单选题 Of all the lessons taught by the financial crisis, the most personal has been that Americans aren't too slick with money. We take out home loans we can't afford. We run up sky-high credit-card debt. We don't save nearly enough for retirement.
In response, proponents of financial-literacy education are stumping with renewed zeal. School districts in states such as New Jersey and Illinois are adding money-management courses to their curriculums. The Treasury and Education departments are sending lesson plans to high schools and encouraging students to compete in the National Financial Capability Challenge that begins in March.
Students with top scores on that exam will receive certificates — but chances for long- term benefits are slim. As it turns out, there is little evidence that traditional efforts to boost financial know-how help students make better decisions outside the classroom. Even as the financial-literacy movement has gained steam over the past decade, scores have been falling on tests that measure how savvy students are about things such as budgeting, credit cards, insurance and investments.
"We need to figure out how to do this the right way," says Lewis Mandell, a professor at the University of Washington who after 15 years of studying financial-literacy programs has come to the conclusion that current methods don't work. A growing number of researchers and educators agree that a more radical approach is needed. They advocate starting financial education a lot earlier than high school, putting real money and spending decisions into kids" hands and talking openly about the emotions and social influences tied to how we spend.
Other initiatives are tackling such real-world issues as the commercial and social pressures that affect purchasing decisions. Why exactly do you want those expensive name-brand sneakers so badly? "It takes confidence to take a stand and to think differently," says Jeroo Billimoria, founder of Aflatoun, a nonprofit whose curriculum, used in more than 30 countries, aims to help kids get a leg up in their financial lives. "This goes beyond money and savings."
Amid such a complicated landscape, some experts question whether there could ever be enough education to adequately prepare Americans for financial life. A better solution, these critics contend, is to reform the system. "What works is creating institutions that make it easy to do the right thing," says David Laibson, a Harvard economics professor who, like Mandell, has decided after years of research that education isn't a silver bullet. One idea being discussed in Washington is the automatic IRA. Employers would have to enroll each worker in a personal retirement-savings account unless that worker decided to opt out.
Yet even the skeptics are slow to write off financial education completely. More than anything, they say, we need to rigorously study the financial decisions of alumni of programs like Ariel and Aflatoun and compare them with those of peers who didn't get the same sort of education. "Until you have experimental evidence, it's all a little speculative," says Michael Sherraden, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis who is conducting a seven-year, randomized, controlled study on whether giving children bank accounts inculcates the habit of saving. Yes, good, solid research like this takes a lot of time and resources. But if what we're doing right now isn't working, it's in our own best interest to figure out what does.

单选题 What is said about traditional financial-literacy education?

A. School districts in states add financial courses to their curriculums.
B. The benefits from learning financial courses last a lifelong time.
C. Financial know-how from class is also helpful in real life.
D. Financial-literacy movement has been failed over the past decade.

单选题 A growing number of researchers and educators advocate a radical approach that

A. tackles real-world issues that affect purchasing decisions.
B. starts financial education from high school instead of adults.
C. puts kids in financial environment to learn from life experiences.
D. avoids discussing the emotions and social influences about spending.

单选题 What does Michael Sherraden think of the financial education of programs like Ariel and Aflatoun?

A. It's fruitful without any doubt.
B. It's still under experiment.
C. It turns out to be a failure.
D. It needs evidence to prove its success.

单选题 All of the following statements contain a metaphor EXCEPT that

A. ... but chances for long-term benefits are slim. (Para.3)
B. Even as the financial-literacy movement has gained steam over the past decade... (Para.3)
C. ... aims to help kids get a leg up in their financial lives. (Para.5)
D. ... has decided after years of research that education isn't a silver bullet. (Para.6)

单选题 What's the author's attitude towards financial education?

A. Suspicious.
B. Objective.
C. Supportive.
D. Critical.