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A study involving 8 ,500 teenagers from all social backgrounds found that most of them are ignorant
when it comes to money. The findings , the first in a series of reports from NatWest that has started a
five-year research project into teenagers and money, are particularly worrying as this generation of young
people is likely to be burdened with greater debts than any before.
University tuition fees (学费) are currently capped at ￡3 , 000 annually, but this will be reviewed
next year and the govemment is under enormous pressure to raise the ceiling.
In the research, the teenagers were presented with the terms of four different loans but 76 percent
failed to identify the cheapest. The young people also predicted that they would be eaming on average
￡31,000 by the age of 25, although the average salary for those aged 22 to 29 is just ￡17 ,815. The
teenagers expected to be in debt when they finished university or training, although half said that they
assumed the debts would be less than ￡10 , 000. Average debts for graduates are ￡12 ,363.
Stephen Moir, head of community investment at the Royal Bank of Scotland Group which owns
NatWest, said, "The more exposed young people are to financial issues, and the younger they become
aware of them, the more likely they are to become responsible, forward-planning adults who manage
their finances confidently and effectively. "
Ministers are deeply concemed about the financial pressures on teenagers and young people because
of student loans and rising housing costs. They have just introduced new lessons in how to manage
debts. Nikki Fairweather, aged 15 , from St Helens, said that she had benefited from lessons on
personal finance, but admitted that she still had a lot to learn about money.
1. Which of the following can be found from the five-year research project?
A. Students understand personal finances differently.
B. University tuition fees in England have been rising.
C. Teenagers tend to overestimate their future eamings.
D. The students' payback ability has become a major issue.
2. The phrase " to raise the ceiling" in Paragraph 2 probably means"________".
A. to raise the student loans
B. to improve the school facilities
C. to increase the upper limit of the tuition
D. to lift the school building roofs
3. According to Stephen Moir, students_________.
A. are too young to be exposed to financial issues
B. should learn to manage their finances well
C. should maintain a positive attitude when facing loans
D. benefit a lot from lessons on personal finance
4. What can we leam from the passage?
A. Many British teenagers do not know money matters well.
B. Teenagers in Britain are heavily burdened with debts.
C. Financial planning is a required course at college.
D. Young people should become responsible adults.
