B
Laws that would have ensured pupils from five to 16 received a full financial education got lost in the ‘wash up’. An application is calling on the next government to bring it back.
At school the children are taught to add up and subtract（减法） but, extraordinarily, are not routinely shown how to open a bank account — let alone how to manage their finances in an increasingly complex and demanding world.
Today the parenting website Mumsnet and the consumer campaigner Martin Lewis have joined forces to launch an online application to make financial education a compulsory element of the school curriculum in England. Children from five to 16 should be taught about everything from pocket money to pensions, they say. And that was exactly the plan preserved in the Children, Schools and Families bill that was shelved by the government in the so-called “wash-up” earlier this month — the rush to legislation before parliament was dismissed. Consumer and parent groups believe financial education has always been one of the most frustrating omissions of the curriculum.
As the Personal Finance Education Group (Pfeg) points out, the good habits of young children do not last long. Over 75% of seven- to 11-year-olds are savers but by the time they get to 17, over half of them are in debt to family and friends. By this age, 26% see a credit card or overdraft（透支） as a way of extending their spending power. Pfeg predicts that these young people will “find it much harder to avoid the serious unexpected dangers that have befallen many of their parents' generation unless they receive good quality financial education while at school.”
The UK has been in the worst financial recession（衰退）for generations. It does seem odd that — unless parents step in — young people are left in the dark until they are cruelly introduced to the world of debt when they turn up at university. In a recent poll of over 8,000 people, 97% supported financial education in schools, while 3% said it was a job for parents.
61. The passage is mainly about _____________.
A. how to manage school lessons
B. how to deal with the financial crisis
C. teaching young people about money
D. teaching students how to study effectively
62. It can be inferred from the first two paragraphs that __________.
A. the author complains about the school education
B. pupils should not be taught to add up and subtract
C. students have been taught to manage their finances
D. laws on financial education have been effectively carried out
63. The website and the consumer campaigner joined to _________.
A. instruct the pupils to donate their pocket money
B. promote the connection of schools and families
C. ask the government to dismiss the parliament
D. appeal for the curriculum of financial education
64. According to Pfeg, ___________.
A. it is easy to keep good habits long
B. teenagers spend their money as planned
C. parents are willing to pay the debt for their kids
D. it will be in trouble if the teenagers are left alone
65. A poll is mentioned to ___________.
A. stress the necessity of the curriculum reform
B. show the seriousness of the financial recession
C. make the readers aware of burden of the parents
D. illustrate some people are strongly against the proposal
第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C、D）中选出最佳选项。
A
Knowing how much her own children loved presents at Christmas, Ann Sutton always tried to seek help for one or two poor families. With a social worker mother, the Sutton children had inherited her commitment to service, and knew never to take their good fortune at Christmas for granted. This year, Kinzie, her seven-year-old daughter was thrilled that Santa Claus would make a special visit to a 22-year-old mother named Ashley who worked in a factory raising her 12-month-old son by herself.
The phone rang on Sunday. A representative from a local organization was calling to say that the aid Ann had requested for Ashley had fallen through. No Santa Claus, no presents, nothing.
Ann saw the cheer vanish from her children’s faces at the news. Without a word, Kinzie ran into her bedroom. She returned, her face set with determination. Opening up her piggy bank, she put all the coins onto the table: $3.30. Everything she had.
“Mom,” she told Ann, “I know it’s not much. But maybe this will buy a present for the baby.”
At a breakfast meeting the next day, Ann told her coworkers about her daughter’s story. To her surprise, staff members began to open their purses and empty their pockets to help Kinzie. By day’s end, the story of Kinzie’s gift had spread beyond Ann’s office. She received a call from an unknown donor. If a seven-year-old could give everything she had, he said, he should at least match her gift 100 to 1. He contributed $300.
On Christmas Eve, Ann drove through the pouring rain to the small trailer where the Ashleys lived. Then she began to unload the gifts from the car, handing them to Ashley one by one.
Ashley was very moved. Reflecting on a little girl’s generosity, Ashley says she’ll one day be able to do something similar for someone else in need. “Kinzie could have used that money for herself, but she gave it away,” Ashley says. “She’s the type of kid I’d like my son to grow up to be.”
56. According to the text, Ann Sutton ______________.
A. is making lots of money
B. is ready to help others
C. is only caring about herself
D. is a hard-working mother
57. Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?
A. Ashley lived a hard life with her little son.
B. The Sutton children took Anne as an example to follow.
C. The coworkers of Ann helped Kinzie to realize her wish.
D. Ann Sutton tried to ask for help for her own children.
58. What can we learn about Kinzie?
A. She was afraid that Santa Claus would visit the Ashleys.
B. She should get some presents from her mother at Christmas.
C. She devoted all her coins to buying a present for the baby.
D. She was cheerful when hearing the aid had fallen through.
59. Which of the following can be inferred from the text?
A. It rained heavily on Christmas Eve.
B. Ann handed gifts to Ashley one by one.
C. Ashley hoped she would help someone else in need.
D. A good deed can influence many people’s behavior.
60. What would be the best title for the text?
A. A Young Girl’s Gift
B. A Mother’s Love
C. A Story of Young Girl
D. An Unknown Donor
—We’d better go downstairs right now for lunch.
—__________ They serve food 24 hours a day.
|
A．Hurry up! |
B．Take your time. |
|
C．No way! |
D．It doesn’t matter. |
Nowhere else, as his mother told us, __________ except the cabin in the backyard.
|
A．did he go |
B．he did go |
C．went he |
D．he went |
We’re all ready to put it into operation, ____________, we’re going to take action as fast as possible.
|
A．on the whole |
B．in general |
C．in conclusion |
D．in other words |
—Your flight was quite late last night.
—Yes, it was midnight __________ our plane finally got to Jinan.
|
A．that |
B．when |
C．since |
D．until |
