Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance. The
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Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance. The purpose is to let children learn from experience at an age when financial mistakes are not very costly. The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family. Timing is another consideration. Some children get a weekly allowance. Others get a monthly allowance. In any case, parents should make clear what, if anything, the child is expected to pay for with the money.
At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If they do this, they will learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget. Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until the next allowance. The object is to show young people that a budget demands choices between spending and saving. Older children may be responsible enough to save money for larger costs, like clothing or electronics.
Many people think it is not a good idea to pay your child for work around the home. These jobs are a normal part of family life. Paying children to do extra work around the house, however, can be useful. It can even provide an understanding of how a business works.
Allowances give children a chance to experience the three things they can do with money. They can share it in the form of gifts or giving to a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want. Or they can save it. Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice: you have to cut costs and plan for the future.
Requiring children to save part of their allowance can also open the door to future saving. A saving account is an excellent way to learn about the power of compound interest. Compounding works by paying interest on interest. So, for example, one dollar invested at two percent interest for two years will earn two cents in the first year. The second year, the money will earn two percent of one dollar and two cents, and so on. That may not seem like a lot. But over time it adds up.
14. Many parents give children an allowance regularly to ______.
A. meet children’s basic need for life B. give control over their children
C. see whether they have financial mistakes D. help children learn how to manage money
15. For Children who receive allowances, they’d better not ________.
A. waste money to buy gifts for their parents or friends
B. buy their favorite clothing or electronics for themselves
C. save money like their parents or other adults
D. ask for the next allowance before the decided date.
16. If children are required to save their allowance, they ______.
A. can experience the three things related to money
B. can understand the relation between goals and sacrifice
C. will do more work around the house
D. help themselves found the basis for their future life
17. What does the underlined phrase “compound interest” mean?
A. The interest based on the original money and unpaid interest.
B. A way of helping children earn two percent interest.
C. The interest intended for children to earn money.
D. A saving account opened for children’s allowance.
18. What would be the best title for the text?
A. How to Give Children an Allowance
B. Spend Your Allowance within a Budget
C. Allowance Helps Children Learn about Money
D. Doing Housework Earns Children Allowance |
答案
14---18 DDBAC |
解析
本文讲述的是孩子处理零花钱的方式以及家长在钱的问题上如何教育孩子问题。
14. D。 细节理解题。根据文章第一段“The purpose is to let children learn from experience at an age when financial mistakes are not very costly”，其目的就是要他们学会如何经营金钱。故答案选D。
15. D。 细节判断题。根据文章第四段，孩子们可以利用这些钱来买礼物，可以买他们想买的东西，也可以象大人们那样节省钱。因此，选项A、B、C不对；从文章第二段来看，花完上次的父母给的钱而下次给钱的时间还没有到，在这种情况下向父母要钱的话是不好的。故答案选D。
16. B。 细节理解题。根据文章第四段和第五段，节省父母给的钱一方面可以理解自己的“目标”和“牺牲或损失”之间的关系，从而更好的节约和计划；另一方面，可以为自己的未来投资奠定基础。故答案选B。
17. A。 词义猜测题。根据文章最后一段作者对于compound interest的解释以及所举的例子可知，“compound interest”是指存钱到期没有取出，并且一块把利息又放进去，从而实现“利息生利息”。故答案选A。
18. C。 标题概括题。本文主要是介绍了家长固定给孩子零用钱，从而让孩子学会如何节约，如何利用这些钱；同时，让孩子懂得钱的来之不易，从而学会理财。选项C正揭示了文章的主题。故答案选C。 |
举一反三
Pushy parents and teachers who “hothouse” the under-5s risk causing damage to the children’s long term development, a leading education expert said.
Lilian Katz, Professor of Education at the University of Illinois, said that four-year-olds engaged in reading and writing went on to perform worse academiclly than those engaged in imaginative learning. They scored higher in tests at the age of 5, but children whose first year at school was stimulating outstripped them four years later.
The findings suggest that the government"s structured approach to early years" learning could be storing up problems for children. They also raise serious questions about the plan for all children to be able to read by the age of 6.
In many countries formal teaching does not start until children are 6 or 7 and have improved their social and manual skills. Children start learning to read and write at 6 in the United States. France and Germany , and at 7 in Finland and Sweden.
