课程导读

一项调查报告指出，在美国，成年人金融素养偏低，尤其是刚成年的年轻人。同时，许多家庭和个人也面对巨大的财务压力。因此，从2021年开始，陆续有州议会立法，将理财课纳入了高中必修科目。除了缺乏必要的金融知识，还有哪些因素加剧了美国家庭的财务压力？专家们对理财进高中课堂又有什么看法？一起进入今天的讲解。

英文原文

Bringing Personal Finance to the Classroom for Generation Z

将个人理财带入 Z 世代的课堂

By Ann Carrns

The number of states requiring high schoolers to learn about personal money matters continued to tick higher in 2021, and another — Florida — is poised to join the group shortly.

2021年，美国有越来越多的州要求高中生学习个人理财知识。而佛罗里达州已经做好准备，即将加入这一行列。

In Florida, the Legislature has approved a bill requiring students to take a full semester course in personal finance before graduating.

佛罗里达州的立法机构通过了一项法案，要求学生在毕业前修完一整个学期的个人理财课程。

Financial concerns were heightened by the pandemic, and rising inflation is straining household budgets. Those factors, combined with persistent worries about burdensome student debt levels and shaky retirement security, have created a stronger case for making personal money skills a priority for high schoolers, who are soon to make decisions about college loans or finding a job, advocates for financial literacy say.

疫情加剧了人们对财务的担忧。而由于通货膨胀率不断攀升，家庭预算也持续吃紧。倡导金融知识普及的人称，除此以外，人们对沉重的学生债务水平，以及不稳定的退休保障都有所担忧。这些因素都强有力地证明，个人理财技能的培养，应该成为高中生的当务之急。因为他们即将在大学贷款或找工作方面做出财务决策。

Financial literacy — a working grasp of concepts like saving, credit, interest rates, investing and risk assessment — is generally low among American adults, especially younger adults, according to a recent report from the excellence center and the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America Institute. Two-thirds of Generation Z adults, for example, couldn’t correctly answer more than half the financial questions in the center’s survey, which compared financial literacy across five generations. (Members of Gen Z were born between 1997 and 2012; its oldest members are now 25.)

一份出自乔治华盛顿大学卓越中心和美国教师保险与年金协会的最新调查报告指出，美国成年人，尤其是刚刚成年的年轻人，金融素质普遍较低 —— 体现在对储蓄、信贷、利率、投资和风险评估等概念的有效掌握方面。例如，该调查在比较了五代人的金融素养之后发现，三分之二的 Z 世代成年人在回答问卷中的金融问题时，正确率不过半。( Z 世代是指1997至2012年之间出生的一代人；现年最大25岁。)

Advocates of financial literacy say state requirements help ensure that all students, regardless of their income or race, are able to learn essential money skills.

倡导金融知识普及的专家称，州政府级别的要求有助于确保所有学生都能够学习基本的理财技能，无论他们收入高低或来自哪个种族。

生词好句

1.personal finance

理财（the activity of managing your own money）

2.generation Z

Z世代（Gen Z：97 年到 2012 年出生的人）

拓展:

post 00s 00后

3.learn about

学习

拓展:

词义辨析：learn vs. learn about

·learn vt. 侧重于通过学习经验掌握一门知识，一种技能（through experience or study, master)。

learn English (speak and understanding)

·learn (about) vi. 侧重于初步的获得一种信息，而且很快地了解并掌握这部分信息（gain information and quickly, less extensive, possibly less deep）。

learn about English (getting some information about this language, not to have the skill or ability to use this language)

4.tick

英 [t?k] 美 [t?k]

v. 打勾

5.be poised to do something

做好准备（waiting ready to do at any moment ）

拓展:

The military forces are poised to attack.

军队正准备展开攻击。

6.shortly

英 [????tli] 美 [????rtli]

adv. 快地（soon）

拓展:

Excuse me a moment, I will be with you shortly.

等一会，我马上回来。

7.legislature

英 [?led??sl?t???] 美 [?led??sl?t??r]

n. 立法机构，州议会

8.bill

英 [b?l] 美 [b?l]

n. 法案

9.heighten

英 [?ha?tn] 美 [?ha?tn]

v. 增强（increase）

拓展:

The high winds heightened concerns about forest fires.

大风加剧了人们对森林火灾的担忧。

10.rising inflation

通货膨胀

11.strain

英 [stre?n] 美 [stre?n]

v. （尤指金钱）过多使用（pressure, too much money used）

12.persistent

英 [p??s?stnt] 美 [p?r?s?stnt]

adj. 持续的（ lasting for a long time or difficult to get rid of）

拓展:

a persistent dry cough 长期干咳

persistent worries 持续的担忧

13.burdensome

英 [?b??dns?m] 美 [?b?r?dns?m]

adj. 沉重的

拓展:

-some：形容词后缀

类似结构：

troublesome adj. 惹麻烦的

worrisome adj. 令人担心的

fearsome adj. 令人害怕的

handsome adj. 帅气的

14.shaky

英 [??e?ki] 美 [??e?ki]

adj. 摇晃的（weak, not in a controlled way）

拓展:

shaky foundation 根基不牢

shaky economy 经济飘摇

15.case

英 [ke?s] 美 [ke?s]

n. 理由（arguments, facts, and reasons in support of or against something）

拓展:

There's a good case for bringing in new regulations.

支持出台新章程的理由很充分。

16.advocate

英 [??dv?ke?t] 美 [??dv?ke?t]

n. 拥护者

17.literacy

英 [?l?tr?si] 美 [?l?t?r?si]

n. （本文）素养；识字，读写能力 （the ability to read and write）

拓展:

反义词：illiteracy n. 文盲

financial illiteracy 理财盲

The country has a literacy rate of almost 98 percent.

该国的识字率高达98%。

18.working

英 [?w??k??] 美 [?w?r?k??]

adj. （本文）基本够用的（good enough to be useful）；初步的，暂定的（refer to a plan, idea, or knowledge that is not complete）

拓展:

She's fluent in French and English and has a working knowledge of Spanish.

她法语和英语说得都很流利，西班牙语也能应付。

We have a working theory/hypothesis about what caused the crash, which we will test.

我们有了一个关于坠机原因的初步设想/假设，还有待进一步验证。

19.grasp

英 [ɡrɑ?sp] 美 [ɡr?sp]

n. （本文）理解（understanding）；v. 抓

拓展:

grasp an opportunity 抓住机遇

grasp the main points 抓要点；理解......事情

He has a good grasp of the issues.

他完全明白这些问题之所在。

20.interest rate

利率

拓展:

Interest is paid at the rate of one percent per annum at present.

目前每年的利息是1%。

per annum 年度的（annually, year，简称P.A.）

21.younger adult

青年

拓展:

adolescence n. 青春期（18岁及以下）

young adulthood 青年期（18岁至22或25岁）

mid-twenties and older 25岁及25岁以上

22.regardless of

无论......

拓展:

Everyone must be treated equally under the law, regardless of race, gender, color and ethnicity, religion, disability or other characteristics.

无论种族、性别、肤色、族裔、宗教、残疾与否或者任何其他的不同，每个人在法律面前必须人人平等。

23.essential

英 [??sen?l] 美 [??sen?l]

adj. 必要的（necessary）

拓展:

Water is essential to/for fish, and so are vines for melons.

Revolutionary masses can't do away with the communist party.

鱼儿离不开水，瓜离不开秧，革命群众离不开共产党。