After almost an entire year of saving from shopping and vacationing, you find the numbers reflected by your bank account meet your heat’s desire. Now the most important question comes what to do with the earnings? Should you fulfill dreams of the present, or keep saving it for a rainy day?
Our elders always try to teach us the value of money and its uncertainty. One may be on a winning situation now, but it will not always be so. One will have days when there will be no sunshine but only rain, and their luck will hide behind those thick grey clouds. Save for those rainy days, they say. Do not spend too much, live within a budget, stay away from credit no matter how small and save for the future. Since the very first time we earn our own money from a summer job or earn our first salary, the lessons start.
In fact, the pocket money that we receive when we are children starts the process of learning how to best manage one’s manage one’s money. Future, future, future, that’s all they talk about, but what about the present? What about our current desires, wants and needs? Wasn’t our present once our future?
One day when I have enough money, I will buy myself a car. One day my luck will shine. One day I will have enough money to travel the world. Then, once we do earn enough money from saving, tomorrow’s plans start shadowing our present ones.
However, is it wise to keep living for that future? Will we still enjoy or even be able to backpack in our 50s? What will be the use of those professional cameras when pains take over our joints and our mind grows dull? Will our liver be able too handle the meat and alcohol in our advanced age? What if our life ends suddenly? How will we ever enjoy our present if we are constantly living for the future?
I say enjoy the most comfort but also keep enough for your necessities, and stay happy with your present but with a plan for the foreseeable future. Beyond that, life is not in our control and we shouldn’t worry about the unseen. Life is for the living, so live it wisely.
56. The underlined “a rainy day” in the first paragraph has the same meaning as______.
A. the background of the story is set on a rainy day
B. driving fast on a rainy day may lead to accidents
C. it is crazy of him to suggest a picnic on such a rainy day
D. he always puts aside his pocket money for a rainy day
57. The questions in the fifth paragraph suggest that_____
A. the author insists that w should live for the future
B. the author doubts the meaning of living in the world
C. the author believes that enjoying our present is very important
D. the author is not sure whether we should save money or spend it
58. The statement that the author may agree with is that_____
A. we should live happily regardless of others’ words
B. we should care more about future and shouldn’t just live today
C. we should live happily at present and be prepared for the future
D. we must save lots of money for unexpected accidents