PartOne：Listening

PartTwo：SpeakingPartThree：ReadingPartFour：Grammar動詞不定式PartFive：PracticalWritingHowtoWriteaResignation(如何寫辭職信)PartSix：TranslationSkills增譯法ReadingforPleasure

Proverbs&SayingsUnitEight

Wealth

PartOne：Listening

Directions：Thispartistotestyourlisteningability.Itconsistsof3sections.

SectionA

Directions:Thissectionistotestyourabilitytogiveproperresponses.Thereare5recordedquestionsinit.Aftereachquestion,thereisapause.Thequestionwillbespokentwotimes.Whenyouhearaquestion,youshoulddecideonthecorrectanswerfromthe4choicesmarkedA,B,CandDgiveninyourtestpaper.ThenyoushouldmarkthecorrespondingletterontheAnswerSheetwithasinglelinethroughthecenter.

Example:Youwillhear:Mr.Smithisnotin.Couldyoupleasegivehimamessage?

Youwillread:

A．I’mnotsure.

B．You’reright.

C．Yes,certainly.

D．That’sinteresting.

Fromthequestionwelearnthatthespeakerisaskingthelistenertoleaveamessage.Therefore,C“Yes,certainly.”isthecorrectanswer.YoushouldmarkContheAnswerSheetwithasinglelinethroughthecentre.

[A][B]?[D]1．A.It’saniceday.

B.Nicetomeetyou,too.

C.I’mgladtohearthat.

D.HappyNewYear!

B.Nicetomeetyou,too.Hello,Jane.Nicetomeetyou!2．A.Itsoundstoogoodtobesure.

B.It’suptoyou.

C.Forgetit.

D.Well,I’mnotsure.What’syourfeelingatthenews?A.Itsoundstoogoodtobesure.3．A.It’ssmallbutbeautiful.

B.Ilikeit.

C.Idon’tlikeit.

D.Iliketeachersthere.

Whatdoesyouruniversitylooklike?A.It’ssmallbutbeautiful.4．

A.Sorry,Idon’tknow.

B.Thankyou.

C.It’sOK.

D.Ilikeit.

B.Thankyou.Thehatsuitsyouverywell.5．A.Yes,Iwon’tdothatagain.

B.No,Iwon’t.

C.Yes,Idid.

D.Yes,Ididso.Tom,yousaidyouweregoingtofixthecomputerforme,didn’tyou?C.Yes,Idid.

SectionB

Directions:Thissectionistotestyourabilitytounderstandshortdialogues.Thereare5recordedconversationsinit.Aftereachdialogue,thereisarecordedquestion.Boththedialoguesandquestionswillbespokentwice.Whenyouhearaquestion,youshoulddecideonthecorrectanswerfromthe4choicesmarkedA,B,CandDgiveninyourtestpaper.ThenyoushouldmarkthecorrespondingletterontheAnswerSheetwithasinglelinethroughthecenter.

6．A.Inastreet.

B.Inaclassroom.

C.Athome.

D.Atastation.

M:Excuseme,canyoutellmehowtogettotherailwaystation?W:Goalongthisroadandtakethesecondturningontheleft.Q:Wheredidtheconversationprobablytakeplace?A.Inastreet.

7．A.2years.

B.20years.

C.12years.

D.22years.

W:DoesToddworkinthisuniversity?M:Yes,hehasworkedherefortwelveyears.Q:HowlonghasToddworkedinthisuniversity?C.12years.8．A.Themanshouldbuythebluetie.

B.Themanshouldbuytheblacktie.

C.Themanshouldbuythenoties.

D.Themanshouldbuythebothties.

M:Ireallylikethisbluetie.W:ButIthinktheblackonewilllookmuchnicerwithyoursuit.Q:Whatcolordoesthewomansuggest?B.Themanshouldbuytheblacktie.

9．A.Johnwasseriouslyill.

B.Hissisterlikedtophonehim.

C.Johndidn’tlikehissister.

D.Johngotsomebadnewsfromhissister.

W:Youlooksad,John.M:Mysisterphonedmejustnow.Q:Whatcanwelearnfromtheconversation?D.Johngotsomebadnewsfromhissister.

10.A.It’snotherofficehour.

B.Shedoesn’thavetimenow.

C.Sheisonlyfreeintheafternoon.

D.Sheistootiredafterclass.

