Everybody in this world is different from one another. But do you know that understanding differences can help you better manage your money?

As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs. These are influenced by society, our family, the education we receive and so on. Once this value system is set up, it’s not easy to change later in life.

Financial experts say that everyone also has their own belief of how to manage their finances. This is the part of our value system and it has a great effect on the way we look after our money. According to our different values, experts put us in three categories. They are: the ant, the cricket and the snail.

The ant --work first

Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter, these people don’t care about enjoying the moment. They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire. The ant loves to save but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks with low risk.

The cricket(蟋蟀)--fun first

The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn’t think too much about the future. They even borrow money when they really want something. Many young people now belong to this group. These people have little savings(存款). When they get old, they might have problems. They should learn to save and buy insurance.

The snail (蜗牛)--living under pressure

The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves. They take big long-term loans(贷款) from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses. They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure if they can afford it. This can cause problems in the future. They should plan more carefully.

1.The ant refers to people who ________.

A. Work very hard in winter in order to store food for summer.

B. Could make more money if they worked harder

C. Save money they earn for their later life when they get old and retire

D. Only care about enjoying the moment by working very hard

2.The crickets borrow money because _________.

A. They would like to enjoy everything now

B. They are young

C. They think they have no future

D. They get old and have problems.

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the last paragraph?

A. The snails enjoy life because they have luxury houses.

B. The snails live under pressure and they may have problems in the future.

C. The snails will take more loans if they realize that they can afford it.

D. The snails take big long-term loans because the interest for the long-term loans is low.

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A. To make fun of the three kinds of foolish people.

B. To make us understand the differences and manage our money better.

C. To make us understand we should spend our own money.

D. To state that we are the same as animals.

A farmer had a cow. He took very good care of this cow and one day when it was ill, he was very worried. He telephoned the vet.

“What’s the problem?” The vet asked him when he arrived.

“My cow’s ill,” the farmer said. “I don’t know what’s the matter with her. She’s lying down and won’t eat. She’s making a strange noise.”

The vet looked over the cow. “She’s certainly ill,” he said, “and she needs to take some very strong medicine.”

He took a bottle out of his box, put two pills into his hand and said, “Give her these. The pills should make her better.”

“How should I give them to her?” the farmer asked.

The vet gave him a tube (管子)and said, “Put this tube in her mouth, then put the pills in the tube and blow. That’ ll make it.”

The next day the vet came to the farm again. The farmer was sitting outside his house and looked more worried.

“How’s your cow?” the vet asked.

“No change,” the farmer said, “and I’m feeling very strange myself.”

“Oh?” the vet said, “Why?”

“I did what you said,” the farmer answered. “I put the tube in the cow’s mouth and then put two pills down it.”

“And?” the vet asked.

“The cow blew first,” the farmer said.

1.In the story, the vet must be _________.

A. the farmer’s friend B. a milk factory

C. a hospital for cows D. a doctor for animals

2.The farmer asked the vet for help when his cow _______

A. couldn’t lie down B. didn’t eat the pills

C. couldn’t make any noise D. was ill

3.Which of the following is true?

A. The farmer ate the pills himself.

B. The cow got better after taking the medicine.

C. The vet came to help farmer change the cow the next day.

D. The farmer waited for the vet outside his house the next day.

When I was young, I wished for a good car and a big house. That was my idea of success. I took all the advanced classes and tried to do well in the exams with my mind set on going to a key school. I just knew that I would somehow become famous and be able to afford the car and the dream house. All the way through junior years, my mind was planning this beautiful future.

Then in the eleventh grade, many losses changed my mind. First, one of my friends died at 16. Soon after, my great-grandmother passed away, followed by my beloved fourth-grade teacher. These events left me not knowing what to do or where to go . Death had never touched me so closely.

After a long period of emptiness (空虚), it finally struck me: Life is not promised and neither is future success. Though I was attempting to achieve material success, I was not enjoying my daily life. I realized that finding inner peace, purpose and happiness will stick with me forever and that is real success.

Enjoying life's precious quirks ( 偶发事件 ) makes an ordinary person more successful than a wealthy person who isn't content and takes everything for granted. The summer before senior years, my attitude changed greatly. Instead of memorizing facts, I began learning skills. Instead of focusing on the future, I focused on today and the many blessings and successes that came with it.

I still get excellent grades, but now I devote weeks to studying instead of struggling for exams, and I think about the future with a deeper sense of meaning. For me, being successful means truly living life each day.

1.The reason why the author changed his idea of success is that ________ .

