邻里之间

　　1.What sorts of problems can people have with their neighbours?

　　Well I guess one of the main ones would be noise. You know, like putting on music too loud or having the TV on full volume, that kind of thing. So that’s probably the biggest complaint that people have with their neighbours. And as well as this, I suppose another problematic issue could be pets, because a lot of neighbours who have them don’t put their dogs on a lead when they’re walking them, which I think is quiteinconsiderate, seeing as a lot of people are quite scared of dogs!

　　on full volume = 最大音量

　　lead - 狗绳 (or in the US, they often say “leash”)

　　inconsiderate = not thinking of others, 不替别人着想

　　2.How has the relationship between neighbours changed between now and the past?

　　I’d say it’s changed a lot, and probably the main change has been that nowadays, people don’t really see their neighbours all that often, whereas in the past, they used to do quite a lot of things together. For example, people would often have their neighbours over for lunch or dinner, which doesn’t really happen that much anymore.

　　3.What are the characteristics of a good neighbour?

　　I would guess that a good neighbour is someone who is friendly, looks out for you when they notice any problems on your property, yet respect that you have your own life and need privacy. They may even invite you over for a meal for example. Obviously you don’t want neighbours who are noisy or trespass on your property. A polite nod or hello in the mornings is always nice but these days, people are happy enough to just say hi and move on. The idea of what a good neighbour should be has changed over the years as people are more concerned about themselves than others. By simply minding your own business would make you a good neighbour.

　　4.What is the difference between a real neighbourhood and the one shown on TV?

　　Most TV programs depict neighbourhoods in either a positive or negative light. In most cases, they are positive where everyone seems to get on with each other and help each other out. Everyone seems to be friends or somehow know each other really well. They may even work or do things together on a regular basis. Of course, in reality, people are very much alienated from each other and prefer to mind their own business. Most people have no idea about the people who live next door to them, let alone who lives in their own neighbourhood. People can go on for years not knowing the names of their neighbours these days. The TV programs which show rough neighbourhoods where there is often high crime are probably an exaggeration of the truth but nevertheless they are closer to the real thing. It is rare to find an apartment or neighbourhood where everybody knows each other and are involved with each other in some way. The sense of community within cities doesn’t really exist as it is usually something you associate with living in the countryside. So I guess neighbours in the outer suburbs and beyond may have better relationships with each other and perhaps even be quite similar to neighbourhoods found in TV shows.