When Steve Maxwell graduated from college, he had an engineering degree and a high tech job — but he couldn’t balance his checkbook. “I took one finance class in college but dropped it to go on a ski trip,” says the 45-year-old father of three, who lives in Windsor, Colorado. “I actually had to go to my bank and ask them to teach me how to read my statement.”

One of the biggest obstacles to making money is not understanding it: Thousands of us avoid investing because we just don’t get it. But to make money, you must be financially literate. “It bothered me that I didn’t understand this stuff,” says Steve, “so I read books and magazines about money management and investing, and I asked every financial whiz (能手) I knew to explain things to me.”

He and his wife started applying the lessons: They made a point to live below their means. They never bought on impulse, always negotiated better deals (on their cars，cable bills, furniture) and stayed in their home long after they went for an expensive vacation. They also put 20 percent of their annual salary into investments.

Within ten years, they were millionaires, and people were coming to Steve for advice. “Someone would say, ‘I need to refinance my house — what should I do? ‘A lot of times, I wouldn’t know the answer, but I’d go to find it and learn something in the process,” he says.

In 2003, Steve quit his job to become part owner of a company that holds personal finance seminars for employees of corporations like Wal Mart. He also started going to real estate investment seminars, and it’s paid off: He now owns $ 30 million worth of investment properties, including apartment complexes, a shopping mall and a quarry.

“I was an engineer who never thought this life was possible, but all it truly takes is a little self education,” says Steve. “You can do anything once you understand the basics.”

1.The underlined part “live below their means” (in Paragraph 3) probably means “______”.

A．take effective measures                  B．live a miserable life

C．spend more money than they had           D．spend less money than they had

2.Since Steve Maxwell became a millionaire, he ______.

A．has been unwilling to help others

B．hasn’t stopped learning from practice

C．has been willing to follow others’ advice

D．has stopped to invest in houses

3.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．A self made engineer

B．How to balance your checkbook

C．Don’t avoid investing

D．Educate yourself to become a millionaire

4.It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A．self education is very important to one’s life

B．everyone should learn how to invest in their life

C．Steve Maxwell was quite interested in finance classes in college

D．Steve became rich because he saved every penny he had earned

Shopping in the United States changes a lot. About ninety years ago most people shopped in small stores that were owned by one person or a family. Women went from the bakery to the butcher’s to the grocer and on to the fruit and vegetable seller in order to get their food for the week. Then, about sixty years ago, supermarkets were born. In a supermarket, people could get all the different kinds of food they needed without going to different stores.

The next big change in shopping in the United States was the shopping mall. A shopping mall is a group of stores under one roof. Because malls allowed people to shop without worrying about the weather, they soon became very popular. The mall became a place for people to socialize in addition to shopping. If you walk through a mall, you will see older people sitting, chatting and drinking coffee. Malls are places for teenagers to hang out. Many teens will often just “go to the mall” and spend time with their friends.

The recent change in American shopping was the superstore. Large chain stores such as Wal-Mart, Office Depot and Toys“R”Us have been built all across the United States. Because they are so large, they can buy goods at a great discount and sell them much cheaper than smaller stores. Sometimes, when they are built near small towns, many of the small town stores have to close. They just cannot compete with their giant neighbors.

And now, online shopping is becoming more and more popular all over the States. People are too busy to go to the physical stores, so they go shopping over the Internet. Online shopping has lots of advantages. For instance, online stores are usually available 24 hours a day. Searching or browsing online shops can be faster than browsing the physical stores. While, online shopping also has its disadvantages. People are at higher risk of being cheated on the part of the merchant than in a physical store. And privacy of personal information may be let out.

1.Which of the following shows the right order of shopping development in the United States?

①small stores  ②superstores  ③shopping malls  ④shopping online   ⑤supermarkets

A. ①②③④⑤               B. ①⑤②③④             C. ②③④①⑤                D. ①⑤③②④

2.Which is the place for people to spend time with others according to the passage?

A. Small stores.              B. Shopping malls.       C. Supermarkets.           D. Superstores.

3.Why can the superstores sell products at much lower prices?

A. Because they can buy goods at a reduction in price.

B. Because they are across the United States.

C. Because they sell all kinds of products people need.

D. Because they are built near small towns.

4.What’s the disadvantage of online shopping according to the passage?

A. Wasting time.                                                    B. Fixed prices.

C. Leaking personal information.                       D. No chance to do physical activities.

Shopping in the United States changes a lot．About ninety years ago most people shopped in small stores that were owned by one person or a family．Women went from the bakery to the butcher's to the grocer and on to the fruit and vegetable seller in order to get their food for the week．

         Then about sixty years ago, supermarkets were born．In a supermarket, people could get all the different kinds of food they needed without going to different stores．

         The next big change in shopping in the United States was the shopping mall．A shopping mall is a group of stores under one roof．Because malls allowed people to shop without worrying about the weather, they soon became very popular．The mall became a place for people to socialize in addition to shopping．If you walk through a mall, you will see older people sitting, chatting and drinking coffee．Malls are places for teenagers to hang out．Many teens will often just "go to the mall" and spend time with their friends．

         The recent change in American shopping was the superstore．Large chain stores such as Wal-Mart, Office Depot and Toys "R" Us have been built all across the United States．Because they are so large, they can buy goods at a great discount and sell them much cheaper than smaller stores．

         Sometimes, when they are built near small towns, many of the small town stores have to close．They just cannot compete with their giant neighbors．

         And now, online shopping is becoming more and more popular all over the States．People are too busy to go to the physical stores, so they go shopping over the Internet．Online shopping has lots of advantages．For instance, online stores are usually available 24 hours a day．Searching or browsing online shops can be faster than browsing the physical stores．While, online shopping also has its disadvantages．People are at higher risk of being cheated on the part of the merchant than in a physical store．And privacy of personal information may be let out．

1.Which of the following shows the right order of shopping development in the United States?

