When it comes to the benefit of volunteering， a lot of people think it’s all about the warm feeling after helping someone. 1._________. As is known， charity (慈善) work needs lots of people to do different kinds of work. It means that there are many surprising benefits for volunteers.
◆Teach you new skills.
From helping making websites to teaching foreigners your native language， or to making plans for charity， volunteering can really be almost anything. It means that when you get involved in charity work， a lot of time you will face challenges. 2.________.
◆Teach you what truly matters.
It’s a great way to find new perspectives (角度) on life. When you’ve been at it for a while， you just might view yourself in a different way. 3.________. One of my friends once wanted to be a doctor， but later he found his interest was in teaching.
◆4._________.
Maybe it’s not so surprising， but what might surprise you is how true these friends are. Some of my long-term friends are people I’ve met through volunteering. I’m not the kind of guy that makes friends just for connections， but sometimes it’s very convenient to have a wide network .
5._________. Not only as a person， but it helps you develop your skill set as well. So if you’ve ever considered volunteering， what are you waiting for?
A. But it’s not the only benefit
B. Help you make new friends
C. You might even take a new road in life
D. In a word， volunteering helps you grow
E. Through the challenges， you learn new skills
Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance (pocket money). The purpose is to let children learn from experiences at an age when financial (财务的) mistakes are not very costly.
How much money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish is quite different 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 (预算). Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until the next allowance. The object is to show young people that a budget requires a choice between spending and saving. Older children may be responsible enough to save money for larger costs， like clothing or electronics.
Many people who have written on the subject of allowances say it is not a good idea to pay your children for work around the home. These jobs are a normal part of family life. Paying children to do other 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 do with money. They can share it in the form of gifts or giving a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want. Or they can save it.
Saving helps children understand that costly goals sometimes need to give up something. You have to cut costs and plan for the future. Requiring children to save part of their allowances can also open the door to future saving and investing. Many banks offer services to help children and teenagers learn about personal finance. A saving account (账户) is an excellent way to learn about the power of compound interest (复利息).
Compounding works by paying interest. So， for example， one dollar invested at two percent interest for two years will get two percent of one dollar and two cents， and so on. That may not seem like a lot， but over time it adds up.
1. Parents give their children allowance in order to ______.
A. let them make more money
B. pay for the housework they do
C. let them learn the value of money
D. help children manage family finance
2.What is the second paragraph mainly about?
A. The time to give allowance.
B. The way to spend allowance.
C. How much allowance given to children.
D. Considerations taken to give allowances.
3.Why are parents advised to offer children allowances as planned?
A. To have children save money for larger costs.
B. To give them more allowances next time.
C. To help children learn to make a budget.
D. To let children make fewer mistakes.
4.What does the writer try to tell us?
A. The ways of limiting allowances.
B. The advice on a better family budget.
C. Offering allowance to children properly.
D. Teaching children to use allowances wisely.
Do you know how it is when you see someone yawn (打哈欠) and you start yawning too? Or how hard it is to be among people laughing and not laugh yourself? Well， obviously it’s because we have mirror neurons (神经元) in our brains.
Put simply， the presence of mirror neurons suggests that every time we see someone else do something， our brains model after it， whether or not we actually perform the same action. This explains a great deal about how we learn to smile， talk， walk， dance or play sports. But the idea goes further： mirror neurons not only appear to explain physical actions，they also tell us that there is a biological basis for the way we understand other people.
Mirror neurons can undoubtedly be found all over our brains，but especially in the areas which relate to our ability to use languages，and to understand how other people feel. Researchers have found that mirror neurons relate strongly to language. A group of researchers discovered that if they gave people sentences to listen to (for example： “The hand took hold of the ball”)， the same mirror neurons were triggered as when the action was actually performed (in this example， actually taking hold of a ball).
Any problems with mirror neurons may well result in problems with behavior. Much research suggests that people with social and behavioral problems have mirror neurons which are not fully functioning (行使职责). However， it is not yet known exactly how these discoveries might help find treatments for social disorders.
Research into mirror neurons seems to provide us with ever more information about how humans behave， communicate and spend time together. Indeed， it may turn out to be nearly the same important thing for neuroscience as what Einstein’s theory of relativity (相对论) was for physics. And the next time you have the strong feeling to cough in the cinema when someone else does – well， perhaps you’ll understand why.
1. Mirror neurons can explain ______.
A. why we cry when we are hurt
B. why we cough when we catch a cold
C. why we smile when we see someone else smile
D. why we yawn when we see someone else get up late
2.The word “triggered” in Paragraph 3 probably means “______”.
A. set off B. cut off
C. broken out D. found out
3.We can learn from the passage that mirror neurons _______.
A. relate to human behavior and communication
B. decide our knowledge and language abilities
C. result in bad behavior and social disorders
D. control human actions and appearances
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Ways to find mirror neurons.
B. Problems of mirror neurons.
C. Discovery of mirror neurons.
D. Functions of mirror neurons.
Why is pink or purple a color for girls and blue or brown for boys?
