People living on part of the south coast of England face a serious problem. In 1993, the owners of a large hotel and of several houses discovered, to their horror, that their gardens had disappeared overnight. The sea had eaten into the soft limestone cliffs on which they had been built. While experts were studying the problem, the hotel and several houses disappeared altogether, sliding down the cliff and into the sea.
生活在英格兰南海岸部分地区的人们面临着一个严重的问题。1993年，一家大酒店和几栋房子的业主惊恐地发现，他们的花园一夜之间消失了。海水侵蚀了它们所在的柔软的石灰岩悬崖。当专家们正在研究这个问题时，酒店和几栋房子一起消失了，从悬崖上滑下，坠入大海。
Erosion of the white cliffs along the south coast of England has always been a problem but it has become more serious in recent years. Dozens of homes have had to be abandoned as the sea has crept farther and farther inland. Experts have studied the areas most affected and have drawn up a map for local people, forecasting the year in which their homes will be swallowed up by the hungry sea.
英格兰南海岸的白色悬崖侵蚀一直是一个问题，但近年来变得更加严重。随着海水越来越向内陆蔓延，数十所房屋不得不被遗弃。专家们研究了受影响最严重的地区，并为当地人绘制了一张地图，预测他们的家园将在哪一年被饥饿的大海吞噬。
Angry owners have called on the Government to erect sea defenses to protect their homes. Government surveyors have pointed out that in most cases, this is impossible. New sea walls would cost hundreds of millions of pounds and would merely make the waves and currents go further along the coast, shifting the problem from one area to another. The danger is likely to continue, they say, until the waves reach an inland area of hard rock which will not be eaten as limestone is. Meanwhile,if you want to buy a cheap house with an uncertain future, apply to a house agent in one of the threatened areas on the south coast of England. You can get a house for a knockdown price but it may turn out to be a knockdown home.
愤怒的业主们呼吁政府建立海防系统来保护他们的家园。政府调查人员指出，在大多数情况下，这是不可能的。新的海堤将耗资数亿英镑，只会使海浪和洋流沿着海岸走得更远，将问题从一个地区转移到另一个地区。他们说，危险可能会持续下去，直到海浪到达一个坚硬岩石的内陆地区，这些岩石不会像石灰石那样被吃掉。与此同时，如果你想买一栋未来不确定的廉价房子，请向英格兰南海岸一个受威胁地区的房屋经纪人申请。你可以以低价买到一栋房子，但它可能会变成一栋廉价的房子。
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