How to Make a Budget(预算)
Most likely, you aren’t the family breadwinner. But doing a small job or getting a weekly allowance would put some money in your pocket. For kids and grown-ups alike money is easy to spend. If you aren’t careful, it can be gone in no time.
Being responsible with your money is an important skill to learn and the sooner you start the better. Whether you are tracking your spending or saving for something special, creating a budget can help you deal with expenses and plan for the future. All you need are paper and a pencil and some self-control.
First, take a look at our sample monthly budget. Then, use a separate sheet of paper to plan your own. In the first two columns, list your sources of income and how much you expect to earn from them. In the third and fourth columns, list what you expect to spend your money on and the amount.
Sample Monthly Budget
| Monthly income |
Amount |
Monthly Expenses |
Amount |
| Allowance |
$ 20.00 |
Snacks |
$ 26.00 |
| Money earned selling drinks |
$ 25.00 |
Music downloads |
$ 12.00 |
| Money earned babysitting |
$ 12.50 |
Movies |
$ 18.00 |
| Money earned delivering newspapers |
$ 30.00 |
Video Rentals |
$ 10.00 |
| Total: |
$ 87.50 |
Total： |
$ 66.00 |
The left-hand total should be more than or equal to the right-hand total. If it is, you have an effective budget.
Budgets are not complex, but sticking to them can be tough. When planning your budget, be realistic about your expenses. If you know that you drop $18 at a movie, don’t write $12 in that space simply because you wish you were spending less.
If you are eyeing a big purchase, such as a $150 skateboard, spend less and save more until you have the total amount. No matter how attractive it may be, avoid spending your savings. One day, you will thank yourself!The purpose of making a budget is to help people ___.
| A．learn to be realistic |
| B．manage their money well |
| C．increase their savings |
| D．test their power of self-control |
What should people do when planning a budget?
| A．Fill in the expenses as they really are. |
| B．Avoid spending money on expensive things. |
| C．Set aside a fixed amount of money as savings. |
| D．List income and expenses on two pieces of paper. |
Who is the passage written for?
| A．Bank manager | B．Parents |
| C．Breadwinners | D．Children |
People laugh and people cry. But it is thought that emotions such as anger, or joy, typically make Americans feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. The shedder of tears(落泪者) is likely to apologize, even when a great tragedy was the cause. The observer of tears is likely to do everything possible to put an end to the emotional tears. But judging from recent studies of crying behavior, both those responses to tears are often inappropriate and may even be counterproductive (适得其反).
Humans are the only animals clearly known to shed emotional tears. Since evolution has given rise to few purposeless physiological responses, it is logical to assume that crying has one or more functions that increase survival.
Although some observers have suggested that crying is a way to ask for assistance form others (as a crying baby might from its mother), the shedding of tears is hardly necessary to get help. Vo-cal (出声的) cries would have been quite enough, more likely than tears to gain attention. So, it appears that there must be something special about tears themselves.
Indeed, the new studies suggest that emotional tears may play a direct role in easing stress. University of Minnesota researchers who are studying the chemical composition of tears have recently separated two important chemicals from emotional tears. Both chemicals are found only in tears that are shed in response to emotion. Tears shed because of exposure to cut onion would contain no such substance.
Other researchers are looking into the usefulness of tears as a means of diagnosing human ills and monitoring drugs. At Tulane University’s Teat Analysis Laboratory Dr. Peter Kastl and his colleagues report that they can use tears to detect drug abuse, to study the causes of "dry eye" syndrome(综合症) and the effects of eye surgery, and perhaps even to measure exposure to environmental pollutants.What does the phrase "both those responses" in Paragraph 1 refer to?
| A．Crying out of sorrow and shedding tears for happiness. |
| B．The embarrassment and unpleasant feelings of the observers. |
| C．Linking illness with crying and finding the chemical composition of tears. |
| D．The tear shedder’s apology and the observer’s effort to stop the crying. |
It is known from the first paragraph that____.
| A．shedding tears gives unpleasant feelings to Americans |
| B．crying may often result in tragedy |
| C．crying usually wins sympathy from other people |
| D．one who sheds tears in public will be blamed |
What does the author say about crying?
