Two classmates, Steve and Theo, were in a cafe after school drinking milkshakes. "I don't like math," said Steve, "Why should l study it? I'll never use it after I leave school. "
"Are you kidding?" replied Theo. "You'll use it every day, my friend!" "How?" asked Steve.
"Where do I begin?" said Theo. "Well, any time you buy something—something at the supermarket or something really big, like a car or a house—you'll need math, to work out how much you need to pay. In fact , you'll use math any time you have to ask questions like'How much?' or' How many?'"
"Well, okay," said Steve," but I don't need much math for those things. I'm not planning to become a math professor(教授)!"
"But, Steve, math teaches you to solve problems in many different ways. And it's useful in lots of jobs besides math professor or math teacher. "said Theo. "Like what?" asked Steve.
"Architects use math when they design buildings and engineers use it when they design bridges and roads, "replied Theo. "Pilots use it when they're flying planes. Fashion designers use it to work out how much fabric(布料)they need. Animators(动画师) use it when they make movies. I could go on…"
"Okay, okay", said Steve." l get it. People in lots of jobs need math." Then the waiter came to the table and brought the bill for the milkshakes.
We each had a milkshake. So let 's split the bill in half, said Steve," How much do l need to pay ?"
"You work it out. "said Theo with a smile." Didn't I tell you that you'll use math every day?"
