The life-long benefits of teaching children how to take care of their money make it well worth the effort. Children who are not taught these lessons pay the consequences for a life time. Some parents don’t teach children about money because they think they shouldn’t talk about money with children, don’t have the time, or think they don’t have enough money. Parents should take the time to teach children about money regardless of their income and should start when children are young.
Most people have strong feelings and opinions about money, based on childhood experiences and the values and beliefs of their families. Most often, these experiences, values, and beliefs are different for each parent. Parents should talk about these feelings and opinions and establish an unchanging approach（方式） to teaching children about money. This is important for the healthy development of children.
Here are some tips that parents can keep in mind as they begin teaching their children to manage money:
★ Guide and advise your children how to spend their money, rather than tell them what they can and cannot do.
★ Encourage and praise children rather than criticize their actions.
★ Allow children to learn by mistakes and by successes.
★ Be consistent（前后一致的） while taking children’s differences into consideration.
★ Include all family members in money management discussions, decision making, and activities that are suitable for their age. As children get older include them in discussions of limits and consequences.
★ Expect all family members to do some everyday chores based on their abilities without being paid.
★ Express your desire to have things you can’t afford. Children need to know that parents say “no” to themselves, too. It is _____ for parents to teach their children about money management in their childhood.
| A．easy | B．useless | C．too early | D．beneficial |
15-year-old Harry isn’t good at managing his money. His mother is advised to _____.
| A．explain to him how to manage his money better |
| B．pay him more money to deal with his chores |
| C．praise him for what he has done |
| D．allow him to buy what he wants |
When parents discuss how to manage the family finances, they should _____.
| A．include their children in the discussion |
| B．express their desire to have some valuable things |
| C．pay more attention to their children’s differences |
| D．try to meet their older children’s needs first |
An old man died and left his son a lot of money. But the son was a foolish young man, and he quickly spent all the money, so that soon he had nothing left. Of course, when that happened, all his friends left him. When he was quite poor and alone, he went to see Nasreddin, who was a kind, clever old man and often helped people when they had troubles.
My money has finished and my friends have gone, said the young man. What will happen to me now?
Don't worry , young man, answered Nasreddin. Everything will soon be all right again. Wait ,and you will soon feel much happier.
The young man was very glad .Am I going to get rich again then? he asked Nasreddin.
No, I didn't mean that, said the old man. I meant that you would soon get used to being poor and to having no friends.An old man died and left his son_______.
| A．nothing | B．some gold | C．much money | D．only a house |
When the son was________, he went to see Nasreddin.
| A．short of money | B．quite poor and sick |
| C．in trouble | D．quite poor and alone |
The young man was very glad because Nasreddin said that________.
| A．he would become rich again |
| B．he would soon feel much happier |
| C．he would become clever |
| D．he would have more friends |
Nasreddin meant the young man______.
| A．would get rich again |
| B．would get used to having nothing |
| C．would get used to being in trouble |
| D．would get out of poorness |
What this story tells us is________.
| A．that money is everything |
| B．that money makes the mare go |
| C．to save each penny |
| D．that misfortune tests the sincerity of friends |
Mexico's neighbours are the United States to the north and Guatemala and Belize to the south. Mexico is about one quarter of the size of the United States. Mexico has more than ninety million people. The language of Mexico is Spanish. This makes Mexico the world's largest Spanish-speaking country.
Mexico City is the capital and largest city of Mexico. The city is also very high. It is 7349 feet high (2240 metres). This makes it one of the highest capital cities in the world. The population, of Mexico City grows bigger every day. About thirty million people live there. It has more people than any other city in the world, even more than Tokyo.
Mexico also has its specialities. Many of the foods we eat started in Mexico. Foods like beans, maize, avocados, tomatoes, peanuts, chili peppers, vanilla, and chocolate come from Mexico. Mexico is also famous for its cactus (仙人掌) plants. Mexico has more kinds of cactus than any other country.Mexico is ____the USA.
A. on the south of B. on the north of
C. a part of D. as large asMexicans speak______.
| A．English | B．Spanish | C．French | D．Latin(拉丁语) |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Mexico City is the capital of Mexico. |
| B．The population of Mexico City is 30,000,000. |
| C．Tokyo is one of the cities with the largest population. |
| D．Mexico City is the highest city in the world. |
Tomatoes were originally (最初) grown in ______.
| A．America | B．Spain | C．Tokyo | D．Mexico |
The best title (题目) of the passage is ___.
| A．Mexico City | B．Mexico's plants | C．Mexico | D．Mexico's population |
Mr. Scott has worked at a police station since he left army five years ago. He’s brave and has already caught many thieves. He was promoted (提升) to the rank of officer last month. Now he works harder.
It was Mrs. Scott’s birthday yesterday. The woman thought her husband was very busy, and she decided to hold a small party only with her husband. Mr. Scott agreed with her and they didn’t invite any friends of theirs to the party. At noon he didn’t go home for lunch and went to a shop. There he bought an expensive diamond necklace for his wife. He hoped to put it on her neck with his own hands at the party. To his sorrow, a rich woman’s house was broken into and some jewelry was stolen, and at once he was sent there to solve the case (案件)，when he came back to his office, it was late at night. He was tired and hungry. He brought out the necklace and was going to leave when he was asked to answer a telephone. Several minutes later when he came into his office, he found the necklace was gone, and he saw the case (盒子) only on his table. He became very angry and called all the policemen in and told them about it. But nobody admitted having stolen the necklace.