| A．It is a pointless physiological response to the environment. |
| B．It must have a role to play in man' s survival. |
| C．It is meant to get attention and assistance. |
| D．It usually produces the desired effect. |
From the passage we can infer that____.
| A．it is unnatural for people to shed tears |
| B．we can reduce our stress by shedding tears |
| C．shedders of tears can' t get help by crying loudly |
| D．unlike animals, humans can shed tears for survival |
My old digital camera broke down, so I wanted to buy a new one. Being the cautious type, I fancied a reliable brand. So I went on the Net, spent 15 minutes reading product reviews on good websites, wrote down the names of three top recommendations and headed for my nearest big friendly camera store. There in the cupboard was one of the cameras on my list. And it was on special offer. Oh joy. I pointed at it and asked an assistant, "Can I have one of those? " He looked perturbed(不安). "Do you want to try it first?" he said. It didn’t quite sound like a question. "Do I need to?" I replied, "There’s nothing wrong with it." This made him look a bit offended and I started to feel bad. "No, no. But you should try it," he said encouragingly, "compare it with the others.
I looked across at the others: shelves of similar cameras placed along the wall, offering a wide range of slightly different prices and discounts, with each company selling a range of models based around the same basic box. With so many models to choose from, it seemed that I would have to spend hours weighing X against Y, always trying to take Z and possibly H into account at the same time. But when I had finished, I would still have only the same two certainties that I had entered the store with: first, soon after I carried my new camera out of the shop, it would be worth half what I paid for it; and second, my wonderful camera would very quickly be replaced by a new model.
But something in the human soul whispers that you can beat these traps by making the right choice, the clever choice, the wise choice. In the end, I agreed to try the model I had chosen. The assistant seemed a sincere man. So I let him take out my chosen camera from the cupboard, show how it took excellent pictures of my fellow shoppers... and when he started to introduce the special features, I interrupted to ask whether I needed to buy a carry-case and a memory card as well. Why do we think that new options still offer us anything new? Perhaps it is because they offer an opportunity to avoid facing the fact that our real choices in this culture are far more limited than we would like to imagine.The shop assistant insisted that the writer should ____.
| A．trust him and stop asking questions |
| B．try the camera to see if there was anything wrong with it |
| C．get more information about different companies |
| D．compare the camera he had chosen with the others |
What does the writer mean by "it would be worth half what I paid for it"(Paragraph 2)?
| A．He should get a 50% discount. |
| B．The price of the camera would soon fall. |
| C．The quality of the camera was not good. |
| D．The price of the camera was unreasonably high. |
The writer decided to try the model he had chosen because he _______.
| A．knew very little about it |
| B．wanted to make sure the one he chose would be the best |
| C．didn't trust the shop assistant |
| D．had a special interest in taking pictures of his fellow shoppers |
It can be inferred from the passage that in the writer’s opinion, _______.
| A．we waste too much money on cameras |
| B．cameras have become an important part of our daily life |
| C．we don’t actually need so many choices when buying a product |
| D．famous companies care more about profit than quality |
Though the Web is becoming increasingly popular, the TV never fails to attract people. Do you know which television network is the largest in America? It is not ABC, CBS, or Fox. Nor is it one of the cable net-works such as CNN, which carries only news and news stories. It is not ESPN, the all-sports cable net-work, or even MTV, which is famous for its music videos. Rather it is PBS, Public Broadcasting System, a non-profit public broadcasting TV service. PBS has 349 member television stations in the U. S. and some member stations by cable in Canada.
PBS only attracts a minority of all TV viewers, about 2 percent. The industry leader, NBC, however, attracts 11 percent of viewers. But the growth of public television in the past two decades has been dramatic. This is especially noteworthy(值得关注) when one considers that public television stations must often survive on very limited budgets, on viewers’ donations, and on private foundations and some governmental funding.
