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．

    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 lending 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 overborrowed，so have we overspent．In late 1986，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.

1．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．

2．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

3．What does the author suggest as a way to deal with overborrowing?

   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．

4．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 overborrowing．

“What’s in a name?”According to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, there is not too much．“That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet．”But Shakespeare may have been wrong．In most cultures, names matter a great deal．

       Americans choose names for their children with care．Parents usually think about the impression a name gives, not its meaning．Most Americans would consider a“Jennifer”more attractive than a “Bertha”，for example．The last name, or, surname, must also be considered when choosing a first and middle name．A name like Lester Chester Hester would sound poetic, but odd．Parents would avoid names that remind them of people they don’t like．On the other hand, people might name their children after a respected elderly relative or even a famous person．The popularity of certain names can change with each new generation．Names that were once common, like Fanny or Elmer, sound old-fashioned today．But other names—like John and David, Mary and Sarah—have stood the test of time and continue to be favorites．

       People in America don’t always call their friends and relatives by their given names．Instead, they often use nicknames．Sometimes nicknames are short forms of a longer name．For instance, a  girl named Elizabeth may be called Lisa, Beth or Betsy．As children grow up, they may decide for themselves which nickname they wish to be called．Some people just go by the initials of their first and middle names, like B．J．or R．C．And of course, people may call their children or their sweethearts other special nicknames．Often they have a “sweet” flavor, like Honey or Sugar．What’s in a name? A world of significance．So if you’re choosing an English name for yourself, take care to choose a good one．Amide-up name could sound strange to native English speakers．And a translation of your Chinese name may not make an appropriate name, either．But a good name can leave a positive and lasting impression．As an American politician once said,“In real life, unlike in Shakespeare, the sweetness of the rose depends upon the name it bears．”

1．What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 2 mean?

       A．People change names in order to be popular with the new generation．

       B．Names will change by themselves in order to be popular．

       C．Some names may no longer be popular among the new generation．

       D．No names can stand the test of time．

2．When choosing names, you should stick to the following principles except that          ．

       A．the impression a name gives is more important than its meaning

       B．you can name after a well-known person

       C．surname should be paid attention to

       D．you can create a name that is special

3．The word “initial” in paragraph 3 probably means          ．

       A．nickname           B．the first letter      C．short form          D．title

4．The author will name a newly born baby girl             ．

       A．Bertha               B．Fanny                C．Yunyun            D．Elizabeth

5．What is the main idea of this passage?

       A．Names have great significance to Americans．

       B．Names change when time goes by．

       C．Chinese people should be careful when choosing their English names．

       D．Roses smell sweet by any other name．

"What’s in a name?”According to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet，there is not too much.“That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. "But Shakespeare may have been wrong. In most cultures，names matter a great deal.

Americans choose names for their children with care. Parents usually think about the impression a name gives，not its meaning. Most Americans would consider a “Jennifer” more attractive than a“Bertha"，for example. The last name，or，surname，must also be considered when choosing a first and middle name. A name like Lester Chester Hester would sound poetic，but odd. Parents would avoid names that remind them of people they don’t like. On the other hand，people might name their children after a respected elderly relative or even a famous person. The popularity of certain names can change with each new generation. Names that were once common，like Fanny or Elmer，sound old-fashioned today. But other names—like John and David，Mary and Sarah—have stood the test of time and continue to be favorites.

People in Ameica don’t always call their friends and relatives by their given names. Instead，they often use nicknames. Sometimes nicknames are short forms of a longer name. For instance，a girl named Elizabeth may be called Lisa，Beth or Betsy. As children grow up，they may decide for themselves which nickname they wish to be called.

Some people just go by the initials of their first and middle names，like B. J, or R. C. And of course，people may call their children or their sweethearts other special nicknames. Often they have a “sweet” flavor，like Honey or Sugar. What’s in a name? A world of significance. So if you’re choosing an English name for yourself，take care to choose a good one. A made—up name could sound strange to native English speakers. And a translation of your Chinese name may not make an appropriate name，either. But a good name can leave a positive and lasting impression.  As an American politician once said，“In real life，unlike in Shakespeare，the sweetness of the rose depends upon the name it bears.”

What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?

A. People change names in order to be popular with the new generanon.

B. Names will change by themselves in order to be popular.

C. Some names may no longer be popular among the new generation.

D. No names can stand the test of time.

When choosing names，you should stick to the following principles EXCEPT that

A. the impression a name gives is more important than its meaning

B. you can name after a well-known person

C.surname should be paid attention to

D.you can create a name that is special

The author will name a newly born baby girl________.

A． Bertha         B. Fanny            C. Yunyun       D.Elizabeth

What is the main idea of this passage?

A. Names have great significance to Americans.

B.Names change when time goes by.

C. Chinese people should be careful when choosing their English names.

D.Roses smell sweet by any other name.

"What’s in a name?”According to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet，there is not too much.“That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. "But Shakespeare may have been wrong. In most cultures，names matter a great deal.

Americans choose names for their children with care. Parents usually think about the impression a name gives，not its meaning. Most Americans would consider a “Jennifer” more attractive than a“Bertha"，for example. The last name，or，surname，must also be considered when choosing a first and middle name. A name like Lester Chester Hester would sound poetic，but odd. Parents would avoid names that remind them of people they don’t like. On the other hand，people might name their children after a respected elderly relative or even a famous person. The popularity of certain names can change with each new generation. Names that were once common，like Fanny or Elmer，sound old-fashioned today. But other names—like John and David，Mary and Sarah—have stood the test of time and continue to be favorites.

People in Ameica don’t always call their friends and relatives by their given names. Instead，they often use nicknames. Sometimes nicknames are short forms of a longer name. For instance，a girl named Elizabeth may be called Lisa，Beth or Betsy. As children grow up，they may decide for themselves which nickname they wish to be called.

Some people just go by the initials of their first and middle names，like B. J, or R. C. And of course，people may call their children or their sweethearts other special nicknames. Often they have a “sweet” flavor，like Honey or Sugar. What’s in a name? A world of significance. So if you’re choosing an English name for yourself，take care to choose a good one. A made—up name could sound strange to native English speakers. And a translation of your Chinese name may not make an appropriate name，either. But a good name can leave a positive and lasting impression.  As an American politician once said，“In real life，unlike in Shakespeare，the sweetness of the rose depends upon the name it bears.”

1.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?

A. People change names in order to be popular with the new generanon.

B. Names will change by themselves in order to be popular.

C. Some names may no longer be popular among the new generation.

D. No names can stand the test of time.

2.When choosing names，you should stick to the following principles EXCEPT that

A. the impression a name gives is more important than its meaning

B. you can name after a well-known person

C.surname should be paid attention to

D.you can create a name that is special

3.The author will name a newly born baby girl________.

A． Bertha         B. Fanny            C. Yunyun           D.Elizabeth

4.What is the main idea of this passage?

A. Names have great significance to Americans.

B.Names change when time goes by.

C. Chinese people should be careful when choosing their English names.

D.Roses smell sweet by any other name.