Micro-Enterprise Credit for Street Youth
Introduction
Although small-scale business training and credit programs have become more common throughout the world, relatively little attention has been paid to the need to direct such opportunities to youth living on the street or in difficult circumstances. Over the past years, Street Kids International (S.K.I.) has been working with partner organizations in Africa, Latin America and India to support the economic lives of street children. The purpose of this paper is to share some of the lessons S.K. I. and our partner organizations have learned.
Background
Typically, children end up on the streets not due to a single cause, but a combination of factors: the lack of adequately funded schools, the demand for income at home and so on. The street may be attractive to children as a place to find adventurous play and money. However, it is also a place where some children are exposed, with little or no protection, to exploitative employment, and urban crime.
Street Business Partnerships
S.K.I. has worked with partner organizations in Latin America, Africa and India to develop innovative opportunities for street children to earn income.
● The S.K.I Bicycle Courier Service first started in the Sudan. Participants in this enterprise were supplied with bicycles, which they used to deliver parcels and messages, but they were required to pay for it gradually from their wages.
● The Youth Skills Enterprise Initiative in Zambia is a joint program with the Red Cross Society. Street Youths are supported to start their own small business through business training, life skills training and access to credit.
Lessons Learned
The following lessons have emerged from the programs that S.K.I. and partner organizations have created.
● It’s important for all loans to be linked to training programs that include the development of basic business and life skills.
● Small loans are provided initially for purchasing fixed assets such as bicycles, shoe shining kits.
● All S.K.I. programs have charged interest on the loans, primarily to get the business runners used to the concept of paying interest on borrowing money. Generally the rates have been modest.
Conclusion
There is a need to recognize the importance of access to credit for poor young people seeking to fulfill economic needs.
1.The organization, S.K.I., aims to ________.
A. give business training and loans to street children
B. provide schools and social support for street children
C. share the lessons S.K. I. learned to help street children
D. draw the attention of the government to street children
2.This passage implies that with the help of S. K. I. street children may ________.
A. reject paid employment B. set up their own business
C. leave their families D. employ other children
3.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The link of all loans to training programs is important.
B. Interest is charged for the loans in all S.K.I. programs.
C. The S.K.I Bicycle Courier Service provides the participants with free bicycles.
D. The Youth Skills Enterprise Initiative in Zambia works with another organization.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Finally，I entered the university. Because of my careful savings，I did not have to work during the school years. Then summer came and it was time to work harder than ever. I continued working as a waitress at night，instructed tennis camps several mornings a week and worked as a secretary for a few hours in the afternoons. I even decided to take a class at a community college. This class at the community college saved me $650.It was an extremely tiring summer and made me anxious to return to my relatively easy life at the university.
During my second and third years of undergraduate schooling，I decided to work about five hours per week in the campus admissions office answering phones. This provided a little spending money and kept me from drawing my savings out .The overall situation looked hopeful as I approached my senior year as long as I could make as much money as I had the previous summer. I wanted to go to Israel to study for 3 weeks，but I hesitated in making this decision because it would cost me $1,600 more to get the credits in Israel. About two weeks later my mom called to tell me that I had $1,600 in the bank that I had forgotten about！One of my concerns about this trip was not only the cost，but the loss of time to make money；however，I made as much that summer in the ten weeks when I was at home as I had made during the fourteen weeks when I was at home the summer before. The way everything worked together to make this trip possible was one of the most exciting things that have ever happened to me.
This experience has shaped me in many important ways. The first thing that I learned was the importance of a strong work ethic. Working long hours did a lot to develop my character and helped me learn the value of a dollar. It also made me learn how to search for creative ways to settle difficult situations.
1.Where did the writer probably work parttime before attending the university?
A. In a restaurant.
B. In the tennis camps.
C. In a company.
D. In the campus admissions office.
2.The writer took a class at a community college mainly because ________.
A. she wanted to save money
B. life there was relatively easy
C. summer time was tiring
D. it was required by the university
3.The writer’s major concern about the trip to Israel was that ________.
A. her mother would not give her approval
B. she would fail to get credits in Israel
C. a wellpaid summer job would be lost
D. $1,600 couldn’t be drawn out in time
4.The passage is mainly about how the writer ________.
A. made money on the college campus
B. managed to make full use of her vacation
C. was forced to support herself by her mother
D. was shaped by working parttime through college
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Public bookshelves are appearing across Germany on street corners，city squares and in suburban supermarkets. In these freeforall libraries，people can grab whatever they want to read，and leave behind anything they want for others. There’s no need to register，no due date，and you can take or give as many as you want.“This project is aimed at everyone who likes to read .It is open for everybody，” Michael Aubermann，one of the organizers of the free book exchange said.
