Wealth starts with a goal saving a dollar at a time. Call it the piggy bank strategy(策略). There are lessons in that time-honored coin-saving container.
Any huge task seems easier when reduced to baby steps. I f you wished to climb a 12,000-foot mountain, and could do it a day at a time, you would only have to climb 33 feet daily to reach the top in a year. If you want to take a really nice trip in 10 years for a special occasion, to collect the $15,000 cost, you have to save $3.93 a day. If you drop that into a piggy bank and then once a year put $1,434 in a savings account at 1% interest rate after-tax, you will have your trip money.
When I was a child, my parents gave me a piggy bank to teach me that, if I wanted something, I should save money to buy it. We associate piggy banks with children, but in many countries, the little containers are also popular with adults. Europeans see a piggy bank as a sign of good fortune and wealth. Around the world, many believe a gift of a piggy bank on New Year’s Day brings good luck and financial success. Ah, but you have to put something in it.
Why is a pig used as a symbol of saving? Why not an elephant bank, which is bigger and holds more coins? In the Middle Ages, before modern banking and credit instruments, people saved money at home, a few coins at a time dropped into a jar or dish. Potters(制陶工) made these inexpensive containers from an orange-colored clay(黏土) called “pygg,” and folks saved coins in pygg jars. The Middle English word for pig was “pigge”. While the Saxons pronounced pygg, referring to the clay, as “pug”, eventually the two words changed into the same pronunciation, sounding the “i” as in pig or piggy. As the word became less associated with the orange clay and more with the animal, a clever potter fashioned a pygg jar in the shape of a pig, delighting children and adults. The piggy bank was born.
Originally you had to break the bank to get to the money, bringing in a sense of seriousness into savings. While piggy banks teach children the wisdom of saving, adults often need to relearn childhood lessons. Think about the things in life that require large amounts of money--- college education, weddings, cars, medical care, starting a business, buying a home, and fun stuff like great trips. So when you have money, take off the top 10%, put it aside, save and invest wisely.
41. What is the piggy bank strategy?
A. Paying 1% income tax at a time.
B. Setting a goal before making a travel plan.
C. Aiming high even when doing small things.
D. Putting aside a little money regularly for future use.
42. Why did the writer’s parents give him a piggy bank as a gift?
A. To delight him with the latest fashion. B. To encourage him to climb mountains.
C. To help him form the habit of saving. D. To teach him English pronunciation.
43. What does then underlined word “something”(Paragraph 3) most probably refer to?
A. Money B. Gifts
C. Financial success D. Good luck
44. The piggy ban originally was _________.
A. a potter’s instrument B. a cheap clay container
C. an animal-shaped dish D. a pig-like toy for children
45. The last paragraph talks about ________.
A. the seriousness of educating children B. the enjoyment of taking a great trip
C. the importance of managing money D. the difficulty of starting a business
【考点】考察文化教育类阅读
【文章大意】作者在本文中介绍了the piggy bank strategy也就是存钱策略,并介绍了the pggy bank的起源和目的，号召人们都养成储蓄的好习惯。
41.D 推理题。根据文章第二段前3行If you wished to climb a 12,000-foot mountain, and could do it a day at a time, you would only have to climb 33 feet daily to reach the top in a year. If you want to take a really nice trip in 10 years for a special occasion, to collect the $15,000 cost, you have to save $3.93 a day.作者一个这个例子告诉我们piggy bank strategy就是指每天都存一点钱以备未来之用。故D正确。
42.C 细节题。根据第三段第一句When I was a child, my parents gave me a piggy bank to teach me that, if I wanted something, I should save money to buy it.父母亲给我这个储蓄罐的目的是告诉我，如果想要得到某个东西，就要自己存钱来买。通过这个做法来养成存蓄的习惯。故C正确。
43.A 猜测词义题。根据本句Around the world, many believe a gift of a piggy bank on New Year’s Day brings good luck and financial success. Ah, but you have to put something in it.世界各地的人都认为储蓄罐是一个很好的能够带来好运和经济成功的礼物，但是条件是你要向里面放钱。因为储蓄罐就是用来养成存钱的习惯的，如果你不存钱，那就失去了价值。Something指mony。故A正确。
44.B 推理题。根据文章第四段2，3,4行people saved money at home, a few coins at a time dropped into a jar or dish. Potters(制陶工) made these inexpensive containers from an orange-colored clay(黏土) called “pygg,” and folks saved coins in pygg jars.可知以前没有银行的时候，人们就是使用黏贴罐来存放零钱的，The piggy ban就是最初的储蓄罐。故B正确。
45.C 段落大意题。根据本段前两句Originally you had to break the bank to get to the money, bringing in a sense of seriousness into savings. While piggy banks teach children the wisdom of saving, adults often need to relearn childhood lessons.储蓄罐不仅可以帮助孩子养成存钱的好习惯，而且对成年人也是有好处的。所以本段讲述的是储蓄罐的重要性。故C正确。
【长难句解析】
When I was a child, my parents gave me a piggy bank to teach me that, if I wanted something, I should save money to buy it.
【翻译】当我还是孩子的时候，我的父母亲就给了我的一个储蓄罐并教会我如果我想要某个地方，我就应该存钱来买它。
【分析】本句中的when引导的是一个时间状语从句，后的主句中动词teach后面还有双宾语，其中的直接宾语是that, if I wanted something, I should save money to buy it，引导词that最好不省略。其中if引导的是一个条件状语从句。
