讲义中口真题

2004.3

Spotditiction

Whatisagesture?Agestureisamovementofthehandorbodythatexpresses (1)orintention.Itisanactionthatsendsa

(2)fromone toanother.To eagesture,anacthastobeseenbysomeoneelseandhasto (3)somepieceofinformationtothem.Therearesomegestures,however,thathave (4)dependingonwhenandwheretheyareused.

WhenanAmericanwantstosignalthatsomethingisOK, (5),heraiseshishandandmakesacirclewithhisthumbandforefinger.Thiscircle-signhas (6)forhim,andhemightbesurprisedto (7)thatinothercountriesitcanmeansomethingverydifferent.InJapan,forinstance,itisthegestureformoney. (8),itmeanszeroorworthless.Suchdifferencescan,ofcourse,leadto (9)whenforeignersmeet,Butwhyisitthatthesamegesturebassomanydifferentmeanings?

Whensomepeoplewanttoshowthatsomethingis (10),theymakeasigntoshowtheyareholding (11)betweenthetipsoftheirthumbandforefinger.Manypeoplefromallovertheworld (12)whenemphasizingacertainpointastheyspeak.Theobjecttheyholdis (13),andtheysimplyperformtheactionofholdingit.Inthisway,they (14)withthethumbandforefinger.InAmerica,thisunconsciousgesturegrewintoa (15)meaningexactlyrightorperfect.Thiswashowthe

(16)wasborn.

TheJapanesesignformoneycomesfromacompleydifferentsource. (17),andcoinsareround.Therefore,makinga

(18)cameto.symbolizemoney.Itisassimpleasthat.TheFrenchsignfornothingorworthlessalso (19)asimplesource.Thistime,however,thecircledoesnotrepresentacoin,itonlyindicatesnought.Noughtmeansnothing, (20).

(A)Dorispointedoutwherethekeywas.

Dorisdoesn'twanttobeappointed.

Dorisisusuallyapunctual .

Dorisdoesn'tknowshehasanappointment.

(A)Eventhoughthecararrivedearly,themeetingbeganlate.

Themeetingwaspostponed,althoughwesetoffearlytoday.

Weleftearlytodayforthemeeting,butweweredelayed.

Westartedourjourneyearly,sowewereearlyforthemeeting.

(A)Threeyearslater,thestockmarketcrashed.

Halfofthestocksinthemarketweredevaluedwithinfiveyears.

About50%ofriteproductsweremoreexpensivethantheyhadbeen3yearsbefore.

Thecountry'sGNPwasreducedbynearly50%inthreeyears.

(A)Tonywon'treceiveadditionalpayment,nomatterhowhardheworks.

Tonycouldn'tunderstandwhyhisbossisnotsatisfiedwithhissuccess

Tonyisunabletomeethissalesquotathisyearbecauseoftheextraloadofwork.

Tonyisconfidentthathisworkwillsavethefirmfrombankruptcy.

(A)EveryoneknewthatJenniferwastheCEO'ssecretaryinDetroit.

Jenniferdidn'tmeetthewell-knownCEOfromtheheadquarters,

TheCEOwasawaytomeetJenniferinourheadquartersinDetroit.

TheDetroitheadquartershaddecidedtoappointJennifertobeaCEO.

(A)Themanagerhasrefusedtoseeyouoffattheairport.

Themanagerwillbedealingwithsomethingurgentinprison.

Themanagerwillbeattendinga epartyattheairport.

Themanagerhastocancelherpreviousarrangement.

(A)Thedirectortoldthesecretarytofinishthesurveyreportontime.

Thedirectortoldthesecretarytowindtheclockintheoffice.

Thedirectortoldthesecretarytotakethereporthome.

Thedirectortoldthesecretarynottorushforthesurveyreport.

(A)Weintendtowithdrawfundonthatproject,foritisnecessarytodoso.

Weshouldproceedwiththeproject,althoughwehavedifficulties.

Wedecidetogiveuptheproject,sothatwecanworkonanewone.

Wehavetorejectthegiftandcontinuetoraisemoneyforthatprojectofours.

(A)Highproductivitymayhavenegativeeffectsonourownexistence.

