How much should you save? You may be able to save 100% of your money. Does that mean you should? Not at all. The best way to develop good saving habits is to make saving a regular part of your life, along with spending.
Here is the rule you should remember: save before spending. Whenever some money gets into your hands, from a job or your pocket money or whatever, take your savings out immediately, before spending any of the money. The beauty of this system is that if you take away your savings, you are free to spend the rest.
Here are some more suggestions on how to successfully get into the saving habit from teens. Let’s see!
Tony,13: I put my money in a bank instead of my wallet, so the money is not there. And I have to take an extra step to get it.
Bill,14: When considering a major purchase(购买), wait a week or so, at least. This will help you make sure if you still want it, and the price might go down.
Dick, 13: Carry very little money always. You can’t spend money if you don’t have it. A cake would be nice, but without a dollar, you can’t get it. Little things like that really add up quickly.
Steve,16: I used to be weak when it came to money. I bought something whenever I went into a store. I’m glad I’m not that person now. I taught myself discipline by keeping a $20 bill in my pocket while waking around the mall all day and not buying anything. Now I have no strong wish to buy things when I go into a store. It works for me.
These ideas should help you get started. If you have some questions about anything you’ve read here, or would like to share your ideas about saving money, please write to us.How does Tony advise you about saving money?
| A．By keeping money in a bank. |
| B．By putting money in a wallet. |
| C．By making it easy to get your money. |
| D．By buying little things. |
According to Billy, if you want to buy something expensive, you’d better_________.
| A．wait at least a month |
| B．make sure it’s necessary |
| C．wait until it’s for sale |
| D．ask somebody for help |
According to the passage, Steve is the person who _______.
| A．didn’t carry any money |
| B．can’t wait to spend his money now |
| C．didn’t use to buy anything in a store |
| D．doesn’t spend money quickly and carelessly now |
Where is the passage most probably from?
| A．A dictionary | B．The instructions | C．A newspaper | D．An advertisement. |
The writer wrote the passage in order to ask teens to_______.
| A．make major purchases |
| B．save 100% of their money |
| C．spend all their savings regularly |
| D．save money regularly as well as spending |
I had hidden the long black bag in the garage for the past two days．Tonight，in the dark，I would finally take it away．If everything went OK，it would be done by morning．But I had to be sure no one，not even my wife，saw me．
It was more difficult to get away from the party than I expected．I said that the children were tired and needed to get to bed．It was partly true．But the main reason for leaving was that I wanted to complete my plan．
First I had to get the kids to sleep．That was never easy at any time and tonight it was even more difficult．The eldest one wanted to know why we left the party early．I told him 10:30 pm was not early．As usual，I read them a bedtime story，but I had to stop myself reading too quickly or they would learn my secret．
Silence finally came，and feeling like a thief in the night，I went out of the house and into the garage．Taking one end，I dragged the bag out from its hiding place and took it into the garden．I was worried that my neighbours might see me and call the police．
It was already eleven o’clock．By the light of the moon I started working，trying to make as little noise as possible．And that was not easy with a saw（锯子）and a hammer．
After much effort，my work was finally completed．I looked down at my watch．It was exactly 4:00 am．Then I went inside to have a shower and get a few hours of sleep．It wouldn’t be long now before the kids would rush into my room and wake me up to tell me about the new tree house Father Christmas had brought them this year．Why did the man feel nervous?
| A．He left the party too late． |
| B．He was afraid of the darkness． |
| C．He didn’t know where the black bag was． |
| D．He worried that others would discover his secret． |
The underlined word“they”in Paragraph 3 refers to________．
| A．thieves |
| B．parents |
| C．children |
| D．neighbours |
In what order did the man do the following?
a．Read the kids a story．
b．Had a shower．
c．Worked in the moonlight．
d．Dragged the bag from the garage．
e．Went to a party．
| A．e－d－a－b－c |
| B．e－a－d－c－b |
| C．a－b－e－d－c |
| D．a－e－d－c－b |
What did the man want to do after finishing his plan?
| A．Go to sleep． |
| B．Wake up his children． |
| C．Open the bag． |
| D．Call the police． |
How would the children feel when they saw the man’s work?
| A．Confused． |
| B．Excited． |
| C．Tired． |
| D．Angry． |
（河北）
Tuesday，1st September
I had mixed feelings today，nervous，worried，happy，excited…My heart went down when Miss Chan，our head teacher，said that Matthew and Beth，two students from England，would spend three months with us!I was worried that I had to speak English so much!But at the end of the school day，I was happier than I thought：the morning with them today was more enjoyable than I expected．
Today is the most unforgettable first day I have had!Matthew is fantastic!His English is clearer and easier to listen to than I thought．The other English student，Beth，is the most helpful girl I’ve ever met．There were lots of things to do on the first day．Beth offered to help Miss Chan put up all the notices．Of course，some of the credit（功劳）should also go to ME because I translated some of the notices for her．Miss Chan praised us!
We finished all the preparations 10 minutes earlier than expected，and then Beth and I talked for a while．Matthew sang several English songs and did some stand－up comedy（单人喜剧表演）at the party．We all praised him．When the bell rang to end the first school day，none of us wanted to leave．
When I went back home，I had a little headache．I have probably spoken more English today than the whole of last year．
It was really a happy day!I hope our friendship can continue，even after they have gone back to England!The writer felt________when he heard the news from Miss Chan．
| A．excited |
| B．angry |
| C．fantastic |
| D．worried |
Beth helped Miss Chan with the________．
| A．comedy |
| B．speeches |
| C．notices |
| D．translation |
Matthew________at the party．
| A．had a talk |
| B．rang the bell |
| C．sang several songs |
| D．made preparations |
Matthew and Beth________on the first day．
| A．spoke much Chinese |
| B．got lots of praise |
| C．had a little headache |
| D．forgot to leave school |
From the passage，we know that the writer________．
| A．caught a bad cold that day |
| B．went back home with Beth |
| C．expects to travel to England |
| D．likes the two English students |
What should I do?