M:Excuseme,ProfessorZhang.MayIaskyouseveralquestions?W:Yes,ofcourse.ButI’msorryIhaveaclassat9:30.Youcancallmelater.Q:Whycan’tProfessorZhanganswerthequestionsnow?B．Shedoesn’thavetimenow.

SectionC

Directions:Inthissectionyouwillheararecordedshortpassage.Thepassageisprintedinthetestpaper,butwithsomewordsorphrasesmissing.Thepassagewillbereadthreetimes.Duringthesecondreading,youarerequiredtoputthemissingwordsorphrasesontheAnswerSheetinorderofthenumberedblanksaccordingtowhatyouhear.Thethirdreadingisforyoutocheckyourwriting.Nowthepassagewillbegin.

Passingexamsiseverystudent’sdream.

11

themistheirnightmare.Sotorealizetheirdreams,manystudentstryanything.Theyevengotofortunetellers,buyluckycharmsandfollow

12

.InKorea,manystudentsburysomething

13

intheuniversitytheywanttoenter.Theybelievethatthesethingswillactasmagnetsand“pull”themintotheuniversity.Whetherit

14

ornot,nobodyreallyknows.AtleastitdoeseaseFailingoldcustomspersonalworksthestudents’mindsaboutpassingexams.Remember,though,youcan’talways

15

luck.Thereisnosubstituteforhardwork.relyon

Part

Two：Speaking

Thispartistotrainyourspeakingability.Readthesamplesandfinishthetaskstogetherwithyourgroupmembersorpartner(s).

Sample1

A:Ifyouwanttoreceivehighereducation,whichwaywouldyouliketochoose?

B:IthinkIwouldchoosetheadultschoolsorself-taughtprograms.

A:Why?

B:BecauseIwanttoworkfirst.Icomefromamountainousarea.Myfamilyisverypoor.Myparentsdon’thaveenoughmoneytosupportme.SoIneedtoearnmoneyfirst.

A:Oh,Isee.Thenyoumustworkhardandlearnhard.Lifemaybemoredifficultforyou.

B:Yes,Iknow,butI’mnotafraidofit.I’llfaceit,howaboutyou?

A:I’dliketogotofamousuniversities.MyparentssaythatIshouldreceivemoreeducationbeforeIgotowork.Theycanhelpmetofindabetterjobinthefuture.

B:Youarelucky.Ienvyyou.

A:Butremember:ifyouhaveanythingIcanhelp,pleasedon’thesitatetotellme.MaybeIcanhelpyoutoborrowsomespecialbooksfromtheuniversitylibrary.Pleasekeepintouchwithme.Wecanhelpeachotherandlearnfromeachother.

B:Thankyou.It’sverykindofyou.

A:Youarewelcome.參考譯文

Task1

ReadSample1again,andworkinpairsorgroupstotalkaboutthecountryeducationinmountainousareainChina.Youcantellsometruestoriesyouknowtoyourclassmates.

Sample2

A:Howdoyouthinkofgoingabroadtoreceivehighereducation?

B:Well,Ithinkmostpeoplewouldliketogoabroadtostudyiftheyhaveenoughmoney.Haveyounoticedthatasourlifeisbecomingbetterandbetter,moreandmoreparentsaresendingtheirchildrentogoabroadtostudyeventheyarejustmiddleschoolstudents.

A:Yes,Iknow,butdoyouthinkitisworthdoingso?Itcostsone200,000YuantostudyandliveinEnglandforjustoneyear.Itwillbealtogether1,000,000Yuan.Inmyview,hewouldenjoyaveryhappyandeasylifeinChinaforawholelifeifhehassomuchmoney.Whyshouldhetroubletogoabroadtostudyandspendthatsumofmoneyinonlyfiveyears?

B:Well,youdon’trealizetheimportanceofeducationinvestment.Fiveyearseducationabroadmayrewardonemanytimesoftheexpensehespendsinhisstudy.Andbesides,theremustbesomeotherbenefits,suchaslifeexperience,characterdevelopment,andsoon.

A:Iagreewithyouinsomeway,butIwon’tchoosetostudyabroadifIhavesomuchmoney.IwouldgotoafamousuniversityinChinaandsetupacompanyafterIgraduate.I’llspendthemoneyinChinaandenjoyarathercomfortablelife.

