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．

第II卷 （两部分 共35分）

第四部分 任务型阅读（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分)

请认真阅读下面短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。

注意：每空只填1个单词。

Life or Lifestyle?

What is a lifestyle and how is that different from a life? A lifestyle is about brand names and buying identity or prestige（声望）. Lifestyle gives a false sense of peace and acceptability that comes from others recognizing what you've bought into (as well as bought). If your car, clothes, and home are expensive, you're sophisticated and stylish. If you have the right kind of job or go to the right social gatherings, then you receive the superficial approval of others. This means that your self-esteem is always at the mercy of others, with no appreciation of you as an individual.

A life, on the other hand, is very different. A life is what you lead when you know what matters most to you. It is very simple and comes from being connected to what you know is important and being willing to put that first, no matter what others may think. When you create a life vs a lifestyle, your self-esteem comes from what's inside you, not what others think about you.

How many times have you seen someone (this used to be me!) work long hours in a job that they do not enjoy just to be able to maintain an expensive lifestyle? There was a recent commercial on TV that showed a man laughing in his yard saying: "I drive an expensive car, have a 5 bedroom home, a country club membership, a swimming pool and I'm in debt up to my eyeballs!" Every time I see this commercial I think about the book—The Millionaire Next Door. The book says that most of the people living in the largest homes are exactly like the man in the commercial and that the real millionaires are the ones you would never guess, because their focus is on creating a life vs. a lifestyle.

Lifestyle is expensive monetarily(金钱) and personally, because it costs a great deal to keep up appearances and do what you think is socially acceptable. A Life is not expensive. Rather than running out of personal or financial resources, a life generates energy and staying power. If we focus on what we wear, or what kind of car we drive, or where we live, then we are saying that how others see us is more important than what we think of ourselves. If we find out what our true beliefs and values are and choose to live by these, then the opinions of others don't drive our lives. This is not an issue of avoiding luxury for its own sake; it's about liberating yourself from the mindless consumption that society demands. It is about making the choices that agree with your values, instead of running out of your bank account or energy for no heart-driven reason.

How can you make the change? Understand the difference between a Life (being directed from within) and a Lifestyle (being directed from outside). Analyze your current lifestyle to see what it is costing you in money, time, stress, and energy to maintain it. Let go and make room for what is really important to you, what sustains you and brings you joy. Remember that who you are comes from within, not what you own.