新视野第三版Book2-UNIT...

新视野第三版Book2-UNIT...
Spend or save-the student’s dilemma
1.DO you feel as confused and manipulated as I do with this question, “Should I spend or should I save?” I think that the messages we get from our environment seem to deft common sense and contradict each .The government tells us to spend or we’ll never get out of the recession. At the same time, they tell us that unless we save more, our country is in grave danger. Banks offer so we increase savings. Then the same banks send us credit card offers so we can spend more.
2.He re’s another familiar example:
If we don’t pay our credit card company saying something like:
“Your failure to pay is unacceptable. Pay immediately or you'll be in trouble!” Then, as soon as we pay, we get a follow-up email in a charming tone telling us how valuabl e a consumer in trouble or a valued customer? The gap between these tow messages i n enormous.
3.The paradox is that every day we get two sets of message at odds with each other. One is the "perspective " ,"Buy, spend, get it now.The paradox is that every day we get two sets of message at odds with each other. One is the "perspective ", "Buy,spend,get it now."You need this! " the other w e could call an "upright" message,which urges us,"Work hard and save.Suspend your desires. Avoid luxuries.Control your appetite for more than you truly need."This mess age comes to us from many sources:from school, from parents,even from political fig ures referring to "traditional values".Hard work,family loyalty,and the capacity to post pone desires are core American values that
have made our country great.
4.But the opposite message,advertising's permissive message, is inescapable.Thoug
h sometimes disguised, the messages are everywhere we look: on TV,in movies,on pri nted media and road signs,in stores,and on busses,trains and subways.Advertisements invade our daily lives.We are constantly surrounded by the message to spend,spend,sp end.Someone recently said, "The only time you can escape advertising is when you're in your bed asleep!"
5.It's been calculated that by the age of 18, the average Americal will have seen 600,0 00 ads; by the age of 40, the total is almost one million. Each advertisement is doing it s utmost to influence our diverse buying decisions,from the breakfast cereal we eat to which cruise line we will use for our vacation. There is no shortage of ideas and things to buy ! Now, of course, we don’t remember exactly what the products were, but the e ssential message is cemented into our consciousness, “It’s good to satisfy your desires. You should buy it - now!”A famous advertisement said it perfectly, “I love me. I’m a good friend to myself. I do what makes me feel good. I derive pleasure from nice things and feel nourished by them. I used to put things off. Not anymore. Today I’ll buy new ski equipment,look at new compact cars, and buy that camera I’ve always wanted. I live my dreans today, not tomorrow.”
6. What happens as we take in thrsr contradictory but explicit messages? What are the psychological and spcial consequences of this campaing to control our spending habits? On one hand, we want more things because we want to satisfy our material appetite. Most of us derive pleasure from treating ourselves. On the other hand, a little vioce inside us echoes those upright
messages:”Whhat out, take s tock of your life, don’t let your attention get scattered. Postpone your desires. Don’t fall into debt. What! Retain control over your own life. It will make you stronger.”
7. Anyway, many of the skills you need as a sucessful student can be applied to your finances. Consider your finacial well-being as a key ingredient of your university education as money worries are extremely stressful and distracting. They can make you feel terrible and hinder your ability to focus on your prime objective:successfully completing your education.
8. How can you be a smart and educated consumer? Many schools, community organizations, and even some banks offer financial litera cy class. Consider consulting with your school’s financial aid office or seek input from yo ur parents or other respected adults in sitting up a buget. An additional option is finding a partner to help you stay on track and find pleasure in the administration of your own financial affairs. Most importanly, if you find yourself gettiing into finan cial trouble, don’t let your ego get in your way; urgently get help with tackling your problem before it spins out of control and lands you in legal troubles.
9. All this will help you become an educated consumer and saver. As you learn to balance spending and saveing, you will become the captain of your own ship, steering your life in a successful and productive direction throgh the choppy waters.。