The answer depends largely on cultural values as well as personal experiences. To the Egyptians， green is a color that means the hope and joy of spring， while for Muslims， it means heaven. Red stands for good luck in many cultures. In China， children are given money in a red envelope to bring good luck in the New Year. For many nations， blue stands for protection. Greek people often wear a blue necklace hoping to protect themselves from bad people or bad things happening.
People’s choice of colors is also influenced by their bodies’ reactions (反应) toward them. Green is said to be the most restful color. It has the ability to cut down pain and relax people both mentally and physically. People who work in green environment have been found to have fewer stomachaches.
Red can cause a person’s blood pressure (血压) to rise and increase people’s appetites (食欲). Many designers will include different shades of red in restaurants. Similarly， some websites will have a red “Buy Now” button because red is a color that easily catches a person’s eyes.
Blue is another color which can make you feel peacefully. Unlike red， blue can cause people to lose appetite. So if you want to eat less， some suggest that eating from blue plates can help.
The next time you are deciding on what to wear or what color to decorate your room， think about the color carefully.
1.To the Egyptians， green means ______.
A. good luck B. joy of spring
C. heaven D. protection
2.We can learn from Paragraph 3 that green can ______.
A. cause more stomachaches
B. easily catch a person’s eyes
C. cut down pain and relax people
D. make people’s blood pressure rise
3.Why will some websites have a red “Buy Now” button?
A. To help people relaxed.
B. To bring people good luck.
C. To make people feel peaceful.
D. To encourage people to buy the things.
4.What color might help lose weight according to the text?
A. Red. B. Green.
C. Blue. D. Purple.
Plan on travelling around the USA? There are four websites that may help you. |
http：//usaholidays.com This is the latest offering that features 101 holiday ideas to the USA. You have many choices， ranging from touring in the footsteps of Martin Luther King to a cycling and wine-tasting trip in California’s Napa Valley. It’s a really clever design.
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http：//byways.org The National Scenic Byways Program covers 150 memorable roads. Some are natural scenic routes， others focus on history or man-made attractions. For each， you’re provided with a map telling the route’s length and how long is allowed.
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http：//www. oyster.com This is the best website for reviews of hotels in US cities and tourist sites. There are photos of each hotel. Importantly， these are not provided by the hotels， but more honestly reviewed in New York.
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http：// seaworldparks.com SeaWorld in San Diego can make dreams come true， but the price is a little expensive for most people. So turn to http：//seaworldparks.com， giving big discounts (折扣) on tickets， hotels and dinging at Sea World.
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1. How many holiday ideas does http： //usaholidays.com offer?
A. 4. B.100 . C. 101. D. 150.
2.What is covered in the National Scenic Byways Program?
A. Exciting cycling. B. Memorable roads.
C. Photos provided. D. SeaWorld visit.
3.Which of the following is the best website for reviews of hotels?
A. Http：//byways.org.
B. Http：//usaholidays.com.
C. Http：//www. oyster.com.
D. Http：// seaworldparks.com.
Bobby was sitting out in his back yard in the snow. The thin shoes he wore had a few holes in them and they did a job of keeping out the cold. Try as he might， he could not come up with an idea for his mother’s Christmas gift.
Ever since his father had passed away three years ago， his mother worked nights at the hospital， but the small money she made could be enough for their needs.
Although the family was short of money， they made up for in love and family unity instead. The children the household (家庭) when their mother was away. All three of Bobby’s sisters had already made beautiful gifts for their mother.
It was Christmas Eve already， and he had nothing. Bobby started to walk down to the street. He walked from shop to shop. Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of . Suddenly he found something shinning on the ground. He reached down and a shiny dime (一角币). Never before has anyone felt so as Bobby did at that moment. He held his new found treasure and went inside a flower shop， but his excitement quickly turned cold when he saw the of flowers.
When the owner asked if he could help him， Bobby the dime and asked if he could buy one flower for his mother as a Christmas gift. The shop owner looked at Bobby and his ten cent ， and said， “You just wait here and I’ll see what I can do for you.”
The shop owner returned holding 12 red roses. “That will be ten cents， young man，” he said.
Bobby’s heart beat fast. Slowly， he moved his hand to give the man his dime and for his home.
Then the shopkeeper’s wife appeared. “Where are the roses you were fixing?”
The shop owner replied， “While I was setting up things to open the shop， I thought I heard a voice telling me to set aside a dozen of my best roses for a special gift. When I saw that little boy tonight， I knew who that voice was.”
1.A. good B. poor C. serious D. clear
2.A. nearly B. normally C. typically D. hardly
3.A. did B. controlled C. ran D. operated
4.A. reach B. mind C. sight D. breath
5.A. examined B. checked C. discovered D. received
6.A. crazy B. safe C. cool D. rich
7.A. prices B. names C. colors D. kinds
8.A. noticed B. presented C. explained D. collected
9.A. allowing B. choosing C. serving D. offering
10.A. looked B. headed C. searched D. drove