Moreandbettergoodsandservicescanraiseourlivingstandards.

Therisingpricesofgoodsandservicesmayleadtothedamageofourenvironment.

Weshouldproducehigh-qualitygoodstoprotectournaturalresources.

(A)Afterthreeyearsofhardwork,Ihavebeenpromotedtodepartmenthead.

Afteryearsofwork,IthinkIneedtotalkwithsomeoneaboutmycareer.

Thedepartmentheadhasruthlesslyturneddownmyrequestforasalaryraise.

Thedepartmentheadhaspostponedthepromotionnformonths.

Questions11-14

(A)Inheroffice.

Inacinema.

Inherhome.

Inarestaurant.

(A)Theassistantmanagerhasmadeanappointmentwithher.

Mr.Brownisgoingtopayavisittoherhouse.

Themanhasbeenlateforacoupleoftimes.

Shehastoreturnhomefirsttochangeherdress.

(A)Theywillgotoaparty.

Theywillattendafashionshow.

Theywillseeafilm.

Theywillgohome.

(A)Becauseitistheironlynighttogether.

Becauseitisthelastnightforthefilmshow.

Becauseitistheirwedding.

Becauseitisachancetoseethewomaninuniform.

Questions15-18

(A)Itslonghistory.

Itslargelibrary.

Itscollegesystem.

Itsadmissionqualifications.

(A)The modation.

Theawardofdegrees.

Theexaminations.

Theprogrammeofstudies.

(A)Theyarebetterthanthoseofotheruniversities.

Theyareopentoallthestudentsoftheuniversity.

Theycanbeattendedbystudentsofaparticularstudy.

Theyaregivenonceaweek,accordingtothetutor'sadvice.

(A)IntheFellows'Club.

Attherestaurant.

Inthecollegechapel.

Oncollegecampus.

Questions19-22

(A)Becauseshewasnotinahurry.

Becauseshewantedtosavemoney.

Becauseshecouldenjoysightseeing.

Becauseshelivednearthebusstop.

(A)Taxis.

Therailway.

Thetube.

Double-deckers.

(A)Toshowtheexcellenceofitsinternationalairservice.

Tostresstheimportanceofitsstrategicposition.

Tocontrastitwithinternalairserviceofothercities.

Toprovideananswertotheproblemoftrafficcongestion.

(A)Itsadvancedtechnology.

Itsgeographicallocation.

Itschangingclimate.

ItsdemandforoilintheNorthSea.

Questions23-26

(A) Roosevelt'sdeath.

Johnson'slastdays.

EleanorRoosevelt'sretirement.

safterWorldWarII.

(A)Poorpeople.

Migrantworkers.

Femalejournalists.

Civilrightsactivists.

(A)Becauseofhisoldage.

Becauseofhishealth.

BecauseofhispositionasUS.

Becauseofhisnoblefamilytradition.

(A)Howtodefeattheenemyinthewar.

Howtoscoremoreinapokergame.

Whattosaytomakeotherslaugh.

Whattodrinktoreplenishoneself.

Questions27-30

(A)Becausehedoesn'twanttostayinBangkok.

Becauseheistiredofsurfacetransport.

Becauseheisafraidofgettingseasickness.

BecausehehastobebackbynextTuesday.

(A)Theyhavedebtstopayoff.

Theyliveinasmallflat

Theybothworkinafirm.

Theybothenjoytravelbyair.

(A)Readingnewspapersandmagazines.

Watchingsurfacetransportontheseaandground.

Lunchingonaspecialkindoffishpie.

Eatinganddrinkinghisfavorites.

(A)Itisapopularmeansoftransport.

Itisnobetterthansurfacetransport.

Itissaferthanothermeansoftransport.

Itisnolongerenjoyableandconvenient.

Studyskills.

Faces,likefingerprints,areunique.Didyoueverwonderhowitispossibleforustorecognizepeople?Evenaskilledwriter

probablycouldnotdescribeallthefeaturesthatmakeonefacedifferentfromanother.Yetaveryyoungchild—orevenananimal,suchasapigeon—canlearntorecognizefaces.Wealltakethisabilityforgranted.

