[B] This is the hardest thing to do. The bills come with the "Sallie Mae" or "Discover" logo on them and you toss them aside, hoping to deal with them when you feel less besieged (圍攻). You know you started owing some amount- $20,000, $50,000, $100,000—and that the interest is piling up, but you don't know exactly how much or how. When faced with heavy debt, many people try to avoid seeing the numbers.

　　[C] This doesn't work, even psychologically. Anyone who has let credit-card bills or mortgage bills pile up, 1reopened, knows that avoiding the envelope does not reduce your anxiety; it increases it. As those envelopes multiply, they take over your psychological state. In horror movies, it's like the monster in the room behind the door. You don't know what it looks like, but it keeps you scared and immobile. So, open the envelope.

　　[D] Or, even better, log in online. All student loan providers have a web site where you can see what you owe, your interest rates, and your payment schedules. SallieMae. com is no-frills, but still allows you to see your loans on one screen, including your interest rates. Discover. corn also has a pretty basic site. Citibank has a more complex site. Get used to logging into these sites pretty often; ff you need motivation, think of it as visiting your money while it's in prison.

　　[E] The websites all have one thing in common: they let you see how much you owe, and what your interest is, and they make it easy to pay-but they don't let you see how much your debt load is growing. This is a major motivating factor in paying down your loans. Identify your loans

　　[F] Are your loans held by the federal government--usually through Sallie Mae--or through "private" lenders like Citibank or Discover? if you don't know who holds your loans, you can find out here, at the National Student Loan Data System.

　　[G] Why do you need to know who holds your loans? This will make a difference to your payment options and your interest rates, if you have a federal loan, for instance, your interest rate is probably very low, around 32% ; ff you have private loans, the interest rates are likely to be much higher, around 48%. Federal loans also give you options like requesting forbearance (延期還貸) ff you're out of work or if your income is too low-handy for the times when you're down on your luck.

　　Start seeing your debt in new ways

　　[H] The websites of lenders are often limited and only have basic information. To really tackle your student loans, it can often be useful to visualize how much progress you're making. There are several ways to do that.

　　[I] One really useful new free site is Tuition. io, which gathers information for all your loans in one place. You can see your debt in colorful charts, play around with repayment plans, and, once you start paying your loans, you can see the numbers start to fall. That can be very motivating.

　　[J] For the same effect that you can customize yourself, try a Google Docs spreadsheet. There's a template that already exists for paying down loans; it has the unpromising title of "Loan amortization schedule by Vertex42. corn" but it has very handy calculators built in so that you can tweak your monthly payments to see how much progress you can make if you increase or decrease your payments in any given month. If you don't like that template, just create a Google Docs spreadsheet with the categories you need: date; loan name/number; loan interest rate; starting loan amount ( including how much you owe on that date) ; payment amount you made on that date; ending loan amount after that payment. After you have enough entries, you can start creating graphs; there are few things more satisfying than seeing that graph move downward as you pay off your debt.

　　[K] If you want to see your loans in a larger context of your whole financial picture, LearnVest is a great mobile app for iPhone. It gathers all your information income, loans, credit card debt by linking to your accounts. It serves up useful graphs on your net worth, comparing your assets to what you owe -and there's nothing more motivating than seeing a "minus" sign next to your financial picture. LearnVest "also lets you track your spending, which may make it easier to see where to cut down on expenses so that you can put more into your loan payments. LearnVest also has a good website full of useful advice .Don't be afraid to scare yourself

　　[L] Student loans can often be scary and that's Why you should slay them. The more you see how much you owe, and how fast your interest is rising, the more motivated you can be to fight back by paying those loans. One staffer, after she saw how much money she was wasting on interest payments, increased her student loan payments by $ 75 a month.

　　[M] It can also be tempting to believe that your student debt is so big that nothing you do can ever make a dent in it. That's completely untrue. Only paying your loans will shrink them. It will take years, true. It will take even longer if you don't pay, or pay the minimum. There's only one outcome of shirking your loans: ending up with bigger loans. Then you're in an even bigger bind. No one is going to save you from student loans. Action counts.

