【正确答案】
With the rapid economic development and the encouragement by the commercial world we have been motivated by a desire to enjoy a better living standard. To many young people in China, modernization means to imitate the life-style of the West, to be fashionable, even it means spending beyond one's means. They would feel proud of owning a piece of state-of-art electronic gadget, being a frequent consumer of expensive meals in fancy restaurants, or wearing clothes of the latest fashion. Being thrift, on the other hand, may be seen as a negative trait to be laughed at.
The global financial crisis has brought the realization that the pursuit of material wealth is not an ideal way of life. Now we are once again advocating the traditional virtue of being thrift, and rational consumption is replacing blind copying the consumption pattern of the wealthy few in the developed countries. Even on the Internet, youngsters are enthusiastically promoting frugality and sharing ideas of how to save money without actually lowering their living standard.
The concept of being thrift is especially appreciated by those who are aware that we have a social responsibility for future generations. Being thrift does not only mean to save money for one's own benefit; a frugal society should be consciously striving for the efficient use of energy, preserving resources, and, in my opinion, being proud of a simple life style, and feeling ashamed of wasteful extravagance.

【答案解析】[提示] 在全球金融危机的影响下，人们重新意识到节约的意义。节俭不仅是中华民族的传统美德，也是我们为了保护自然资源应尽的责任。在国家拉动内需的政策指导下，在商家广告的诱惑下，我们怎样才能既享受生活水平不断提高的成果，同时以勤俭节约为荣，做到不浪费不奢侈?其实，许多年轻人已经从吃穿住行等各个方面在身体力行，大力提倡理性消费和“新节俭主义”。题目要求论述节俭的意义和青年人消费观，可以结合当前形势和中国国情，分析年轻人的消费特点，从勤俭节约的必要性、可行性或具体做法等方面阐述观点。