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Passage Two
短文二
It's no accident that most gas stations have convenience stores attached.
绝大多数加油站都有便利店，这很正常。
Few of us can fill up the tank without buying a few snacks, cigarettes, soft drinks or other items we can live without.
我们中很少人给坦克加油而不买些小吃，香烟，软饮料或其他生活必备物品的。
“I deserve it.”
“这是我应得的。”
That's what hard-working men and women say to justify their lavish vacations, big stereo systems or regular restaurant meals.
那是辛苦工作的男女们为了证明他们奢华的假期、大型立体声系统或定期餐厅用餐合理而说的话。
They do deserve such indulgences.
他们值得这样的放纵。
However, they also deserve a home of their own, a secure retirement and freedom from worrying about unpaid bills.
但是，他们也值得拥有一个自己的家园，一个有保障的退休以及免于担心支付账单。
No one should have to live with what a Texas mother described as constant stress, tension, even fear about money.
没有人应该过得像一个德克萨斯州的母亲描述的那样，持续的压力，紧张，甚至担心金钱。
Sadly, the pleasure that comes from extravagances often disappears long before the bills do.
令人遗憾的是，奢侈品的乐趣往往在账单之前很久就消失了。
The video camera that one single mother bought for a special occasion, for example, is not much fun now.
例如，一个母亲为特殊场合买的摄像机现在没有多大的好处。
She's figured out that it will take her another three years to pay it off at $30 a month.
她知道这会让自己在未来三年时间内每月支付30美元。
And the New Yorkers who spent a bundle on an outdoor hot tub now admit they rarely use it, “because we can't afford to heat it in winter.”
而一个在户外热水浴缸上花了大价钱的纽约人现在承认他们很少使用它，“因为我们承担不起冬天加热的费用。”
The solution—set priorities, add up the annual cost of each item, then consider what else she could buy with the same money.
解决方案——设置优先事项，加起每个东西的年度成本，然后考虑她可以用相同的钱购买什么。
That will help you decide which items are really worth it.
这将帮助你决定哪些东西真的值得购买。
One Chicago woman, for example, discovered that daily lunches with coworkers cost her $2,000 a year; she decided to take lunch to work instead.
例如，一名芝加哥女子发现与同事每日午餐每年花费2000美元；于是她决定带午饭去上班。
“I now put $20 a week into my vacation fund, and another 20 into retirement savings,” she says.
她说：“我现在每周把20美元放入我的假期基金，另外20是退休储蓄金。”
“Those mean more to me than lunch.”
“这些对我来说比午饭更重要。”
Questions 13 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
问题13-15是基于刚刚你所听到那篇短文。
Question 13. What does the speaker say about drivers who stop at gas stations?
问题 13. 说话者说了关于在加油站停车的司机的什么事？
Question 14. What does the speaker say about extravagances?
问题 14. 说话者说到了关于奢侈的什么？
Question 15. What does the speaker want to show by the example of the Chicago woman?
问题 15. 说话者想用芝加哥女人的例子展示什么？
