Chinese Elders' Habit on Saving and Spending
Thriftiness has always been a traditional Chinese virtue, especially among the elders. Recently a survey was conducted in X city among people over 60, on their disposal of incomes apart from daily expenses. Not surprisingly, 70% of the interviewees replied that they would deposit the money, while only about 20% and 10%, respectively, said they would spend it or use it for investment.
Why is the situation so? On the one hand, the senior citizens are accustomed to a simple way of life and sometimes don't know what to buy besides necessities. On the other hand, they like to save up for a rainy day, as illnesses often come with age. While putting the money in banks generates steady interests, with the interest rate rising, investment seems rather risky.
Personally, I think the elders should spend more. First, they can enjoy life better after years of hard work, as a reward. Second, it can also boost national economy. The senior citizens constitute a growing proportion of the population, so their contribution in total consumption is considerable. In this sense, a penny spent will actually be "a penny gained". (188 words)
結(jié)構(gòu)剖析
文章分為三段
第一段說(shuō)明節(jié)儉是中國(guó)的傳統(tǒng)美德，同時(shí)對(duì)老年人的調(diào)查顯示老年人的花費(fèi)很小。
第二段以提問(wèn)開(kāi)頭，為什么是這種情況。然后從兩個(gè)方面解釋了原因。
第三段是結(jié)尾部分，作者表達(dá)了自己的個(gè)人觀點(diǎn)。
中國(guó)老年人的儲(chǔ)蓄和消費(fèi)習(xí)慣
節(jié)儉一直是中國(guó)人的傳統(tǒng)美德，尤其是在老年人當(dāng)中。針對(duì)除了日?；ㄙM(fèi)外收入的支配，我們最近對(duì)X市60歲以上的老年人做了一份調(diào)查。意料之中，70%的受訪者回答，他們會(huì)把錢存起來(lái)，而只有大約20%和10%的人，分別表示他們會(huì)花掉或用于投資。
為什么是這種情況呢？一方面，老年人習(xí)慣了簡(jiǎn)單的生活方式，而且有時(shí)候不知道除了必需品還要買什么。另一方面，他們喜歡存錢以備不時(shí)之需，因?yàn)榧膊⊥ǔ?huì)與年老相伴。而把錢存到銀行能產(chǎn)生穩(wěn)定的利息，隨著利息率的上調(diào)，投資看起來(lái)就相當(dāng)冒險(xiǎn)了。
以我看來(lái)，我認(rèn)為老年人應(yīng)該多花點(diǎn)。首先，經(jīng)過(guò)多年的辛苦勞動(dòng)，他們能享受更好的生活作為回報(bào)。其次，這同樣能促進(jìn)國(guó)民經(jīng)濟(jì)的繁榮。老年人在中國(guó)人口中占的比例在增加，所以他們對(duì)總消費(fèi)的貢獻(xiàn)是相當(dāng)大的。從這個(gè)意義上來(lái)說(shuō)，事實(shí)上一分錢的消費(fèi)將會(huì)有"一分錢的收獲"。
thriftiness n. 節(jié)儉
virtue n. 美德，品德
conduct v. 實(shí)施;處理;經(jīng)營(yíng)
deposit v. 存錢
in this sense 在這個(gè)意義上
senior citizens n. 老人
be accustomed to 習(xí)慣/適應(yīng)......
rainy day 艱難時(shí)刻，以防萬(wàn)一
boost v. 推動(dòng);幫助;促進(jìn)
1. Recently a survey was conducted in X city among people over 60, on their disposal of incomes apart from daily expenses. 針對(duì)除了日?；ㄙM(fèi)外收入的支配，我們最近對(duì)X市60歲以上的老年人做了一份調(diào)查。
2. The senior citizens constitute a growing proportion of the population, so their contribution in total consumption is considerable.
老年人在中國(guó)人口中占的比例在增加，所以他們對(duì)總消費(fèi)的貢獻(xiàn)是相當(dāng)大的。
