1 . During my freshman year at Brooklyn College, credit card companies were eager to earn the business of students. _________ by various rewards programs that only told part of the story, many students signed up for one or more cards without understanding the _________ of late payment.

_________ basic financial literacy (金融素养) meant many college students started off their adult lives with poor credit. _________ they faced challenges later in life when they needed to borrow money but couldn’t _________ a low-interest loan. Poor credit _________ me past college and years into my teaching career. That has fueled my sense of _________ to teach the next generation of students about personal finance. It’s why I helped develop a personal finance course for teens and young adults.

To make the class as _________ as possible, we asked the students what _________ interested them. They were curious to know about buying homes and cars. Our course, intended for those aged between 14 and 21, has them __________ questions: How much do I need to save to make these purchases? Which purchases do I prioritize (优先考虑)?

We, educators, can help young people __________ life after graduation, as there are many great __________ and developing our course was __________ than I had expected which is why I hope more schools and youth organizations will offer financial education.

Financial literacy shouldn’t be optional because it puts those without it at a significant __________. And if my __________ as a student and an educator have taught me anything, it’s that no one should have to learn important financial lessons the hard way.

2 . The expression, “Everybody’s doing it,” is very much at the center of the concept of peer pressure. It is a social influence applied on an individual in order to get that person to act or believe in a(n) ______ way as a larger group. This influence can be negative or positive, and can exist in both large and small groups.

People are social creatures by nature, and so it is hardly ______ that some part of their self-respect comes from the approval of others. This instinct explains why the approval of peers, and the fear of ______, is such a powerful force in many people’s lives. This instinct drives people to dress one way at home and another way at work, or to answer a simple “fine” when a stranger asks “How are you?” even if it is not necessarily true. There is a(n) ______ aspect to this: It helps society to function efficiently, and encourages a general level of self-discipline that ______ day-to-day interaction between people.

For certain individuals, seeking social acceptance is so important that it becomes a(n) ______: in order to satisfy the desire, they may go so far as to ______ their sense of right and wrong. Teens and young adults may feel forced to use drugs, or join gangs that _______criminal behavior. Mature adults may sometimes feel ______ to cover up illegal activity at the company where they work, or end up in debt because they are unable to hold back the desire to buy a house or car that they can’t afford in an effort to ______ the peers.

However, peer pressure is not always negative. A student whose friends are good at contests may be ________ to work harder and get good grades. Players on a sports team may feel driven to play harder in order to help the team win. This type of ______ can also get a friend off drugs, or to help an adult take up a good habit or drop a bad one.

Although peer pressure is sometimes quite obvious, it can also be so ______ that a person may not even notice that it is affecting his or her behavior. For this reason, when making important decisions, simply going with a(n) ______ is risky. Instead, people should seriously consider why they feel drawn to taking a particular action, and whether the real ______ is simply that everyone else is doing the same thing.

4 . Nolan Barry, 8, and Thomas MacKeen, 9, were on their way home from school in Atkinson, N.H., with three other students Tuesday when their ride took a ______ turn.   The driver _____a medical emergency and ______, but the bus was still moving.

Nolan usually sits at the front of the bus, where he can see the driver. Because of Nolan’s ____, he was somewhat familiar with the bus ______. Although he forgot which button to ____, he figured it out in time. Fortunately, Nolan ______ the emergency braking (刹车) system which also turns on the flashing red lights, putting the ______ sign and safety bar out.

But they weren’t out of the woods yet; and they couldn’t ______ how to open the doors. Thomas was the oldest student on the bus (in the fourth grade) and he was able to ______ the other students down and get them back into their seats.

Another student, 8-year-old David Silva, was also on the bus. Luckily, David’s father, Jesse Silva, was just down the road ______ for the school bus to deliver his child, and he noticed the kids ______ the windshield (挡风玻璃) and saying ‘help!’

The father ran over to the bus and ______ to get in. He saw the driver on the floor and the students were all ______ up. He tried unsuccessfully to ______ the driver — her eyes opened but she wasn’t communicating.

But that’s ______ the paramedics (护理人员) arrived. The bus driver was ______, but the cause of the collapse is still unclear. What is clear is that she was very ______ to have Nolan and Thomas on board when this all happened.

And they do feel like ______, “kind of,” Nolan said when interviewed. But they’re not letting it get to their ______. “Not like Superman. Not like that.”