①small stores          ②superstores          ③shopping malls     ④shopping online            ⑤supermarkets

A．①②③④⑤                          B．①⑤②③④

C．①⑤③②④                 D．②③④①⑤

2.Which is the place for people to spend time with others according to the passage?

A．Shopping malls               B．Small stores

C．Supermarkets               D．Superstores

3.Why can the superstores sell products at much lower prices?

A．Because they are built near small towns．

B．Because they are across the United States．

C．Because they sell all kinds of products people need．

D．Because they can buy goods at a reduction in the price．

4.What's the disadvantage of online shopping according to the passage?

A．Wasting time．             B．Leaking personal information．

C．Fixed prices．              D．No chance to do physical activities

I never thought I would have a life-changing experience at Wal-Mart.

Although my thoughts were only on speed, the checkout line I was standing in wasn’t moving as quickly as I wanted, and I glanced toward the cashier. There stood a man in his seventies, wearing glasses and a nice smile. I thought, well, he’s an old guy!

For the next few minutes I watched him. He greeted every customer before scanning the items. Sure, his words were the usual, “How’s it going?” But he did something different—he actually listened to people. Then he would respond to what they had said and engage them in brief conversation.

I thought it was odd (古怪的). I have grown accustomed to people asking me how I was doing simply out of robotic conversational habit. After a while, you don’t give any thought to the question and just say something back. I could say, “I just found out I have six months to live,” and someone would reply, “Have a great day!”

But that wasn’t the end. He gave them the change, walked around the counter, and extended his right hand in an act of friendship. He looked the customers in the eyes. “I sure want to thank you for shopping here today,” he told them. “You have a great day. Bye-bye.”

The looks on the faces of the customers were priceless. There were smiles and some sheepish grins (咧嘴一笑). All had been touched by his simple gesture—and in a place they never expected. They would gather their things and walk out, smiling.

Of course, he did the same to me and I got to know his name, Marty.

56. 1.The checkout line the writer was standing in moved slower than expected because ________.

A．the cashier couldn’t work as fast as others

B．there were some big purchases

C．the cashier did more than scanning the items

D．the writer was not patient enough

57．2.According to the writer, when common people ask you “How’s it going?”________.

A．they don’t really care what you may answer

B．they are just practicing their conversation ability

C．they are asking about your private information

D．they don’t expect to hear any negative answers

58．3.What was most customers reaction on Marty’s behaviors?

A．They thought it priceless.                 B．They were in some way moved.

C．They thought it awful and odd.             D．They felt somewhat annoyed..

59．4.What does the writer intend to express through the text?

A．Our everyday life is always full of surprises.

B．Most customers enjoy being treated this way.

C．Being different is a good way of doing business.

D．A little positive action can make a big difference.

Shopping in the United States changes a lot. About ninety years ago most people shopped in small stores that were owned by one person or a family. Women went from the bakery to the butcher’s to the grocer and on to the fruit and vegetable seller in order to get their food for the week. Then, about sixty years ago, supermarkets were born. In a supermarket, people could get all the different kinds of food they needed without going to different stores.

The next big change in shopping in the United States was the shopping mall. A shopping mall is a group of stores under one roof. Because malls allowed people to shop without worrying about the weather, they soon became very popular. The mall became a place for people to socialize in addition to shopping. If you walk through a mall, you will see older people sitting, chatting and drinking coffee. Malls are places for teenagers to hang out. Many teens will often just “go to the mall” and spend time with their friends.

The recent change in American shopping was the superstore. Large chain stores such as Wal-Mart, Office Depot and Toys“R”Us have been built all across the United States. Because they are so large, they can buy goods at a great discount and sell them much cheaper than smaller stores. Sometimes, when they are built near small towns, many of the small town stores have to close. They just cannot compete with their giant neighbors.

And now, online shopping is becoming more and more popular all over the States. People are too busy to go to the physical stores, so they go shopping over the Internet. Online shopping has lots of advantages. For instance, online stores are usually available 24 hours a day. Searching or browsing online shops can be faster than browsing the physical stores. While, online shopping also has its disadvantages. People are at higher risk of being cheated on the part of the merchant than in a physical store. And privacy of personal information may be let out.

Which of the following shows the right order of shopping development in the United States?

①small stores  ②superstores  ③shopping malls  ④shopping online     ⑤supermarkets

A. ①②③④⑤      B. ①⑤②③④      C. ②③④①⑤      D. ①⑤③②④

Which is the place for people to spend time with others according to the passage?

A. Small stores.     B. Shopping malls. C. Supermarkets.    D. Superstores.

Why can the superstores sell products at much lower prices?

A. Because they can buy goods at a reduction in price.

B. Because they are across the United States.

C. Because they sell all kinds of products people need.

D. Because they are built near small towns.

What’s the disadvantage of online shopping according to the passage?

A. Wasting time.           B. Fixed prices.

C. Leaking personal information.  D. No chance to do physical activities.