When IBM announced an overhaul of its pension plan for employees in America last week, it joined a parade of employers that are shifting more responsibility for saving for retirement on to workers. For many Americans, of course, this is nothing new: millions of them have been managing their retirement assets in individual accounts for years. Nevertheless, in both America and Britain the closure of paternalistic corporate defined benefit programmes, in which pensions depend on earnings and years of service, is acceleratingeven at healthy companies such as IBM.
To the extent that this creates and encourages individual choice and responsibility, it is something to welcome rather than to fear. Many other countries, facing huge statepension obligations, would also like to see their citizens assume a bigger role in providing for their own retirement. Even so, the trend raises an important question: how much do people due to take on these new responsibilities know about basic financial concepts?
The answer seems to be; not much, and less than they think they do. Studies show that many people overestimate their knowledge of everything from inflation to risk diversification and compound interest. One survey in Australia found that 37% of people who owned investments did not know that they could fluctuate in value. In America 31% did not know that the finance charge on a credit-card-statement is what they pay to use credit. Britains Financial Services Authority will release the results of its own survey on financial literacy in the next month or two.
Even educated professionals may know the basics but see no need to keep up to datehaving no idea of the interest rates on their credit cards, the fees on their mutual funds or how their investments are doing. But in both America and Britain low personal saving rates and record numbers of personal bankruptcies do not bode well. If people are to take charge of their pensions, shouldnt they know a little more?
In the end, ignorance could rebound on governments: if people save too little for old age, the state may have to provide for them willy-nilly. Governments are taking this very seriously. says Barbara Smith of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which recently produced a report on global financial literacy.Just this week the British govern- ment launched an online debt calculator for overstretched consumers and a money-management course for teenagers that will be offered in schools across the country later this year. New Zealand is another country trying to catch its people young; one official financialinformation website there includes an online game on Money Island.
1. It is informed in the text that__________.
A. IBM cannot help but overhaul its pension plan
B. IBM takes much responsibility for saving for retirement
C. workers will assume more financial responsibility for their old age
D. most Americans have taken on responsibility for saving for retirement
2. Corporate defined benefit programmes will come to an end primarily because________.
A. most companies are not so healthy as IBM
B. it can help companies relieve their pension obligations
C. millions of Americans have opened their individual accounts for years
D. more factors should be taken into consideration for a healthy pension plan
3. If one is to assume more financial responsibility, he should have more knowledge about_____.
A. risk diversification
B. basic financial concepts
C. how much he pays to use credit
D. the fluctuation in value of his investment
4. It can be inferred from the text that________.
A. even professionals are short of financial information
B. personal saving rates will no doubt increase remarkably
C. professionals are usually better prepared for their retirement
D. there will be less personal bankruptcies in both America and Britain
5. The main idea of this text is that_________.
A. most people are very ignorant about investment
B. individuals should have more choices and responsibility
C. individuals should be better prepared for their retirement
D. government should provide official financial-information
参考答案:C B B A C
小学英语一年级上学期总复习单词测试题
小学英语三年级上册教案Unit5PartA
人教版小学英语一年级上学期期末试卷2
新标准小学英语一年级第二册期末试题1
上教版小学英语一年级上学期期终复习题2
人教版小学英语一年级上学期期末试卷3
小学一年级英语上册期末复习试卷
牛津小学一年级英语上学期试题无答案
新课标小学英语一年级上册1-5单元试卷
小学英语三年级上册教案 Unit3Let'spaint说课稿
小学英语三年级上册教案 Unit4BLet'slearn
小学英语三年级上册教案Unit4ALet`slearn教学设计
小学英语三年级Uni3备课资料
小学三年级英语上册unit2教案(人教版)
上海版牛津小学英语三年级上册教案全册
小学英语三年级上册教案 Unit3PartBLet'sTalk
小学英语三年级上册教案Unit5BLet'stalk教学设计
小学英语一年级第一学期期中试题
新标准英语一年级上学期英语句型测试题
沪教版小学三年级牛津英语教案Module1 Unit2
小学一年级英语上册期末复习试题
小学英语三年级上册教案Unit3 Let’s paint(2)
沪教版小学三年级牛津英语教案Module2 Unit2
小学三年级英语上册unit3教案(人教版)
小学英语三年级Uni4备课资料
沪教牛津版小学三年级英语上册教案Module1 Unit2 第二课
人教版小学英语一年级下册Book2复习题4
外研版小学英语一年级上册期末试题2
新标准小学英语一年级第一学期期中试题
新标准小学英语一年级上册期末试题1
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |