Question

Wealth starts with a goal and saving a dollar at a time. Call it the piggy bank plan. There are lessons in that historic coin-savings container (容器).

Any difficult task seems easier when started from baby steps. If you wished to climb a 12,000-foot mountain, and could do it a day at a time, you would only have to climb 33 feet daily to reach the top in a year. If you want to take a really nice trip, to collect the $ 15,000 cost, you have to save $3.93 a day. If you drop that into a piggy bank and then once a year put $1,434 in a savings account, you will have your trip money.

When I was a child, my parents gave me a piggy bank to teach me that, if I wanted something, I should save money to buy it. We connect piggy banks with children, but in many countries, the little containers are also popular with adults. Europeans see a piggy bank as a sign of being rich. Around the world, many believe a gift of a piggy bank on New Year’s Day brings good luck and wealth.

Why is a pig used as a symbol of saving? Why not an elephant bank, which is bigger and holds more coins? In the Middle Ages, before modern banking, skillful workers made these inexpensive containers from an orange-colored clay (黏土) called “pygg,” and people then saved coins in pygg jars. As “pygg” pronounced much like the Middle English word “pigge” meaning “pig”, gradually, the two words changed into the same pronunciation. Once a clever worker made a pygg jar in the shape of a pig, pleasing children and adults. The piggy bank was born.

In the past, you had to break the bank to get the money, bringing in a sense of seriousness into savings. While piggy banks teach children the value of saving, adults often need to relearn childhood lessons. Think about the things in life that need a large sum of money – college education, weddings, starting a business, buying a home, and fun things like great trips. So when you have money, take off the top 10%, put it aside, save and use it wisely.

1.What is the piggy bank plan?

A. Setting a goal before making a travel plan.

B. Putting aside a little money regularly for future use.

C. Having determination even when doing small things.

D. Climbing a mountain a little a day before reaching the top.

2.Why did the writer’s parents give him a piggy bank as a gift?

A. To help him develop the habit of saving.

B. To encourage him to climb mountains.

C. To please him with the latest fashion.

D. To teach him English pronunciation.

3.The piggy bank was first ______ .

A. a pig-like toy for children B. a worker’s tool

C. an animal-look dish D. a cheap clay container

4.The last paragraph talks about ______ .

A. the enjoyment of taking a great trip

B. the importance of managing money

C. the difficulty of starting a business

D. the seriousness of educating children

Answer 1