LESSoN THIRTEEN
  TEXT  A
  单词
  Insurance policy premium broker
  Insurance again sth.
  Agency
  Estate agent
  protector---protective---protectionism
  Consumption -----customer
  Interrupt---bother
  Disturbance---disturbed
  An evil tongue
  Sum sth. Up
  Summing-up
  A large sum of money
  Wonder
  Miraculous
  Sufficient--- enough----abundant
  Adequacy
  Major---minor
  Majority---minority
  Remind sb. of sth.
  Reminder
  Dangerous
  possible----impossible
  Injure
  He was injured in the car accident.
  He was wounded in the war.
  I hurtcut myself with the knife.
  Finance----financier
  Lose---lost---lost
  Rationality
  Unlucky-----lucky
  Fortunate----fortune
  occurrence
  Complicated-----simple
  Complexity
  profession-----unprofessional
  Ignore-----ignorant
  Intelligent-----intelligence
  Someway----somewhat=a little bit
  Conceptual
  opposite to sb.sth.
  opposition
  There is a supermarket opposite the post-office.
  Foundation
  Efficient-----effectiveness
  Efficiency
  on duty----safe-guard
            Bodyguard
  At most ----- at least
  In fact--- as a matter of fact
  Look at
  Handle----cope with
   
  课文
                                   Insurance
      An insurance agent called me this morning. This particular agent wanted to discuss my automobile coverage, but the next agent to call might be interested in my life insurance program, my health insurance, or fire protection for my home and furniture. The American consumer often feels constantly disturbed by insurance agents. Many agents selling many different policies call us by phone and sometimes even come to our door. These insurance agents are always friendly, well dressed, and eager to be of help.
      Yet few Americans really enjoy visiting with these eager, helpful men and women. We are not happy when they call us; we are on guard when they visit our home. They are never really our friends; at best, they are a necessary evil.
      Three reasons why we are unwilling to discuss insurance can be suggested. First of all, insurance is expensive. A young father who purchases a fairly small life insurance policy agrees to pay a sum of $200 every year for 40 years -- a total of $8,000. Many college students pay $800 to $1,000 per year for car insurance. In effect, they pay as much for the insurance as they do for the car itself. Health insurance (that __ (pay) for modern medical miracles) often costs Americans as much as $2,000 every year. Adequate insurance is expensive; it is a major item for most families.
      Insurance also reminds us that we live in an __ (safe) world. We are human and we must face the possibilities of illness, injury, death, and financial loss. our rational minds recognize the many unfortunate events (that can occur), but in our hearts we hope that we might be spared. Serious injury or death is not a pleasant subject to discuss or even consider. We are afraid; we would rather talk about football or the weather or what we had for lunch.
      Finally, insurance is a difficult, complex subject. No one understands it completely and only a few insurance professionals really feel comfortable in a discussion of automobile, life, and major medical coverages. We feel inadequate and try to hide our ignorance by avoiding discussions of insurance.
      Yet these three reasons (for not discussing insurance) provide three excellent reasons (why we should learn more about it). Insurance is expensive. In a lifetime, many of us spend as much on insurance as we do on the purchase of a home. If we are to spend our money intelligently, we need information about the products and services available. We dont depend entirely on salespeople when we buy a car, a house, or a suit of clothes. Neither should we depend entirely on the agent when we buy insurance. We need a basic knowledge of insurance coverages if we are to be intelligent consumers.
      The intelligent consumer looks problems in the face. Although accident, illness, and death are not pleasant subjects, each of us knows we face these possibilities. It is better that we plan for these situations by finding means to deal with them than to just hope that they will somehow go away.
      Although insurance can be complex, its basic concepts are neither difficult nor impossible to learn. Quite the opposite. Insurance fundamentals can be understood by those willing to study them. Serious study provides knowledge. The study of insurance is an effective, proven method of dealing with the insurance ignorance faced by many American families.