There are many things we remember from our childhood—the games we played, the music we listened to...but what about earning pocket money? This was our first ever wage for completing tasks such as tidying our bedroom or sorting the laundry. Our reward was a handful of coins that we safely stored. 1.
There was a time when cash was the main currency for financial transactions (交易). These days, though, using credit cards, or making cashless payments, are the most convenient ways of paying. 2. Research has found that 84% of British parents currently give notes and coins to their children—usually 7 pounds a week as an allowance.
But banks predict that by 2028 only one in ten transactions will be with cash, and that is something today’s children will have to deal with. One issue is that children may not understand the value of cash because they never see it. 3. They either should find a new way to hand out pocket money, or needn’t bother to pay it at all.
Still, solutions are available. Giving children lessons at school about finance is important. 4. The trick is to go and get some coins so that children have the opportunity to interact with them. Besides, bank accounts for older children can be opened to give them cash cards to use. Whatever method a parent chooses to adopt, their children will get some idea of the value of pocket money. 5.
A. Parents face a dilemma too.
B. This, in turn, makes the buying much easier.
C. They have completely taken the place of cash.
D. So how do parents hand out pocket money at present?
E. But parents need to teach their kids that money doesn’t grow on trees!
F. But now, it seems that parents’ attitude to handing out cash is changing.
G. And parents are advised to get children started with money as young as possible.
Can you be too beautiful? It is hardly a problem that most of us have to bother—as much as we might like to dream that it were the case.
Yet the blessings and curses of beauty have been a long-standing interest in psychology. Do those blessed with shiny faces and an attractive body live in a cloud of appreciation—or does it sometimes pay to be ordinary?
Combing through decades of findings, social psychologists Lisa Slattery Walker and Tonya Frevert at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte have reviewed all the evidence to date and their conclusions are not what you might expect.
At the most basic level, beauty might be thought to carry a kind of halo(光环) around it; we see that someone has one good quality, and by association, our deep mind may assume that they have other good ones too.
Even in the courts, a pleasing appearance can work its magic. Attractive criminals are likely to get less strict sentences, or to escape punishment entirely; attractive plaintiffs, meanwhile, are more likely to win their case and get bigger financial settlements. “It’s an effect seen everywhere,” says Walker.
But if beauty pays in most circumstances, there are still situations where it can have opposite results. While attractive men may be considered better leaders, for instance, hidden sexist prejudices can work against attractive women, making them less likely to be hired for high-level jobs that require power. And as you might expect, good-looking people of both sexes run into envy—one study found that if you are interviewed by someone of the same sex, they may be less likely to employ you if they judge that you are more attractive than they are.
More worryingly, being beautiful or handsome could harm your medical care. We tend to link good looks to health, meaning that illnesses are often taken less seriously when they affect the good-looking. When treating people for pain, for instance, doctors tend to take less care over the more attractive people.
And the bubble of beauty can be a somewhat lonely place. One study in 1975, for instance, found that people tend to move further away from a beautiful woman on the pathway — perhaps as a mark of respect, but still making interaction more distant. “Attractiveness can convey more power over visible space—but that in turn can make others feel they can’t approach that person,” says Frevert. Interestingly, the online dating website OKCupid recently reported that people with the most beautiful pictures are less likely to find dates than those with less perfect pictures.
Ultimately, Frevert points out that focusing too much on your appearance can itself be harmful if it creates stress and anxiety — even for those already blessed with good looks. “If you are crazy about attractiveness, it may affect your experience and interactions,” she says. It’s an outdated saying, but no amount of beauty can make up for a bad personality. As the writer Dorothy Parker put it so elegantly: “Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone.”
1.From paragraph 1, we can learn that _______.
A.some may be bothered by their unattractive appearance
B.most people are not afraid of being too beautiful
C.we might always dream about being bothered by others
D.being too beautiful can be a problem bothering everyone
2.Which is the benefit for beautiful people?
A.Good-looking people are often regarded as having many good qualities.
B.Beautiful criminals are more likely to persuade the judge and win the case.
C.An attractive plaintiff has more chances to get away with punishment.
D.Women with pleasing appearance will always be considered as better leaders.
