input: Make use of the article to answer the questions. 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 I knew to explain things to me."

He and his wife started applying the lessons: They made a point to _ . 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. What type of degree did Steve have?
2. Did he have a high-tech job as well?
3. Why did he drop his finance class?
4. How many children does he have?
5. How old is Steve?
6. In what year did Steve quit his job?
7. Is Steve a multi-millionaire?
8. How long did it take him to become a millionaire?
9. Do people ask Steve for advice?
10. How much of his annual salary does he put into Investments?
numbered_answers: 1. an engineering degree
2. yes
3. to go on a ski trip
4. three
5. 45
6. 2003
7. yes
8. Within ten years
9. yes
10. 20 percent

input: Joe and his friends wanted to join the school's Christmas show. He asked his friends at school what would be a good idea for the Christmas show. They came up with lots of ideas but had trouble choosing which idea to use. One person wanted to do a dance show. Another person wanted to put on a play. So Joe told everyone to write their idea down on a piece of paper. Then he took everyone's idea, put it into a hat, mixed them up, and picked one idea. He read the idea out loud to his friends. It said, "musical". So Joe and his friends were going to put on a musical.

The first thing Joe did was give each of his friends a different job. Jane, Rick, and Peter would be the singers in the show. Max and Sam would set up the stage and the lights. Marsha and Tammy would make the costumes. Later, Joe wanted more singers so he added Sam and Marsha as singers.

On the day of the school Christmas show, the school loved the musical and cheered for Joe and his friends when it ended. Joe and his friends celebrated by going out for ice cream. The ice cream shop was all out of Joe's favorite flavor, strawberry, so Joe chose to get chocolate ice cream instead. 1. who cheered for joe and his friends?
2. what did they want to join?
3. who sang?
4. how many people worked on it?
5. when did the school cheer?
6. how did they celebrate?
7. what his joe's favorite kind?
8. did he get it?
9. why not?
10. what did he choose?
11. how many ideas did they have?
12. what did they choose?
13. how?
14. what did joe do first?
15. how many jobs were there?
16. who made the outfits?
17. who did the lighting?
18. what else did they do? Return numbered answers in your output.

output: 1. tthe school
2. the Christmas show.
3. Jane, Rick, and Peter
4. 10 with the 2 extras
5. On the day of the show
6. they went for icecream
7. strawberry,
8. no
9. the shop ran out
10. chocolate
11. Eight
12. a musical
13. they all wrote down their idea and Joe pulled one out of a hat
14. gave them all different jobs.
15. Three
16. . Marsha and Tammy
17. Max and Sam
18. set up the stage

Q: CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.

TELLS OF A SERIES OF TERRIBLE SURPRISES.

"Well, what did you think of that, old girl?" asked Peter Pax of Tottie, on issuing from the Literary Message-Boys' Hall, after having performed his duties there.

"It was wonderful. I 'ad no idear that the Post-Office was so old or so grand a' institootion--But please don't forget father," said Tottie, with an anxious look at the battered clock.

"I don't forget 'im, Tot. I've been thinkin' about 'im the whole time, an' I've made up my mind what to do. The only thing I ain't sure of is whether I shouldn't take my friend Phil Maylands into partnership."

"Oh, please, don't," pleaded Tottie; "I shouldn't like 'im to know about father."

"Well, the less he knows about 'im the better. P'r'aps you're right. I'll do it alone, so you cut away home. I'll go to have my personal appearance improved, and then off to Charing Cross. Lots of time, Tottie. Don't be anxious. Try if you can trust me. I'm small, no doubt, but I'm tough.--Good-night."

When Abel Bones seated himself that night in a third-class carriage at Charing Cross, and placed a neat little black hand-bag, in which he carried his housebreaking tools, on the floor between his feet, a small negro boy entered the carriage behind him, and, sitting down directly opposite, stared at him as if lost in unutterable amazement.

Mr Bones took no notice of the boy at first, but became annoyed at last by the pertinacity of his attention.

Answer the following questions:
1. What did Tottie think of the post office?
2. How did he discribe it?
3. what was his father's name?
4. What did Abel bones place on the floor?
5. what was in the bag?
6. what was it Abel seated himself in?
7. who was it Tot wasn't sure if he should take into a partnership?
8. what was Peter Pax going to do before he went off to Charring Cross?
9. What did Tottie look at anxiously while talking with his father?
10. Did Peter Pax consider himself tough?
A:
1. That it was wonderful
2. A grand a' institootion
3. Peter Pax
4. A little hand-bag
5. Tools
6. A third-class carriage
7. Phil Maylands
8. Impove his personal appearance
9. unknown
10. Yes