A. he can't afford his house

B. his beloved teacher was dead

C. he didn't know what to do or where to go

D. he lost a few beloved persons in a short time

2.According to the author which of the following is the real success for a person?

A. Being famous. B. Truly living life each day.

C. Good car and big house. D. Material achievements.

3.What does the author want to tell the readers?

A. The true meaning of the life. B. The true meaning of studying.

C. How to achieve success. D. His opinion about success.

4.According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A. The writer thinks that success is not promised.

B. His teacher died before the death of his grandpa.

C. The writer didn't do well in all the exams.

D. He didn't want to take all the exams.

Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships. For example, in American culture (文化) the smile is in general an expression of pleasure. Yet it also has other uses. A woman’s smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child. A smile may show love or politeness. It can also hide true feelings. It often causes confusion (困惑) across cultures. For example, many people in Russia consider smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even improper. Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places (although this is less common in big cities).Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places; some Americans believe that Russians don’t smile enough. In Southeast Asian cultures, a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings. Vietnamese people may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.

Our faces show emotions (情感), but we should not attempt to "read" people from another culture as we would "read" someone from our own culture. The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as do members of another does not mean that they do not experience emotions.

Rather, there are cultural differences in the amount of facial expressions permitted. For example, in public and in formal situations many Japanese do not show their emotions as freely as Americans do. When with friends, Japanese and Americans seem to show their emotions similarly.

It is difficult to generalize about Americans and facial expressiveness because of personal and cultural differences in the United States. People from certain cultural backgrounds in the United States seem to be more facially expressive than others. The key is to try not to judge people whose ways of showing emotion are different. If we judge according to our own cultural habits, we may make the mistake of "reading" the other person incorrectly.

1.What does the smile usually mean in America?

A. Love. B. Politeness.

C. Joy. D. Thankfulness.

2.The author mentions the smile of the Vietnamese to prove that smile can ___ .

A. show friendliness to strangers

B. be used to hide true feelings

C. be used in the wrong places

D. show personal habits

3.What should we do before attempting(尝试) to "read" people?

A. Learn about their relations with others.

B. Understand their cultural backgrounds.

C. Find out about their past experience.

D. Figure out what they will do next.

4.What would be the best title for the test?

A. Cultural Differences

B. Smiles and Relationship

C. Facial Expressiveness

D. Habits and Emotions

I remember believing in Santa when I was a very young girl. However, as I grew older, I learned many ______ that “proved” his nonexistence. Always  _____ by nature, I was determined to use  _____ to decide whether Santa Claus was _____.

The first test  ______when I was 5. I decided that if I  _____ all night on Christmas Eve, I could see if Santa really came down the chimney.  ______, that was a useless _____. I fell asleep that year, and when I woke up, I saw a  _____ wrapped present under the  _____.

At the age of 7, I came up with another test to see if Santa was real. That year, I didn’t send out my Christmas letter to Santa because I wanted ______ for Christmas, but this turned into a plot. By then, I _______knew Santa wasn’t real, but I wanted enough ______ to support this. That year was ______, because on Christmas Eve, my mother dragged me to our local Wal-Mart and led me around the toy section. I ______ to say a word, but did let my eyes  _____ on a ballet set. I ______ that “Santa” wouldn’t know what I wanted because he shouldn’t be able to read my _____. However, my mother would know everything that caught my eyes in the store. If I got the ballet set the next morning, I would have my evidence. On Christmas morning, there was the ballet set, sitting under the tree again. ______ I didn’t use it much, my mother ended up returning it a few days later. She ______ Santa was generous enough to leave a receipt. That was the end to my task to discover the existence of Santa.

1.A. theories B. facts C. situations D. choices

2.A. cautious B. typical C. curious D. desperate

3.A. data  B. exams C. tricks D. tests

4.A. real B. wise C. merciful D. generous

5.A. worked B. happened C. succeeded D. failed

6.A. called up B. kept up C. stayed up D. made up

7.A. Instead B. Otherwise C. Therefore D. However

8.A. attempt B. suggestion C. effect D. struggle

9.A. roughly B. clearly C. beautifully D. tidily

10.A. bed B. tree C. chimney D. table

11.A. everything B. nothing C. anything D. something

12.A. hardly B. never C. already D. usually

13.A. evidence B. intention C. idea D. experience

14.A. amazing B. strange C. interesting D. annoying

15.A. hated B. tried C. hesitated D. refused

16.A. focus B. try C. put D. call

17.A. hoped B. explained C. argued D. figured

18.A. purpose B. opinion C. mind D. eyes

19.A. As B. If C. Although D. As soon as

20.A. admitted B. promised C. thought D. claimed

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