With high rents and low wage growth, it's hardly surprising that young adults increasingly rely on parents for financial support. 1. A survey last year estimated that the $500 billion in financial help that parents give adult children is double what those same parents manage to save for retirement. Nearly 75% parents reported they put their adult kids' needs ahead of retirement.
2. The less you have saved for retirement, the more likely you will feel money-stressed in retirement---that' s not the goal, right? —and you may end up needing to rely on your kids for help in your later years. That' s surely not an outcome the entire family wants.
The decision to provide financial support for an adult child is, of course, personal. That said, if you have even the tiniest worries about retirement security, you owe it to your entire family to reconsider your support. Not overnight, but by setting a timeline expectation for when your child will be independent. 3.
Let adult kids contribute to family expenses. Once an adult child has a job, even if they are still living at home, it's time to have them participate in paying bills. At least, they should pay their share of a family cellphone plan.
4. Helping an adult child get established is one thing, but often help can extend into financing a nicer — than — needed lifestyle. For example, give money for groceries so they don't exist on a poor diet. 5. However, buying for a new car (which should be a used car) or contributing to rent for their own place (rather than shared) is you not setting smart limits.
Anyway, you must have enough savings to take care of yourself.
A.Set limits on what you will help with.
B.Make a major financial sacrifice for adult kids.
C.Besides, helping rent a shared apartment is also reasonable.
D.While the support is financial, we' re not talking pocket money.
E.And most importantly, you can also establish clear financial boundaries.
F.You should reduce your budget to come up with the extra cash to help.
G.Parents who make that choice could set everyone up for a difficult future.
I’ve been teaching college for many years, long enough to note the steady relaxation of attention in matters of student dress. I’ve long grown used to the tom jeans, flip-flops, shorts in the dead of the Maine winter, and ball caps worn backward. Still, I took note recently when one of my students showed up in pajama bottoms. I couldn’t help stopping him and remarking, “Did you just roll out of bed?”
His response: “Five minutes ago.”
I'm familiar with the school of thought that says that how students dress is irrelevant, so long as they’re learning. I deposit it in the same category as “Grammar and spelling don’t matter, so long as they’re expressing themselves.” Perhaps. But I also wonder about the wisdom of confusing the line between bed and desk. I should think that dressing properly before entering a formal environment, such as a college lecture hall, is a sort of visible reminder to oneself (and one’s teachers) that impressions are important and that we have come together to get down to business.
I smile when I think back on the occasions that my parents associated with needing to look presentable. Once, when I was 11 and my brother 9, my father announced that he was taking us into Manhattan (just a subway ride away) to see the film of “2001: A Space Odyssey.” My brother and I were happy at the prospect, but were soon deflated when my father directed us to put on our best clothes, including jackets and ties. “But why?” I begged, not wanting to change out of my comfortable jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers.
“Because,” he said, “we’re going to New York. Other people would observe and assess us based on our appearance.”
So yes, I’m all for freedom of choice in matters of dress, and yes, I do want my students to be comfortable. But I also want to pay my respects to those students who believe that appearances count.
1.Why did the author stop the student?
A.He got up too late.
B.He was late for class.
C.He disobeyed the rules.
D.He wore pajama bottoms.
2.What does the underlined word “deflated” in the fourth paragraph mean?
A.Discouraged. B.Relaxed.
C.Surprised. D.Worried.
3.Why does the author mention his childhood experience?
A.To introduce the topic.
B.To entertain the reader.
C.To remember his father.
D.To support his argument.
4.What does the author argue in the passage?
A.Students should have a dress code.
B.Pajama bottoms should be banned.
C.Bad behavior leads to poor learning.
D.School uniforms matter to students.
Shanghai, the first Chinese mainland city to carry out a compulsory garbage classification regulation in July, is using intellectual platforms that can count the amount of garbage residents dump（倒）to promote recycling.
A residential area in Shanghai's Baoshan district is using 10 sets of such smart bins. Through data shown on the screen, staff of the platform will know the amount of garbage collected and when and who dumped them. The smart bin can also help social workers. For example, for elderly people living alone, a social worker will go to their home to check if the elderly people failed to dump garbage.
The "green fortune can!'' issued in 2016 by Shanghai environmental authorities is the base of the big data platform. The card is meant to encourage daily garbage sorting and to build an eco-friendly way of life in the city, according to the city government's website. Residents can swipe （刷）the card after selecting the waste type on a screen above the smart bins, and the bin will open automatically. After the trash is dumped, residents will receive corresponding points which they could exchange for small gifts.
The city government said more than 7.28 million Shanghai families have joined the project, and 6.31 million cards have been distributed. Residents and experts welcomed the use of high-tech equipment in garbage recycling, saying it is more convenient than expected.
But proper garbage handling and necessary construction should catch up to avoid such a good idea from becoming a formalism project, Luo Yameng, a Beijing-based urban-planning and eco-city expert, told the Global Times on Thursday.
In the future, the community's management company would also issue garbage bags attached with QR codes, which would make it convenient for management departments to track residents who break garbage recycling regulations.
The Global Times reporter found that similar measures have been applied in some areas in Beijing, which is drafting its own garbage recycling regulations.
