An allowance is an important tool for teaching kids how to budget, save and make their own decisions. Children remember and learn from mistakes when their own dollars are lost or spent foolishly.
How large an allowance is appropriate? Experts say there is not right amount. Actual amounts differ from region to region, and from family to family.
To set an appropriate allowance for your child, work up a weekly budget. Allow for entertainment expenditures such as movies and snacks. Next, include everyday expenses such as lunch money, bus fare, school supplies. "If you make the child responsible for these ‘ ills’," says Josephine Swanson, a consumer specialist, " he or she will learn to budget for necessary expenditures."
Finally, add some extra money to make saving possible. If you can, keep your child’s allowance in line with that of his friends. A child whose purchasing power falls away below his peers’ can feel left out.
It can be tough, but avoid excusing your children when they make a mistake with their allowance. When Brooke Stephens was ten and growing up in Jacksonville, her mother gave her $5 a week, $1.75 of which was for bus fare and lunch." If you lose your money," Brooke’s mother told her, "you walk home."
One week the girl spent all her allowance in a candy store, then she called home for a ride. " Mom made me walk home," recalls Stephens, now a financial planner in Brooklyn. " At first I was angry. But I finally realized that she was trying to teach me an important lesson. "
Experts advise that an allowance should not be tied directly to a child’s daily chores. Kids should help around the house not because they get paid for it but because they share responsibilities as members of a family. You might, however, pay a child for doing extra jobs at home, which can develop his or her initiative. Which of the following is the possible title of the passage?
A.How to develop a child’s initiative. |
B.How to work up an amount of pocket money. |
C.How to teach a child to save money. |
D.How to teach a child about money. |
It can be inferred from the passage that if a child is given an allowance, he or she may ________.
A.spend all the money very soon |
B.be spoiled and finally ruined |
C.feel responsible and careful about money |
D.lost the money and can not return home |
In Paragraph 4, the words “his peers” refer to ________.
A.his parents | B.his teachers | C.his financial experts | D.his friends |
The author implies in the passage that ________.
A.paying children for their housework is no good |
B.a child’s initiative can be developed if he or she is paid for all the housework |
C.children may feel lost and lonely if they have no pocket money |
D.children may learn to put aside some money if they are given a great amount of pocket money |
Malls are popular places for Americans to go. Some people spend so much time at malls that they are called mall rats. Mall rats do not leave the shop until they drop in the hundreds of stores under one roof.
People like malls for many reasons. They feel safe because malls have police stations or private security (安全) guards. Parking is usually free, and the weather inside is always fine. The newest malls have beautiful rest area with waterfalls and large green trees.
The largest mall in the United States is the Mall of America in Minnesota. It covers 4.2 million square feet. It has 350 stores, eight night clubs, and a seven-acre (公顷) park! There are parking spaces for 12,750 cars. About 750,000 people shop every week.
The first indoor mall in the United States was built in 1965 in Edina, Minnesota. People loved doing all their shopping in one place. More malls were built all over the country. Now, malls are like town centers where people come to do many things. They shop, of course. They also eat in food houses that have food from all over the world. They see movies at theatres. Some people even get their daily exercise by doing the new sport of mall walking. Others go to malls to meet friends.
In some malls, people can see a doctor or a dentist (牙医) and even attend church. In other words, people can do just about everything in malls. Now residents (居民) can actually live in their favorite shopping center.Malls are .
A.large shopping centers which also act as town centres |
B.large parks with shops |
C.the most popular places Americans go to |
D.town centers |
Why have malls become so popular?
A.Because people can do everything there |
B.Because people can do many other things besides shopping for all they need |
C.Because people feel safe in malls with police stations around |
D.Because people enjoy the fresh air and can have a good rest there |
Malls have to be large places because
A.many people drive their cars to go malls |
B.there have to be some restaurants, clinics and theatres |
C.many people hope to do sports in the malls |
D.they have to meet different needs of so many people |
Those are called mall rats.
A.who are busy stealing in the mall |
B.who have visited the biggest malls |
C.who are often found busy shopping in malls |
D.who live under the roof of the mall |
B
THEATRE
City Varieties
The Headrow, Leeds. Tel. 430808
Oct 10—11 only A Night at the Varieties. All the fun of an old music hall with Barry Cryer, Duggle Brown, 6 dancers, Mystina, Jon Barker, Anne Dural and the Tony Harrison Trio; Laugh again at the old jokes and listen to your favourite songs.
Performances: 8 pm nightly.
Admission: ₤5; under 16 or over 60: ₤4
York Theatre Royal St Leonard's Place, York. Tel. 223568
Sept 23—Oct 17 Groping for Words - a comedy by Sue Townsend. Best known for her Adrian Mole Diaries, Townsend now writes about an evening class, which two men and a woman attend. A gentle comedy.
Admission: First night, Mon: ₤2; Tues—Fri: ₤3.25 - 5.50; Sat: ₤3.50 - 5.75.
Halifax Playhouse King's Cross Street, Halifax. Tel. 365998
Oct 10—17 On Golden Pond by Ernest Thompson. This is a magical comedy about real people. A beautifully produced, well-acted play for everyone. Don't miss it.
Performances: 7:30 pm.
Admission: ₤2. Mon: 2 seats for the price of one
Grand Theatre Oxford Street,Leeds. Tel.502116
Oct -17 The Secret Diary of A drian Mole,Aged 13. Sue Townsend’s musical play,based on her best-selling book
Performances: Evernings 7:45. October 10-17,at 2:30 pm.No Monday performances.
