A. Relevant Information

Firstly, they should have a deep understanding of money. From the Oxford English dictionary, they know that the word “money” has two definitions: 1. Means of payment, especially corns and banknotes, given and accepted in buying and selling. 2. Wealth; total value of somebody’s property. However, in modern American society, money doesn’t just mean cash, dollar bills and coins. The United States is becoming a cashless society quickly. Nowadays, checks and credits cards work just as well as “real money”, if not better. A checking account has become almost a necessity for most Americans. Stores accept checks drawn on local banks as payment for purchase. Even teenagers have their own credit cards in modern America. This “plastic money” allows a person spending free. But it also gets them into a lot of debts. Just for so many types of “money” and different usages, to some extent, the modern Americans are changing their outlook on money. They make most of Americans think that money is not all, but it is most of all.

Can money buy happiness? Many Americans think so. Americans believe life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness have a certain connection. And what does the pursuit of happiness mean? For many, it means pursuing money. Success-oriented Americans often measure people’s worth by how much they have. For that reasons, keeping up with the Joneses has become almost a fulltime occupation. In the United States, not all Americans are rich, but most concern about money. They have a nationally representative survey of active Americans. They have interviewed more than 150 people from various faiths and occupations in greater depth. Their responses provide Americans have deepest obsession of money. “Money is regarded as a means for attaining our possessions.” When asked how important “having a beautiful home, a new car, and other nice things” was to them, the data show 78 percent of the people said “very important” or “fairly important”, while only 22 percent said “not very important”. The responses were similar when people were asked about the importance of being able to travel for pleasure, wearing nice clothes, and eating out at expensive restaurants. In conclusion, money is a main part in modern American life. The American’s outlook on money decides on what kind of life they want to have.

B. The Reasons for the Americans’ Outlook on Money