B:That’snosurprise,differentpeoplehavedifferentideas.Itisdifficulttosaywhichisbetter.Let’sjustdowhatweliketodo.參考譯文

Task2

Readtheabovesampleagain,andworkinpairsorgroupstotalkabouttherichpeople’slifeinChina.Tellyourpartneryourattitudetowardrichpeople’slife.

PartThree：Reading

BeforeYouRead

Workingroupsanddiscussthefollowingquestionsbeforeyouread.

Ⅰ.Whatisyourunderstandingof“wealthgap”?Canyougivesomeexamplestoproveit?Youmayrefertothefollowingpictures.

Ⅱ.Ifyouareawealthyperson,whatwouldyouliketodowithyourmoney?

Text

A

WealthGapWidensonCampus

Asthegapbetweentherichandpoorwidensinsociety,classdifferencesarespreadingoncampus.TheChinaYouthDailytookacloserlookatthisissuethatclassdifferenceappearstobeaffectingstudents’interpersonalcommunication,employmentandlove.

WangQiangwasprudentinchoosingagirlfriend,ashecomesfromthecountrysideandhaslittlemoney.HemetBeijinggirlJuanonthebus.Afterexchangingafewwords,theycametolikeeachotherandlaterfellinlove.

Everythingseemedtobenormalatfirst,beforeWangnoticedJuanhadanelegantChanelnecklaceworthmorethan30,000Yuan.JuanbeganshowingannoyancewithWang’sbehaviorsuchasmakingnoiseswhilesuckingsoup,andlackofskillwheneatingwestern-stylefood.

WangalsofeltfinancialpressurefromJuan,ashehadtopayhundredsofYuanfortheircandlelightdinners.Once,hedidnothaveenoughmoneytobuyanecklaceforJuan’sbirthday,whichembarrassedherinfrontofherfriends.Shesaidhewastoopoortobeherboyfriend,andendedtherelationship.

Thesekindsofstoriesarebecomingmorecommononcampus,accordingtotheChinaYouthDaily.

Inaninvestigationintocollegestudents’ideasaboutclassandwealth,BeijingNormalUniversityProfessorLifoundtheproblemwasgettingworse.

Thesurveyshowsthatpoorandrichstudentstendtodislikeeachother,especiallyduringthebeginningoftheiruniversitystudies.

Studentswithlowerfamilyincomesdescribedrichstudentsasgenerousinlife,butselfishtoothers.Fashionableinappearance,luxurious,arrogant,rich,butcruel

andscornfultopoorstudentsonthesurveysheet.

Ontheotherhand,wealthystudentsthoughtthepoorunconfident,introverted,antisocial,andbelievedtheirreasonsforstudyingwerevulgarandlow.

Regardlessofwealth,allstudentsthinkhighlyoftheirownpersonalities.Impoverishedstudentsbelievetheyarediligent,surefootedandeconomical,whileothersarehappytobeoptimisticandenergetic.參考譯文

NewWords

spread

/spred/ vi.傳播；伸展

vt.傳播，散布；展開；伸展

n.傳播；伸展

adj.伸展的

interpersonal/int?'p?:s?nl/

adj.人際的；人與人之間的

employment/im'pl?im?nt/n.使用；職業；雇用

prudent/'pru:d?nt/ adj.謹慎的；精明的；節儉的

elegant/'elig?nt/ adj.高雅的，優雅的；講究的

annoyance

/?'n?i?ns/

n.煩惱；可厭之事；打擾

embarrass/im'b?r?s/vt.使局促不安；使困窘；阻礙

generous/'d?en?r?s/

adj.慷慨的，大方的；寬宏大量的

appearance/?'pi?r?ns/n.外貌，外觀；出現，露面

luxurious/l?g'zu?ri?s/adj.奢侈的；豐富的；放縱的

arrogant/'?r?g?nt/adj.自大的，傲慢的

cruel/'kru:?l/adj.殘酷的，殘忍的；使人痛苦的

scornful/'sk?:nful/adj.輕蔑的

unconfident/??n'k?nfid?nt/

adj.缺乏信心的；

猶豫的；不確信的

introverted

/intr?u'v?:tid/

adj.內向的

antisocial/?nti's?u?(?)l/

n.違背社會公德的人；

反社會者

adj.反社會的；不愛交際的

vulgar/'v?lɡ?/ adj.粗俗的；通俗的；本土的

regardless/ri'ɡ

:dlis/ adj.不管；不顧；不注意

personality/p?:s?'n?l?ti/ n.個性；品格；名人

diligent/'dilid?(?)nt/

adj.勤勉的；用功的，費盡心血的

surefooted/'?u?'futid

/adj.腳踏實地的，穩當的；無差錯的

optimistic/??pti'mistik/adj.樂觀的；樂觀主義的

Phrases&Expressions

regardlessof不顧，不惜

tendto

傾向于(有助于，易于，引起)

