes to health-related issues. In urban settings， people usually walk or bike to where they are going. But since most suburbs lack sophisticated public transportation， people typically drive everywhere they go， and this can contribute to higher levels of obesity， high blood pressure， heart disease， and diabetes.14

The debate of whether to live in the suburbs or the city is long lasting and never-ending. When it all boils down to it， it is a matter of preference and budget， so go with your gut and youll make the right choice.15

1. sticks：（遠離城鎮(zhèn)或城市的）邊遠地區(qū)。

2. idyllic： 田園生活的，平靜快樂的；reprieve： 暫時緩解。

3. sophisticated： 高度發(fā)展的；transit： 公共交通系統(tǒng)。

4. intermediary： 中間形態(tài)，中間階段。

5. 獨棟房屋在郊區(qū)較為常見，而多戶型公寓樓在城市更為普遍。condo： condominium的縮寫，指（分成套間的）公寓樓。

6. vibrant： 令人興奮的，充滿活力的；boutique： 精品店；hub：（地區(qū)、系統(tǒng)等的）中心，樞紐。

7. purgatory： 煉獄，受苦難的地方。

8. integral： 構成整體所必要的。

9. landscape artist： 園林藝術家，園林設計師。

10. boast： 以擁有……而自豪。

11. 無論你是來這里游玩還是居住，你可能都還記得這座大蘋果城的街道：黑暗的小巷里亂扔的垃圾袋使得老鼠肆虐，樓梯間和走廊里蟑螂亂竄，一到冬天街角就會堆起骯臟的積雪。Big Apple： 大蘋果，紐約市的別稱；infested： 大量滋生的，侵擾的；mound：（大）堆，（大）垛。

12. respiratory： 呼吸的，呼吸道的。

13. cure-all： 萬靈藥。

14. obesity： 肥胖；diabetes： 糖尿病。

15. boil down to： 歸結于；gut： 內心。

閱讀感評

∷秋葉 評

20世紀90年代初熱播的電視劇《北京人在紐約》中有一首片頭詩，至今印象深刻：“如果你愛他，就把他送到紐約，因為那里是天堂//如果你恨他，就把他送到紐約，因為那里是地獄。”這段對于紐約的“愛恨情仇”，似乎正暗合我們對于都市的矛盾心理。

長期以來，城市都是繁榮、發(fā)達、機遇的象征。因此，很多人都以能從鄉(xiāng)村、小城鎮(zhèn)邁進都市落腳為成功的標志。記得《馬可·波羅游記》中有大量篇幅專門描寫中國的城市，如都城汗八里（Kanbalu，即北京）、揚州（Yan-gui）、南京（Nan-ghin）、京師（Kin-sai，即杭州）、刺桐（Zai-tun，即泉州）等等，尤其是對于北京與杭州的描寫，讓當時尚處在中世紀的歐洲讀者對于中國城市的規(guī)模宏大、人口眾多、繁榮富庶、房舍街道優(yōu)美既十分羨慕又無比好奇。有資料顯示，直到20世紀初，世界上才有10座人口超過百萬的城市，而馬可·波羅筆下13世紀的杭州，方圓達百英里（“an hundred miles in circuit”），橋梁1.2萬座，登記人口就有160萬個家庭（“registered at one hundred and sixty tomans of fireplaces， that is to say， of families dwelling under the same roof； and as a toman is ten thousand， it follows that the while city must have contained one million six hundred thousand families”）。當然，這些龐大的數字不無夸張。不過，正是從《馬可·波羅游記》開始，歐洲對于中國的仰慕一直持續(xù)到了18世紀的啟蒙時代，而中國城市的規(guī)模之大和數量之多，尤其是人口眾多，在其中無疑發(fā)揮了重要作用。然而，到了20世紀五六十年代，西方經歷過對城市批判的現代時期之后，這原先值得夸耀的人口眾多便成了負面形象：“一座螞蟻山，不錯，這正是他們的現狀——滿是蟻群，藍色的蟻群。”（An ant hill， yes， that is what they have become—ants， blue ants.）這是一位法國記者游歷了中國后所寫報道中的一句話。

