英语六级必读美文019：家_大学英语阅读

英语六级必读美文019：家

　　household chores. But in general, Americans these days take their cue from books like How to Avoid Housework.

　　在他们家花了这么多的心思，你大概会认为美国人非常重视家庭的打理与清洁，但是事实上，整理家务已不像以前一样受重视。为什么呢?90年代步调快速的生活方式几乎没有留什么时间掸灰尘、吸尘以及刷洗浴缸。然而，讽刺的是，即使越来越多的妇女在外工作，她们还是比男人多做两倍的家务。虽然像是洗衣机、吸尘器和洗碗机等现代家电已经替代了处理家务事中一些乏味、辛苦的工作。但一般而言，美国人今天已会向《如何避免家务》这类的书来求救。

　　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 poU 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 francluses in recent years.