appearto看起來像是，看起來似乎

ProperNames

ChinaYouthDaily

中國青年報

Chanel

(法國著名時裝化妝品品牌)香奈兒

BeijingNormalUniversity

北京師范大學

ComprehensionoftheText

Ⅰ.Workingroupsanddiscussthefollowingquestionsrelatedtothetext.

1.Howistheproblemofwealthgapandclassdifferenceinyourcollege？

2.Howdoyouthinkoftheconflictbetweentherichandthepoorstudentsinthetext?

Theconflictbetweentherichandthepoorstudentsinthetextisveryserious.Thesituationmightnothavebeenlikethisifthetwosidescanunderstandeachotherinabetterway.3.Whatisyourattitudetowardtherich/thepoorstudentsinyourcollege?

Ⅱ．Choosethebestanswerforeachofthefollowing.

Idon’tthinkthereshouldbewealthgapandclassdifferenceoncampus.Thestudentsfromrichfamilyshouldnotshowofftheirrichness,becausethemoneytheyspendisgivenbytheirparentsandnotearnedbythemselves.Thestudentsfromthepoorfamilyshouldtreatrichstudentswithacommoneyesightwithoutanyfeelingofbeinginferiortotherichones.1.WhatisthesituationofthewealthgaponcampusaccordingtotheChinaYouthDaily?

A.Thewealthequivalenceisbeinggraduallyachievedamongcollegestudents.

B.Therearemorerichstudentsthanpoorstudentsoncampus.

C.Thepoorstudentsoncampusgreatlyaspireorenvytherichstudents.

D.Thewealthdifferenceoncampusisbecomingmoreandmoreserious.

D.Thewealthdifferenceoncampusisbecomingmoreandmoreserious.2.WhichofthefollowingsentencesiscorrecttodescribeWangQiang?

A.Heisveryearnesttochooseagirlfriendduringhiscollegelife.

B.Heandhisgirlfriendmeteachotherinabirthdayparty.

C.Heisverycarefultochooseagirlfriend,becauseheisnotrichenough.

D.Heisnotcourageousenoughtomakeagirlfriend,becauseheisveryshy.

C.Heisverycarefultochooseagirlfriend,becauseheisnotrichenough.3.WhathappenedbetweenWangQiangandhisgirlfriendJuan?

A.Theymeteachotheronasubwayandfellinlovewitheachotherrightaway.

B.Theylovedeachothergreatlyandfinallyplannedtogetmarriedaftergraduation.

C.WangQiangboughtJuanaChanelnecklaceworthmorethan30,000Yuanasherbirthdaypresent.

D.JuangraduallyfeltannoyedwithWangQiang’sinelegancyandpoverty.

D.JuangraduallyfeltannoyedwithWangQiang’sinelegancyandpoverty.4.WhatdoesProfessorLifindinhisinvestigation?

A.Poorstudentstendtostudyforaluxuriouslifeinthefuture.

B.Thereisaseriousconflictbetweenthepoorandtherichstudents.

C.Richstudentsareinfavortohelpthepooronesfinancially.

D.Richstudentswouldliketogoabroadforfurtherstudiesaftergraduation.

B.Thereisaseriousconflictbetweenthepoorandtherichstudents.5.Whatistheauthor’sattitudetowardthewealthgaponcampus?

A.Theauthorshowshissatireagainstthisphenomenon.

B.Theauthorisagainstthisphenomenon.

C.Theauthorisneutralforthewealthgaponcampus.

D.Theauthorstronglysupportsthereshouldbewealthgaponcampus.C.Theauthorisneutralforthewealthgaponcampus.

Ⅲ.Fillintheblankswithoutreferringtotheoriginaltext.Thencheckyouranswersagainsttheoriginal.Afterthat,readthepassagealouduntilyoucansayitfrommemory.

