If you live off-grid, your home is not plugged into the usual public supplies — the electricity wires, the gas pipes, the water pipes that most towns run.

If如果 you live off-grid你過著off-grid的生活, your home你的家 is not plugged into沒有接上 the usual public supplies一般的公共供應系統 — the electricity wires電線, the gas pipes瓦斯管, the water pipes水管 that most towns run大多數城鎮鋪設的。

People off-grid often make their own power with the sun, and they may collect rainwater. Some choose it on purpose, for a quieter or greener life; some live that way because the wires never reached them.

People off-grid off-grid的人 often常常 make their own power自己發電 with the sun用太陽能, and而且 they他們 may可能會 collect rainwater收集雨水。Some有些人 choose it on purpose是刻意選擇這樣, for a quieter or greener life為了更安靜或更環保的生活; some有些人 live that way這樣生活 because是因為 the wires電線 never reached them從來沒有接到他們那裡。

You also hear it for a cabin or a van, not only a house.

You你 also也會 hear it聽到這個詞 for a cabin or a van用在小屋或露營車上, not only a house不只是房子。

It is fairly new, ordinary English in news and lifestyle talk. Grid here is that public net of supplies, not a pattern of squares.

It它 is是 fairly new相當新的, ordinary English普通的英文 in news and lifestyle talk用在新聞和生活風格的談話裡。Grid這裡的grid here是指 is that public net of supplies那個公共供應網, not a pattern of squares不是方格圖案的意思。

Though actually people also stretch it to mean dropping off the phone and the internet, as if they had disappeared — that is looser talk, not the core meaning.

Though actually不過事實上 people大家 also也會 stretch it把它延伸使用 to mean dropping off指斷開 the phone and the internet手機和網路, as if好像 they had disappeared他們消失了一樣 — that那 is是 looser talk比較鬆散的用法, not the core meaning不是核心的意思。