Parents have widely different views on the problem of pocket money. Four new fathers were asked this question and this is how they answered.
Ashish Khanna: Although many argue that pocket money helps develop children’s sense of value, I don’t agree. I wouldn’t give my child any pocket money. First of all, I never got pocket money and I seem to have a good value for money. If my child ever needed something and I felt it was a reasonable(合理)request , I would buy it for him .
Sharad Sanghi: No, I wouldn’t give my child pocket money because I don’t want to create the perception(观念) of “ her ” money and “ my ” money . Besides, if I refuse to buy her something that I think is bad for her, she may buy it with her pocket money on the sly. In this way, I would lose control over my child’s requests. I feel it also encourages children to care more about money than anything else. I don’t want my child to start judging(评判) other children by the amount of money or pocket money they have.
Rakesh Shah: Yes, I would give my child pocket money. I feel that children should learn to spend money intelligently and not go overboard spending. They will learn what their limitations(限制)are and feel the difficulty when they have to pay for something that is over their own pockets .
Rajiv Patel: Yes, I would give my child pocket money because it is important that she learns to manage money. I will give her a fixed amount every month and if she spends the money before the month is over, then she will learn a lesson and not spend money so freely.
Vikram Desai: Yes, I would certainly give my child pocket money. But I would not give it to him on a weekly or monthly basis. He would have to earn it. If he helped me finish some of my jobs or helped his mother with housework, I would reward him. This helps him realize that “money does not grow on trees” and it requires hard work to earn money.
1.Ashish Khanna may agree that ____________.
A. he was given too much pocket money when young
B. he can take much control of his child by money
C. he will buy anything he thinks his child really needs
D. pocket money helps children develop a good value for money
2.The underlined phrase “on the sly” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ___.
A. for free B. at a lower price
C. happily D. secretly
3.What do Rakesh Shah and Rajiv Patel have in common?
A. They want their children to learn to manage money.
B. They ask their children to get pocket money by working.
C. They teach their children the difficulty of making money.
D. They allow their children to spend money freely.
4.According to Vikram Desai, children’s earning money by themselves makes them know that ____.
A. money is not easy to get
B. money can be gotten from the trees
C. one can get lots of money if he / she works hard
D. money is not so important for people nowadays
5.Who would give his child pocket money every month ?
A. Ashish Khanna B. Sharad Sanghi
C. Rakesh Shah D. Rajiv Patel
Dear friend,
For the past 17 years, you have been my best friend. I remember that you told me you were called Cigarette because of your features. You have seen me through difficult times, happy times and just about every stage of my life. You have always been here when I need you. Some of my family and friends didn’t like you so much, but I’ve always been on your side. I thought you were a great friend, and I counted on you at all times, especially when I was not very happy.
It’s hard for me to tell you this, but in the past few months, I have been seriously thinking about ending our relationship. I think that I‘ve just been too dependent on you, and I feel that at the age of 35 I should start being more independent. I thought about just maybe seeing you once in a while, but I don’t think that would work. Eventually, I’d start relying on you all the time again. I feel the only way to end our relationship is to end it forever.
I’ve always included you in everything I’ve done. But next week, I’m going on a trip, and I’ve decided not to take you along. I feel this would be a good time to break up. I will be gone for a whole week without you and if I can make it on my own for that week, I know I can make it forever.
It is a little sad for me knowing that I won’t be able to rely on you any more, but I think I will be a better person in the end.
1.By writing the letter, the author wants to ______.
A.say goodbye to his girlfriend
B. tell his friendship with Cigarette
C. tell his travelling plan
D. give up smoking
2.The underlined phrase “counted on” in the first paragraph can be replaced by “_______”.
A. worried about B. cared for
C. depended on D. got along well with
3.According to the passage, the “letter-receiver” _______.
A. is the author’s girlfriend
B. has done harm to the author for years
C. will feel sad when reading the letter
D. will never leave the author
4.The author decided to take a trip to ______.
A. get away from his best friend
B. relax himself for a while
C. reduce his sorrow for the break
D. show that he is independent
5.Why does the author want to end his relationship with Cigarette?
A. Because he wants to be more healthy.
B. Because they are going through difficult times.
C. Because his family and friends no longer like him.
D. Because he is going on a trip.
Little Tommy was doing very badly in math. His parents had tried everything—tutors, cards, special learning centers—in short, everything they could think of. Finally they took Tommy to a catholic(天主教的) school.
