A man earning 20,000 yuan a month recently made a complaint that went viral: “I cannot even afford a fast-food lunch anymore!” His words surprised many people — after all, 20,000 yuan is a good salary in China. But when he did the math, the picture looked different.
After tax and social insurance, his take-home pay is about 15,000 to 17,000 yuan. After rent and commuting, there is much less left. And in Shanghai, a simple lunch — one meat dish, one vegetable, one soup — now costs about 42 yuan. If you eat out twice a day, your monthly food bill can reach 1,800 yuan. That is nearly one third of his disposable income.
So what is happening? First, costs are rising: rent for restaurants, wages for cooks, and prices of vegetables have all gone up. Second, people’s tastes have changed — they want clean, fresh food, which costs more. Third, the problem is not really the lunch price alone; it is that many things have gotten more expensive at the same time, while salaries have not kept up.
Some people argue: if lunch is too expensive, cook at home. It is true that cooking saves money. But not everyone has time — city workers often leave home at 7 a.m. and return at 8 p.m. For them, cooking every day is not a choice but a burden.
The real lesson is about balance. Prices will not go down overnight, and no single person can change the economy. But we can all learn to spend smarter: compare prices, choose shops that fit our budget, and plan our meals. Small habits can soften big pressures. And for society, the question remains: how do we make sure that daily life stays affordable for ordinary people?
Words to know: salary (薪水), afford (负担得起), complaint (抱怨), rent (租金), income (收入), budget (预算), affordable (负担得起的), habit (习惯).
长难句拆解 · 形式主语与 while 对比
① It is true that cooking saves money. 主干是 cooking saves money（做饭省钱）。句首 It 是形式主语，真正的主语是 that 从句，It is true that… 就等于「……是真的」。这种句式常用来先让步、再转折，本文下句紧跟 But not everyone has time，正是「先承认、再反驳」的写法。动名词 cooking 作从句主语，谓语用单数 saves，也是常见考点。
② The problem is not really the lunch price alone; it is that many things have gotten more expensive at the same time, while salaries have not kept up. 分号连接两个对称分句，后半句主干是 it is that…，that 引导表语从句说明问题的实质。句尾 while 不表「当……时」而表对比，译作「而……却……」：一边是物价齐涨，一边是工资没跟上。这种对比用法是阅读对比题的高频信号。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
题目从不照抄原文，全靠同义替换改写。做题时先在题干里圈出「信号词」，再回原文找它们的同义变体，定位速度会明显变快。本文可迁移的替换组：
- make a complaint → voice a grievance / express dissatisfaction（抱怨类话题通用）
- take-home pay → net income / after-tax earnings
- have gone up → have risen / have climbed
- have not kept up → have lagged behind / failed to catch up
- costs are rising → prices are on the rise
- go down overnight → fall in the short term
- spend smarter → manage money more wisely
阅读自测 · 3 题
- 判断（T / F / NG） — The man’s monthly food bill can reach nearly one third of his disposable income.
- 简答（不超过 6 个词） — How much does a simple lunch cost in Shanghai now?
- 判断（T / F / NG） — The writer believes prices will go down overnight.
参考答案与解析
- T — 原文直接给出「your monthly food bill can reach 1,800 yuan. That is nearly one third of his disposable income」，两句话拼起来刚好对应题干，属数字对应类直述题。
- About 42 yuan. — 用 a simple lunch 定位到「a simple lunch — one meat dish, one vegetable, one soup — now costs about 42 yuan」，破折号间的插入语是干扰，核心信息在 costs about 之后。
- F — 原文落点是「Prices will not go down overnight」，明确说价格不会一夜回落，题干悄悄删掉了 not，属「反向偷换」式干扰项。
中文译文
一名月薪两万元的男子最近发了一句引爆网络的不满之言：「我现在连一顿快餐午餐都吃不起了！」他的话让许多人意外——毕竟，两万元在中国算是不错的薪水。但当他算了一笔账，情况就不一样了。
扣掉税和社保后，他的到手工资约为一万五千到一万七千元。再减去房租和通勤，剩下的就不多了。而在上海，一顿简单的午餐——一荤一素一汤——如今要花大约 42 元。如果每天在外吃两顿，每月伙食费能达到 1800 元，差不多占他可支配收入的近三分之一。
那么到底发生了什么？首先，成本在上涨：餐厅租金、厨师工资、蔬菜价格全都涨了。其次，人们的口味变了——他们要干净、新鲜的食材，这更花钱。第三，问题其实不只是午餐价格本身；而是「许多东西」同时变贵，而工资却没有跟上。
有人会说：午餐太贵，那就自己在家做。自己做饭确实省钱，这没错。但并非人人都有时间——城市上班族往往早上七点出门、晚上八点才回家。对他们来说，天天做饭不是一种选择，而是负担。
真正的启示在于平衡。物价不会一夜回落，也没有哪个人能改变经济。但我们都可以学着更聪明地花钱：比价、选择符合预算的店铺、规划好三餐。小小的习惯能缓解巨大的压力。而对整个社会来说，问题依然存在：我们该如何确保普通人的日常生活依然「负担得起」？