阅读理解. Many families in the United States have a large income now than ever before but people ar

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阅读理解. Many families in the United States have a large income now than ever before,

but people are finding it difficult to make ends meet anyway. Almost everyone is

wondering, "What happens to all my money？ I never seem to have anything left

to put away. "

Why isn"t a dollar worth as much as it used to be？ One dollar is always worth the

same amount, that is, 100 cents. But the value of a dollar is how much it can buy.

The value of money depends on the cost of living. Economists say that the cost of

living is the money that a family must pay for the necessities of life such as food,

housing or rent, clothes, and medical expenses. For many years now, the cost of

living has increased greatly, so the value of the dollar has decreased. When a dollar

has a low value, you cannot buy as many things with it.

No one fully understands why the cost of living keeps increasing, but economists

believe that workers and producers can make process go up. As workers earn more

money, they have more money to spend, so they demand more goods. If there a a

great demand for certain goods, the prices of these goods go up. At the same time,

if there"s a shortage of goods, the prices also go up. For example, if everyone wants

to buy more and more gas, the price of gas goes up. When companies which hold gas

from buyers, they can also make the price of gas go up.

Families need to know what happens to their money. They need to make their

income meet the cost of living, so many people plan a family budget. A budget is a

list of monthly expenses. If your expenses add up to more than your income, you

must find ways to save money. Maybe you"re spending too much on entertainment.

Or if you"re spending too much on clothes; you may want to sew your own clothes.

budgeting helps you spend your money wisely as the cost of living increases.

1. What has troubled many families in the United States？_____A. A not-large-enough income.

B. Nothing is left over to put away.

C. The increasing cost of living.

D. A shortage of certain goods.

2. ____ determines the value of the dollar._____A. The government

B. The cost of living

C. The economist

D. The bank

3. While the cost of living increases, the value of the dollar ____.A. increases too

B. decreases

C. neither increases nor decreases

D. seldom decreases

4. When ____, the prices go up.A. demand exceeds(超过) supply

B. supply exceeds demand

C. demand doesn"t exceed supply

D. supply equals demand

5. Budgeting helps ____.A. one to make his income meet the cost of living

B. the government to battle the rising cost of living

C. merchants(商人)to produce more goods

D. the workers to earn more money