Singapore is Asia’s Monte Carlo, a playground （乐园）of the wealthy. The city-state has the third-highest concentration of ultra-rich individuals after Monaco and Geneva.
新加坡是亚洲的蒙特卡洛，是富人的享乐之地。这个城邦国家是世界上超级富豪密度第三高的地方，仅次于摩纳哥和日内瓦。
So it’s all the more（格外） surprising that in the past five years, most of the spending impulse（消费冲动） in Singapore has come from those at the bottom of the economic pyramid, while the condo-dwelling bankers and the landed elite have been relatively thrifty.
因此，当人们发现在过去五年内，新加坡人的消费冲动大多来自那些处在经济金字塔底部的人，而住在产权公寓的银行家们和拥有地产的精英阶层却相对节俭时，这一现象就显得格外惊人了。
Between 2013 and 2018, people living in one- and two-room public housing increased their monthly spending by 3.7% on average, while families in private apartments saw expenditure fall by 0.1%. Households living in landed property, who spent nearly 5% more on average every year between 2008 and 2013, tightened the purse strings（紧缩开支） to just 0.2%.
在 2013 年至 2018 年间，居住在一房式和二房式政府组屋的人群的月开支每年平均增长了 3.7%，而那些住在私人公寓的家庭的支出则降低了 0.1%。拥有地产的家庭在 2008 年至 2013 年间的月开支每年平均增长了近 5%，如今却缩减开支，增长率仅为 0.2%。
The findings were released last week as part of the statistics department's household expenditure survey, a detailed study conducted every five years. But why are Singapore’s rich in hibernation while the masses（普通人） are boldly （大胆的）spending their incomes?
这项调查结果于上周发布，来自当地统计局发布的家庭开支调查报告，这项详细研究每五年就会进行一次。不过，为什么新加坡的富人们进入了“蛰伏期”，而平民百姓却敞开了腰包呢？
The government’s study covers a period in which internet connectivity doubled to 45% among households living in the smallest units offered by the public housing agency. No wonder that overall spending on a number of things – from digital cameras to car ownership – declined. Phone cameras got better and made digital cameras redundant; in a city where the mandatory certificate of entitlement to own a car is often costlier than the vehicle itself, ride-hailing apps came as a blessing. Cheaper online substitutes emerged for shopping and entertainment.
这项政府研究期间，住在新加坡公共住房机构所提供最小户型房的家庭的互联网接入率翻了一番，达到 45%。难怪在许多商品上——从数码相机到私有汽车——整体消费都下降了。手机摄像头的性能变得更好，淘汰了数码相机；而在这座城市，获得一张法定拥车证甚至比买车更贵，于是打车软件的出现成了一大幸事。原本在线下完成的购物和娱乐活动，也有了更便宜的网上替代品。
The moneyed folk will still make a splash, like when the vacuum-cleaner billionaire James Dyson snapped up a S$73.8 million penthouse, the costliest in Singapore’s history. But it’s the quiet humming of the cash registers in hawker centers that’s more telling now.
有钱人的一举一动仍将引起轰动：靠卖吸尘器起家的亿万富翁詹姆斯·戴森最近拿下了一套价值 7380 万新元的顶层豪宅，这是新加坡历史上最贵的房产交易。然而，如今更能说明问题的，却是熟食中心里收银机轻轻的嗡嗡声了。
重点词汇
impulse/ˈɪmpʌls/ n. 冲动；心血来潮
搭配短语：impulse purchase/buying
搭配短语：on impulse
例句：I bought this dress on impulse.
condo-dwelling/ˈkɑːndoʊ ˈdwelɪŋ/
adj. 住在公寓的
相关词汇：condo（n. 公寓住房）
全称：condominium
相关词汇：dwell（v. 居住，栖身）
同义词：live
landed/ˈlændɪd/
adj. 拥有大量土地的；包括大量土地的
相关词汇：land（n. 土地；地产）
搭配短语：landed estates/properties
thrifty/ˈθrɪfti/ adj. 节约的，节俭的
词性拓展：thrift（n. 节约，节俭）
例句：We believe in the values of hard work and thrift.
expenditure/ɪkˈspendɪtʃər/ n. 开支，消费
词性拓展：expend (v.)
搭配短语：military expenditure
tighten the purse strings 紧缩开支
相关词汇：purse（n. 钱包，钱袋）
相关词汇：string（n. 绳子）
相关词汇：loosen
搭配短语：loosen the purse strings（增加开支）
hibernation/ˌhaɪbərˈneɪʃn/ n. 蛰伏；冬眠
词性拓展：hibernate（v. 动物或植物冬眠、蛰伏）
mandatory/ˈmændətɔːri/ adj. 法定的；强制的；义务的
英文释义：required by law
搭配短语：mandatory requirements
entitlement/ɪnˈtaɪtlmənt/
n.（拥有某物或做某事的）权利、资格
词性拓展：entitle（v. 使享有权利，使符合资格）
搭配短语：sb. is entitled to sth.
搭配短语：sb. is entitled to do sth.
例句：Full-time employees are entitled to receive health insurance.
emerge/ɪˈmɜːrdʒ/ v. 出现，浮现
近义词：appear
make a splash 引起轰动，引起广泛关注
相关词汇：splash（n. 落水声，溅泼声；引人注目的效果）
snap up 抢购，抢先弄到手
相关词汇：snap（v. 断裂）
搭配短语：snap one's fingers
例句：All the tickets have been snapped up.
hawker/ˈhɔːkər/ n. 小贩，沿街叫卖者
词性拓展：hawk（v. 沿街叫卖）
词根词缀：-er
telling/ˈtelɪŋ/ adj. 说明问题的
英文释义：showing effectively what sb. or sth. is really like
搭配短语：a telling detail