After the first day, little Tommy came home with a very serious look on his face. He didn’t kiss his mother hello. Instead,he went to his room and started studying. Books and papers were spread out all over the room and little Tommy was hard at work. His mother was surprised. She called him down to dinner and as soon as he finished eating, he went back to his room, without a word. In no time he was back hitting the books as hard as before. This went on for some time,day after day while the mother tried to understand what was happening.
Finally, little Tommy brought home his report card. He quietly put it on the table and went up to his room and hit the books. His mom looked at it and to her surprise,little Tommy got an A in math. She could no longer hold her curiosity. She went to his room and asked, “Son, what was it? Was it the nuns(修女)? ”
Little Tommy looked at her and shook his head, “No. ”
“Well then,” she asked again,“WHAT was it?”
Little Tommy looked at her and said, “Well, on the first day of school, when I saw that man nailed(钉) to the plus sign, I knew they weren’t joking. ”
1.Tommy’s mother felt surprised that his son____.
A. was still the same as usual
B. ate so much at dinner
C. kissed her hello after school
D. worked hard but said little
2.The underlined phrase “hitting the books” means “_______” in Chinese.
A. 用功 B. 捶书 C. 发泄 D. 振作
3.The last sentence in the passage shows that____.
A. Tommy felt sorry for the man
B. Tommy was afraid of being nailed
C. Tommy didn’t like the plus sign
D. Tommy liked playing jokes on others
4.From the passage, we can infer that____.
A. teachers should be strict with their students
B. mistakes might do good sometimes
C. a catholic school is much better than other ones
D. nuns are good at helping children with their math
5.“Well, on the first day of school, when I saw that man nailed to the plus sign, I knew they weren’t joking.” We know that “the man” here is_____________
A. one of Tommy’s classmates B. a nun
C. Jesus Christ (耶稣基督) D. a teacher
A couple of weeks ago, my friend offered to sell some of our things for us. I thought it was a good opportunity to my 7-year-old son’s room and some toys that were no longer suitable for him to play with. We that all the money we got from selling the toys would be his money.
The night before the , we loaded up the truck with toys and a little bike that was too
for him. In the yard he the bike for the last time and then happily put it onto the truck. This little bike had at least two previous owners as far as we . It wasn’t in the best and was certainly not new, but the tires(轮胎)were good.
We put a price of $10 on it, but it didn’t sell. So, after the sale was , my friend put it on the sidewalk, with a sign that “FREE BIKE”. Within five minutes her doorbell rang. A little boy was there. In poor English he asked whether the bike was free. We said yes and that he could have it for . He smiled, got on the bike and rode away.
Later that evening when I told my son how much money he had made at the sale, he was very ,shouting happily. He asked about a few of his things, wondering they had been sold. When he asked about the bike, I told him about the little boy and that made him . He was much happier than when I told him how much he had . He was so happy to that someone else would make good of that little bike!
1.A. clean B. check C. display D. design
2.A. look for B. go through C. show off D. deal with
3.A. refused B. agreed C. wrote D. lied
4.A. trip B. show C. sale D. decision
5.A. weak B. small C. new D. thin
6.A. rode B. found C. watched D. felt
7.A. doubted B. knew C. told D. thought
8.A. time B. chance C. place D. shape
9.A. also B. never C. still D. hardly
10.A. ahead B. on C. near D. over
11.A. said B. repeated C. copied D. talked
12.A. jumping B. standing C. walking D. shouting
13.A. barely B. usually C. really D. always
14.A. something B. anything C. everything D. nothing
15.A. calm B. scared C. excited D. disappointed
16.A. when B. if C. why D. how
17.A. smile B. worry C. leave D. cry
18.A. enjoyed B. lost C. bought D. made
19.A. hear B. understand C. remember D. think
20.A. interest B. money C. use D. price
---I’m thinking of the test tomorrow. I’m afraid I can’t pass this time.
--- ________! I’m sure you’ll make it.
A. Go ahead B. Good luck
C. No problem D. Cheer up
All the doctors in the hospital insisted that he ____ badly wounded and that he _____ at once.
A. should be; be operated on B. was; must be operated on
C. be; was operated on D. was; be operated on