According to a recent survey on money and relationships, 36% of people are keeping a bank account from their partner. While this financial unfaithfulness may appear as distrust in a relationship, in truth it may just be a form of financial protection. 

With almost half of all marriages ending in divorce, men and women are realizing they need to be financially savvy, regardless of whether they are in a relationship.

      The financial hardship on individuals after a divorce can be extremely difficult, even more so when children are involved. The lack of permanency in relationships, jobs and family life may be the cause of a growing trend to keep a secret bank account hidden from a partner, in other words, an “escape fund”.

       Margaret’s story is far from unique. She is a representative of a growing number of women in long-term relationships who are becoming protective of their own earnings. Every month on pay day, she banks hundreds of dollars into a savings account she keeps from her husband. She has been doing this throughout their six-year marriage and has built a nest egg worth an incredible $100,000. Margaret says if her husband found about her secret savings he’d be hurt and would take this as a sign that she wasn’t sure of the marriage. “He’d think it was my escape fund so that financially I could afford to get out of the relationship if it went wrong. I know you should approach marriage as being forever and I hope ours is, but you can never be sure.”

       Like many of her fellow secret savers, Margaret was hurt in a former relationship and has since been very guarded about her own money.

       Coming clean to your partner about being a secret saver may not be all that bad. Take Colleen for example, who had been saving secretly for a few years before she confessed (坦白) to her partner. “I decided to open a savings account and start building a nest egg of my own. I wanted to prove to myself that I could put money in the bank and leave it there for a rainy day.”

    61. The underlined word “savvy” probably means ________.

       A. doubtful         B. proud       C. wise         D. simple

    62. Which inference can we make about Margaret？

       A. She is a unique woman.                  B. She was once divorced.

       C. She is going to retire.                    D. She has many children.

    63. The author mentions Colleen’s example to show __________.

       A. any couple can avoid marriage conflicts 

B. privacy within marriage should be respected

       C. everyone can save a fortune with a happy marriage

       D. financial confession is not necessarily bad

    64. Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

        A. Secret Savers                           B. Love Is What It’s Worth

        C. Banking Honesty                       D. Once Bitten, Twice Shy

According to a recent survey on money and relationships, 36% of people are keeping a bank account from their partner. While this financial unfaithfulness may appear as distrust in a relationship, in truth it may just be a form of financial protection. With almost half of all marriages ending in divorce, men and women are realizing they need to be financially savvy, regardless of whether they are in a relationship.

    The financial hardship on individuals after a divorce can be extremely difficult, even more so when children are involved. The lack of permanency in relationships, job and family life may be the cause of a growing trend to keep a secret bank account hidden from a partner, in other words, an "escape fund".

    Margaret's story is far from unique. She is a representative of a growing number of women in long-term relationships who are becoming protective of their own earnings. Every month on pay day, she banks hundreds of dollars into a savings account she keeps from her husband. She has been doing this throughout their six-year marriage and has built a nest egg worth an incredible $100,000. Margaret says if her husband found about her secret savings he'd be hurt and would take this as a sign that she wasn't sure of the marriage. "He'd think it was my escape fund so that financially I could afford to get out of the relationship if it went wrong. I know you should approach marriage as being forever and I hope ours is, but you can never be sure."

    Like many of her fellow secret savers, Margaret was hurt in a former relationship and has since been very guarded about her own money.

    Coming clean to your partner about being a secret saver may not be all that bad. Taken Colleen for example, who had been saving secretly for a few years before she confessed to her partner. "I decided to open a savings account and start building a nest egg of my own. I wanted to prove to myself that I could put money in the bank and leave it there for a rainy day."

    56. The trend to keep a secret bank account is growing because _______.

    A. "escape fund" helps one through rainy days   B. days are getting harder and harder

    C. women are money sensitive               D. financial conflicts often occur

    57. The word "savvy" (Line4, Para1) probably means ________.

    A. suspicious            B. secure          C. wise            D. simple

    58. Which inference can we make about Margaret？

    A. She is a unique woman.                  B. She was once divorced.

    C. She is going to retire.                    D. She has many children.

    59. The author mentions Colleen's example to show __________.

    A. any couple can avoid marriage conflicts  B. privacy within marriage should be respected

    C. everyone can save a fortune with a happy marriage

    D. financial disclosure is not necessarily bad

    60. Which of the following is the best summary of this passage?

    A. Secret Savers                           B. Love Is What It's Worth

    C. Banking Honesty                       D. Once Bitten, Twice Shy

    Wise buying is a positive way in which you can make your money go further．The   21   you go about purchasing all item or a service can actually  22  you money or can add  23    the cost．

    Take the  24  example of a hairdryer．If you are buying a hairdryer, you might   25     you are making the  26  buy if you choose one  27   look you like and which is also the cheapest  28   price．But when you get it home you may find that it  29   twice as long  as a more expensive  30   to dry your hair．The cost of the electricity plus the cost of your time could well  31  your hairdryer the most expensive one of all．

    So what principles should you  32  when you go out shopping?

