Most teenagers are given pocket money by their parents in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Teenagers get between £7 and £20 a Week. They spend it on fast food, clothes, the cinema, concerts, magazines and mobile phone.
Lazy parents?
37% of parents pay teenagers to clean the room, and 66% of parents pay teenagers to take the rubbish out.
Lazy teens?
51% of teenagers don't make their beds before they leave home. Only 13 % of teenagers wash the car for money. Some parents even pay their teenagers to do their homework.
Equality? Not yet!
Boys get more money than girls for most odd jobs. For washing the dishes, boys get about £4 and girls get about £1.
And if you need some more money?
Teens get an extra £250 a year out of their parents except pocket money! About 50% of teens get gifts of money from their grandparents. Go to Mum if you need extra money! She gives more than Dad.
Where you live makes a difference!
Parents in Scotland and the North of England give the most pocket money.
Spending
51% spend their money on clothes. 30% buy cosmetics, jewelry and toiletries (化妆品). Less than 40% of teenagers save their money.
Earnings
Here is what some children told us about their pocket money: I get £30 a month. I have to take the rubbish out and tidy my room. -- Emma, 15, Edinburgh
I get £10 a week. But I have to clean the car and the house and load and unload the dishwasher. I usually save the money. -- James, 12, Sheffield.
I get £7.50 a week. I have to be "good" but I don't have to do any jobs for the money. -- Lain, 13, Cardiff.
I get £5 a week. But our neighbors go away a lot and they give me £25 a week for looking after their cats. -- Richard, 13, Belfast.
68. Which of the following would be the best title for the test?
A. How to get pocket money. B. Pocket money in Britain.
C. How to spend pocket money. D. How teenagers everywhere get pocket money.
69. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. Most parents are so lazy that they let their children do housework.
B. Most teens are too lazy to do housework unless they are given pocket money.
C. Boys and girls aren't equal in getting pocket money when they do odd jobs.
D. It isn't right for children to ask for pocket money.
70. We can infer from the passage that.
A. boys earn the same amount of money at home as girls
B. only rich parents give children pocket money
C. girls earn more money at home than boys
D. most children don't save their pocket money
71. Who probably gets the most pocket money for a whole year according to the passage?
A. Richard. B. James. C. Lain. D. Emma.
A new research of 8,000 young people in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that although love can make adults live healthily and happily, it is a bad thing for young people.Puppy love (早恋) may bring stress for young people and can lead to depression .The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys, and younger girls are the worst of all.
The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is “loss of self”.According to the study, even though boys would say “lose themselves in a romantic relationship”, this “loss of self” is much more likely to lead to depression when it happens to girls.Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions.They won’t tell that to their parents.
Dr Marian Kaufman, an expert on young people problems, says 15% to 20% young people will have depression during their growing.Trying romance often causes the depression.She advises kids not to jump into romance too early.During growing up, it is important for young people to build strong friendships and a strong sense of self.She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends, attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family.
Parents should watch for signs of depression—eating or mood changes —and if they see signs from their daughters or sons, they need to give help.The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age.Love will always make us feel young, but only maturity gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects.Which of the following is more likely to have depression?
A.Young people who have a strong sense of selfishness. |
B.Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior. |
C.Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions. |
D.Careless parents whose children are deep in love. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Lacking love can lead young people to grow up more quickly. |
B.The older a woman is,the less likely she seems to lose herself in romance. |
C.Early love makes young people keep close to their friends and parents. |
D.Parents should help their children to be aware of the signs of depression. |
What’s the author’s attitude towards puppy love?
A.Confused. |
B.Disinterested. |
C.Scared. |
D.Disapproving. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.Parents should forbid their children’s love. |
B.Puppy love may bring young people depression. |
C.Romance is a two edged sword for adults. |
D.Romance is good for young people. |
When Nancy Lublin got $5,000 from her grandpa in 1996, she never once considered taking a vacation or paying off student loans .Instead, the 24-year-old New York University law student began thinking about helping low-income women get better jobs."If a woman goes for a job interview poorly dressed, she won't get the job." Lublin says.“ But without a job, she can't afford suitable clothes."