Studentswithlowerfamilyincomes

1

richstudentsas

2

inlife,but

3

toothers.fashionablein

4,luxurious,

5,richbutcruel,scornfultopoorstudentsonthe

6

sheet.describedgenerousselfishappearancearrogant

survey

VocabularyandStructure

Ⅰ.Fillintheblankswiththewordsorexpressionsgivenbelow.Changetheformwherenecessary.

surefooted

embarrasswideelegant

spread employfinancearrogant

1.Withthe

ofthegapbetweentherichandthepoor,classdifferencesbecomeaseriousproblem.widening

2.ThenewsthathegottheGoldenmedalinthecompetition

quicklyoncampus.

3.Theserioussituationofcollegestudents’

arousestheattentionofthesociety.

4.Hewasina

troubleandcannotaffordtheuniversitytuitionbecauseofthefailureofhisfather’sbusiness.

5.Juanfelt

infrontofherfriends,spreadsunemploymentfinancialembarrassedbecauseWangcouldnotbuyheranecklaceasabirthdaypresent.

6.Oneshouldneverbe

evenwhenheisathisbest.

7.Inmyopinion,

growingisthebestwaywhichIwanted.

8.Weallwonderhowyoualwayslooksoyoungandbeautifuland

!arrogantsurefootedelegant

Ⅱ.Choosetherightwordorphrasetocompletethefollowingsentences.

1.AprofessorfromBeijingNormalUniversitydidan_____tostudythisissue.

A.investigation

B.job

C.work

D.report

A．investigation

2.Shefeltvery_____overothersbecauseshewasfromaverywealthyfamily.

A.humble B.arrogant

C.sad D.generous

3.Shouldstudentusesomevery______productssuchaslaptop,cellphone,etc.?

A.cheap B.interesting

C.delightful D.luxurious

B．arrogantD.luxurious

4.Oneofthe_____ofworkinghereisthedifficultyofparkingneartheoffice.

A.happiness B.annoyances

C.pleasance D.satisfaction

5.Itwas_____ofyoutoshareyourfoodwithme.

A.stingy B.wonderful

C.generous D.remarkable

B．annoyances

C.generous6.Shewasalways

,evenwhenthingswereattheirworst.

A.pessimistic B.optimistic

C.disappointed D.surprised

7.Theydecoratedthehouse

ofcost.

A.regardas B.regardful

C.regardless D.regard

B.optimisticC.regardless8.Itis

toleavelitterinpublicplaces.

A.social

B.society

C.unsocial

D.antisocialD.antisocial

Ⅲ.Choosetherightwordfromthefollowinggroupsofwordstofillineachblank.Changetheformifnecessary.Someofthewordscanbeusedtwice.

1.crueltycruelcruellycrude

A.Inauniversitysuch_____astoforcestudentstobuyuselessbooksisunforgivable.

B.Don’tbe____toanimal.

C.Iwas_____deceived.

D.Hispaintingsarerather____,notskillfuldone.

crueltycruelcruellycrude2.economyeconomicaleconomiceconomics

A.Hewasavery_________studentinhisclass,becausehehadtosupporthimself.

B.Mybrothermajoredin________.

C.Thatisthegovernment’s________police.

D.It’san________tobuygoodshoes;theycostmore,buttheylastmuchlongerthancheapones.

economicaleconomicseconomiceconomy3.personalpersonalitypersonallypersonify

A.Shehasaverystrong________.

B.Shepresentedtheprizes________.

C.Hemadea______donationtothefund.

D.Thesunandthemoonareoften_________inpoetry.

personalitypersonallypersonal

personified

4.confidentunconfidentconfidenceconfide

A.Don’tputtoomuch________inwhatthepaperssay.

B.Wealthystudentsthoughtthepoor_________andintroverted.

C.Heis_______ofvictory.

D.She_______hertroubletoafriend.

confidenceunconfidentconfidentconfided5.socialantisocialsocializesociable

A.Shewantstodo____workwhenshefinishescollege.

B.Theyarerecentimmigrantstothecountrywhoarenotfully________.

C.Hehasneverreallybeenthe______type.

D.Itis_______toleaveone’slitterinpublicplaces.socialsocializedsociableantisocial

Ⅳ.MatchthefollowingChinesetermswiththeirequivalentsinEnglish.