Wealsolpeopleapartbyhowtheybehave.Whenwetalkaboutsomeone'sality,wemeanthewaysinwhichheorsheacts,speaks,thinksandfeelsthatmakethatindividualdifferentfromothers.

Likethehumanface,humanalityisverycomplex.Butdescribingsomeone'salityinwordsissomewhateasierthandescribinghisface.Ifyouwereaskedtodescribewhata"niceface"lookedlike,youprobablywouldhaveadifficulttimengso.Butifyouwereaskedtodescribea"nice,"youmightbegintothinkaboutsomeonewhowaskind,considerate,friendly,warm,andsoforth.

Therearemanywordstodescribehowathinks,feelsandacts.GordonPorts,anAmericanpsychologist,foundnearly18000Englishwordscharacterizingdifferencesinpeople'sbehavior.Andmanyofususethisinformationasabasisfordescribing,orty,hisality.Bookworms,conservatives,militarytypes—peoplearedescribedwithsuchterms.

Peoplehavealwaystriedto"type"eachother.ActorsinearlyGreekdramaworemaskstoshowtheaudiencewhethertheyyedthevillain'sorthehero'srole.Infact,thewords""and" ality"comefromtheLatina,meaning"mask".Today,mostevisionandmovieactorsdonotwearmasks.Butwecaneasily lthe"goodguys"fromthe"badguys"becausethetwotypesdiffer

inappearanceaswellasinactions.

Themainideaofthispassageis .

howtodistinguishpeople'sfaces

howtodescribepeople'sality

howtodistinguishpeoplebothinwardlyandoutwardly

howtolgoodsfrombadswithoutwearingmasks

Theauthorismostprobablya .

linguist

sticsurgeon

manager

sociologist

WhichofthefollowingstatementsisNOTtrue?

Peoplemayhavedifferentalities.

Peopledifferfromeachotherinappearance.

Peoplecanlearntorecognizehumanfaces.

Peoplecandescribeallhumanfeaturesofothers.

Thereasonthatitiseasiertodescribeone's alityinwordsthanone'sfaceisthat .

manywordsareavailabletodescribe ality

a 's alityiseasilydistinguished

people's alitiesareverymuchalike

a 'sfaceismorecomplexthanhisality

Welearnfromthepassagethatpeopleareclassifiedaccordingto .

theirwayofwearingmasks

theirwayofspeakingandying

theirknowledgeandbehavior

theirphysicalappearanceandality

Before,wheneverwehadhealth,westateddiscussingpoverty.Whynonow?Whyisthecurrentpoliticsofwealthandpovertyseeminglyaboutwealthalone?Eightyearsago,whenBillClintonfirstranfor,theDowJonesaveragewasunder3,500,yearlyfederalbudgetdeficitswereprojectedathundredsofbillionsofdollarsforeverandbeyond,andnoonetalkedaboutthe"permanentboom"orthe"neweconomy."Yetinthatmorestraitenedtime,Clintonmademuchoftheimportanceof"notleavingasinglebehind."Itispossiblethatsimilar"compassionate"rhetoricmightyetyaroleinthegeneralelection.

Butitisstrikinghowmuchlesstalkthereisaboutthepoorthantherewaseightyearsago,whenthecountrywaseconomicallyuncertain,orinpreviouseras,whenthecountryfeltflush.Evenlastsummer,whenClintonspentseveraldaysonaremarkable,BobbyKennedy-likepilgrimagethroughimpoverishedareasfromnreservationsinSouthDakotatoghettoneighborhoodsinEastSt.Louis,theadministrationdecidedtorefertotheeffortnotasapovertytourbutasa"newmarketsinitiative."

Whatishappeningispartlyalogical,-drivenreaction.Povertyreallyislowerthanithasbeenindecades,especiallyforminoritygroups.Themostattractivesolutiontoit—agrowingeconomy—isbeingapplied.Thepeoplewhohavebeentotallyleftout

ofthisboomoftenhavemedical,mentalorotherproblemsforwhichnoonehasanimmediatesolution."Theeconomyhassuckedinanyonewhohasanypreparation,anyabilitytocopewithmodernlife,"saysFranklinD.Raines,theformerdirectoroftheOfficeofManagementandBudgetwhoisnowheadofFannieMae.Whenheandotherpeoplewhospecializeintheissuetalkaboutsolutions,theytalkyticallyandlong-term:education,developmentofworkskills,shiftsinthelabormarket,adjustmentinwelfarereform.