　　Choose a strategy

　　[N] Any payment is a good payment, but a strategy can be very useful too. There are two aspects to loans :principal and interest .Principal is how much you've borrowed ,and the interest is what you're paying every month for the privilege of having borrowed that money. Your goal is to pay down as much of the principal as possible. Your chief enemy here is interest: it grows fast, and makes the principal recede more distantly.

　　[O] So make sure you know the rank of your loans, in order from smallest to largest, and lowest interest to highest interest. Do whatever is possible to reduce the interest; as our columnist Helaine Olen points out, Sallie Mac offers you a 0. 25% reduction in your loan interest if you sign up for an automatic debit ( 借方 ) plan--just make sure the money is always going to be in your account. If you don't want to do that, follow Helaine's other piece of advice: you're smarter to pay off the loans with the higher interest rate flint. This will create the biggest impact. Another popular strategy is the "snowball" method, where you pay the most on the smallest debt owed. So if you have a $20,000 loan and a $10,000 loan, the "snowball" method means you will start paying more towards the $10,000 loan. You'll see it disappear faster. These two methods don't always go together; so try what feels comfortable. The important thing is to see and track your progress.

　　[P] If your income isn't enough, consider other methods of producing money: side projects, odd jobs, or selling things you don't need on eBay or Craigslist. For those whose parents can afford it, working out a joint payment plan can make sense. One graduate we know struck a savvy (精明的) deal with his parents: if he made the minimum student loan payment every month, they would contribute $100 toward his student loans. That's $100 he doesn't have to cut from his own budget. As a benefit, making bigger payments will help you pay down the principal of the loan, since the minimum payments often only end up reducing your interest, which balloons back later. Even $ 50 more a month can help.

　　[Q] Here's an example: if you have a $ 20,000 loan, with a 4.2% interest, rate, you will end up paying an extra $ 2,814 in interest alone over six and a half years. If you increase your payment by only $ 50 a month, you'll cut that interest by $ 500 ; ff you can find a way to pay $ I00 more a month, you'll save nearly $ 800 in interest. That's $ 800 more in the bank, and $ 800 less wanted on pointless interest payments.

　　Take it in stride

　　[R] Most Americans owe some form of debt; learning how to handle it is a lifelong process. Most of all, don't beat yourself up if you're not perfect at paying down your loans. Some of the savviest financial players struggled for years with their own finances. We all learn in our own time and we rind what works for us and what doesn't. Accept your own progress.

　　46. If you have a federal loan, you are allowed to pay back the loan later when you are fired.

　　47. LearaVest informs you about your spending so that you can see where to save money to pay off your debt.

　　48. Even for financial experts, financial problems may have taken them years to deal with.

　　49. You are advised to start with the loans with the higher interest rate.

　　50. Many Americans are in debt and learning how to handle it will take a lifetime.

　　51. With Google Docs spreadsheet, you can create your own personalized debt graphs.

　　52. If you don't have enough income, you are advised to try other ways of making money.

　　53. Those student, loan providers' websites don't present the growth of your debt load.

　　54. The result of inaction to your loans is to bring about bigger loans.

　　55. When you toss away envelopes containing your bills, you actually feel more anxious about it.

　　語篇分析

　　46.If you have a federal loan.you are allowed to pay back the loan later when you are fired.

　　詳解 如果你有聯邦貸款，可以在失業時延期還款。

　　譯文 由關鍵詞a federal loan， later ,fired定位到原文劃線句。

　　47.LearnVest informs you about your spending so that you can see where to save money to pay off your debt

　　譯文 LearnVest的消費查詢可以讓你看到應該在哪里減少開支，以便節省出更多的錢還貸。

　　定位 由關鍵詞LearnVest，spending，save money定位到原文劃線句。

　　48.Even for financial experts.Financial problems may have taken them years to deal with.

　　譯文 秘即便是金融專家，他們也可能曾經花費了多年的時間來處理財務問題。

　　定位 由關鍵詞financial experts，for years定位到原文劃線句。

　　49.You are advised to start with the loans with the higher interest rate.