A.sleepingcar B.ticketoffice

C.waitingroom D.diningcar

E.inquiryoffice F.railwaytimetable

G?.halffareticket H.platformtunnel

I.baggage-claimarea J.informationdesk

1.(

)臥鋪車廂

2.(

)餐廳3.(

)售票處

4.()候車室

5.(

)問訊處

6.()信息臺

7.(

)鐵路時刻表

8.()行李認領區

9.()月臺隧道

10.(

)半價票A.sleepingcarD.diningcarB.ticketofficeC.waitingroomE.inquiryofficeJ.informationdeskF.railwaytimetableI.baggage-claimareaH.platformtunnelG?.halffareticket

Ⅴ.Cloze

Readthefollowingpassageandfillineachblankwiththeappropriatewordorphrasegivenbelow.Eachwordorphrasecanonlybeusedonce.

spread wide suck birthday

arrogantinvestigatecountrysidein

addition finally introverted

Classdifferences

1

inuniversitiesandcollegesasthegapbetweentherichandpoor2

,

arespreadingwidenstheChinaYouthDailydidaresearch

3thisissue.WangQiang,auniversitystudent,camefromapoor4andfellinlovewithaBeijinggirl,Juan.ButlaterJuanlefthimbecauseofhisbehaviorsuchasmakingnoisesin5soupandotherimpropereatingstyles.

6,WangQiangdidnothaveenoughmoneytobuyJuana7present.They8

lefteachother.AprofessorfromBejingNormaltoinvestigatesuckingcountrysideInadditionbirthdayfinallyUniversitysaidthatthiskindofdislikebetweenrichandpoorstudentswasbecomingmoreandmoreseriousoncampus.Studentsfrompoorfamiliesthoughtthericheswereluxurious,cruel,and9,whilestudentsfromrichfamiliesthoughtthepoorswereunconfident,10andantisocial.arrogantintroverted

Translation

I．TranslatethefollowingsentencesintoEnglish.

1.貧富差距的進一步拉大使政府部門感到憂慮不安。(spread)

2.調查顯示大學生的就業情況一年不如一年。(employment)

Therapidspreadofthedifferencebetweentherichandthepoorworriedthegovernment.Theinvestigationshowsthattheemploymentofcollegegraduatesisgettingworse.3.這筆生意的投資非常大，你一定要小心謹慎。(prudent)

4.沒有什么比一個貧窮的學生在宴會上端著盤子侍候自己富有的同班同學更加讓人感到尷尬的了。(embarrassing)

Youmustbeveryprudentsinceitisalargeinvestment.Itisnomoreembarrassingthanapoorstudenttoservehisrichclassmateswithplateataparty.

Ⅱ.TranslatethefollowingintoChinese.

1.Itwasgenerousofhertocontributesuchalargesum.

2.Shewasalwaysoptimistic,evenwhenherbusinessistheworst.

她很大方，捐助了這么大一筆錢。她即使在生意最糟糕的時候也總是非常樂觀。3.Asthegapbetweentherichandpoorwidensinsociety,classdifferencesarespreadingoncampus.

4.Wellashedoesinstudy,heisnotarrogant.隨著社會上貧富差距的擴大，階級差異也擴展到了校園里。他雖然學習很好，但從不驕傲。

TextB

Ihadtwogoodfriends,AnnetteandBarbara,whohadnevermeteachother.Theywerecloseinageandbothdivorced.Onehadoneteenagerandtheotherhadthree.Theysharedmanyinterests.Ithoughttheywouldloveeachother.

WealthandPoverty:GratitudeIsanOpenDoorAtapartyatmyhomeIintroducedmyfriendstoeachother.Annettewasatalkativetype.Rightaway,shebegantotellBarbaraaboutherlife.

“It’ssotoughbeingdivorced.”Annettesaid.“Ihadtogetfinancialhelpfrommyfatherformy270,000dollarsnewhouse.ButIhatetoaskeventhoughhejustendowedachairatamajoruniversity.Idon’tfeelthatIshouldrelyonthealimonyfromBill,myex.ThehousethatBillandIbuiltwith900,000dollarsjustwon’tsell.”

“Itdoesn’tmattersomuchtoBillsincehe’sthevicepresidentofabigbank.ButI’mreallystrugglingforbeingamusicteacherwithnotmuchincome.Idon’tknowhowtocomeupwiththemoney.Butit’satremendousinvestmentinthelongrun.I’mgoingtorentitout,sothenI’llhavetherenteverymonthtoaddtomyincome.”

MyfriendBarbarasatsilentlywithasmilefixedfirmlyonherface.IhadnevereverheardBarbarasayanythingunkindaboutanyone.Sheneversaidaworda