    If you  33   your home，your car or any valuable  34  in excellent condition，you’ll be saving money in the long  35  ．Before you buy a new  36  ，talk to someone who owns one．If you can，use it or borrow it to check it suits your particular  37  ．

    Before you buy an expensive  38  ，or a service，do check the price and  39    is on offer．If possible，choose  40   three items or three estimates．

Global Positioning Systems are now a part of everyday driving in many countries. These satellite-based systems provide turn-by-turn directions to help people get to where they want to go. But, they can also cause a lot of problems, send you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost. Many times, the driver is to blame. Sometimes a GPS error is responsible. Most often, says Barry Brown, it is a combination of the two.
We spoke to Mr. Brown by Skype. He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States. There he borrowed a GPS-equipped car to use during his stay. Barry Brown: “And they just plugged in an address and then set off to their destination. And, then it wasn’t until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they actually put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived. They actually put their home address in. So again, the GPS is kind of 'garbage in garbage out'.”
Mister Brown says this is a common human error. But, he says, what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings, or failures, of GPS equipment. Barry Brown: “One problem with a lot of the GPS units is they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn. Because they just give you the next turn, sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the overview that you would need to know that it’s going to the wrong place.”
Barry Brown formerly served as a professor with the University of California, San Diego. While there, he worked on a project with Eric Laurier from the University of Edinburgh. The two men studied the effects of GPS devices on driving by placing cameras in people’s cars. They wrote a paper based on their research. It is called “The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS.” It lists several areas where GPS systems can cause confusion for drivers. These include maps that are outdated, incorrect or difficult to understand. They also include timing issues related to when GPS commands are given.
Barry Brown says to make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers, passengers and GPS systems work together.
【小题1】In Paragraph 2, Mr. Brown mentioned his friend in the conversation to _____________.

Global Positioning Systems are now a part of everyday driving in many countries. These satellite-based systems provide turn-by-turn directions to help people get to where they want to go. But, they can also cause a lot of problems, send you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost. Many times, the driver is to blame. Sometimes a GPS error is responsible. Most often, says Barry Brown, it is a combination of the two.

We spoke to Mr. Brown by Skype. He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States. There he borrowed a GPS-equipped car to use during his stay. Barry Brown: “And they just plugged in an address and then set off to their destination. And, then it wasn’t until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they actually put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived. They actually put their home address in. So again, the GPS is kind of 'garbage in garbage out'.”

Mister Brown says this is a common human error. But, he says, what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings, or failures, of GPS equipment. Barry Brown: “One problem with a lot of the GPS units is they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn. Because they just give you the next turn, sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the overview that you would need to know that it’s going to the wrong place.”

Barry Brown formerly served as a professor with the University of California, San Diego. While there, he worked on a project with Eric Laurier from the University of Edinburgh. The two men studied the effects of GPS devices on driving by placing cameras in people’s cars. They wrote a paper based on their research. It is called “The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS.” It lists several areas where GPS systems can cause confusion for drivers. These include maps that are outdated, incorrect or difficult to understand. They also include timing issues related to when GPS commands are given.

Barry Brown says to make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers, passengers and GPS systems work together.

1.In Paragraph 2, Mr. Brown mentioned his friend in the conversation to _____________.

A．build up his own reputation

B．laugh at his stupid friend

C．prove the GPS system is only garbage

D．describe an example of human error

2.With which of the following statement would Barry Brown most likely agree?

A．GPS units are to blame for the most GPS service failures.

B．We should introduce higher standard for the driving license.

C．Cameras are urgently needed to help improve GPS systems.

D．Drivers, GPS systems and passengers should unite to improve GPS systems.

3.What is Mr. Brown’s attitude towards GPS?

A．Unconcerned      B．Prejudiced         C．Objective         D．Critical

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

A．driving with GPS can be difficult

B．driving confusions can be caused by small screen

C．driving without GPS should be much more convenient

D．GPS equipment in driving: to be deserted or improved?