So with the money Lublin founded "Dress for Success” and began collecting women's clothes which were still in good condition but which their owners no longer needed."So many women have clothes lying around that they will never wear again," one of Lublin's assistants says "Nancy's idea is so simple and yet so important to women."
Many women come to Lublin's office before going to a job interview.Here, they receive a suit, shoes and any other things they need, Since it was set up, more than 1,000 women have turned to "Dress for Success" for help.Many of them have won jobs.Some have round jobs after being out of work for many years.Jenny, a 32-year-old woman who was recently hired as a law-firm office manager says, "I made a good impression because of “Dress for Success”What can we learn from the text?
A.Nancy's grandfather lent her the money to set up the office. |
B.Nancy set up "Dress for Success" to make money |
C.Low-income women can get jobs at "Dress for Success" |
D.Nancy's office gathers used clothes from women |
"Dress for Success" attracts many women because they_______
A.need to look smart when looking for a job |
B.like the design of the dresses |
C.prefer buying clothes at a low price |
D.like to wear different clothes. |
From what Jenny says, we know that ______.
A.clothes from Nancy's office helped to get her a job. |
B.she is working happily at her present job |
C.she got a lot of good ideas from Nancy |
D."Dress for Success" has a good business relation with her firm. |
What would be a good title for the text?
A.Keep Your Old Clothes |
B.A Successful Clothing Business |
C.Nancy: A Successful Law Student. |
D.A Helping Hand for Women |
(D) Only two countries in the advanced world provide no guarantee for paid leave from work to care for a newborn child.Last spring one of the two,Australia,gave up the bad distinction by setting up paid family leave starting in 2011.I wasn’t surprised when this didn’t make the news here in the United States—we’re now the only wealthy country without such a policy.
The United States does have one explicit family policy,the Family and Medical Leave Act,passed in 1993.It entitles workers to as much as 12 weeks’ unpaid leave for care of a newborn or dealing with a family medical problem.Despite the modesty of the benefit,the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups fought it bitterly,describing it as “government-run personnel management” and a “dangerous precedent(先例).” In fact,every step of the way,as (usually) Democratic leaders have tried to introduce work-family balance measures into the law,business groups have been strongly opposed.
As Yale law professor Anne Alstott argues,justifying parental support depends on defining(定义)the family as a social good that,in some sense,society must pay for.Parents are burdened in many ways in their lives: there is “no exit” when it comes to children.Society expects—and needs—parents to provide their children with continuity of care.And society expects—and needs—parents to persist in their roles for 18 years,or longer if needed.What do we learn about paid family leave according to Paragraph 1?
A.It came as a surprise when Australia adopted the policy. |
B.Setting up this policy made Australia less influential. |
C.It has now become a hot topic in the United States. |
D.No such policy is applied in the United States. |
What makes it hard to take work-family balance measures in the States?
A.The incompetence of the Democrats. |
B.The opposition from business circles. |
C.The lack of a precedent in American history. |
D.The existing Family and Medical Leave Act. |
What is Professor Anne Alstott’s argument for parental support?
A.Children need continuous care. |
B.Good parenting benefits society. |
C.The cost of raising children has been growing. |
D.The U.S.should keep up with other developed countries. |
Why is the author against classifying parenting as a personal choice?
A.Parenting is regarded as a moral duty. |
B.Parenting relies largely on social support. |
C.Parenting produces huge moral benefits. |
D.Parenting is basically a social responsibility. |
(C)
The Loss of Innocence
Innocence is such a precious gift.It’s explained as freedom from guilt or wrong doing.Just imagine never having to worry about anything and having a guilt free mind.Some people wish to save this kind of innocence from being lost from childhood to adulthood.
