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Spending beyond one’s means is becoming a national problem for Americans．Borrowing has become so easy that it takes great willpower for people to refuse it．“I received a number of gold MasterCard and gold Visa card offers in the mail during the past two months，”said one computer engineer at AT ＆T Bell Laboratories in Chicago．“I got three of them in one day last week．”
Lenders are providing easy credit（信贷）for borrowers．Many banks now offer every borrower a great variety of credit，a service once offered almost only to big companies．Norwest Bank Minneapolis offers lending programs for cars and boats that can cut monthly payments nearly m half .Carmakers，too，are lengthening easier terms．Ford Motor Credit states that 45 % of its recent lendings has been for sixty months，rather than the sixty-six-month period that was usual before．
The total consumer debt（债务）in the United States rose 73 percent between 1974 and 1984，as the debt for each man，woman，and child increased from $10，264 to $26，566．Huge debt now is present in our economy（经济）at all levels．As a nation，we are more than $7 trillion in debt，and the total keeps increasing astonishingly.
As we have over borrowed，so have we overspent．In late 986，the share of after-tax income that Americans saved sank below 2 percent for a short time，less than half the figure at which we saved only 10 years ago．Americans now are buying from foreigners between about $50 and $100 billion more Mercedes and Toyotas, Paris fashions，and tours to Europe than the Boeing 747s， agriculture machinery , or Kansas wheat that the foreigners bought from America. The country could not produce and pay for all the things it wanted.
To make a long story short, we Americans have serious problems in keeping down spending and keeping up personal savings．It is high time for us American people to learn the basics of long-term money management.
48．According to the author, what is a main reason for Americans to overspend？
A. Americans buy a lot of foreign products．
B. It is easy for Americans to manage their debts．
C. Borrowing money has become a simple matter．
D. Americans have more extra money than before．
49．Ford Motor Credit lengthens 45％of its lending to 60 months in order to_______．
A. help more Americans to settle their debts
B. encourage people to buy foreign cars
C. make better use of its money
D. attract more customers
50．What does the author suggest as a way to deal with over borrowing?
A. Teaching people how to manage money．
B. Advising people on what to buy．
C. Limiting the use of credit cards．
D. Reducing average incomes．
51．Which of the following points does the author wish to make?
A. America should sell more of its products abroad．
B. A healthy society has to learn to 1ive within its means．
C. People’s income determines their money management．
D. Government should prevent people from over borrowing．
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along fairly well with each other until recently.
An old man and his wife used to live on the second floor. Bill's mother and the old lady were
good friends. Unfortunately the lady died last month. Her husband could not live alone, so he had
his grandson move over and live with him.
The grandson has become a problem to all the neighbors, especially to Bill's family. The walls
of the buildin g are thin and he is noisy. Bill is used to peace and quiet but the young man likes to
listen to the radio late at night. Sometimes friends of his visit and they make a lot of noise. That is
too much for Bill's family.
Bill's mother once asked the old man politely if he was able to sleep well at night, but obviously
the man didn't understand what she meant. If he did and spoke to his grandson, the young man
obviously didn't listen, since things haven't changed any. Everyone in Bill's family agrees that
something must be done though they don't want to hurt the kind old man.
B. a young man moved in
C. the old man could not live alone
D. the grandson made a lot of noise
B. The old man and his wife were sometimes making trouble too.
C. Bill's mother was kind to her neighbors.
D. Bill's mother was the only one who likes the young man.
B. the walls of the building are thin
C. he likes to listen to the radio at night
D. friends of his visit
B. only the grandfather is going
C. Bill's mother is able
D. nobody is likely