ButIthinkthereisanotherthathasmadethisaricherawithbarelyvisiblepoorpeople.ItistheunusualsocialandimaginativeseparationbetweenprosperousAmericaandthosestillleftout.It'ssimpleinvisibility,becauseofincreasinggeographic,occupation,

andsocialbarriersthatblockonegroupfromtheother'sview.

Themainideaofthepassageisthat .

Thecountyisenjoyingeconomicgrowth

Thepoorarebenefitingfromtoday'sgoodeconomy

Weweremoreawareofthepoorthanwearetoday

Thereweremanymorepoorpeopletantherearetoday

Theorganizationalpatternofthefirsttwoparagraphsofthispassageis .

orderofimportance

comparisonandcontrast

chronologicalorder

classificationanddivision

Inline6ofthefirstparagraph,thewordstraitenedmeans .

prosperous

difficult

relaxing

significant

Fromthispassage,wecanconcludethat .

thestatusquooftherichandthepoorhaschanged

thegoodandprosperouseconomywillsoonend

povertywillberemovedasaresultofincreasedwealth

allpeoplebenefitfromgoodeconomicconditions

Accordingtotheauthor,oneimportantreasonthatwedonottalkmuchaboutpovertyisthat .

nooneknowswhattodoaboutit

povertyreallyislowerthaninthepast

noonehasbeenleftoutofthecurrentboom

theisnotconcernedaboutthepoor

OurvisittotheexcavationofaRomanfortonahillnearCoventrywasofmorethanarchaeologicalinterest.Theyear'sdighadbeenafruitfuloneandhadassembledevidenceofapermanentmilitarycampmuchlargerthanhadatfirstbeenconjectured.Weweregreetedonthesitebyagroupofexcavators,someofthemfillinginatrenchthathadyieldedanalmostcompletepotthedaybefore,othersenjoyingthelast-dayluxuryofacigaretteinthesun,butallhappytoexinandtalkabouttheirwork.Ifwehadnotalreadyknownit,nothingwouldhavesuggestedthatthiswasapartyofprisonersfromthenearbyprison.Thisisnotthefirsttimethatprisonlabourhasbeenusedinworkofthiskind,butheretheexperiment,nowtwoyearsold,hasprovedoutstandinglysatisfactory.

Fromthearchaeologists'pointofview,prisonersprovideasteadyofdisciplinedlabourthroughouttheentireseason,mentowhomitisaseriousday'swork,andnottherathercareholidayjobthatittendstobefortheamateurarchaeologist. ersarecomparativelyfew,andcansoonbeinitiatedbythosealreadytrainedinthework.Prisonersmayalsobemoreaccustomedtoheavyworklikeshovellingandcartingsoilthanthemajorityofstudents,andtheyalsoformafaircross-sectionofthepopulationandcanfurnishmenwhosespecialskillsmakethemvaluableassurveyors,draughtsmenofpotteryrestorers.WhenCoventry'sKeeperofArchaeologywenttotheprisontoappealforhelp,hewasreceivedcautiouslybythemen,butwhentheimportanceoftheworkwasfullyunderstood,farmorevolunteerswere ingthencouldactuallybeemployed.Whentheygottoworkonthesite,andtheireffortsproducedpotteryandbuildingfoundationsinwhatuntillastyearhadbeenanordinaryfield,theirenthusiasmgrewtilltheywouldsometimesworkthroughtheirlunchhourandteabreak,andevencarryonintherainratherthansititoutinthehut.Thiswasundoubtedlybecausetheworkwasnotonlystrenuousbutabsorbing,andcalledforconsiderableinligence.Themenworkedalwaysunderprofessionalsupervision,butastheseasonwentontheyneededlessguidanceandknewwhenanexpertshouldbesummoned.Disciplinaryproblemswerenegligible:themenwerecarefullyselectedfortheirgoodconductandworkingonapartylikethiswastoovaluableaprivilegetobethrownaway.

