2 . Las Vegas city in Nevada is built in a desert.The city may be known to the outside world for its partying.But officials have found that there are 21 square kilometers of useless grass.The grass is never laid on, played on or even stepped on.The grass is only there to look nice.

Now, the city is asking the Nevada state legislature (立法机构) to ban useless grass.It is trying to become the first place in America to ban that kind of grass often seen between streets, in housing developments and in office parks.

It is estimated that useless grass makes up 40% of all the grass in Las Vegas and it needs a lot of water to survive.Grass needs four times more water than dry climate plants like cactus.By tearing out the grass, the city could reduce yearly water usage by 15%.

In 2003, the Southern Nevada Water Authority banned developers from planting grass in front of new homes.It also offered homeowners $30 for each square meter of grass they tear out.But fewer people are now using the program.Water usage has increased in southern Nevada by 9% since 2019.And last year, Las Vegas set a record of 240 days without major rainfall.The Colorado River provides much of Nevada’s drinking water.The river could lose more water as climate change affects it.

Water officials in other dry cities said water usage needs to be reduced.But they fear the reaction to reforms like the ones in Las Vegas if their communities do not accept them.Cynthia Campbell is the water resources adviser for the city of Phoenix in Arizona.“There might come a point when city restrictions get too severe (苛刻的) for some residents (居民).They’ll say that is the point of no return for them,” Campbell said.“For some people, it’s a pool.For some people, it’s grass.”

3 . Wealth starts with a goal saving a dollar at a time. Call it the piggy bank strategy ( 策 略 ). There are lessons in that time-honored coin-saving container.

Any huge task seems easier when reduced to baby steps. If you wished to climb a 12,000-foot mountain, and could do it a day at a time, you would only have to climb 33 feet daily to reach the top in a year. If you want to take a really nice trip in 10 years for a special occasion, to collect the $15,000 cost, you have to save $3.93 a day.   If you drop that into a piggy bank and then once a year put $1,434 in a savings account at 1% interest rate after-tax,you will have your trip money.

When I was a child, my parents gave me a piggy bank to teach me that, if I wanted something, I should save money to buy it.   We   associate   piggy banks   with   children,   but   in   many countries,   the   little   containers   are also popular with adults. Europeans see a piggy bank as a sign of good fortune and wealth. Around the world, many believe a gift of a piggy bank on New Year’s Day brings good luck and financial success. Ah, but you have to put something in it.

Why is a pig used as a symbol of saving? Why not an elephant bank, which is bigger and holds more coins? In the Middle Ages, before modern banking and credit instruments, people saved money at home, a few coins at a time dropped into a jar or dish. Potters   ( 制 陶 工 ) made these inexpensive containers from an orange-colored clay (黏土) called “pygg,” and folks saved coins in pygg jars. The Middle English word for pig was “pigge”. While the Saxons   pronounced   pygg,   referring   to   the   clay,   as   “pug”,   eventually   the   two   words   changed   into   the same pronunciation, sounding the “i” as in pig or piggy.   As the word became less associated with the orange clay and more with the animal, a clever potter fashioned a pygg jar in the shape of a pig, delighting children and adults. The piggy bank was born.

Originally you had to break the bank to get to the money,   bringing in a sense of seriousness into savings. While piggy banks teach children the wisdom of saving, adults often need to relearn childhood lessons. Think about the things in life that require large amounts of money --- college education, weddings, cars, medical care, starting a business, buying a home, and fun stuff like great trips. So when you have money, take off the top 10%, put it aside, save and invest wisely.