The First Rule of Finance is to live within your means by spending no more than 80% of your take-home pay．If you take home $ 100 per week, spend no more than $80．
But ever look at what people spend their money on? I have relatives and friends deeply in debt, spending $ 12 for every $ 10 they earn instead of the $ 8 you know they should be spending．When I see them, they're proud of their new whatever．"What do you think of my new truck?" asked one from the driver's seat．"Do you like my new shoes?" asked another on high heels．"Check out my new big screen．" said a third while holding the remote in his living room．We've all heard people fishing for compliments on their new toys．
Every one of them was proud of what they'd financed．They seem to have bought it for the purpose of being proud, of showing off, of keeping up with the Joneses．"Look at my new …?"is everybody's favorite phrase, even when the object in question isn't theirs at all and won't be new when they've finally paid for it, if they ever do．
They're proud of being stupid．They think it's cool to drive the financed car, wear the financed shoes, and watch the financed TV, but to smart people, whose opinions are the only ones we should respect, these people look dumb as rocks．
The Joneses, nine times out of 10, are financially stupid．That's why they have all that stuff on borrowed money．Why try to copy them? Worse, why try to impress them? Copy and impress smart people, the ones who own their stuff．If you want to impress smart people, debt is the last way to go about it．Trying to impress a money-smart person by going into debt is like trying to impress Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps by drowning in a pool．Michael Phelps is impressed by good swimming and a money-smart person by good money management．
1.According to the author, the "new toys" in Paragraph 2 are examples of______.
A. symbol of wealth B. unnecessary purchases
C. impressive stuff D. things available
2.The underlined words "smart people" in Paragraph 4 refer to people ______.
A. having high IQs B. earning enough money
C. creating new ideas D. managing money well
3.The author is trying to ______.
A. advise people to be money-smart
B. persuade people to keep off fashions
C. blame people for copying others
D. criticize people for over consumption
4.According to the author, buying new objects on borrowed money is ________.
A. unwise B. shameful
C. understandable D. impressive
He was once referred to as the Picasso of poetry. Beloved by Chileans of all classes, he is one of the most widely read and respected poets in history. And this year is the 100th birthday of Pablo Neruda (1904-1973).
Born with the name Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basolto, he was a tall, shy and lonely boy. He loved to read and started to write poetry when he was ten. The American poet Walt Whitman, whose framed picture Neruda later kept on his table, became a major influence on his work.
However, his father did not like the idea of having a poet for a son and tried to discourage him from writing. To cover up the publication of his first poem, he took the pen name Pablo Neruda.
In 1924 Neruda gained fame with his most widely read work “Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair’’. Yet his rich experience as a diplomat and exile made him go beyond the theme of love. His work also reflected the political struggle of the left and development of South America. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971.
Neruda loved the sea which he saw as creative, destructive and forever moving. He found inspiration in the power and freedom of the waves and the seabirds on the coast. “I need the sea because it teaches me,” he wrote. “I move in the university of the waves.” He loved how the sea forever renewed itself, a renewal echoed in his work.
1.The underlined word “Picasso” can probably be replaced by “________”.
A. most important person B. famous person from Picasso
C. freedom fighter in Picasso D. poem fan
2.Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basolto took the pen name Pablo Neruda because ________.
A. literary greats usually used the pen name
B. his father encouraged him to use the name
C. he wanted to prevent his father knowing the publication
D. he was greatly influenced by other poets
3.Which of the following is not the theme of his works?
A. Love. B. Political struggle.
C. Social reform. D. Development of South America.
4.The last paragraph mainly tells us ________.
A. the sea gave Neruda vast writing inspiration
B. the beautiful scenery along the Chile coast
C. Neruda’s poems were widely read overseas
D. Neruda loved to write his poems near the sea
To most people, noise pollution is a jet flying over their head. For one Spanish woman, it is a neighbor playing the piano. The woman has taken her neighbor to court. Now she wants to send her neighbor to prison for over seven years on the charges of psychological damage and noise pollution.
In a country known for its noisiness, the case has raised eyebrows. Neighbors often complain about street noise in Spain, but people seeking prison time for someone practicing the piano is
unheard of. At the trial, Sonia Bosom says she has been suffering noise pollution up to now due tothe practice sessions of Laia Martin, who lives below her. Martin, 27, didn’t admit that she played at home that often, saying she took regular classes in other towns and mostly practiced at home on the weekends.
On the first day of the trial, the newspaper reported that Bosom told the court she now hated pianos so much that she couldn’t even stand seeing them in a film.Bosom says years of hearing
constant playing has caused her “psychological injury”. Medical reports show she has suffered
from a variety of problems, including insomnia (失眠), anxiety, and panic attacks.
She says tests by local authorities have found that the sound levels made by the piano are up
to10 decibels （分贝）higher than the limit. City authorities have asked the family several times to either stop the piano playing or soundproof (隔音) the room. The family told the court that they carried out soundproofing work twice but the complaints continued.
The court hasn’t made a final decision. A spokeswoman says the trial will end before May.
1.Bosom wants to send Martin to prison because _______.
A. Martin’s playing the piano damaged her health
B. Bosom suffered from heart attack
C. Martin refused to take regular classes in other towns
D. Martin flew a jet over her head
2.How did Laia Martin respond to the complaints?
A. She stopped playing the piano.
B. She soundproofed the room.
C. She didn’t admit she played at home.
D. She took her neighbor to court.
3.Which of the following may probably be the best title for the passage?
A. A 7-year Sentence Caused by the Piano
B. A Pianist Accused of Noise Pollution
C. Health Problems of a Spanish Woman
D. Actions Against Noise by Local Authority
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With Teachers’ Day draw near, I would like to express my thanks to Ms. Li, who taught my English last year.
At that time, I was having a trouble studying English and my scores fell. Ms. Li encouraged me and tell me her story that she never gave up before her studies didn’t go well. She also said that it was necessary to make efforts so that I would not regret waste time. Her words were the best medicine because she stood in her shoes to deal with problems and gave me helpful advices. She didn’t simple comfort me. Her teaching methods also worked. It had never occurred me that studying could be so interested until I met Ms. Li.
Today I went to a conference,1. two students had a debate about the strengths and weaknesses of the Internet.
The first speaker talked about the positive 2. (effect) of the Internet on our lives. The first is its value for people who 3. (look) for information. For example, with the touch of a button 4. the click of a mouse, a student will find abundant information at his or her command. The second is our ability 5. (relate) to others through the Internet and it is especially important for disabled people 6. can’t leave their homes.
The 7. (two) speaker talked about the negative effects of the Internet on our lives. For example, some experts think that the outcome of spending too much time on the Internet ii difficulty in 8. (form) social bonds. They were also quite explicit about how heavy Internet users spend 9. (much) time with their Internet friends than their real-life friends from school and work.
Both sides presented lots of statistics to support their arguments. My own judgment is that though the Internet is.10. (benefit), we should use our intelligence and not be a slave to it!