3.The writer mentioned the underlined sentence in the last paragraph to _______.
A.persuade us to pay more attention to our looks from now on
B.suggest that beauty can help make a better personality
C.encourage us to focus more on improving our personality
D.ask ugly people to have more confidence in their personality
4.What might be the best title for the passage?
A.Real Beauty B.Sexist Prejudice
C.Blessed with Beauty D.Beauty, a Blessing?
Throughout history, music spread among people of different cultures. In today’s technological advanced society, however, people spread music online, sometimes without an artist’s permission. This can lead to many problems, and music companies are now cracking down on this practice. Sharing music online without permission is theft.
Sharing music online prevents recording companies from making money from their efforts. They say that sharing music online has resulted in a huge drop in profits and sales over the past 10 years. People who find music for free online are not paying for CDs or every MP3 downloaded. To truly understand the influence of music piracy (盗版行为) on creators, one must understand how many people are involved in the recording process. For the sale of each album, profits must be shared between musicians, sound engineers, music producers, managers, advertisers, and the company selling the product. Many people believe sharing music only affects the recording artist, but the reality is that sharing hurts business for all companies involved.
There are many people who don’t see the harm in sharing music online and even think they have the right to do it. One online blogger states that he originally paid for an entire CD and that he should be able to do with the material whatever he wants. While he may have legally paid for the music, he does not have the right to provide permission, which means people like the blogger are thieves.
Although we don’t spread today’s music the same way we did before, there’s no doubt that people around the world love to share music. However, internet piracy would prevent musicians from continuing producing albums for fear of theft. Therefore, if people want to continue listening to their favorite artists, they need to buy their music so that artists will make enough profit to continue their music careers.
1.The underlined phrase “cracking down on” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ___________.
A.bringing up carefully B.speaking highly of
C.dealing seriously with D.destroying completely
2.What can we infer from the text?
A.Artists are taking action to protect their right.
B.Sharing music files online affects a lot of people.
C.Online music sharing increases sales of music CD.
D.A person who bought a CD has the right to share it online.
3.How is the text organized?
A.Topic—Argument—Explanation.
B.Opinion—Discussion—Description.
C.Main idea—Comparison—Supporting statements.
D.Introduction—Supporting statements—Conclusion.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A.Music piracy is kind of theft. B.Sharing music is Acceptable.
C.Downloading music should be punished. D.Music piracy is good for music lovers.
More People Are Leaving the Rat Race for the Simple Life
Time is more precious than money for an increasing number of people who are choosing to live more with less—and liking it.
Kay and Charles Giddens, two lawyers, sold their home to start a B&B hotel. Four years later, the couple dishes out banana pancake breakfast, cleans toilets and serves homemade chocolate chip cookies to guests in a B&B hotel surrounded by trees on a hill known for colorful sunsets.
“Do I miss the freeways? Do I miss the traffic? Do I miss the stress? No,” says Ms. Giddens, “This is a phenomenon that’s fairly widespread. A lot of people are reevaluating their lives and figuring out what they want to do. If their base is being damaged, what’s the payoff?”
Simple living ranges from cutting down on weeknight activities to sharing housing, living closer to work, avoiding shopping malls, borrowing books from the library instead of buying them, and taking a cut in pay to work at a more pleasurable job.
Vicki Robin, a writer, lives on a budget equal to a fifth of what she used to make. “You become conscious about where your money is going and how valuable it is,” Ms. Robin says, “You tend not to use things up. You cook at home rather than eat out…”
Janet Luhrs, a lawyer, quit her job after giving birth and leaving her daughter with a nanny for two weeks. “It was not the way I wanted to raise my kids,” she says, “Simplicity is not just about saving money; it’s about me sitting down every night with my kids to a candlelit dinner with classical music.”
Mrs. Luhrs now edits a magazine, Simple Living, which publishes tips on how to buy recycled furniture and shoes, organize potluck dinners instead of expensive receptions, and generally how to consume less.
“It’s not about poverty,” Mrs. Luhrs explains, “It’s about conscious living and creating the life you want. The less stuff you buy, the less money goes out of the door, and the less money you have to earn.”
1.Kay and Charles Giddens sold their home to ______.
