Money-Madness

1、精选文档Pre-Reading Activities1. Do you believe that “ money talks ” ?2. Many people around us are striving incessantly for money? What symptoms can be found about this money mania?3. Pay close attention to words, phrases, sentences, images, metaphors, idioms, figures of speech etc.in short, the kind of

2、 language the writer uses.4. Read the text. As you read, try to guess the meaningof the boldfaced words from the surrounding wordsand sentences.TEXTMoney MadnessBy Ralph HyattWord count: 1747The persistent popularity of the antiquated jokewherein one person remarks,“ money is the root of allevil, an

3、d his friend responds, ” “ I know, I vebeen rooting for it all my life ” is a testimony to theambivalences and conflicts generated by money in our society. Dow-Jones averages , tax shelters , investment opportunities, and the like make the front pages of our newspapers,respected magazines,and journa

4、ls.Get-rich books make the best-seller lists and “sweepstake ” mailingsbombardus regularly.Casinos, lotteries, the stock market all government-supported and-regulated transmit theidea that to own a million dollars is wonderful, a fantastic achievement. Thus, people strive aggressively for the accumu

5、lation of wealth in order to reach the promised goals of serenity and happiness. The fantasy of “ miracles ” which is created by a fat bank account, however, fades in the shadows of disappointments and frustrations once it is obtained. Those who spend a lifetime struggling unsuccessfully for green,

6、silver, and gold usually die in depression and despair. Power, travel, external security, free time, and other blessings are potentially available to the affluent . The blessings, unfortunately, are often mixed.The values of our society and similar ones in matters of money and wealth are perfectly c

7、lear. Richmen are seen as capable and wise. Tevya, in “ Fiddlerreon the Roof, ” sings it powerfully:“ When you they really think you know. ” Richness means success, and we are success-oriented. Religious groups and those who elevate the status of poverty as they equate money with evilexhort us to li

8、ve simply, to walk thestraightandnarrow,andto denythe flesh.Nevertheless,it takeslittleperceptualacuitytoobservethatthe wealthyaregiven highpositionsinchurchesandsynagoguesare continuallyfetedatreligiously supported affairs, and become the models for young churchgoers. Mixed messages are dangerous;

9、psychologists generally agree that they set the stage for schizophrenia.Those who are born into absolute poverty and are destined to live in it typically have an easier time with the money issue. They learn early not to expect wealth and so avoid wasting emotions on such aspirations They become a mo

10、tivationalin this regard . Some, onthe other hand, determine to break out of their fettered status and relentlessly strive for their share of the gold. Generally, they are bright, very ambitious,and follow fellow models of success. They develop skills, become knowledgeable, developexpertise , andwor

11、k very hard.A few of them make it, but frequently at great expense. Days and nights are spent in creating ideas, implementing plans and working all the shifts. Limited cash flow for rentals, purchase of equipment and inventory, employees salaries, and other expenses test the physical and emotionalst

12、amina of even the verystrong. A unique idea accompanied by efficiency and good fortune does indeed make the money goal reachable. More often, there is a washout because of physical, emotional, and economic deficits. Many fine business ideas go down the drain in this way. In the meantime, family, fri

13、ends, and health are flushed down as well.These over determined entrepreneurs give everything they have in the pursuit of their goals and frequently end up truly giving everything. They heave all of their possessions into the hopper and make crushing contributions of self in the battle for material

14、victory. They thrash about in the net societyeuphemistically terms workaholic, type-A, success-oriented, or excellent provider. In the process, control and power transfers from them to the goal itself. Means andends are in total disarray. Thinking,acting, and feeling are no longer independent of the

15、 money motive. The victim s justification for living is money and all it can buy. The self and all of its potential richness is lost.Contrary to expectation, the wealthy are lured into the money net just as readily perhaps more so as others. The bait is habit, insecurity, competitiveness, power cont

16、rol, and greed. With all the hype for everyone to save even a dollar at a time, it takes great discipline for those with small fixed incomes to pull dollars from a meager salary, to place into a savings account which grows ever so slowly. Reinforcements are weak.The wealthy, on the other hand, have

17、a different “ problem ”their money accounts grow so steadily and significantly that the habit easily becomes firmly imprinted. Money makes money so that reinforcements are powerful; in fact, it becomes difficult to spend money. What frequently occurs is inconsistent spending patterns. Great expendit

18、ures are made for vacations, restaurants, and clothing while there is excessive thriftiness in gas purchases, tipping waiters, bargain-hunting, and other small-saving outlets.For those who are self-employed such as physicians and attorneys, another deep, fascinating dilemma appears. When they are no

19、t working, there is no income. A holiday, therefore, becomes a very expensive experience. For example, an attorney with a gross annual income of $100,000, earning $2,000 weekly (and in the 50% tax bracket), is in a position where a vacation becomes too costly. Over and above his regular vacation exp

20、enses, he must add an additional $2,000 each week! Many wealthy professionals have not planned a vacation in years. Others do not stray far from their offices and work several heavy days to compensate for time away from their practices. The money net strangles them as they struggle not to lose incom

21、e.Money conversations of the wealthy are intriguing.A common question among them is:“ How much do Ineed to feel secure? ”They are talking about how many millions they require for mental tranquility. This attitude is prominent among those who have made it from a poor childhood. That quality of neurot

