Many families in the prefix = st1 /United Stateshave a larger income now than ever before, but people are finding it difficult to make ends meet anyway. Almost everyone is wondering, "What happens to all my money? I never seem to have anything left to put away." Why isn't a dollar worth as much as it used to be? One dollar is always worth the same amount, that is, 100 cents. But the value of a dollar is how much it can buy. The value of money depends on the cost of living. Economists say that the cost of living is the money that a family must pay for the necessities of life such as food, housing or rent, clothes and medical expenses. For many years now the cost of living has increased greatly, so the value of the dollar has decreased. When a dollar has a low value, you cannot buy as many things with it. No one fully understands why the cost of living keeps increasing, but economists believe that workers and producers can make prices go up. As workers earn more money, they have more money to spend, so they demand more goods. If there is a great demand for certain goods, the prices of these goods go up. At the same time, if there's a shortage of goods, the price also goes up. For example, if everyone wants to buy more and more gas, the price of gas goes up. When companies withhold gas from buyers, they can also make the price of gas go up. Families need to know what happens to their money. They need to make their income meet the cost of living, so many people plan a family budget. A budget is a list of monthly expenses. If your expenses add up to more than your income, you must find ways to save money. Maybe you're spending too much on entertainment. Or if you're spending too much on clothes, you may want to sew your own clothes. Budgeting helps you spend your money wisely as the cost of living increases. Which of the following is TRUE? A) Housewives needn't know anything happening to the market. B) People's lives are affected by the value of money. C) There seems no need for everyone to know about the rising cost of living. D) The prices will go up if more goods are produced.
B
Money management should be easy, right? You earn money. Then you use it to pay bills and taxes, donate some if you can and save some. I have paid out more than I earned in the past. I have been stingy occasionally and been sorry later. My biggest regret about money, however, is regarding savings. When I was 30 years old, I started saving money. Finally, I had a well-paid job with a salary that would grow with time and seniority. I purchased my home and moved in. The next logical step was to save money. So I did. In one year I put away $5,000. My goal was to build another $5,000 and start investing . I was pleased with my progress. Unfortunately, life stepped in. A family member became disabled and needed financial assistance. I could not seem to control my spending, and my checking account ran dry. My credit card bills rose. I carry no regret to any necessities that I bought for my family. However, as I look back, I realize that I did not research enough about balancing my budget before spending my savings account. I used the money to buy fast food just for convenience. I would go to the store for food when my cupboards were still not empty, because I wanted something special. I bought convenient items to save time, not considering that I was wasting money. I should have given up the name brand paper towels and used more dish rags. My $5,000 was gone quickly. That was just over 10 years ago. If I had kept the savings and restarted my savings after the emergency, I might have doubled that $5,000 by now. When I am a senior, I will still regret that $5,000. My credit card debt will be paid back soon. I will be as wise in my charity donations as possible. But I shall always mourn my savings account. What is the main reason for the author's spending $5,000 quickly? A) He lived a life without strict budgeting. B) His disabled family member needed assistance. C) He ate rich food and wore name brand clothes. D) He bought the necessities that his family needed.
A
Q: Knowing the best way to study will help you to be a better student. By using your time properly, you can do your homework more quickly. Learning to study is not difficult. The first thing to remember is that you must be willing to learn. It doesn't mean that you must always like the subject. It does mean, however, that you must be willing to do whatever is necessary to learn. Try to understand why it is important and how it will help you now and later to do and learn other things. Knowing mathematics facts will be useful in your whole life. Knowing how to spell makes any kind of writing easier. Sometimes the subject that you think is going to be uninteresting will be exciting when you begin to work at it and understand it more clearly. Learning things can be fun if you are willing to work with them. Here's some advice for you: have a certain time each day and a quiet place with good lighting for study, so that you can concentrate on your study without interruptions; have everything ready before you sit down to study, a dictionary, paper, a pen and books; be sure you understand what you should learn before you start; read carefully and pay special attention to the most important things; when memorizing, first find out the main parts and then recite the whole thing; check your homework after you finish it; never forget the importance of review and preview. Don't try to spend a lot of time researching learning methods. There are many students who know many good learning methods but don't study well. They forget that the most useful learning method is to study hard. The following advice is given in the article EXCEPT _ . A) To put a pen, paper and books beside you before study. B) To study at any possible time and place. C) To review and preview D) To pay attention to the most important things.
A: B
(Q).
Across the planet there are millions of people who engage in some type of meditation, the practice of concentrating and clearing the mind to bring the body into a state of peace, at least a semi-regular basis. For some, particularly among practitioners of Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, this is _ of their religious practice. For others, particularly in Western cultures, meditation tends to be a response to stress. With the world economy approaching meltdown and people worried about their job or their ability to keep their home, it's a way for people to attain a state of peace of mind and well-being. For those interested in taking up the practice, instruction in meditation for beginners can be found in literally thousands of sources. One of the most popular styles of mediation in the West, with classes offered in most major cities, is called Transcendental Meditation. TM, as it is known among its practitioners, first came to worldwide attention when the Beatles began practicing it in 1967. For direct, guided, personal instruction in meditation for the beginner, TM may be the hallmark. Part of the confusion about how to practice meditation effectively is due to the fact that there are literally hundreds of techniques championed by various groups and individuals. As a general principle, it might be said that all meditation techniques seek to have the practitioner attain a state of consciousness that is different to our ordinary state of awareness. They attempt to train people to clear their minds and achieve a sense of inner peace. It sounds simple enough, but of the huge number of people experiment with meditation, very few are able to maintain its practice over the long haul. In most cases, this is due to frustration over the inability to experience any dramatic, instantly recognizable effects. This is quite a sad state of affairs, that so few these days are willing or equipped to persist in something that doesn't provide immediate life-changing results. It reflects a culture in which demands... Who is the probable audience for this article? A) Experienced meditation practitioners. B) People interested in starting to learn meditation. C) Buddhists and Hindus. D) People who are very religious.
(A).
B