A.pay off the debt
B.start a private hotel
C.cut down expenses
D.buy living necessities
2.Simple living includes ______.
A.building a home library
B.living in the countryside
C.enjoying a colorful night life
D.sharing housing with others
3.It can be learned from the passage that now Janet Luhrs ______.
A.spends more time with her kids
B.has an interest in classical music
C.works as a reporter of a magazine
D.helps people buy recycled clothes
4.How does the author develop the passage?
A.By using figures.
B.By asking questions.
C.By giving examples.
D.By making comparisons.
Camp All-Star
One of a Kind Summer Camps for Kids
Welcome to Camp All-Star, your No. 1 summer sports camp for kids! Located on the famous Kents Hill School campus by the beautiful lake, Camp All-Star hosts kids from around the world. When thinking about your next overnight summer camp, consider the best—Camp All-Star!
Great Sports Summer Camps for Kids
Camp All-Star stands out among the successful camps in the U.S. We have the best sports fields and courts to make your child’s sports camp experience a successful one. Your child can enjoy playing for hours in any of our more than 30 sports and activities each day. Our camper to staff rate is three to one, which makes it possible for children to receive more careful instruction.
We have a wide variety of activities and sports to choose from: fishing, dance, basketball, soccer, baseball, and tennis. Boys and girls, aged 8-16, can customize their own schedules in our 2, 3, 4 or 6 week summer camp session for kids.
The aim of Camp All-Star is to develop athletic skills, encourage abilities in leadership, fair play and team work, and provide a fun, rewarding and memorable summer sports camp experience. Our staff have the experience and qualified training necessary to ensure that your child has a successful, memorable and enjoyable time at our summer camp.
Call Today About Our Overnight Summer Camps for Kids
Don’t let your kids waste another summer playing video games and sitting around. Let them enjoy their time and get some exercise at our exciting and friendly summer sports camp. Information for our upcoming camps can be found on our website. For additional information or questions, contact us today. We hope your kids can join us at Camp All-Star!
1.Camp All-Star stands out among the others because it ______.
A.is surrounded by a beautiful lake
B.provides various activities and sports
C.offers timely information on its website
D.allows children to play outside all day long
2.One of the goals of Camp All-star is to ______.
A.fire kids’ imagination B.build up kids’ confidence
C.develop kids’ leadership skills D.promote kids’ self-control
3.The passage is likely to appear in ______.
A.an advertisement B.a guidebook
C.a news report D.a magazine
阅读短文，按照题目要求用英语回答问题。
In June 2011, my life changed and so did my family’s. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I came downstairs all ready for the family swim. Right before I got into the pool, my mom called me inside. She sat me down and waited for my dad and brothers to come to join us. Then, our parents told us the worst news imaginable-- my dad had been diagnosed with Stage III Colon Cancer(结肠癌).
The news hit hard of course. However, in my head, my dad was a superman. As his daughter, I knew that cancer wasn’t going to beat him. I just went out and swam.
As weeks went on, life didn’t change much within our house. My mom still went to work; my brothers and I still went to school; and my dad still worked while also meeting his doctor. However, I didn’t realized how much this new diagnosis was going to change my life.
As treatment progressed with my dad’s cancer, I couldn’t depend on him for things he usually did. And with my brothers being away at college, I had to take on a lot more responsibility. But that was not the hardest part of this new journey. It was the fear. The fear that I could lose my Dad. The fear that I could get a call saying that he was in bad condition. The fear that I could never talk to him again. Yet with all these fears, there was never a doubt in my mind that my dad would beat this cancer. He was a superman.
The day of my dad’s surgery finally came. It was Father’s Day and I had my soccer game that day. I won my battle on the field and my dad won his in the hospital.
May 2013, my dad was completely cancer free. Though this journey proved to be a few of the hardest years of my life, it also proved to me how wonderful my dad really is.
1.What happened to the author’s family in June 2011? (no more than 10 words)
2.How did the author behave after hearing the news from her mother? (no more than 10 words)
3.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “surgery” in Paragraph 6? (no more than 5 words)
4.When did the author’s father completely recover from cancer? (no more than 5 words)
5.What’s your father like? Please explain. (no more than 25 words)