　　【O】So make sure you know the rank of your loans，in order from smallest to largest，and lowest interest to highest interest.Do whatever is possible to reduce the interest;　as our columnist Helaine Olen points out，Sallie Mae offers you a 0.25% reduction in your loan interest if you sign up for an automatic debit(借方)plan　just make sure the money is always going to be in your account.If you don’t want to do mat，follow Helaine's other piece of advice：　you're smarter to pay off the loans with the higher interest rate first.This will create the biggest impact.Another popular strate! is the“snowball”method，　where you pay the most on the smallest debt owed.So if you have a$20，000 loan and a$10.000 loan.the“snowball”method means you will start paying more towards the $10.　000 loan.You’ll see it disappear faster.These two methods don’t always go together;so try what feels comfortable.The important thing is to see and track your progress.

　　譯文 人們應該優先償還 利率高的債務。

　　定位 由關鍵詞advised，higher interest rate定位到原文劃線句。

　　50.Many Americans ale in debt and learning how to handle it will take a lifetime.

　　譯文 許多美國人都有債務，并且需要用一生的時間來學習如何處理債務。

　　定位 由關鍵詞debt，handle，lifetime定位到原文劃線句。

　　51.With Google Docs spreadsheet，you can create your own personalized debt graphs.

　　譯文 借助于Google Dos spreadsheet，你能夠創建自己個性化的債務圖表。

　　定位 由關鍵詞Google Docs spreadsheet，personalized，graphs定位到原文劃線句。

　　52.If you don’t have enough income，you are advised to try other ways of making money.

　　譯文 如果你收入不夠，可以考慮別的賺錢方法。

　　定位 由關鍵詞enough，income.making money定位到原文劃線句。

　　53.Those student loan providers’websites don’t present the growth of your debt load.

　　譯文 學生貸款網站不展示你的債務增長額。

　　定位 由關鍵詞websites，growth，debt load定位到原文劃線句。

　　54.The result of inaction to your loans is to bring about bigger loans.

　　譯文 逃避債務的結果是帶來更大的債務。

　　定位 由關鍵詞result，bigger loans定位到原文劃線句。

　　55.When you toss away envelopes containing your bills，you actually feel more anxious about it.

　　譯文 當你把裝有賬單的信封丟到一邊時，實際上會讓你更加焦慮。

　　定位 由關鍵詞envelopes，bills，anxious定位到原文劃線句。

　　Definitions of Obesity

　　A: How does one define when a person is considered to be obese and not just somewhat overweight? Height-weight tables give an approximate guideline as to whether one is simply overweight or has passed into the obese stage.

　　B: The World Health Organization recommends using a formula that takes into account a person's height and weight. The "Body Mass Index" (BMI) is calculated by dividing the person's weight in kilograms by the square of their height in meters, and is thus given in units of kg/m2. A BMI of 18.5-24.9 is considered to be the healthiest. A BMI of between 25 and 29.9 is considered to be overweight, while a BMI of over 30 is considered to be obese.

　　C: However, it is recognized that this definition is limited as it does not take into account such variables as age, gender and ethnic origin, the latter being important as different ethnic groups have very different fat distributions. Another shortcoming is that it is not applicable to certain very muscular people such as athletes and bodybuilders, who can also have artificially high BMIs. Agencies such as the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) in the USA and the International Diabetes Foundation (IDF) are starting to define obesity in adults simply in terms of waist circumference.

　　Health Effects of Obesity

　　D: Over 2000 years ago, the Greek physician Hippocrates wrote that "persons who are naturally very fat are apt to die earlier than those who are slender". This observation remains very true today. Obesity has a major impact on a person's physical, social and emotional well-being. It increases the risk of developing diabetes mellitus type 2 ("mature onset diabetes") and also makes Type 2 diabetes more difficult to control. Thus weight loss improves the levels of blood glucose and blood fats, and reduces blood pressure. The association between obesity and coronary heart disease is also well-known.

