Home. Few words in the English language have such a special meaning. Home is a place where you can relax, kick back and just be yourself. Just about everyone has a strong opinion of what makes a house a home. And for most people in America, home should be, above all, comfortable.

　　家，在英文中沒有幾個字有這樣特別的意義。家是一個你可以放松、只要做你自己的地方。大概每個人對于如何把一間屋子變成一個家都非常有主見。對大多數的美國人來說，家最重要的應該是舒適。

　　Americans like their homes to reflect their personal tastes. Many do-it-yourselfers enjoy fixing up their house and making it more "livable." They often try to create a cozy atmosphere so that when they're at home, they'll really feel "at home." Sofas and lounge chairs may be heavily padded and arranged in groupings conducive to relaxed conversation. The bathroom even receives special attention. Carpeted floors, scented soaps, colorful wallpaper and decorative curtains adorn the "comfort room" in many homes. And on average, Americans have more bathrooms than any other people in the world.

　　美國人喜歡讓家反映出他們個人的品味。許多喜歡自己動手做的人沉醉于修補他們的房子并讓它更「適于居住」。他們常試著營造一個溫暖而舒適的氣氛，這樣當他們待在家時，會真的感覺到「毫無拘束」。沙發及安樂椅可能會被鋪上厚厚的墊子，并運用不同空間組合的擺設，讓坐的人可以輕松的談話。甚至連浴室也頗費心思：鋪有地毯的地板、香氣四溢的肥皂、彩色的壁紙及裝飾窗簾，如此就打扮出了許多家庭的「舒服之地」。平均來說，美國人擁有的浴室比世界上其它的人都多。

　　Lisa Marie Odegard, an interior designer in Bozeman, Montana, comments that "a home is a haven. People want an open, easy feeling to make their homes comfortable." For that reason, many new homes now have big, open kitchens and vaulted ceilings.

　　蒙大拿州柏斯曼的一位室內設計師麗莎?區迪嘉談到：「家是一個避難所。人們想要一個開放、輕松的感覺來讓他們的家變得很舒適。」因為這個原因，現在許多新房子都有大而開放的廚房以及拱形的屋頂。

　　Americans try to make the most of their space, too. The majority of homes have built-in closets and shelves, and people spare no pains to add dressers, filing cabinets and closet organizers to maximize their storage space. Although keeping the house neat is often a constant battle, Americans feel it's a battle worth fighting.

　　美國人也試著將空間做最佳的利用。大多數的家庭都有壁櫥以及架子，人們也不辭辛勞的添加櫥柜、文件柜以及壁柜分隔架來加大儲藏空間。雖然讓房子維持整潔像是一場永無止盡的長期戰役，美國人覺得這是一個值得打下去的戰役。

　　People in America keep an eye on the latest trends in interior design. In the 80s, the "country" look dominated the home decorating scene. Rustic furniture and shelves full of old-fashioned knick-knacks created a homey atmosphere reminiscent of rural America several generations back. The 90s have brought in another longing for the past: the retro 50s and 60s look--plain and simple furniture with square backs and arms and block-style legs.

　　美國人也會注意室內設計的最新時尚。八○年代，「鄉村」風貌主導了家庭裝潢；擺滿舊式風格的小擺設的質樸家俱及架子，創造出一種會令人想起幾世代以前以農業為主的美國之家庭氣氛。九○年代又帶入另一個懷舊情愫：回溯到五○及六○年代風貌--有四方形靠背、把手以及有方正桌腳的樸素、簡單的家俱。

　　Some parts of the country have their own regional preferences. In the western United States, homeowners favor the Navajo Indian style of the Southwest or the cowboy look. In contrast, Easterners prefer French Country or more "fussy" styles.

　　國內某些地方的人們有他們自己地區*的偏好。在美國西部，屋主們喜歡西南部印地安拿佛和族或是牛仔式的風格。相對的，東部人喜歡法國鄉村或是更漂亮的形式。

　　With all this attention to their homes, you would think Americans place a high premium on housekeeping. In fact, however, keeping house doesn't receive as much attention as it used to. Why? The fast-paced lifestyles of the 90s allow little spare time for dusting, vacuuming and scrubbing the tub. Ironically, however, even though more and more women work outside the home, women still do twice as much house work as men. Modern conve-niences like the washing machine, the vacuum cleaner, and the dishwasher have taken some of the drudgery out of household chores. But in general, Americans these days take their cue from books like How to Avoid Housework.

　　花了這么多心思在他們的家，你大概會認為美國人非常重視家庭的打理與清潔，但是事實上，整理家務已不像以前一樣受重視。為什么？九○年代步調快速的生活方式幾乎沒有留什么時間撢灰塵、吸塵以及刷洗浴缸。然而，諷刺的是，即使越來越多的婦女在外工作，她們還是比男人多做兩倍的家務。雖然像是洗衣機、吸塵器和洗碗機等現代家電已代為處理家事中一些乏味、辛苦的工作。但一般而言，美國人今天已會向「如何避免家務」這類的書來求救。

　　As a result, you might think American homes of the 90s are less than spotless. Witness the fact that sales of household cleaning products have declined in recent years. Besides that, Americans seem to be less persnickety about their housecleaning--especially in areas that nobody sees. Vacuum under the sofa? Dust the baseboards? Are you kidding? Ironically, though, American women seem quite satisfied with their housekeeping, according to a national survey conducted in 1995-96. Besides that, people are designing their homes with low-maintenance features--tile in bathrooms and kitchens as well as marble on countertops--to cut down on the need for frequent cleaning. Even so, more and more people are hiring outside help to clean their houses. A Roper poll found that one in six Americans hired cleaning help last year, up from one in 10 in 1986. One professional housecleaning service, Merry Maids, has grown to over 800 franchises in recent years.

　　因此，你可能會認為九○年代的美國家庭大概不是一塵不染。由家用清潔產品的銷售量在近幾年下降便可見一般。此外，美國人似乎對于家庭的清潔比較不那么吹毛求疵了--特別是對那些沒有人看到的地方。吸沙發下的灰塵？撢踢腳板？你開玩笑？但可笑的是，根據一九九五／六年做的一項全國*調查，美國婦女似乎對他們的家務整理挺滿意。除此之外，人們以較不需要時時清潔的材料來設計他們的家--在浴室及廚房貼磁磚以及做大理石的臺面--減少打掃的次數。即使如此，越來越多的人雇用外人協助清理屋子。一項洛普民意調查發現，去年有六分之一的美國雇用清潔服務，較一九八六年的十分之一比率上升許多。一個專業*的家務清理服務「快樂女傭公司」在最近幾年已成長到有八百多家的連鎖店。

　　In a pre-Revolutionary War speech in 1761, James Otis made the famous remark that "a man's home is his castle." Americans like their castle to be as comfortable as possible. They would like to have a home they can be proud of, a place they can call their own. Not everyone's home looks like a castle, but "be it ever so humble, there's no place like home."

　　在一七六一年獨立戰爭前的一次演說中，詹姆士。歐提斯留下了一句名言--「男人的家是他的城堡」。美國人喜歡他們的城堡能夠盡可能的舒適，他們都想要有一個引以為榮的家，一個可以屬于他們自己的地方。并不是每個人的家都看起來像是一座城堡，但是「即使是非常簡陋，但沒有一個地方可以比得上家。」