VOA慢速英语2015 学习金融知识技受益一生

AS IT IS 2015-03-02 Financial Literacy¹ Skills Last a Lifetime 学习金融知识技受益一生

Math is an important part of every American’s education.  How to use math for planning a budget or managing money, however, is not often in the curriculum².

Some schools are starting to provide this training. Charles H. Flowers High School in Maryland has a financial literacy program that is designed to give young people money skills that will last a lifetime.

"Today I want you to take out a sheet of paper and think about what is a budget."

Students in the class are dealing³ with numbers, but they are not studying math. They are learning basic, important information about finances⁵, with their teacher Camilla Pea.

“Many students choose to take this class because they see understanding about financial literacy can change their future.”

One of the most important lessons is how to save money and make better financial decisions.

Ms. Pea says teaching money management to teenagers calls for creative methods. She says she wants to keep the class interesting.

“This is an adult concept. So sometimes you need to pull them in a little bit more. They don’t want anyone to stand in front of them and lecture them for an hour and a half. They want something that’s relatable. If they don’t see the connection, you lost them.”

In this class, kids learn how to set priorities⁶ and make better financial decisions. That, of course, is not always easy.

“So, (I’m) trying to get them to make choices about later, not so much about now. That’s difficult because they see ‘now,’ they don’t really see the path of ‘later’.”

Camilla Pea teaches her students about the financial mistakes many adults make. These are mistakes that can create a lot of debt. Balancing a checkbook is one basic task that can help young and old manage their money.

Another mistake has to do with credit. The students learn how paying only the minimum amount demanded by the bank will lead to debt balance increases. Most of her students now are able to recognize and avoid such actions.

Ms. Pea also advises her students to ask their parents how much they make and how they spend it. She says this helps make financial literacy becomes a part of their everyday life.

Camilla Pea introduced the money management program at Charles H. Flowers three years ago. Last November, the teacher was honored for her efforts. The nonprofit financial literacy organization Jump$tart named Camille Pea the Personal Finance⁴ Educator of the year.

Words in This Story

Curriculum-n. the courses that are taught by a school, college, etc.

Literacy-n. the ability to read and write

Priorities-n. something that is more important than other things and that needs to be done or dealt with first

Minimum-n. the lowest number or amount that is possible or allowed — usually singular

1 literacy   

n.识字，有文化，读写能力

参考例句：

• I can't believe that he failed the literacy test.我无法相信他识字测试不及格。
• The literacy rate there is the highest in Central America.那里的识字率居中美洲之首。

2 curriculum   

n.课程，（学校等的）全部课程

参考例句：

• Is German on your school's curriculum?你们学校有德语课吗？
• The English curriculum should stress both composition and reading.英语课程对作文和阅读应同样重视。

3 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

4 finance   

n.财务管理，财政，金融，财源，资金

参考例句：

• She is an expert in finance.她是一名财政专家。
• A finance house made a bid to buy up the entire company.一家信贷公司出价买下了整个公司。

5 finances   

n.(pl.)财源，资产

参考例句：

• I need a professional to sort out my finances. 我需要专业人士为我管理财务。
• The company's finances are looking a bIt'shaky. 这个公司的财政情况看来有点不稳定。

6 priorities   

n.先( priority的名词复数 )；优先；优先权；优先考虑的事

参考例句：

• The document provided a revealing insight into the government's priorities. 这份文件使人看出政府的轻重缓急是怎样安排的。
• We must work together to fund only our most important priorities. 我们必须共同努力，只为最重要的项目提供资金。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件