雅思课外读物--College students have a lot to learn about finances - 雅思(IELTS)-全程雅思学习-雅思中国网

摘要：雅思中国网雅思频道跟大家分享的雅思阅读素材题目是“College students have a lot to learn about finances”。关于这个问题，我的答案是肯定。大学不应该是大概学学，而应该是广泛学习，金融知识渗入在日常的方方面面，所以一定要学。

今天给大家带来的是一篇关于大学生的雅思阅读文章。新生代大学生缺乏金融知识，不知道怎么做预算。究其根本，主要是因为多数学生缺少相关家庭教育。父母和学校应该为大学生们补上这一课，越早越好。一起来看看这篇文章怎么说的吧！

Ask a college freshman what he or she is excited about, and the list might range from the lack of a curfew(宵禁;戒严) to the unlimited dining hall pizza. Likely not on the list? Learning how to make smart financial decisions. And that's too bad, say experts, as that's exactly what all students need to focus on.

Millennials(千禧一代), perhaps not surprisingly, are not very savvy(精明的;精通的)about money. In fact, a recent study, Money Matters on Campus, found that since 2012 students are less likely to follow a budget, pay credit card bills on time and infull, balance their checkbooks every month or buy only the things they need. The study, which surveyed 42,000 college freshmen across theU.S.,was conducted by education technology company EverFi and sponsored by Higher One, a financial services company serving college students.

College students know they could do better. When it comes to grading(评分) how they manage their money, half give themselves a lukewarm(不温不火的) "C," according to a 2015 U.S. Bank survey of 1,640.

"Most of these kids come from homes whose parents don’t possess any kind of plan for the money except planning their next vacation or doing Christmas," says Jim Chilton,CEO of the non-profit Society for Financial Awareness.(非营利性的金融意识社团总裁Jim Chilton说，“这些孩子的父母除了计划下一次的旅行和过圣诞，花钱大都没有什么计划。”)

"When these young folks hit college, it’s a tidal wave of indecision ... as they punch in quickly Mommy and Daddy’s cell number to find out how they’re going to get by(应付;应对),"he says. "I call this begging by cluelessness(无知). It happens every start to a new semester."(“当这些年轻人上了大学，那就是各种犹豫不决的高峰期……他们忙不迭地拨打父母的手机，询问怎样过日子。”他说。“我把这种现象称为无脑的乞讨，每学期开学都会发生。”)

Millennials know they're in for (一定会遇到)some pain. They face higher levels of a student loan debt — two-thirds of recent bachelor’s degree recipients(接受者) have outstanding student loans, with an average debt of about $27,000, compared with $15,000 two decades ago — and face lower levels of wealth and personal income than Baby Boomers and Gen X at the same stage in their lives, according to a 2014 Pew Research Centerreport.

So parents should talk to their children about finances — and the sooner the better. With fall semester upon them, students are spending (and, sometimes, saving) money on their own,often for the first time in their lives. The choices they make can affect their lives for years to come, so it's critical that they make informed(知情的)ones.

For starters, teach themhow to budget, explain the intricacies(微妙，复杂) of having and using a credit card, and encourage them to ask if their college offers a financial literacy course.(教新生怎样做预算，告诉他们使用信用卡的复杂之处，或是鼓励他们问一问学校有没有金融扫盲课程。).

“Many Millennials aren't as financially savvy as they'd like to be — mainly because no one has ever taught them about personal finances," says Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, a money coach and author of multiple financial well-being books.

Chilton adds, "It's never too early to start."