22、ic reasoning and unbalanced emotions neurotic meaning tremendously exaggerated feelings combined with insatiability insures that there are deep-seated inadequacy feelings. These people seldom get over “ what - if ” concerns; What -if inflation goes through the roof? etc., etc. They must always have

23、more and more to protect against the possibility of having less and less. Of course, there are never enough safeguards as far as they are concerned.The simple psychological rule for developing inadequacy feelings is that it is engendered by aspirations which are too high. A wealthy man vying with a

24、wealthier man is in an excellent position for self negating emotions; this would not happen, of course, if he competed with a poor person. Compounding insecurity feelings is stiff competition by peers perhaps the goading of younger, successful members who are part of their social environment.“ How m

25、uch did you invest this week in IBM stock? is not an uncommon competitive question.A braggart who relates his vacation plans, stock market excursions, or the number of recent money seminars he attended consciously and unconsciously grates and manipulates the feelings of a rich determined-inadequate

26、person. More effort and greater income are required by the latter to “ sho the big mo uth. ” One -upmanshipis typical. Justknowing that an acquaintance s firm has gained one quarter point in the stock market, making for a paper gain of several million dollars, increases the blood pressure of an inad

27、equate-feeling competitor and results in longer workdays of harder work. The “ game ” is there to be played and to be won. A money-game loss further erodes the esteem of self.Still, no one can deny the power and control (over family and friends, politics, social events) which money buys. Our society

28、 lauds money-power, and most weaker souls bend to the advantages of power-by-association. Being unwealthy, the next bestmethod of acquiring money-power is to befriend one who has it. Wine, women and song are in the fantasies of multitudes, recognition and applause in the dreams of most others. Indir

29、ectly by association, money makes reaching such goals possible. “ Groupies ”for the wealthy are commonplace.Even if there were no other reason than the concept of hoarding to explain the accumulation or money, that would be a strong enough motive to explain this magnetic phenomenon. Freudians would

30、probably observe as part of man s-psseyxcuhaol developmentthe powerful anal need to gather more and more greenbacks for their own sake; it pervades our social group. We collect stamps, coins, art, and also money. The glee of feeding an obese bank account and the hyperexcitement of calling the stock

31、broker to hear his monotonous voice tell of profit-makingand the lackof sensitivity in saving a dollar here and thereat theexpense of others serve the strong base motive of pure greed.Money, its accumulation, and its effects on life patterns can not be understood meaningfully outsideof one s general

32、 value system and life -philosophy. Surely, it can be an extremely important variable in one s life, but it need not be. It can be controlled or it may strangle its victim unmercifully. Money in its own right is neither good nor bad. What it is or becomes is purely the result of human choice.There a

33、re practical things to do in order to place money in proper perspective. First, list all important values such as the meaning of free time, family, friends, socialization, etc. Do not forget religious beliefs and their basic philosophy about materialism, money, and poverty. Second, place the values

34、in hierarchical order, from the most important value to the least important. If money remains high on the list, go to the third step and determine how much money is the goal. Then, detail in the fourth step what behaviors are required to reach the goal and over what period of time. The fifth plateau

35、 requires an assessment of the effects on other significant values of actions to be taken in order to satisfy the money value. Sixth, and last, with all honesty and genuineness, determine if the whole thing is worth it. Try to imagine how it will really feelonce the money mission is accomplished. Wi

36、ll there be contentment? A sense of meaningfulness?There is little doubt that money can purchase items for basic survival such as food and shelter. It cancertainly buy external securities such as burglar alarms, guards, and police patrols. It purchases beautiful “ things, w”ithout doubt. What it can

37、 not buy no matter what the accumulation is inner security, self-esteem, and valid human relationships. The probability exists that there is aninverse relationshipbetween those who struggle incessantly for wealth and the strength of psychological fiber. The victorious battle of making money often re

38、sults in losing the warof finding one sself. In the fina l analysis, one must often choose between a pattern of sane living or that of money madness.可编辑An swer AreaWrite your an swer here:1. Guess ing the meanings of the new words2.3.Vocabulary CheckA. Match the bold-faced words on the left with the

39、ir meanings on the right. Try to do this without a dictionary but look back at the reading if necessary. Write the letters on the lines.1. staminaa. inverted2. inverseb. continually3. incessantlyc. thecoexistence of opposing feelings4. pervaded.specialized skill5. expertiseequal6. plateaue. makef. e

40、nergyg. stateh. joyi. restrict thej. a means ofk. producel. outdatedm. categoryn. beo. suppressp. publicityq. lack ofr. urge bys. interestingt. fat 7. strangle 8. fetter 9. outlet freedom of 10. obese release 11. glee 12. antiquated 13. bracket 14. intriguing everywhere in 15. equate 16. ambivalence

41、 17. amotivational motivation 18. exhort strong advice 19. hype 20. engenderKey1.f2. a3. b4. n 5. d 6. g 7. o8. i 9. j 10. t11. h 12.113. m 14. s 15. e 16. c17. q18. r 19. p 20. kCanB. Euphemism means substitution of an agreeable or at least non-offensive expression for one whose plainer meaning might be harsh or unpleasant. you discover some from the text and list them?Please explain the function of this rhetorical device.Responding to ReadingA. After you read the text again, answer the questions:1. What prompts people to strive aggressively for theaccumulation of weal