VOA慢速英语2009-Education Report - Studying in the US: A Lesson

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

We continue now with our discussion of personal finance for students.

A study in the United States found that eighty-four percent of undergraduates last year had at least one credit card. Half had four or more. Borrowers who do not pay their card debt in full each month have to pay interest on whatever balance remains¹.
　
Brea Thompson a student at Washington State University in 2005 shows her credit card. A new law will make it harder for banks to give credit cards to people under 21.

Student loan company Sallie Mae did the study. In a time of economic downturn, it says, college students are depending on credit cards more than ever. It says many seem to use them to live beyond their means -- to spend more than they have.

More than three-fourths had to pay finance charges last year because they carried a balance. The average balance was more than three thousand dollars.

Last Friday, President Obama signed into law a credit card reform bill. It includes protections for people under the age of twenty-one. To get a credit card, they will need a parent or other adult over twenty-one to accept joint² responsibility. Or they will need to show they can repay their debts independently.

Colleges will have to make public any agreements with credit card marketers. And credit card companies may not offer gifts on or near a campus to persuade students.

Also, schools are urged to consider limiting the number of places on campus where companies can market credit cards. And they are urged to offer credit card and debt education and counseling sessions to all new students.

The new measures from Congress take effect in February.

Getting a credit card can already be difficult for international students. College advisers⁴ say those who want one might consider arriving with one from home.

Debit⁵ cards withdraw money directly from a bank account. But advisers say these can also be difficult sometimes for foreign students to get.

A good source of advice about local banking⁶ is a school's international student office. At Penn State, for example, adviser³ Pat Coleman says they have worked with local banks to make banking easier for international students.

Students are generally advised to budget around one to two thousand dollars for expenses for a school year in the United States.

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report, written by Nancy Steinbach. Our Foreign Student Series is online at voaspecialenglish.com. A correction: George Mason University is advising the American University of Ras Al-Khaimah, not in Dubai as we said recently. I'm Steve Ember.

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

4 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

5 debit   

n.借方，借项，记人借方的款项

参考例句：

• To whom shall I debit this sum?此款应记入谁的账户的借方？
• We undercharge Mr.Smith and have to send him a debit note for the extra amount.我们少收了史密斯先生的钱，只得给他寄去一张借条所要欠款。

6 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。