1.How does the smart bin help social workers?
A.By signaling when garbage is dumped.
B.By offering data about where garbage is put.
C.By tracing the people who dumped garbage.
D.By showing how much garbage is collected.
2.Which of the following is the first step for residents to use the dustbin?
A.Swiping the card.
B.Dumping the garbage.
C.Selecting the waste type.
D.The bin opens automatically.
3.What can be learned from the expert Luo Yameng?
A.More and more families will be likely to join the project.
B.Garbage classification needs to be open to further discussion.
C.The use of high-tech equipment is much better than expected.
D.Follow-up measures should be taken to guarantee the success.
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A.Green fortune card一a card for your family
B.Shanghai gets tough with incorrect trash sorting
C.Big data, smart devices help Shanghai sort garbage
D.Compulsory garbage classification regulation in Shanghai
At first, Michael Surrell didn't see the black smoke or flames shooting from the windows of his neighbor's home. He had just parked around the comer from his own house when he got a call from his daughter: "The house next door is on fire!" He went to look. That's when he saw an old woman crying outside.
"The baby's in there!" she cried. Though the fire department had been called, Surrell, then 64, ran inside without hesitation. Entering the burning house was like "running into a bucket of black paint," Surrell says. The thick smoke burned his eyes and made it impossible to breathe. The conditions would have been dangerous for anyone, but for Surrell, who had lung disease, they were life-threatening.
After a few minutes in the smoke - filled house, he retreated outside to catch his breath. "Where is Tiara?" he asked desperately.
“The second floor," the old woman shouted back.
Taking a deep breath, Surrell went in a second time. Because the house had a similar layout to his, he found the stairs and made it to the second floor.
“Baby girl, where are you?”
His throat and lungs burned as if he'd breathed fire instead of the smoke in the air. He couldn't open his eyes. All he could hear was the crackling （破裂声）of burning wood. Then a soft sound came out. Still unable to see, Surrell fell to his knees on the hot wood floor and climbed toward the sound, feeling around for any sign of the girl.
Finally, he touched something. A shoe, then an ankle. He pulled the baby toward him. Her body was weak and she wasn't breathing. He carried her into his arms and ran blindly into the blackness. The next thing he knew, he was at the front door, then outside.
1.Why was the old woman crying outside?
A.She lost the baby in the fire.
B.The baby was hurt in the fire.
C.The baby was in the burning house.
D.She couldn't call the fire department.
2.What can be learned from the first two paragraphs?
A.Surrell's daughter worked in a fire department.
B.Surrell would probably have been killed by the fire.
C.The smoke blanketed Surrell' s house from next door.
D.A bucket of black paint blocked Surrell's way to the house.
3.How did Surrell find the baby on the second floor?
A.By searching on his knees.
B.By opening the back door.
C.By shouting repeatedly'
D.By turning on the light.
4.Which of the following best describes Surrell?
A.Determined and patient.
B.Independent and devoted.
C.Generous and reliable.
D.Courageous and caring.
The Best Destinations for Cheap Flights In 2020
Cheap flights are the secret sauce of travel. Whether it' s a luxury destination or a backpacker's paradise, finding airfare for less means you can spend more on the road, so use this list as a jumping off point for your 2020 travels.
Destination | Where to find cheap airfare |
Hawaii | As Southwest continues to expand routes to Hawaii, fare competition is continuing to increase to this tropical island in 2020. Traditionally there are more deals from the West Coast. |
Buenos Aires, Argentina | Scott's Cheap Flights is seeing great prices out of Miami, with airlines like American, LATAM, GOL and Aerolineas Argentinas. |
Nairobi, Kenya | This East African nation is seeing an increase in deals thanks to Kenya Airways joining the Air France/KLM partnership in 2018 which lead to more connecting flights from hubs of Paris and Amsterdam. |
Alaska | As Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines battle for dominance from Seattle, travel hackers are seeing tons of bargains on flights from US Delta hubs to Alaska. |
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Thanks to All Nippon Airways as well as United, look for deals to this Southeast Asian hub from Chicago, New York City, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, Seattle, San Jose and San Francisco via Tokyo. |
Fiji | Although this archipelago often spells luxury travel, in 2019 there were some amazing flight deals to the island paradise that experts expect to continue into 2020. Look for deals from the West Coast, as well as smaller airports like Eugene, Boise, Kalispell and Reno. There are also some 2-in-l deals with Australia which offer stops in both countries on the same ticket. |
1.If you intend to travel to Hawaii, which airline should you check?
A.West Coast. B.Aerolineas Argentinas.
C.American. D.LATAM.
2.If you travel from Seattle, which destination can you choose to go to?
A.Nairobi. B.Buenos Aires.
C.Kuala Lumpur. D.Fiji.
3.Which airline offers tickets accessible to stops in both countries?
A.United. B.Eugene.
C.Kalispell. D.Australia.
假定你是李华，你的美国朋友Tristan对你校正在举行的“中华好书分享”活动很感兴趣，希望你介绍此活动，并推荐好书。请你写封信，内容包括：
1. 该活动的意义；
2. 同学们参与的情况；
3. 你推荐的书籍及理由。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Tristan,
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
