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." It can be inferred from the passage that _ . A) self education is very important to one's life B) everyone should learn how to invest in their life C) Steve Maxwell was quite interested in finance classes in college D) Steve became rich because he saved every penny he had earned
A
Now, it's time for some brief news items. Teens Go Online Some 13 million European children under 18 use the Internet for schoolwork, games and music according to research done by Nielsen's "Net-rating". The study covered Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Experts advised parents to limit the time their kids spend on line and keep them away from chat rooms. Chat to the magic Mum British author J. K. Rowling, mother of magic boy Harry Potter, will do an Internet interview about her new book "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" on June 26. Before the event, children are invited to send their questions about Harry to the website. The book will hit stores in the US and UK on June 21 and will arrive in China in August. School Soldiers Russian school students will have to do basic military training in their final year of school, the government has decided. The lesson will include learning to fire guns, marching drills and how to deal with a chemical, nuclear or biological attack. The activity is seen as part of a drive toward the education of their love for their country. Is it hard for you to get up early and get ready for classes? Some students at Winter Park High School just roll out of bed in their pajamas and go to class in their own bedrooms, Of course, their teachers and classmates do not see them because all their class work is on the computer. The Florida High School, the state's only online school, has 250 students who are taking classes at home by computer. Students in this first online program take classes in algebra , American government, chemistry, computer, economics, and web-page design. They also have to go to regular school to attend other classes. What is the second news item mainly about? A) J. K. Rowling will have an Internet interview. B) Children will meet Harry Potter's mother. C) The Harry Potter book will be available on the Internet. D) The Harry Potter book will arrive in China in early June.
A
Q: The concept of solar power satellites, or SPS, first put forward in the 1960s, is still not widely known by the general public. For example, at many public exhibitions about energy, SPS is not even mentioned. This is mainly because very little money has been spent on SPS research There are people who claim that SPS is unrealistic - because launch costs are much too high today; or because it is too far away. So why do we believe that it is important to continue to do researches on SPS? The reason is very simple. Humans are going to need huge amounts of electric power in coming decades. Within 50 years the world population is expected to double, while economic growth will continue around the world, especially in the poorer countries. But existing energy sources already face serious problems. They are limited; they are polluted; they are dangerous. So 50 or 100 years from now, where is our power going to come from? Nobody knows. And so we believe that new large-scale possibilities should be studied further. We must remember that humans have some choices concerning our future. To some extent we can choose the direction in which our civilization develops. And choices that are made in the coming decades - such as the energy sources that we will or will not use, will have major, long-term meaning for human life on earth. We believe that if research continues to show that SPS is environmentally and economically attractive, SPS will open the door to a much more attractive future for human civilization than any ground-based energy source, and one that the public will support and that young people will find challenging and exciting. Furthermore energy from SPS can be readily used in developing countries, as the SPS 2000 project will show, thus aiding economic development worldwide. In addition, by creating large commercial fund for space engineering, SPS will open the frontier of space to economic development, thus creating a limitless new field for the growth of the world economy. The writer's attitude towards the research can best be summarized by the saying " _ ". A) In time of peace prepare for war B) Put the cart before the horse C) One man's meat is another man's poison D) Easier said than done
A: A
Q: Linus Pauling,the only person who has won two undivided Nobel Prizes,was born in Portland,Oregon. He attended Washington High School but because of an unimportant detail he did not receive his diploma until 1962,long after he had received his Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Orgon State College in 1922. He had chosen to study his major because he could get a good job with it. He won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1954 for his research into the nature of the chemical bond and its application to the explanation of the structure of complex substance. His interest in the "behavior" of molecules led him from physical chemistry to biological chemistry,especially of the human body. He began with proteins and their main parts,the amino acids ,which are called the"building blocks of life".In 1950,he constructed the first satisfactory model of a protein molecule,a discovery very important to the understanding of the living cell. During World WarII,Pauling was a member of the Research Board for National Security,for which he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Merit in 1948. However,the use of the atomic bomb near the end of the war turned Pauling in a new direction. Having long worked on the structure of molecules,he took an immediate interest in the deadly effects of nuclear fallout on human molecular structures. From then on,Pauling protested the production of the hydrogen bomb and supported the prevention of the spread of nuclear weapons. Through his efforts,The NuclearTestBan Treaty,declaring all nuclear tests to be illegal except underground ones,came into effect on October 10,1963,the same day Linus Pauling was awarded the Nobel Peace. The main idea of the passage is to show _ . A) Linus Pauling's attitude towards nuclear weapons B) Linus Pauling's contributions to the world C) Linus Pauling's research on the structure of molecules D) Linus Pauling's got the Nobel Prize for Peace
A: B