　　Cancer

　　E: Furthermore, in 2001 medical researchers established a link between being overweight and certain forms of cancer, and estimated that nearly 10,000 Britons per year develop cancer as a result of being overweight. This figure was made up of 5,893 women and 3,220 men, with the strongest associations being with breast and colon cancers. However, it is thought that being overweight may also increase the risk of cancer in the reproductive organs for women and in the prostate gland for men.

　　F: The link between breast cancer and nutritional status is thought to be due to the steroid hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which are produced by the ovaries, and govern a woman's menstrual cycle. Researchers have found that the more a woman eats, or the more sedentary her lifestyle, the higher are the concentrations of progesterone. This link could explain why women from less affluent countries have lower rates of breast cancer. Women from less affluent nations tend to eat less food and to lead lifestyles which involve more daily movement. This lowers their progesterone level, resulting in lower predisposition to breast cancer.

　　G: The Times newspaper, in 2002 reported that obesity was the main avoidable cause of cancer among non-smokers in the Western world!

　　Aging

　　H: Research published by St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK in 2005 showed a correlation between body fat and aging, to the extent that being obese added 8.8 years to a woman's biological age. The effect was exacerbated by smoking, and a non-overweight woman who smokes 20 cigarettes a day for 20 years added 7.4 years to their biological age. The combination of being obese and a smoker added at least ten years to a woman’s biological age, and although the study only involved women, the lead researcher Professor Tim Spector believes the finding would also apply to men.

　　I: The aging effect was determined by measuring the length of telomeres, tiny "caps" on the ends of chromosomes, which help protect the DNA from the ageing process. Indeed, telomeres have been dubbed the "chromosomal clock" because, as an organism ages, they become progressively shorter, and can be used to determine the age of the organism. Beyond a certain point, the telomere becomes so short that it is no longer able to prevent the DNA of the chromosome from falling apart. It is believed that excess body fat, and the chemicals present in tobacco smoke release free radicals which trigger inflammation. Inflammation causes the production of white blood cells which increases the rate of erosion of telomeres.

　　Dementia

　　J: Recent research (2005) conducted in the USA shows that obesity in middle age is linked to an increased risk of dementia, with obese people in their 40s being 74% more likely to develop dementia compared to those of normal weight. For those who are merely overweight, the lifetime risk of dementia risk was 35% higher.

　　K: Scientists from the Aging Research Centre at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have been able to take information such as age, number of years in education, gender, body mass index, blood pressure level, physical activity and genetic factors, assigning each a risk score. They then used this information to devise a predictive test for dementia. This test will enable people at risk, for the first time, to be able to affect lifestyle changes which will reduce their risk of contracting dementia.

　　Other Problems

　　L: The world-wide upsurge in obesity, particularly in children, is of major economic concern, liable to drain economies. Of further concern is that research conducted in Australia and published in 2006, shows that up to one third of breech pregnancies were undetected by the traditional "palpation" examination, the danger being greatest for those women who are overweight or obese—a growing proportion of mothers. This means that such women are not getting the treatment required to turn the baby around in time for the birth, and in many cases require an emergency Caesarean section.

　　M: This is a true health-care crisis, far bigger than Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and ultimately, even bigger than AIDS.

　　1. You can judge whether one is simply overweight or has passed into the obese stage according to the height-weight table.

　　2. Using the "Body Mass Index"to define a person's weight ideal is limited, because it does not takes into account many variables such as age, gender and ethnic origin.

　　3. A person's emotional well-being would be affected by obesity.

　　4. Obesity has something to do with cancer in the prostate gland for man.

　　5. Women from less affluent nations tend to have much less breast cancer.

　　6. A non-overweight woman who smokes 20 cigarettes a day for 20 years added 7.4 years to her biological age.

　　7. The excess body fat, like the chemicals present in tobacco smoke, can lead to inflammation.

　　8. Obese people in middle age run an increased risk of dementia .

　　9. The predictive test for dementia will help people to affect lifestyle changes that will reduce their risk of contracting dementia.

　　10. The world-wide upsurge in obesity, particularly in children, will possibly drain economies.

　　答案

　　1. A

　　2. C

　　3. D

　　4. E

　　5. F

　　6. H

　　7. I

　　8. J

　　9. K

　　10. L