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1、新视野三版 读写 B2 U5 Text ASpend or save The students dilemma1 Do you feel as confused and manipulated as I do with this question, ShouldI spend or should I save? I think that the messages we get from ourenvironment seem to defy common sense and contradict each other. Thegovernment tel s us to spend or we
2、l never get out of the recession. At thesame time, they tel us that unless we save more, our country isin grave danger.Banks offer higher interest rates so we increasesavings. Then the same banks send us credit card offers so we can spendmore.2 Heres another familiar example: If we dont pay our cred
3、it card bil on time,we get demanding, nasty emails from the credit card company sayingsomething like: Your failure to pay is unacceptable. Pay immediately or youlbe in trouble! Then, as soon as we pay, we get a fol ow-up email in acharming tone tel ing us how valuable a customer we are and encouragi
4、ng usto resume spending. Which depiction is correct: a failing consumer in troubleor a valued customer? The gap between these two messages is enormous.3 The paradox is that every day we get two sets of messages at odds witheach other. One is the permissive perspective, Buy, spend, get it now. Younee
5、d this! The other we could cal an upright message, which urges us,Work hard and save. Suspend your desires. Avoid luxuries. Controlyour appetite for more than you truly need. This message comes to us frommany sources: from school, from parents, even from political figures referringto traditional val
6、ues. Hard work, family loyalty, and the capacity to postponedesires are core American values that have made our country great.*4But the opposite message, advertisings permissive message, isinescapable. Though sometimes disguised, the messages are everywhere welook: on TV, in movies on printed media
7、and road signs, in stores, and onbuses, trains and subways.Advertisements invade our daily lives. We areconstantly surrounded by the message to spend, spend, spend. Someonerecently said, The only time you can escape advertising is when youre in yourbed asleep!5 Its been calculated that by the age of
8、 18, the average American wil haveseen 600,000 ads; by the age of 40, the total is almost one mil ion. Eachadvertisement is doing its utmost to influence our diverse buying decisions,from the breakfast cereal we eat to which cruise line we wil use for ourvacation. There is no shortage of ideas and t
9、hings to buy! Now, of course, wedont remember exactly what the products were, but the essential messageis cemented into our consciousness, Its good to satisfy your desires. Youshould have what you want. You deserve the best. So, you should buy it -now! A famous advertisement said it perfectly, I lov
10、e me. Im a good friend tomyself. I do what makes me feel good. I derive pleasure from nice things andfeel nourished by them. I used to put things off. Not anymore. Today Il buynew ski equipment, look at new compact cars, and buy that camera Ivealways wanted. I live my dreams today, not tomorrow.6Wha
11、thappensaswetakeinthesecontradictorybut explicit messages? What are the psychological and social consequencesof this campaign to control our spending habits? On one hand, we want morethings because we want to satisfy our material appetite. Most of us derivepleasure from treating ourselves. On the ot
12、her hand, a little voice insideus echoes those upright messages: Watch out, take stock of your life, dont letyour attention get scattered. Postpone your desires. Dont fal into debt.Wait! Retain control over your own life. It wil make you stronger.7 Anyway, many of the skil s you need as a successful
13、 student can be appliedto your finances. Consider your financial wel -beings a key ingredient of youruniversity education as money worries are extremely stressful anddistracting. They can make you feel terrible and hinder your ability to focus onyour prime objective: successful y completing your edu
14、cation.*8How can you be a smart and educated consumer? Many schools,community organizations, and even some banks offer financial literacyclasses. Consider consulting with your schools financial aid office orseek input from your parents or other respected adults in setting up abudget. An additional o
15、ption is finding a partner to help you stay on track andfind pleasure in the administration of your own financial affairs. Mostimportantly, if you find yourself getting into financial trouble, dont letyour ego get in your way; urgently get help with tackling your problem before itspins out of control and lands you in legal troubles.9 Al this wil help you become an educated consumer and saver. As you learnto balance spending and saving, you wil become the captain of your own ship,steering your life in a successful and productive direction throughthe choppy water