The level of quality of PBS programs, whether in national and international news, entertainment, or education, is excellent. Almost a whole generation of children throughout the world is familiar with Sesame Street and the characters of The Muppet Show. PBS is especially well known for the quality of its many educational TV programs. Over 95 percent of all public television stations have tele-courses. These courses are accepted and supported by more than 1, 800 colleges and universities throughout the US. Each year, over a quarter of a million students take courses this way.According to this article, PBS received part of its funding from___.
| A．the audience |
| B．public schools |
| C．advertising agencies |
| D．other television stations |
What is PBS most famous for?
| A．Cable services. |
| B．Generous donations. |
| C．Tele-courses. |
| D．Live news broadcasts. |
Which of the following is TRUE about public television stations?
| A．The majority of their viewers are minority people. |
| B．Ninety-five percent of their programs are tele-courses. |
| C．They are shrinking in number because they make no profits. |
| D．Their courses are accepted by many universities in America. |
Which of the following has the highest percentage of viewers?
| A．ABC | B．PBS |
| C．NBC | D．Fox |
Long long ago, there lived in England a king named Midas. He was a greedy(贪婪的) man and loved gold(金子) better than anything else in the world.
One day, he asked a god to give him more gold. The god decided to punish him and said, “Your wish is granted already. Everything you touch will turn to gold.”
Midas was very happy when he heard this. The next morning, he got up early to test his skills. When he touched his bed, it turned to gold. “Gold!” cried Midas, laughing like a little boy, “It works.”
Not only stones, flowers, and the furniture in his house turned to gold, but, when he sat down to table, so did the food he ate and the water he drank. He was unhappy now. Just then his daughter ran up to him. Midas touched her hand. At once she became a gold statue(雕像)！
A last, he begged the god to free him from his wish. “Go to the river and bathe in it.” said the god. So Midas did, and the water took away his golden touch.Where did the king live?
| A．Greece | B．China |
| C．England | D．India |
The god decided to punish Midas because he was_______.
| A．greedy | B．proud |
| C．unhappy | D．lazy |
The unlined word “granted” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by “_________”.
| A．satisfied | B．finished |
| C．discussed | D．expected |
Which is the correct order according to the story?
a. Midas became the king of the England
b. His daughter turned to gold
c. Midas was happy with his skill
d. The god freed him from his wish
e. Midas asked god for more gold
| A．d-e-c-b-a | B．a-e-c-b-d |
| C．a-e-b-c-d | D．e-a-c-d-b |
What can we learn from the story?
| A．It is the early bird that catches the worm. |
| B．Do not put all your eggs in one basket. |
| C．God does not always bring happiness. |
| D．A bird in hand is worth two in the forest. |
Most people want to be happy, but few know how to find happiness. Money and success alone do not bring lasting happiness. Aristotle, a Greek thinker, said, “Happiness depends upon ourselves.” In other words, we make our own happiness. Here are a few suggestions to help you be happier.
The first secret of happiness is to enjoy the simple things in life. Too often, we spend so much time thinking about the future, for example, getting into the college or getting a good job, which we fail to enjoy the present. You should enjoy life’s simple pleasures, such as reading a good book, listening to your favorite music, or spending time with close friends. People who have several close friends often live happier and healthier lives.
Another secret to living a happy life is to be active, and have hobbies where you forget your problems and time. Many people experience this dancing, or playing a sport, such as swimming. You can forget about your problems and only think about the activity.
Finally, many people find happiness in helping others. Studies show that people feel good when they spend their time helping others. If you want to feel happier, do good things for someone. You can help a friend with his or her studies, go shopping to buy food for an elderly person, or simply help out around the house by washing the dishes.The best title of this passage is _________ .
| A．Money makes you happy |
| B．The Secret of Happiness |
| C．Ideas for Helping Other People to Be Happy |
| D．Good Friends Make You Happy |
The second paragraph mainly tells us that __________.
| A．happiness is to enjoy the simple things in life. |
| B．we shouldn’t think about our future. |
| C．the more friends you have, the happier you will feel. |
| D．some people fail to live a happy life. |
The passage gives us _______ pieces of advice on happiness.
| A．one | B．two |
| C．three | D．four |
The writer believes that________ .
| A．everyone knows how to live a happy life. |
| B．it’s wrong to spend time on work. |
| C．hobbies take up too much time. |
| D．doing good things for someone can make you happier |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Reading a good book. |
| B．Travelling to a foreign country. |
| C．Playing a sport. |
| D．Spending time with close friends. |