“I’ll give you a chance.” Said Mr. Scott, “ All the lights will be turned off. The man who took the necklace away will be able to put the necklace into the case in the dark.”
A few minutes later, Mr. Scott turned on the lights again. To his surprise, the case was also stolen.Mr. Scott was promoted because _______.
| A．he had been in the army. |
| B．he was young. |
| C．he had worked there for five years. |
| D．he did his duty better than his workmates. |
Having read the story, we can know ______.
| A．Mr. and Mrs. Scott loved each other. |
| B．the necklace was the most expensive in the town. |
| C．The Scotts had a few friends there. |
| D．Mr. Scott was the richest at the police station. |
At last, _________
| A．Mr. Scott knew who had stolen the necklace. |
| B．Mr. Scott lost both the necklace and the case. |
| C．the thief put the necklace back into the case. |
| D．Mr. Scott caught the thief in his office. |
Happy April Fool’s Day! In celebration of the day, we have put together a list of some of the greatest hoaxes (恶作剧) in history. They are the lies that have been designed for innocent people who are ready to believe them.
▲INSTANT COLOR TV
In 1962 there was only one TV channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station’s Kjell Stepson, appearing on the news to announce that thanks to a newly developed technology, all viewers could now quickly and easily transform their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon (尼龙) stocking over their TV screen, and they would begin to see their favorite shows in color. Reportedly, hundreds of thousands of people, were taken in. Actual color TV transmission only started to appear in Sweden on April 1, 1970.
▲SAN SERRIFFE
In 1977 the British newspaper The Guardian published a special seven –page supplement(增刊) in honor of the tenth anniversary of San Serriffe, a small republic located in the Indian Ocean. A series of articles affectionately asked for more information about the beautiful holiday spot. Few noticed that every thing about the island was made up.
▲NIXON FOR PRESIDENT
In 1992 American National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation program announced that, Richard Nixon, in a surprise move, was running for President again. His new campaign slogan was, “ I didn’t do anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.” Accompanying this announcement were audio clips(片断) of Nixon delivering his election speech. Listeners responded immediately to the announcement, flooding the show with calls expressing shock and anger. Only during the second half of the show did the host John Huckleberry reveal that the announcement was a practical joke. Nixon’s voice was copied by comedian Rich Little.Which of the following countries in NOT mentioned in the text?
| A．India | B．The UK | C．The United States | D．Sweden |
Who worked as a host on the radio?
| A．Kjell Stepson | B．Rich Little | C．Richard Nixon | D．John Huckleberry |
When did the small republic San Serriffe come into being?
| A．In 1962 | B．In 1977 | C．In 1992 | D．Never |
Where can we probably read this article?
| A．In the ad. | B．In a magazine | C．In a novel | D．In a news report |
Florence Nightingale was born in a rich family. When she was young she took lessons in music and drawing, and read great books. She also traveled a great deal with her mother and father.
As a child she felt that visiting sick people was both a duty and a pleasure. She enjoyed helping them.
At last mind was made up. “I’m going to be a nurse,” she decided.
“Nursing isn’t the right work for a lady,” her father told her.
“Then I will make it so,” she smiled. And she went to learn nursing in Germany and France. When she returned to England, Florence started a nursing home for home. During the Crimean War in 1854 she went with a group of thirty eight nurses to the front hospitals. What they saw there was terrible. Dirt and death were everywhere to be seen — and smelled. The officer there did not want any woman to tell him how to run a hospital, either. But the brave nurse went to work.
Florence used her own money and some from friends to buy clothes, beds, medicine and food for the men. Her only pay was in smiles from the lips of dying soldiers. But they were more than enough for this kind woman.
After she returned to England, she was honored for her services by Queen Victoria. But Florence said that her work had just begun. She raised money to build the Nightingale Home for Nurses in London. She also wrote a book on public health, which was printed in several countries.
Florence Nightingale died at the age of ninety, still trying to serve others through her work as a nurse. Indeed, it is because of her that we honor nurses today.When she was a child, Florence ____ .
| A．loved to travel very much |
| B．knew what her duty in life was |
| C．loved to help the sick people |
| D．was most interested in music and drawing |
What made Florence make up her mind to become a nurse？
| A．Her father’s support. |
| B．Her desire to help the sick. |
| C．Her education in Germany and France. |
| D．Her knowledge from reading great books. |
During the Crimean War in 1854, Florence served in the front hospital where ____ .
| A．she earned a little money |
| B．work was very difficult |
| C．few soldiers died because of her work |
| D．she didn’t have enough food or clothes |
The passage can best be described as ____ .
| A．the life story of a famous woman |
| B．a description of the nursing work |
| C．an example of successful education |
| D．the history of nursing in England |