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U1AR2Thisisaninformalandpersonalizedaccountofaneconomicgraduatewhogetsajobinapubforayearandthenhasanopportunitytobesuccessful(aluckybreak).Sinceherfamilycan’tsupporthertofurtherstudy,shehastowork.Shehasfinancialproblemsandfeelslonely.ShetellshertroublestoTony,aregularcustomerofthepub,whotalkstosomefriendsandgetsheraloantosetupabusiness.Withthishelpshehashermaster’sdegreeandherowncompany.Thesituation,however,isreversed:Tonyisdisabledafteranaccidentandneedstherepaymentoftheloantoadapthishouseforhisdisability.U2AR1Readingisalife-changingactivity.Ithelpsusenteranewworldandliberateusfromtherealworldwecomefrom;itstimulatesouremotionsandallowsusenjoyandcelebratethevarietyanddifferencefrombooks;itaidsustogetoutofconfusioninamaterialworldandtodiscovertherealmeaningofthelife.Simplyput,booksaresupremelyinfluentialinthewaywelive.Homerunbookmightbetheanswerforthebookthateveryoneshouldread.Itdescribesthefirstreadingexperiencethatinducessuchpleasureandsatisfactionthatyoucannotputitdownanditmayrangefromtheclassicstothemostrecent.Everyoneislookingfortheirownhomerunbooks.Andwhatisyours?U2AR2HenryMillerdepictsthestrugglewagedtoobtainbookswhenhewasyoung,andthenintroducesthereasonthatmakesabooklive—thatis,thepassionaterecommendationofonereadertoanother.Inhiseyes,booksareoneofthefewpossessionsmencherisheddeeply,butifyoulendittoothers,itmakesfriendsforyou.Hecontinuestosuggestthatthevastmajorityofbooksoverlapwhatotherssay,soreadaslittleaspossible.Hethenadvisessuchawaytotesthissuggestion—thatis,leaveabookalone,butthinkasintenselyaspossibleandifyoudecidetoread,observewithwhatextraordinaryacumenyoutackleitandrealizethatverylittleofthebooksisreallynewtoyou.U3AR1Nohistoryoffashionintheyears1960to2010canoverlookorunderestimatetwoconstantfactors:jeansandhemlines.JeansevolvedfromtheworkclothesintheCaliforniangoldrushinthemid-19thcenturytoasymbolofyouth,newideas,rebellionandindividualitywithitsexpansiontoEuropeandAsiainlate1950s.Thenthehippiemovementofthemid-1960sandearly1970sandthepunkperiodhadimpactonthedesignofjeans.Inthemid-1980s,denimremainedpopularwiththeyoung.Butthelate1980ssawjeansnotatallwhatLeviStraussoriginallyintendedwhilefrom2000,designerjeansgainedhugepopularity.Whilejeanscametobepopularontheworldwidescale,hemlineshaveamorepeculiarsignificance(withonlyafewindicator)asanexceptionsofeconomy,i.e.,asthestockmarketrises,sodohemlines,andwhenitfalls,sodothey.The1960switnessedtheminiskirtbyMaryQuantwhereasthemid-1980ssawknee-lengthskirts–theeconomywasunstable.Graduallyhemlinesstartedtoriseagain...untiltheworldstockmarketcrashin1987.TheninJanuary2000theNewYorktechnologystockmarketcollapsed.Asusual,sodidhemlines.Butmerelyoneyearlater,thestockmarketbegantorecover,andthemicrominiskirtreturned.Hemlineswerehigherthantheyhadbeenformanyyears.Butfrom2007,hemlineswerenolongerfollowingthestockmarket.Inconclusion,theconstantfactorsover1960sand2010aredenimandhemlinesandthegreatestinfluenceshavebeena19th-centuryCalifornianclothesmanufacturerandayoungdesignerintheswingingLondonofthe1960s.U4AR1Today,wearecaughtinthecreditcrunchbecausebankssettrapswhichappealtoourvanityandgreedandsometimestoourbasicneedforsurvival.Thebanksgiveafalsesenseofsuperioritytopeoplewithexclusivegoldcreditcardsinhard.Theytargetpeoplewhoarepronetoimpulse-buying,andpotentiallybadcreditrisks,temptedtospendmorethantheyhave,andliabletofallbehindwithrepayments.Theylureimpoverishedstudentswithunrealisticinterestrates.Theychargepeoplewhogooverthelimittheexorbitantinterestbutomittotellthemtheinterestpaidisnotforthedebt,butfortheoverspendoftheoverdraft.Byattractinguswiththeirendlesspublicityforloansofmoney,thebanksearnmoney.Sohowtogetourselvesoutofthetraps?Layoutallofyourcreditcardsinaline,takealargepairofscissorsandcutthemintosmallpieces.Thenthebankshavenopotentialtotemptmoneyawayfromyou.U4AR2What’sthekeytoWeddedbliss?Moneymatters.Marriageatitscoreisafinancialunion.Topreservetheirmaritalassetsandtheirunion,coupleshadbettersharesimilaroutlooksonmoneymattersor,attheveryleast,findsomemiddleground.Otherwise,moneywillbeahugefactorinbreakingupmarriages.However,noteveryoneisluckytogetmarriedtoafinancialtwin.Tobecomemorecompatiblewiththeirsignificantotherandultimatelymoreprosperous,couplesneedfollowtheseguidelines:talkingandsharinggoals;runningahomelikeabusiness,thatis,makingabudgetandkeepingtrackofearnings,expensesanddebts,makingbigfinancialdecisionsandsettinggoalstogether;beingsupportiveofcareers;enjoying,butwithinreason;Usingamediatorwhilehavingstrongyetdivergentopinions.Maintainingsomefinancialindependence;spendingtimeandmoneytogetherasakindofinvestmentinmarriage.U5AR1Researchershavefoundthatmengossipasmuchaswomenandmenspendmuchmoretimetalkingaboutthemselves.However,mendon’tadmittheygossip,insteadtheydefineitas“exchanginginformation”.Thereasonwhyfemalegossipactuallysoundslikegossipisthatthereseemtobethreeprincipalfactorsinvolved.Firstly,thetonerule.Womenadoptatonewhichishighandquick,orsometimesastagewhisper,butalwayshighlyanimated,whilemengossipinthesameflat,unemotionalmannerasanyotherpie