One of the most popular items in the school newspaper is the advice column．No one knows who writes it．The students think their teacher does，but it might be a student using a false name．The students enjoy thinking up problems for the advice column．Here are some of them and their answers．
ASK THE WISE OWL
Q：I’m always late for school．I try not to be，but I can’t help it．Please advise me what to do．Tommy．
A：You are probably late for school because you don’t really like school．My advice to you is to try and enjoy school more，and then you won’t be late so often．
Q：I find it difficult to make friends．What do you think I should do?Sara．
A：I can’t advise you until I know more about you．Your problem may be that you are shy．On the other hand，it may be the opposite．You may be too bold（大胆自信的）．Write and tell me more about yourself．
Q：I’m always at the bottom（底）of the class．What do you advise me to do?Molly．
A：I advise you to concentrate on improving your grades in one subject to start with．If you can do this，you should move a little way up from the bottom．Next，try to improve your grades in another subject，and so on．If you concentrate on one subject at a time，by the end of the year you should be quite a long way up from the bottom．What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．The school newspaper has an advice column． |
| B．Tommy wrote to the school newspaper to ask for advice． |
| C．Sara finds it difficult to make friends． |
| D．The advice column in the school newspaper is very popular． |
What is Tommy’s problem?
| A．He is always late for school． |
| B．He finds it difficult to make friends． |
| C．He is always at the bottom of the class． |
| D．He needs help with his homework． |
What does the Wise Owl want Sara to do?
| A．Stop being so shy． |
| B．Stop being so bold． |
| C．Make more friends． |
| D．Give more information about herself． |
What does Molly want to do?
A Make more friends
B．Improve her grades．
C．Stay at the bottom of her class．
D．Concentrate on one subject at a time．By the end of the year，where should Molly be in her class?
| A．At the bottom． |
| B．A little way up from the bottom． |
| C．Quite a long way up from the bottom． |
| D．At the top． |
B
Dear Abby，
I’m a helpless mother．My son Tom is 15 years old．I find that the older he grows，the less we talk．I feel very sad and I really need help．
My first problem is about his hobbies．He spends almost all his spare time on computer games．When he gets home．he always turns on the computer and closes the door．I’m getting worried about him，especially when his English teacher tells me he always gets low marks in the English exams．
Second，he likes new technology，but I don’t have enough money and I can’t afford all the things he wants．
Recently，I’ve found that he is always alone．I’ve never seen him talking to his friends on the phone or going out with anyone on weekends．That is the last problem I have．
What should I do to help him?Please give me some advice．
A helpless motherThe helpless mother has________problems．
| A．two |
| B．three |
| C．four |
| D．five |
Tom________for almost all his spare time at home．
| A．plays computer games |
| B．talks with his mother |
| C．does his homework |
| D．practises typing（打字） |
From the passage we know that Tom’s mother________．
| A．is not worried about Tom |
| B．feels very happy |
| C．is not rich |
| D．likes new technology |
The helpless mother asks Abby to________．
| A．play with Tom |
| B．talk to Tom |
| C．buy what Tom wants |
| D．give her some advice |
Which of the following is TRUE about Tom?
| A．He is 14 years old． |
| B．He is not good at English． |
| C．He often phones to his friends． |
| D．He likes going out on weekends． |
You’ve just found your dream job, but it pays less than the one you’ve working hard at right now. What should you do ? How can you make the right decision ?
When you have a difficult decision to make , you may probably think it over and over again for hours, weighting up all the advantages and disadvantages before coming to a decision .Or ,maybe you decide it quickly without thinking carefully .But according to scientific research, there’s a better way to do this: Sleep on it .
In a resent study , scientists made an experiment(实验). They offered the participants(参加者) some information about different types of cars .And they asked them to decide hypothetically(假设地) which one would be the best fit. Some of them were asked to make the decision right away ,while others were asked to choose the next morning.
The result of the survey was interesting. The people who had a good night’s sleep were energetic the next morning .And they choose the best quality cars. But those who made quick decisions chose cars with bad quality.
So ,if someone asks you to make a big decision ,don’t rush to give an answer at once .Instead ,take a step back and get a good night’s sleep. Chances are that ,in the morning , you’ll know exactly what to do .Which makes it hard for you to make a decision?
| A．You get less money from the dream job. |
| B．You get more money from the dream job. |
| C．You get less money from the job you’re doing now. |
| D．You get no money from the job you’re doing now . |
Which are the two ways to make a decision according to the passage/
| A．To decide by oneself and to discuss it with friends , |
| B．To think it over for hours and to think about it for a night . |
| C．To decide at once and to decide after a night’s sleep, |
| D．To decide at home and to decide in a car , |
What are offered to the participants in the experiment?
| A．Some different types of cars |
| B．Some different types of ships |
| C．some information about different types of cars |
| D．some information about different types of ships |
The writer wants to tell us that we should make a big decision______ .
| A．at once. | B．at home |
| C．in a car | D．after a night’s sleep. |