Professor Katz said that in many schools the courses were "boring children to tears". Much academic teaching required children to learn by memorizing pieces of information out of context, she said. Teaching in reception class should instead allow children to develop their intellect by exploring their environments and asking questions.
"Research suggests the benefits of formal academic insturction for four- and five-year-olds seem to be promising when they are tested early, but considerably less so in the long term. When these children are followed over a period of three or more years, those who had early experience in more intellectually engaging curricula were more likely to do well in school than their peers, who had received early academic instruction." She avocates teaching children through first-hand experience and play, in mixed-aged classes. This can include puppet shows, drawing or running a pretend shop in the classroom.
1．According to the passage, those who “hothouse” the under-5s would probably _________.
A. prefer a lot of interaction and stimulation while teaching
B. teach in a lively way to motivate kids’ interest
C. push the kids to memorize pieces of information
D. care about the kids’ physical development
2．What does the underlined word “ outstripped” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. did better than B. looked down upon
C. caught up with D. performed worse than
3．According to Lilian Katz, the government’s structured approach to early-years learning ______.
A. is necessary for improving children’s reading and writing ability
B. needs to be improved to develop children’s academicability
C. will cause problems to children in their future learning
D. has more advantages than disadvantages
4．The message the author wants to deliver through the passage is that formal teaching _______.
A. can start at different times in different countries.
B. should not be started too early
C. is best carried out in Finland and Sweden
D. should include teaching children social and manual skills
5．Which of the following is NOT the opinion of Lilian Katz?
A. Children should be taught through first-hand experience.
B. Learning in a mixed-age class is good for children.
C. Running a shop can help children get good marks.
D. Puppet shows and drawing are useful easy in teaching children. |
While parents, particularly mothers, have always been attached to their infants (婴儿), societal conditions frequently made this attachment difficult to maintain (保持). First of all, the high infant death rate in the premodern times meant that such attachments often ended in hopelessness. Perhaps to prevent the sadness that infant death caused, a number of societal practices developed which worked against early attachment of mother and child.
One of these premodern attachment-discouraging practices was to leave infants unnamed until they had survived into the second year. Another practice that discouraged maternal (母亲的) attachment was tightly wrapping (包裹) infants. Wrapping effectively prevented the close physical interactions like stroking (抚摸) and kissing that are so much a part of modern mothers" and fathers" affection for their infants.
A third practice which had the same distancing effect was wet-nursing. Breast-feeding (母乳哺育) was not popular among the well-to-do in the early modern times; infants were often fed by wet nurses hired for the purpose. In some places, such as nineteenth-century France, city infants were sent to wet nurses in the country. Often a wet nurse would feed her own child first, leaving little milk for the city infant—who, in many cases, died. In Rouen, the death rate for children sent to a wet nurse was 35 percent.
68. Babies were unnamed until they were two so that _______.
A. an old social custom could be kept up B. maternal attachment could be maintained
C. they could have better chances to survive D. their parents would not be too sad if they died
69. Why were babies wrapped?
A. To protect them from the cold. B. To distance their mothers from them.
C. To make them feel more comfortable. D. To make it easy for their mothers to hold them.
70. Wet nurses were women who________.
A. babysat city infants B. fed babies of other families
C. sent their babies to the country D. failed to look after their babies
71. Which is the best title for the passage?
A. Societal Conditions in Premodern Times
B. Practices of Reducing Maternal Attachment
C. Poor Health Service and High Infant Death Rate
D. Differences between Modem and Premodern Parents |
A study published in September suggests there is a surprising way to get people to avoid unhealthy foods: change their memories. Scientist Elizabeth Loftus of the University of California at Irvine asked volunteers to answer some questions on their personalities (个性) and food experiences. “One week later,” Loftus says, “we told those people we"d fed their answers into our smart computer and it came up with an account of their early childhood experiences.” Some accounts included one key additional detail (细节): “You got sick after eating strawberry ice-cream.” The researchers then changed this detail into a manufactured (人为促生的) memory through leading questions—Who were you with? How did you feel? By the end of the study, up to 41% of those given a false memory believed strawberry ice-cream once made them sick, and many said they"d avoid eating it.
When Loftus published her findings, she started getting calls from people begging her to make them remember hating chocolate or French fries. Unfortunately, it"s not that easy. False memories appear to work only for foods you don"t eat on a regular basis. But most important, it is likely that false memories can be implanted (灌输) only in people who are unaware of the mental control. And lying to a patient is immoral, even if a doctor believes it"s for the patient"s benefit.