現代城市至少在思想界已失去了往日的光環(huán)，人口密集、樓宇高聳的往日輝煌逆轉為負面形象。那么，那些往往能給人們帶來美好遐思的小鎮(zhèn)、鄉(xiāng)村又是怎樣的命運呢？就讓我們來看看以描寫美國中西部小鎮(zhèn)生活著稱的小說家辛克萊·劉易斯（Sinclair Lewis， 1885—1951）的《大街》（Main Street， 1920）吧。作者指出，小鎮(zhèn)周圍的一切，呆板單調，毫無生氣。人們愚昧遲鈍，安于現狀，并以此為榮。他們沒有理想，沒有道德，腦子里全是銅臭，耳朵里聽的是刻板乏味的音樂，嘴巴里贊美的是“福特”汽車有多好。物質生活的相對優(yōu)裕和精神生活的極度空虛形成了鮮明的對比。這是作者少年時代沉悶生活的寫照，更是美國當時千萬小鎮(zhèn)陋風惡習的縮影。至于比小鎮(zhèn)更偏遠的鄉(xiāng)村，雖然浪漫主義的“自然觀”影響猶存，而生態(tài)與環(huán)保理念似乎與鄉(xiāng)村生活又天然契合，但對于長居其中的人來說，恐怕環(huán)境友好了，生活平靜了，可文化平庸以及寂寞與孤獨也會隨之而來。這個嚴酷現實誰也無法逃避！我們常津津樂道于美國的超驗主義哲學家梭羅（Henry David Thoreau， 1817—1862）在瓦爾登湖叢林中隱居的生活，以及德國哲學家海德格爾（Martin Heidegger， 1889—1976）在他自己所建造的德國南部黑森林中的小木屋里思考和寫作了近五十年，二人雙雙被奉為“詩意地棲居”的典范。然而，只要我們查一查他們的人生歷程，就可以明白，梭羅被稱作“受教育的無業(yè)游民”（an educated man without an occupation），患有肺結核病，并且終身未娶，沒有家眷之累。即便如此，他還是不斷地回到家鄉(xiāng)小城康考特（Concord）“充電”。海德格爾曾說，“生活在城里的人一般只是從所謂的‘逗留鄉(xiāng)間獲得一點兒刺激，我的工作卻是整個兒被這群山和人民組成的世界所支持和引導。”然而在二戰(zhàn)結束前，他先后在德國的弗萊堡大學與馬爾堡大學任教職，并一度擔任弗萊堡大學的校長，顯然是不可能久居鄉(xiāng)野的。在二戰(zhàn)結束時，由于其在20世紀30年代曾支持希特勒的納粹政權，一度被禁止授課，退休后便極少參加社會活動，避居在家鄉(xiāng)黑森林的山間小屋里。因此，海德格爾來此地享受寂寞與孤獨，恐怕還是頗帶了些無奈的因素。但即便如此，他還是一次次地接受各種研討會、演講的邀請，奔赴柏林、不萊梅、巴伐利亞、多爾、蘇黎世等歐洲各大城市去。

因此，現代人，尤其是珍視現代文明的文化人，往往是在城市里批判城市的“異化”甚至“罪惡”，歌頌大自然的“真、善、美”。可一旦他們真是必須移居乃至扎根鄉(xiāng)村，不久后就又會“水土不服”，厭倦于單調、乏味的“文化沙漠”，痛感在農村“修理地球”簡直是“浪費青春”“摧殘人性”。這種巨大的矛盾心理，折磨著這些思想活躍的人群，也讓蕓蕓眾生舉棋不定。筆者認為，作為普通人，最好的狀態(tài)應該是不妨嘗試，自由來去。如果職業(yè)、家庭、金錢乃至身體狀況等現實問題均暫不予考慮的話，那么在類似倫敦、紐約或北京的城區(qū)住久了，厭煩了這些大都市螞蟻般的人群、鴿子籠般的公寓、鋼鐵水泥的“森林”乃至喧囂與霧靄，就搬到英格蘭北部的“湖區(qū)”（Lake District）、美國中西部的農牧州或北京西北部的山區(qū)去盡情享受大自然賦予的原始節(jié)奏及孤獨寂寞的魔力。等到“逗留鄉(xiāng)間”的“刺激”漸漸消失，綠色與寂靜不再被珍視而悄悄地化作了單調與乏味后，再設法遷居至都市與鄉(xiāng)野的中間地帶。體現中產階級價值觀的近郊，往往與主城區(qū)僅半小時到一小時車程，而目前世界大都市都有城區(qū)邊界模糊的趨勢。