TheKeeperofArchaeologysaidthatthiswasbyfarthemostsatisfactoryformoflabourthathehadeverhad,andthatithadproducedresults,intyandquality,thatcouldnothavebeenachievedbyanyothermeans.AturfandtimberfortbuiltneartheRomanhighwaythroughthemiddleofEnglandinthefirstcenturyA.D.hadbeenexcavatedoveranareaof14,000squarefeet,andasectionofturframpartandpalisadefullyreconstructedbymethodsidenticaltothoseemployedbytheRomanarmy.

TherestorationoftheRomanfortisbeingfinancedbyCoventryCorporationaspartofantocreatealeisureamenityarea.Tothisprojectprisonershavecontributedworkwhichotherwisewouldnothavebeenperformedandwhichbenefitsthewholecommunity.

Thevisittotheexcavationsitewas .

ofpurelyarchaeologicalinterest

fruitfulbecauseacompletepotwasdiscovered

interestinginmorethanoneway

madebyagroupofprisoners

Itcanbeassumedthatarchaeologists .

foundthattheprisonersworkedfarbetterthanstudents

didnotliketheprisoners'careattitudetowork

werewillingtotakeonlyafewprisonerstoworkonthesite

wereoftendtodisciplinetheprisoners

Prisonersdemonstratedtheirattitudetoworkby .

spendingmostoftheirtimesittinginahut

insistingonprofessionalguidance

takingnoinitiative

workingvoluntarily

Whenprisonerswereselectedforthework .

manyofthemrefusedtoco-operate

theirpreviousbehaviourwastakenintoaccount

theyweretoldtheymustworkinallweathers

theywerewarnedthattherewouldbenoprivileges

TheKeeperofArchaeologysaidthat .

hehadexpectedmoreoftheforttoberevealed

thepalisadewasveryprimitive

onlyprisonlabourcouldproducesuchgoodresults

themethodstoconstructtheRomanfortwereprovedidentical

FlatswerealmostunknowninBritainuntilthe1850swhentheyweredeveloped,alongwithotherindustrialdwellings,forthelaboringclasses.Thesevastblockswereinlyaconvenientmeansofeasingsocialconsciencebyhousinglargenumbersoftheever-presentpooroncompactcitysites.Duringthe1880s,however,theideaoflivingincomfortableresidentialchamberscaughtonwiththeaffluentupperanduppermiddleclasses,andcontroversyastotheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofflatlifewasatopicofconversationaroundmanyarespectabledinner-table.InParisandothermajorEuropeancities,thecustomwherebythebetter-offlivedinapartments,orflats,waswellestablished.UptothelatenineteenthcenturyinEnglandonlybachelorbarristershadestablishedthetraditionoflivinginroomsneartheLawCourt:anyself-respectingheadofhouseholdwouldinsistuponaWestEndtownhouseashisLondonhome,thebestthathismeanscouldprovide.

Thepopularityofflatsforthebetter-offseemstohavedevelopedforanumberofreasons.First,perhaps,throughtheintroductionoftherailways,whichhadenabledawiderangeofpeopletoenjoyaholidaystayinginasuiteatoneoftheluxuryhoswhichhadbeguntospringupduringthepreviousdecade.Hence,nodoubt,thefactthatmanyoftheearlyluxuryflatsweresimilartohosuites,evenbeingprovidedwithcommunaldining-roomsandcentralboilersforhotwaterandheating.Rentstendedtobehightocoveroverheads,butsavingsweremadepossiblebythesecommunalamenitiesandbytenantsbeingabletoreducethenumberoffamilyservants.

OneoftheearliestsubstantialLondondevelopmentsofflatsforthewell-to-dowasbegunsoonafterVictoriaRailwayStationwasopenedin1860,asthetrainserviceprovidedanefficientlinkwithboththeCityandtheSouthofEngland.VictoriaStreet,adjacenttoboththeStationandWestminster,hadalreadybeenformed,andunderthedirectionofthearchitect,HenryAshton,wasbeinglined,withblocksofresidentialchambersintheParisianmanner.Theseflatswerecommodiousindeed,offeringbetweeneightandfifteenroomsapiece,includingappropriatedomesticoffices.TheideawasanemphaticdeparturefromthetraditionoftheLondonhouseandachievedimmediatesuccess.

