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  3. The following paragraphs are given in a wrong order. For Questions 41-45, you are required to reorganize these paragraphs into a

The following paragraphs are given in a wrong order. For Questions 41-45, you are required to reorganize these paragraphs into a

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问题 The following paragraphs are given in a wrong order. For Questions 41-45, you are required to reorganize these paragraphs into a coherent article by choosing from the list A-G. Some of the paragraphs have been placed for you. (10 points)

A. "It is always better to buy a house; paying rent is like pouring money down the drain." For years, such advice has encouraged people to borrow heavily to get on the property ladder as soon as possible. But is it still sound advice? House prices are currently at record levels in relation to rents in many parts of the world and it now often makes more financial sense—especially for first-time buyers—to rent instead.
B. "If I don’t buy now, I’ll never get on the property ladder" is a common cry from first-time buyers. If house prices continue to outpace wages, that is true. But it now looks unlikely. When prices get out of line with what first-timers can afford, as they are today, they always eventually fall in real terms. The myth that buying is always better than renting grew out of the high inflation era of the 1970s and 1950s. First-time buyers then always ended up better off than renters, because inflation eroded the real value of mortgages even while it pushed up rents. Mortgage-interest tax relief was also worth more when inflation, and hence nominal interest rates, was high. With inflation now tamed, home ownership is far less attractive.
C. Homebuyers tend to underestimate their costs. Once maintenance costs, insurance and property taxes are added to mortgage payments, total annual outgoings now easily exceed the cost of renting an equivalent property, even after taking account of tax breaks. Ah, but capital gains will more than make up for that, it is popularly argued. Over the past seven years, average house prices in America have risen by 65%, those in Britain, Spain, Australia and Ireland have more than doubled. But it is unrealistic to expect such gains to continue. Making the (optimistic) assumption that house prices instead rise in line with inflation, and including buying and selling costs, then over a period of seven years,—the average time American owners stay in one house—our calculations show that you would generally be better off renting.
D. Be warned, if you make such a bold claim at a dinner party, you will immediately be set upon. Paying rent is throwing money away, it will be argued. Much better to spend the money on a mortgage, and by so doing build up equity. The snag is that the typical first-time buyer keeps a house for less than five years, and during that time most mortgage payments go on interest, not on repaying the loan. And if prices fall, it could wipe out your equity.
E. In any case, a renter can accumulate wealth by putting the money saved each year from the lower cost of renting into shares. These have, historically, yielded a higher return than housing. Putting all your money into a house also breaks the basic rule of prudent investing: diversify. And yes, it is true that a mortgage leverages the gains on your initial deposit on a house, but it also amplifies your losses if house prices fall.
F. The divergence between rents and house prices is, of course, evidence of a housing bubble. Someday prices will fall relative to rents and wages. After they do, it will make sense to buy a home. Until they do, the smart money is on renting.
G. "I want to have a place to call home" is a popular retort. Renting provides less long-term security and you cannot paint all the walls orange if you want to. Home ownership is an excellent personal goal, but it may not always make financial sense. The pride of "owning" your own home may quickly fade if you are saddled with a mortgage that costs much more than renting. Also, renting does have some advantages. Renters find it easier to move for job or family reasons.

Order: A is the 1st paragraph and F is the last.

选项
答案D
解析 C段通过分析做出预测：在未来7年期间，租房比买房更划算(our calculations show that you would generally be better off renting)。从逻辑上考虑，赞成租房的观点阐述完了，接下来应当是反方的观点。剩下的B、D、E、G这4段哪一个与C段匹配更恰当呢?B．If I don’t buy now，…和G．I want to have a place to call home均为直接引语，与C段结尾的预测关联性较弱。而E．In any case，a renter can accumulate wealth站在正方立场，亦不恰当。D的bold claim(大胆的声称)是一个不可忽视的关键提示语，显然是指C段结尾的预测内容。由此可以看出，这一段与C段的话题衔接最紧密：作者先是从购房者的角度对上述看法提出警告，然后从经济上考虑，说明租房的弊端。不过，问题的关键是购房者付款时间的长短。D段的大意是：当心，如果你在聚餐时提出这样一种大胆的声称，你将立即受到攻击(be set upon)。有人会争辩说，支付租金等于白白地扔钱。而将钱花在按揭住房上要好得多，这样做可以积累资产净值 (equity)。作者评论道：问题的关键(snag)在于，典型的初次购房者一般拥有房屋的时间不到5年，在这期间大多数按揭付款被用于利息，并非用在偿还贷款上。而如果房价下降，就可能会抵消你的资产净值。
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