house、building、dwelling、shelter、habitation、home与residence这些名词均含有“居住处”之意。
house : 中性词，泛指一切供居住的建筑物，尤指适合一家一户居住的房屋。
- a detached/semi-detached house
独立式／半独立式住宅 - to buy/rent a house
买／租房子 - house prices
房价 - She lives in a little house in (US on) Cross Street.
她住在十字街上的一所小房子里。
building : 泛指一切建筑物，不限于居住的房子。
- The once-empty site was now covered with buildings.
一度空荡荡的地方现在布满了建筑物。 - The building is part of our national heritage.
这个建筑是我们民族遗产的一部分。
dwelling : 正式用词，仅指人们居住的任何建筑物。
- There is an estimated shortfall of some five million dwellings across the country.
据估计全国缺少约500万套房屋。
shelter : 可指长期或临时的住处，也指简陋或临时搭建的躲避风雨的场所。
- an air-raid shelter
防空洞 - They opened a shelter to provide temporary housing for the city's homeless.
他们开设了一个收容所，为该市的无家可归者提供临时的住宿。 - The trees gave/provided some shelter from the rain.
这些树遮了一些雨。
habitation : 指长久或固定的住所或居住地。
- The road serves the scattered habitations along the coast.
这条公路连接着海岸线上分散的聚居地。 - The housing was unfit for human habitation.
这种住房不适合居住。
home : 指永久住家时，带有家庭所特有的温暖、情感等气息。
- The senator has two homes - an apartment in Washington and a house in Colorado.
这位参议员有两个家——一个是位于华盛顿的公寓，另一个是科罗拉多的家。 - He was living on the streets for three months, and his home was a cardboard box.
他在大街上住了3个月了，他的家就是一个纸板箱。 - Call me at home after four o'clock.
4点之后打家里的电话找我。 - women who decide to stay at home and look after their children
决定留在家里带孩子的妇女 - He left home (= stopped living with his parents) when he was 23.
他23岁时离家独立生活。 - More and more couples are setting up home together without getting married.
越来越多的伴侣不结婚就组成家庭。
residence : 指大而堂皇的寓所或公馆，也指法律上的居住点。
- the Governor's official residence
总督官邸 - a desirable family residence for sale (= for example, in an advertisement)
待售的理想家居 - 10 Downing Street is the British Prime Minister's official residence.
唐宁街10号是英国首相的官邸。