Admission:Tues—Thurs &2-5;Fn&Sat:$2-6/which theatre offers the cheapest seat?
A.Halifax Playhouse |
B.City Varieites |
C.Grand Theatre |
D.York Theatre Royal |
If you want to see a play with old jokes and songs,which phone number will you ring to book a seat?
A.502116 | B.223568 | C.365998 | D.430808 |
We may learn from the text that Sue Townsed is
A.a writer | B.an actress | C.a musician | D.a director |
阅读理解
After a terrible electrical accident, which caused him to become both blind and deaf, the whole world became completely dark and quiet for Robert Edwards for almost ten years. The loss of sight and hearing threw him into such sorrow that he tried a few times to put an end to his life. His family, especially his wife, did their best to tend and comfort him and finally he regained the will to live.
One hot summer afternoon, he was taking a walk with a stick near his house when a thunderstorm started all at once. He stood under a large tree to avoid getting wet, but he was struck by the lightning. Witnesses thought he was dead but he woke up some 20 minutes later lying face down in muddy water at the base of the tree. He was trembling badly, but when he opened his eyes, he could hardly believe what he saw: a plough and a wall. When Mrs. Edwards came running up to him, shouting to their neighbors to call for help, he could see her and hear her voice for the first time in nearly ten years.
The news of Robert regaining his sight and hearing quickly spread, and many doctors came to examine him. Most of them said that he regained his sight and hearing from the shock he got from the lightning. However, none of them could give a convincing answer as to why this should have happened. The only reasonable explanation given by one doctor was that, since Robert lost his sight and hearing as a result of a sudden shock, perhaps, the only way for him to regain them was by another sudden shock.The reason for Robert’s attempts to kill himself was that _________.
A.a terrible traffic accident happened to him |
B.he had to live in a dark and silent world |
C.he was struck by the lightning once more |
D.nobody in the world cared about him |
What was Robert doing when he was struck by the lightning?
A.Sheltering from the rain under a tree. |
B.Driving a car. |
C.Taking a walk with a stick. |
D.Lying on the ground. |
We can infer from the text that ________.
A.there was no accurate explanation for Robert’s recovery |
B.many doctors came because Robert was badly injured |
C.Robert’s wife sent for doctors immediately after the shock |
D.a sudden injury in the head led to Robert’s recovery |
What’s the best title of the whole passage?
A Terrible Electrical Accident
B. Robert Edwards and His Wife
C. What a Sudden Shock
D. An Unforgettable Experience
There have always been a lot of commonly believed but false ideas about being fat and doing exercise. Some people believe that they can’t help putting on weight as they get older, while others hold that if they stop exercising, their muscles will turn into fat. Here are some more myths:
I’ll never lose weight---I come from a fat family
Wrong! While we can’t change the body type we are born with, we can’t blame our genes for making us fat. There’s plenty of evidence that fatness runs in families, and the main reason is that they share the same habits of eating too much and exercising too little.
I am fat because I burn calories slowly
Wrong! Fatness is not caused by a slow metabolism(新陈代谢). In fact, although fat people consume 消耗more energy than slim people, they also fail to realize how much they eat! Keeping a diary can help you work out your daily food intake more accurately.
Exercise is boring
Wrong! Anything will become boring if you do it repetitively. The key is to develop a balanced and varied多样的 program that’s fun as well as progressive. If you enjoy a Sunday walk, take a difference route. If you do yoga, try a tai chi class. If you like swimming, set yourself a distance or time challenge.
No pain, no gain
Wrong! Exercise is not meant to hurt. Indeed, pain is your body telling you something’s wrong, and continuing to exercise could lead to serious injury. You may experience mild discomfort as you begin to exercise regularly, but this is adapting to the positive changes in your lifestyle and the aches should disappear relatively quickly. If you don’t, rest and seek medical advice.What does the author think about being fat?
A.It is the family genes that make people fat. |
B.People are fat because they consume too little energy. |
C.A diary of exercise can prevent people from becoming fat. |
D.It is the result of people’s unbalanced lifestyle. |
According to the author, how can we make exercise more interesting?
A.By taking varied exercise. |
B.By choosing simple exercise. |
C.By doing regular exercise. |
D.By sticking to(坚持)outdoor exercise. |
What is the purpose of the passage?
A.To state the importance of keeping fit. |
B.To clarify(澄清) some misunderstandings about fatness and exercise. |
C.To test what has long been believed about keeping fit. |
D.To explain some medical facts about being fat and doing exercise. |
I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled(贴标签) everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.
War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming, “Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!” Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.
The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled(爬)under her covers, sobbing. Obviously, that was something she should not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart.
Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I got so into my work that I even didn’t notice Kate had sat up. She was watching, her tears dried and her expression one of disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me, “Thanks.”
Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn’t always agree, but we learned the key to living together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on.What made Kate so angry one evening?
A.She couldn’t find her books. |
B.She heard the author shouting loud. |
C.She got the news that her grandma was ill. |
D.She saw the author’s shoes beneath her bed. |
The author tidied up the room most probably because______________.
A.She was scared by Kate’s anger. |
B.She hated herself for being so messy |
C.She wanted to show her care |
D.She was asked by Kate to do so |
How is Paragraph 1 mainly developed?
A.By analyzing分析 causes. |
B.By showing differences. |
C.By describing a process过程. |
D.By following time order. |
What might be the best title for the story?
A.My Friend Kate | B.Hard Work Pays Off |
C.How to Be Organized | D.Learning to Be Roommates |