The trend in everyday conversation is to use grandiose(夸大的) words. “Outstanding”is new “good,” “amazing” is the new “OK,” and “huge” is the new “big”.
I was in a restaurant in Washington D．C．last weekend and every question I asked was answered with exaggeration．
Me：How is the salmon?
Sever：Fantastic!
Me：Does it come with rice?
Sever：Absolutely!
Would a “good” and a “Yes” have been enough? Of course!
My father is an average-sized man．He hasn’t gained weight or height for the past 30 years. Therefore, his size remains the same．However，in the same amount of time，his T-shirt size has gone from small to medium to large to extra large．
The reason for the exaggerated word is clear：we are bored with our lives．We want the next—next thing now．Immediately!
And we also want others to think that we still care，that we can still be delighted，that we know that everything is just great．Even when deep inside we know it can’t be．Everything can’t be great．
I’m not a scientist，so many methods of proof leave little to be desired，or a lot to be desired，or an immensity(无限)．
Listen to the voices around you．Listen to your own voices．There is nothing on the radio that is good or bad，weather is either beautiful or horrible．
Listen，the next time when someone asks you something and you agree，because when you could simply say “yes”, instead you will say “absolutely’’or “without doubt”or “Oh，yeah，unquestionably---absolutely without doubt. ”
Have people forgotten what it is like to be OK? Simply OK with what they have and who they are?If everything is outstanding，if everything is the most amazing thing ever，is anything ever amazing at all?
1.By telling his experience in the restaurant，the author intends to __________.
A. show his interest in exaggerated words
B. prove that exaggerated words are widely used
C. blame the restaurant for using exaggerated words
D. tell us the food in the restaurant is extremely good
2.What do we know about the author’s father?
A. He has gained height and is now a tall man．
B. He likes following the fashion in clothing．
C. His weight is getting greater and greater．
D. The size of his T-shirt is described in exaggerated words．
3.So many people like using exaggerated words because __________.
A. they are not satisfied with being normal
B. they don’t want to be looked down upon by others
C. they want to be different from others
D. they are brave in telling their true feelings
4.According to the passage，if you approve of something，you’d better say “ _______”.
A. fantastic B. perfect C. OK D. absolutely
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 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 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 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 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 is an excellent way to learn about the power of compound interest.
Compouding 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 years，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．
1.Giving an allowance, parents should consider all the following EXCEPT ______.
A. how much the child should get each time
B. whether the child has made a budget
C. where the money really goes
D. how often a child can get it
2.The author of the passage holds the opinion that _________.
A. what children learn by handling allowances may be beneficial in the future
B. children can learn to set up their own business with their allowances
C. keeping allowances in the bank is the best choice for children
D. it is not a good idea to pay children for housework at home
3.The underlined words “compound interest” in the passage probably mean ________.
A. increasing curiosity to learn how to make more money
B. stronger power to hold one’s attention to saving money
C. money paid by the bank on your original money and the gain from it
D. the sum of money that you earn from keeping your money in the bank
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. Be Generous to Pay Your Children．
B. Be Wise to Avoid Financical Mistakes．
C. Saving Allowances Does Good to Children．
D. Allowances Help Children Learn about Money．
阅读下面短文，从短文所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Laughter and tears are part of living. But do you find enough time for laughter? I am not asking if you 1lots of good times. 2we should laugh during the happy times. But do you also laugh during the 3times?
Erma Bombeck is known for her humorous books, but she wrote one that 4a more serious topic： 5in children．Erma talks with many children with cancer and learns 6life lessons from them. She learns, for instance, that cancer survivors know how to 7.
She 8the experience of 15--year--old Jessica from Burlinton．Jessica’s leg was cut off at the knee because of cancer. She was learning to 9a prosthesis(假肢)．Jessica tells about playing 10. She kicked the ball 11and it flew off in one 12while her artificial leg flew into another．She fell on the 13and laughed.
Jessica may not have laughed about her cancer，but she laughed about handling the__ 14of it. And her laughter helped her a deal.
There is the story of 17--year--old Betsy. She 15her way to the radiation room for her regular radiation therapy(化疗). As 16，she dropped her hospital gown and，wearing only her birthday suit， 17onto the table and waited．The extra people in the room were not the medical students she had thought，but 18painters giving an estimate on painting! Betsy laughed heartily about the incident．And like Jessica, her 19to laugh helped her to deal with one of the most difficult thing a young person can endure—cancer.
Do you find plenty of 20for laughter? You can if you also find reasons to laugh during the especially difficult times.
Survivors know how to laugh．If you can laugh even when the going is rough，you’ll make it. And you’ll smile at the end.
1.A. lose B. miss C. experience D. laugh
2.A. Of course B. In addition C. At first D. First of all
3.A. ordinary B. difficult C. pleasant D. usual
4.A. connected B. reported C. referred D. covered
5.A. cancer B. disability C. illness D. laughter
6.A. serious B. important C. careful D. thoughtful
7.A. cry B. shout C. laugh D. face
8.A. describes B. learns C. keeps D. imagines
9.A. put B. have C. wear D. make
10.A. basketball B. badminton C. volleyball D. soccer
11.A. gently B. hard C. slightly D. straightly
12.A. way B. method C. direction D. point
13.A. floor B. table C. chair D. bed
14.A. causes B. results C. process D. ends
15.A. fought B. took C. made D. pushed
16.A. common B. often C. before D. usual
17.A. climbed B. lay C. jumped D. sat
18.A. also B. rather C. already D. almost
19.A. strengh B. willingness C. ability D. confidence
20.A. times B. places C. days D. moments
Helen devoted herself _______ to her research and became a top scientist in the field of applied physics.
A. seriously B. extremely C. entirely D. strictly
Vitamin D helps our bodies make a special chemical，and this special chemical，
__________，affects our brains，making us feel happy.
A. in turn B. in particular C. in advance D. in short
Everyone must have known the death of the waitress，________?
A. must they B. mustn't they C. haven't they D. have they