Loftus says there"s nothing to stop parents from trying it with their overweight children. “I say, wake up—parents have been lying about Father Christmas for years, and nobody seems to mind. If they can prevent diseases caused by fatness and all the other problems that come with that, you might think that"s a more moral lie. Decide that for yourself.”
72. Why did Loftus ask the volunteers to answer some questions?
A. To improve her computer program. B. To find out their attitudes towards food.
C. To find out details she can make use of D. To predict what food they"ll like in the future.
73. What did Loftus find out from her research?
A. People believe what the computer tells them.
B. People can be led to believe in something false.
C. People tend to forget their childhood experiences.
D. People are not always aware of their personalities.
74. According to the study, people may stop having a certain food if they ________.
A. learn it is harmful for health
B. lie to themselves that they don"t want it
C. are willing to let doctors control their minds
D. think they once had a bad experience of eating it
75. What is the biggest concern with the method?
A. Whether it is moral. B. Who it is best for.
C. When it is effective. D. How it should be used. |
If you are lost in the mountains, stay calm in the face of darkness, loneliness, and the unknown. It will greatly increase your chances of survival (生存). Many people think that preparing necessary equipment and knowing how to use it are very important, but actually eighty percent of mountain survival is your reaction to fear.
Find a hiding place.
Unnecessary labor will make you sweat and make you cold. Find a hiding place around you before trying to start your own construction. If you are in a snow-covered area, you may be able to dig a cave in deep snow for protection from the wind. You should try to hide yourself in the middle of the mountain if possible. Stay out of the valleys — cold air falls, and the valley floor can be the coldest area on the mountain.
Signal rescuers for help.
The best time to signal rescuers is during the day. Signal for help from the highest point possible — it will be easier for rescuers to see you, and any sound you make will travel farther. If you take a box of matches and a space blanket (a special blanket for traveling), build three smoky fires and put your blanket — gold side facing out — on the ground.
Do not walk away.
It will make finding you more difficult, as search teams will be trying to follow your path and may miss you if you have gone off in a different direction. Searchers often end up finding a car with no one in it.
If you get frostbite (冻伤), do not rewarm the affected area until you’re out of danger.
You can walk on frostbitten feet, but once you warm the area and can feel the pain, you will not want to walk anywhere. Try to protect the frostbitten area and keep it dry until you are rescued.
36. When lost in the mountains, you can increase your chances of survival if you .
A. take a space blanket with you B. do more physical labor
C. try to find a car immediately D. walk as far as possible to find help
37. According to the passage, people most probably fail to survive if they .
A. do not take enough equipment B. stay in the middle of the mountain
C. do not keep themselves warm D. stay in a snow-covered area
38. What can we infer from the passage?
A. Don’t travel by yourself. B. Mountain traveling is dangerous.
C. Don’t get frightened in danger. D. Avoid going to unfamiliar places. |
Researchers are placing robotic dogs (机器狗) in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study concerning the influence of robotic dogs on old people’s depression, physical activity, and life satisfaction. “No one will argue that an older person is better off being more active, challenged, or stimulated (刺激) ,” Edwards points out. “The problem is how we promote(使……成为现实)that, especially for those without friends or help. A robotic dog could be a solution.”
In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, researchers will collect baseline data for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO. Then, the researchers will review the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner.
“I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady.“When I’m watching TV, he’ll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has a mind of his own.”
The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The researchers say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns.
“At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate to the robotic dog, because it was metal and not furry,” Beck says. “But it’s amazing how quickly we have given up that belief.
“Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more-valuable health helper. They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels, or heart rhythms. AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people’s minds.”
48. The purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study is to ______
A. understand human-animal relationship B. make lonely old people’s life better
C. find the causes of old people’s loneliness D. promote the animal-assisted research
49. In the research, the old people are asked to ______
A. note the activities of AIBOs B. keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks
C. record their feelings and activity D. analyze the collected information
50. What is the advantage of AIBO over live dogs?
A. It is easier to keep at home. B. It can help the disabled people.
C. It responds to all the human orders. D. It can watch TV with its owner.
51. The author seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may ______
A. cure certain diseases B. keep old people active
C. change people’s beliefs D. look more like real dogs |
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