People and Money

A Jim Gareth

Money, or shall we say the constant absence of it, drives us crazy. I suppose it all started when I was at university, and I’d borrowed quite a large sum by the time I graduated. When you are a fresh graduate, it’s difficult to find a good job and I got into debt quite rapidly. I haven’t been able to repay what I borrowed for some years now. My wife was in exactly the same situation when she graduated and she came into our relationship with her own debts. Then there were the expenses with the wedding, of course, and now we’re totally broke!

B Karen Jones

Our situation became critical last year, as we were in danger of getting evicted from our house because we weren’t able to pay the mortgage. In the end we had to borrow a lot of money from my husband’s family. It has taught us a valuable lesson though: don’t get a larger house than you can afford, especially for a rip-off price, and certainly don’t recklessly overspend on a costly wedding if you’re already in debt!

C Henry Pollack

My wife says that I am really stingy with money, but I would call myself sensible. I don’t think spending wisely is mean at all. You see, I have always been in charge of our family finances and I think my wife is grateful to me for taking that responsibility solely on myself. All my married life, I have been sitting down with a glass of sherry on a Sunday evening to work out a weekly budget fromour total income, planning carefully what we could afford to buy and how much we would have to save up for the more costly items, such as a new TV or washing machine. Unlike our friends, we go on holiday every year, and I can assure you that our earnings are quite modest.

D Evelyn Simmons

Our pensions are not much to boast about, but we are doing fine. We manage to pay our bills, we’ve paid off our mortgage and we still have some money left over for life’s little luxuries. And if times got really hard, we have a few valuable items in our loft that could fetch quite a large sum at auction(拍卖). We’ll be fine, as long as we have each other.

We usually work from 9: 00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. However, for some people, it’s bedtime. These people are night workers. Working at night brings particular problems: Family life is difficult, social life is limited and it’s bad for people’s health. With all these problems, who choose to work at night, and are they planning to stay in their jobs?

“I work at night because I like stars very much. I’m the happiest when I’m looking down my telescope. The stars are amazing, and it’s great taking pictures of them. Honestly, I’m never going to change my job. Of course, my social life is poor, but I’m going to make friends with people abroad online. They are awake when I’m working.”

--Robert Moore

“My work involves repairing railway tracks, so I have to work at night. It’s not so bad, our team spirit is great and we get paid extra. However, I’m going to leave this job. It’s tiring and I have to find a normal job because I will become a father next month. I hope to be a builder in the future. It’s hard work, but no more nights!”

--Tony Baggio

“When I came to this country, the only work I could find was as a night doorman. This job is boring because it’s so quiet, but I’ve decided to turn this problem into an advantage. I’m going to start a degree in literature by distance learning. I’m going to read my course books during the long quiet nights! I want to be a teacher in the future.”

--John Millar

“I work in a call center in India, but I answer calls from people in the UK. So I have to work at night. It’s a good job with a good salary. It’s also interesting because I use my English and talk with different people every day.”

--Peter Patel

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Good evening parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends. I would like to thank you all for coming on this very special day for every student on this stage. I know how proud you must be. As we have grown over the years, there are many steps and stages we all have gone through. From learning our shapes and colors, to getting our first kiss in middle school, or how about explaining to our parents why we skipped school because the headmaster called home. As we remember these days, things that we’ve done will be with us forever. But this is only the start of our journey. To graduate is one more step we’ve taken in our lives.

Now I would like to take the time to thank everyone who has helped me get this far. First of all, thank you to all the teachers. None of us would be here without you always pushing our studying abilities to the fullest. My brother Jeramie who always said, “If anyone is meant to you, I’ll take care of it.” My mom, thank you for always believing in me and putting up with me. And last but not least, my dad, for proving to me that I always need to take responsibility for my actions and deal with the results. Thank you all! I love you. Now, advice to the students! Many of you think, “This is as good as it gets!” but the future holds a bigger plan for all of us. So good luck and congratulations to the class of 2015. We did it!

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The following is a timetable in Shanghai Pudong International Airport．

Dear Ralf,

      I have received your letter from school and am glad to know that you are becoming responsible enough to decide on your career.

     You are now in the final year of college and are about to start more independent life in society. You know that a generation divides us, and the conditions of social life were different in my days. However, all I can say as advice is that you must select a career wisely. The first consideration is your interest. You can only succeed and feel happy when you do something you enjoy. Your job must be both gainful and satisfying. Then, you must read up on the latest books on the field you are aiming at. Also, you should get familiar with the men and women in the profession of that field. When mind and heart function together, success is inevitable(必然的).

       No career is more or less important than any other career. It takes different people to operate the machine of life. I think your interest may lie in the field of making TV programs. Your great communication skills, your active participation in school plays and the prizes you have won in speech competitions all point in that direction. So a career in Mass Communication and TV film production proves suitable for you. If you succeed and make it in that field, fame and treasure will both follow.

      Think a thousand times before making any final decision regarding your career. Anyhow, I want you to be a man of success.

       I know that you are mature enough to think for yourself.

   With all the best wishes!

    Your loving father

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