What would the world be like if innocence were never lost?One way it would benefit humanity is the lack of hatred (仇恨)among the world.During youth,there may be an occasional argument,even a little physical fight,but nothing like firing a handgun at a fellow human being.And children are blind towards the racial differences of others.A kid will hang out with any other kid.It is the lack of innocence and the ignorance we learn from adults that influence children otherwise.Another benefit is the constant desire for fun and adventure.With very little if any time at all for fun,the adventurous mind is lost in time with the responsibilities placed upon adults.If innocence were kept alive,these ambitions would never depart from our lives.
However,other people actually hate the idea of innocence lasting forever.They feel that the lack of organization and mental power of those with innocence would cause extremely destructive consequences to society in general.A large number of individuals would never have the urge to learn,work,and act upon the necessary needs for humanity to survive.Without a proper education which is usually provided by those who no longer live in a world of innocence,people would not have the desire to succeed,get a good job in life,or provide income for their families,which would hurt the lives of children.
The lack of a good education and career would also harm the economy.As long as innocence is kept alive,no one would be terribly angered at the lack of effort people put out in the workplace,resulting in a strong decline in production and quality of needed goods.
Maybe it is wrong in wanting to save innocence.It sure is a nice thought,though.Perhaps innocence was meant to be lost.It was god’s will to make things the way they are,and there is a good purpose for everything.All that remains to be said about innocence is to enjoy it while it lasts.The author believes that the loss of innocence in adulthood should be _______.
A.avoided |
B.condemned |
C.accepted |
D.inspired |
Lifelong innocence would be beneficial to society in that _______.
A.proper education would be provided |
B.there would be no racial discrimination |
C.more happy families would be guaranteed |
D.people would realize their childhood dreams |
According to the author,people with innocence can hurt the economy with their lack of _____.
A.motivational will |
B.mental ability |
C.adventurous ambitions |
D.needed goods |
Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
A.![]() |
B.![]() |
C.![]() |
D.![]() |
(B)
Lights Out at Bedtime
There are plenty of good reasons to power up a personal desktop or laptop computer in the evening — writing e-mails,chatting on social networks or making purchases over the Internet,for instance.But various studies indicate that people who stare at a PC’s bright monitor shortly before going to bed probably sleep less soundly than they would otherwise because the light seriously affects their natural wake-sleep cycle."They haven't proved it though," says Dieter Kunz,the team's director at Charite's Psychiatric Clinic in St.Hedwig's Hospital in Berlin.
Similarly,exposure to just 10 minutes of normal bathroom lighting is enough to free the sleep hormone melatonin,which regulates people's natural wake-sleep cycle and makes them sleepy at nightfall.
Ten years ago,a team of British and American researchers detected a photo-pigment(光敏色素) in the human eye that signals to the body whether it is day or night,summer or winter.The photo-pigment is especially sensitive to blue light.
"The blue light more or less tells the body,'It's daytime,be awake,'" Kunz says.Monitors have a mostly cold white light content and scientists suspect the photo-pigment may react similarly to it.So the longer people look into the bright light,the more awake they become - and then sleep poorly.
A lot of people have difficulty "switching off" in the evening.About half of the women in Germany and a quarter of the men sleep poorly.
Environmental factors are only one of the possible causes.Job stress as well as personal and health concerns are also the main reasons for their sleep problems.
In addition,electronic objects' standby lights and indicator lamps can be annoying in the dark and affect sleep."Sound scientific evidence is still lacking on this matter," Kunz notes.
According to Kunz,those who cannot go without their computer in the evening should turn down the blue content if possible and lower the brightness somewhat."But nobody does that because,after all,you want to concentrate while working at the computer and the light helps the brain."The passage is mainly about ____________.
A.natural wake-up cycles |
B.the effect of light on sleep |
C.personal and health concerns |
D.functions of computer monitors |
The underlined word “which” in Paragraph 2 refers to_____.
A.normal bathroom lighting |
B.10-minute exposure to lighting |
C.the release process of a chemical |
D.a chemical affecting one’s sleep cycle |
We can learn from the passage that ______.
A.the blue light has a calming effect. |
B.the photo-pigment tells people day or night |
C.women in Germany use computers more often than men |
D.it has been proved that standby lights affect people’s sleep |