PerhapsthemostnotableblockinthevicinitywasQueenAnne'sMansions,partlydesignedbyE.R.Robsonin1884andrecentlydemolished.Formanyyears,thiswasLondon'sloftiestbuildingandhadstrongclaimstobetheugliest.Theblockwasbegunasawildspeculation,modelledontheAmericanskyscraper,andwasnearly200feethigh.Thecliff-likewallsofdingybrickcompleyovershadowedthemodestthoroughfarenearby.Althoughbleakoutside,themansionflatswerepalatialwithin,withsumptuouslyfurnishedcommunalentertaininganddiningrooms,andliftstotheuppermostfloors.Thesuccessofthesetallblocksofflatscouldnothavebeenachieved,ofcourse,withouttheinventionofthelift,or'ascendingcarriage'asitwascalledwhenfirstusedintheStrandLawCourtsinthe1870s.

FlatsfirstappearedinBritaininthemiddleofthe19thcenturywhen .

theywereprincipallybuiltforthosefamilieswithseveralservants

peoplewerenotconsciousofthecrowdedhousingofthelesswell-to-do

therewasincreasingconcernover modationforthepoor

peoplebecameconsciousofthesocialneedsoftheruralpopulation

Englishupper-middle-classfamiliespreferredto .

livemainlyoutsideLondon,whereitwashealthierandcheaper

liveneartheirworkingce

liveintheWestEnd

liveinLondon,butmainlynotintheWestEnd

OneeffectoftherailwayscomingtocentralLondonwastostimulatethebuildingof

largeandwell-appointedhos

blocksofself-containedflats

rowsofeleganttownhouses

flatssimilartohosuites

TheimmediatesuccessoftheflatsinVictoriaStreetcouldbeattributedto .

theirFrenchstyleofarchitecture

theirrevolutionarystyleofarchitecture

theeasewithwhichtheycouldbeusedasoffices

theunusualnumberofroomseachflatcontained

HowdoesthewriterrefertotheinteriorandexteriorofQueenAnne'sMansions?

Theywereelegantlydecoratedbothinsideandoutside.

Theyweregrimfromtheoutsideandhadamodestdecorinside.

Theywereflashyfromthestreetbutnondescriptinside.

Theywereinoutsidebutwithlavishinteriors.

Troubledbythepoorperformanceoftheirinvestments,manypeoplearetakingstepstohalterosionoftheirsavingsandrethinktheirfinancialns.Theyarenotsurewhattodotoizereturnsinlightofstockmarketfluctuations,newtaxlaws,lowinterestratesandskyingrealestatevalues."Onanemotionallevel,peoplearepetrifiedofmakingamistakeandlosingmoremoney,"saysfinancialcounselorDeniseHughes."Thedo-it-yourselfinvestorofthe1990sismorecomfortablenowngnothing."Butngnothingisn'tbetterthanngsomethingsmart,especiallyascollege,weddingsandretirementloom.Here'swhatfinancialadvisorsare

mendingtotheirs:

nforfinancialaid

Mostparentsdon'tsavenearlyenoughforchildren'seducation.Theyassumethatinvestingina529collegenisthebestceforyoursavings,Whilea529nofferstax-growthandwithdrawalsforcollegecosts—andinsomecasesataxdeduction—collegeslookatthesesavingswhensizingupeligibilityandhowmuchtheywillforkover.ThesamescrutinyisgiventofundssavedinaCoverdellIRAandinanaccountopenedinyourchild'sname.Dosaveaggressivelyforcollegeinataxableaccountinyournameifyourhousehold eisbelow$100,000.Inthiscase,yourchildwilllikelyqualifyforsomefinancialaid.Doinvestina529savingsnifyour eishigherthan$100,000andwilllikelyremainatorabovethatlevelwhenyourchildenterscollege.Inthiscase,the529nisgreatbecauseyouprobablywon'tqualifyforfinancialaidanyway.

Expectupsanddowns

Stungbythreestraightyearsofstockmarketdeclines,manypeoplehavebeenshiftingtolower-riskinvestments.Butjustastakingtoomuchriskcanhurtyourportfolio'sgrowthrate,socanhidingoutinultra,safeinvestments;paying1%orless.

