Wealth starts with a goal saving a dollar at a time. Call it the piggy bank strategy(策略). There are lessons in that time-honored coin-saving container.
Any huge task seems easier when reduced to baby steps. I f you wished to climb a 12,000-foot mountain, and could do it a day at a time, you would only have to climb 33 feet daily to reach the top in a year. If you want to take a really nice trip in 10 years for a special occasion, to collect the $15,000 cost, you have to save $3.93 a day. If you drop that into a piggy bank and then once a year put $1,434 in a savings account at 1% interest rate after-tax, you will have your trip money.
When I was a child, my parents gave me a piggy bank to teach me that, if I wanted something, I should save money to buy it. We associate piggy banks with children, but in many countries, the little containers are also popular with adults. Europeans see a piggy bank as a sign of good fortune and wealth. Around the world, many believe a gift of a piggy bank on New Year’s Day brings good luck and financial success. Ah, but you have to put something in it.
Why is a pig used as a symbol of saving? Why not an elephant bank, which is bigger and holds more coins? In the Middle Ages, before modern banking and credit instruments, people saved money at home, a few coins at a time dropped into a jar or dish. Potters(制陶工) made these inexpensive containers from an orange-colored clay(黏土) called “pygg,” and folks saved coins in pygg jars.The Middle English word
for pig was “pigge”. While the Saxons pronounced pygg, referring to the clay, as “pug”, eventually the two words changed into the same pronunciation, sounding the “i” as in pig or piggy. As the word became less associated with the orange clay and more with the animal, a clever potter fashioned a pygg jar in the shape of a pig, delighting children and adults. The piggy bank was born.
Originally you had to break the bank to get to the money, bringing in a sense of seriousness into savings. While piggy banks teach children the wisdom of saving, adults often need to relearn childhood lessons. Think about the things in life that require large amounts of money--- college education, weddings, cars, medical care, starting a business, buying a home, and fun stuff like great trips. So when you have money, take off the top 10%, put it aside, save and invest wisely.
小题1:What is the piggy bank strategy?
A．Paying 1% income tax at a time.
B．Setting a goal before making a travel plan.
C．Aiming high even when doing small things.
D．Putting aside a little money regularly for future use.小题2:Why did the writer’s parents give him a piggy bank as a gift?
A．To delight him with the latest fashion.
B．To encourage him to climb mountains.
C．To help him form the habit of saving.
D．To teach him English pronunciation.小题3:What does then underlined word “something”(Paragraph 3) most probably refer to?
A．Money
B．Gifts
C．Financial success
D．Good luck小题4:The piggy ban originally was _________.
A．a potter’s instrument
B．a cheap clay container
C．an animal-shaped dish
D．a pig-like toy for children小题5:The last paragraph talks about ________.
A．the seriousness of educating children
B．the enjoyment of taking a great trip
C．the importance of managing money
D．the difficulty of starting a business
小题1:D
小题2:C
小题3:A
小题4:B
小题5:C
题目分析：这是一篇记叙文。这篇短文给我们讲述的是小猪银行策略，即存钱罐定期地存钱，这样不仅可以让孩子养成攒钱的好习惯，对于成年人来说，为以后的生活定期地存钱也是很有意义的。
小题1:D细节理解题。什么是小猪银行策略？根据短文第二段的意思可知，如果你想要什么东西，你可以定期地往你的小猪存钱罐里放入一些钱，直到你能攒够，去买你想要的东西。故选D。
小题2:C推理判断题。为什么作者的父母给了他一个小猪存钱罐作为礼物？根据短文第三段的内容可知，作者的父母送给了他一个小猪存钱罐作为礼物，这样作者想要什么东西的话，就要自己慢慢存钱来买。所以这样就可以帮助他养成一个存钱的习惯。故选C。
小题3:A词义猜测题。划线的单词something 最有可能指代的是什么？根据这个单词所在的句子和这一段的内容可知，有了存钱罐，你可以慢慢攒钱，买你想要的东西，当然，你必须得往里放钱。所以这里的something指的就是钱。故选A。
小题4:B细节理解题。小猪银行原本是什么？根据短文第四段的内容可知，很久以前，还没有现在的银行的时候，人们在家里攒钱，把一颗颗硬币放在一个用黏土制成的罐子里。后来慢慢演变成了现在的存钱罐。故应该选B。
小题5:C段落大意题。最后一段讲述的什么？根据短文最后一段的内容可知，这一段讲述的是我们用存钱罐攒钱的意义是什么，他不仅可以使孩子养成存钱的习惯，而且对于大人们来说，为以后的生活定期地存钱也是很有意义的。故应该选C。