Doconsiderinvestinginfundsthatyou'llholdontoformorethanayear.Underthenewtaxlaw,long-termcapitalgainsaretaxedataumof15%,downfrom20%.Dolookatstockfundsthatpaydividends.Dividendsonstocksusedtobetaxedatyoural

etaxrate,Underthenewlaw,theyarenowtaxedatnomorethan15%.Investinginthesefundswillnotonlyholddowntaxesbutalsosustainyourportfolio'svalueintoughtimes.

Forgethighfees

Overthenexttenyears,achievingthekindofdouble-digitreturnsweexperiencedoverthepast20yearswillbemuchharder,predictsHaroldEvensky,acertifiedfinancialnner."Inthe1990s,theaveragerateofreturnforaportfolioallocated60%tostocksand40%tobondswas13.2%aftertaxesandtransactionexpenses."Overthecomingdecade,thisrateisexpectedtobecloserto5.5%asthe50-yearhistoricalaveragereturnstotheneighborhoodof8%.Don'tpayunnecessarilyhighinvestmentcostsandfees.Forexample,ifyoucansavehalfapercentagepointonyourfundexpenseratio(thefeethatfundschargeyoueachyeartomanageyourmoney),youraverageinvestmentreturncouldbe6%insteadof5%,hesays.

Featheryournestegg

Doestimatehowmuchcashyou'llneedeachyeartosustainyourstandardoflivingwhenyoureachretirementandwithdrawfromyourIRAandyourotherretirementaccounts.Withthisyearlysuminmind,calculatehowbigyournestegghastobetoproducethat

estream,assumingthatyourportfolio'svalueearnsaconservative5%to6%ayear.

WhichofthefollowingisNOTtrueabouttheinvestorsofthe1990s？

Theymightneedprofessionalhelp.

Theyliveacomfortablelifenowwithnothingtodo.

Theyareafraidofmakingwrongdecisionsandlosingmoney.

Theyaretryingtoprotectwhattheymakeandsaveratherthantakingrisks.

Accordingtothepassage,a529savingsaccount .

isthebestchoicefor efamilies

offerstax-growthandwithdrawals

worksbestforthosewhoarenotqualifiedforfinancialaid

shouldstartinyourchild'sname

Accordingtotheexpert,whichofthefollowingcanhelpyourportfolio'sreturnratetogrow?

Allocating40%ofyourportfoliotostocksand60%tobonds.

Hidingoutinultra-safeinvestmentspaying1%orless.

Investinglongterminfundsthatpaydividends.

Makinghigh-riskandhigh-returninvestments.

Onaverage,accordingtotheexperts,howmuchcanyouexpectofaninvestmentreturninthenearfuture?

Below1%. (B)About6%.

(C)Above8%. (D)Closeto13.2%.

WhatdoesIRAmostprobablyreferto?

InvestmentReturnAid. (B)IndividualRetirementAccount.

(C)IndividualRefundAmount. (D)InvestmentandRetirementAid.

Thinkingaboutthe ingholidayshasgivenmeaseriouscaseofmixedfeelings.I'mdelightedthatseveralofmyout-of-townrelativesarearrivinginDecemberforanextendedvisit.I'mnotsothrilledaboutalltheexcessfoodthat'sheadedmyway.Mymetabolism—neververyracytobeginwith—downshiftedagearortwoonceIhit40.SincethenI'velearnedtopaycloseattentiontowhatIeatandhowmuchIexercisesoIdon'tconsumemorecaloriesthanIburn.

That'snotgoingtobeeasythisyear.Thefloodoffoodattheofficebeganearlierthanever—startingwithleftoverHalloweencandy.(Someofit,Iconfess,dbyme.)Ilovebreakingbreadwithfamilyandfriendsanddon'tthinkanyoneshouldmisscelebratingHanukkah,Kwanza,Christmas,Idal-Fitroranyotherholiday.Butlet'sfaceit:allittakestogainonepound(0.45kg)istoconsume3,500morecaloriesthanyouexpend.Spreadoutoverthe40noshingdaysbet