The western city’ s latest public shelf was put up next to Bayenturm. It is the fourth free shelf that Aubermann’ s group，the Cologne Citizen’s Foundation，has placed outside.“We set up our other outdoor shelves last year and it’s been working really well，” said Aubermann. The public bookshelves，which are usually financed by donations and cared for by local volunteer groups，have appeared independently of each other in many cities，suburbs and villages. Each shelf holds around 200 books and it takes about six weeks for a complete turnover，with all the old titles replaced by new ones.
Even commercial book stores and online book sellers seem to support the idea of free book exchanges.“We see this project rather as a sales promotion than as competition，”said Elmar Muether.“If books are present everywhere，it helps our business，too.”
So far，the Cologne book group has had few problems with damage or other problems. Aubermann said，“Propaganda (宣传) is the only kind of literature we do not allow here.”
At another bookshelf in the Bayenthal neighborhood，the lower shelves are reserved for children’s literature only.“It is important that we make it easy for everyone to participate in this ‘reading culture on the street’—from old readers to kids to immigrants，”Aubermann said.
While most of the shelves have so far been put up in upscale neighborhoods，Aubermann and the 20 volunteers who help look after the project are planning to put up future shelves in poor neighborhoods，where citizens often don’t have as much access to literature.
1.Which of the following is TRUE about the public bookshelves?
A. People can take the books and leave their books at will.
B. People can’ t borrow books unless they donate books.
C. People can borrow whatever they like after registering.
D. People have to return the books according to the required time.
2.According to Aubermann，the public bookshelves ________.
A. are financed by local volunteers
B. have been going well since their birth
C. were managed by the local government
D. will hold more books and take a shorter turnover
3.The underlined phrase “upscale neighborhoods” refers to ________.
A. communities that have many people
B. communities that have many tall buildings
C. communities that are free to live in
D. communities that are of high grade
4.Which might be the best title for the passage?
A. Public Reading Becomes Popular Worldwide
B. New Trends of Bookshelves in Germany
C. Public Bookshelves Spread Across Germany
D. Reading Culture on the Street in Europe
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Grandparents Answer a Call
As a third-generation native of Brownsville, Texas, Mildred Garza never planned to move away. Even when her daughter and son asked her to move to San Antonio to help with their children, she politely refused. Only after a year of friendly discussion did Ms. Garza finally say yes. That was four years ago. Today all three generations regard the move as a success, giving them a closer relationship than they would have had in separate cities.
No statistics show the number of grandparents like Garza who are moving closer to adult children and grandchildren. Yet there is evidence suggesting that the trend is growing. Even President Obama’s mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, has agreed to leave Chicago and move into the White House to help care for her granddaughters. According to a study by grandparents. Com, 83 percent of the people said Mrs. Robinson ’s decision will influence grandparents in the American family. Two-thirds believe more families will follow the example of Obama’s family.
“In the 1960s we were all a little wild and couldn’t get away from home far enough for fast enough to prove we could do it on our own,” says Christine Crosby, publisher of Grand, a magazine for grandparents.“We now realize how important family is and how important it is”to be near them, especially when you’re raising children.”
Moving is not for everyone. Almost every grandparent wants to be with his or her grandchildren and is willing to make sacrifices, but sometimes it is wiser to say no and visit frequently instead. Having your grandchildren far away is hard, especially knowing your adult child is struggling, but giving up the life you know may be harder.
1.Why was Garza’s move a success?
A. It strengthened her family ties.
B. It improved her living conditions.
C. It enabled her to make more friends.
D. It helped her know more new places.
2.What was the reaction of the public to Mrs. Robinson’s decision?
A. 17% expressed their support for it.
B. Few people responded sympathetically.
C. 83% believed it had a bad influence.
D. The majority thought it was a trend.
3.What did Crosby say about people in the 1960s?
A. They were unsure of themselves.
B. They were eager to raise more children.
C. They wanted to live away from their parents.
D. They had little respect for their grandparents.
4.What does the author suggest the grandparents do in the last paragraph?
A. Make decisions in the best interests of their own.
B. Ask their children to pay more visits to them.
C. Sacrifice for their struggling children.
D. Get to know themselves better.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
根据短文内容，从选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
No personal success, achievement, or goal, can be realized without self-discipline. __1. It is the ability to control one’s impulses, emotions, desires and behavior. To possess it is to be able to make the decisions, take the actions, and carry out your plan regardless of the obstacles, discomfort, or difficulties, that may come your way.
How to develop self-discipline? We’ll explore it together.
· Start with baby steps. No process takes place overnight. 2. So, begin by making the decision to go forward and learning what it takes to get there.
· Learn what motivates you and what your bad triggers are. 3. . Sometimes it is very difficult to fight off urges, so know the areas where your resistance is low and how to avoid those situations. Remove the temptations and surround yourself with encouraging items such as motivating slogans and pictures of what you want to achieve.
· Make certain behaviors a routine. Once you have decided what’s important to you and which goals to strive for, establish a daily routine that will help you achieve them. __4. They can put you in a negative frame of mind and hinder(阻碍)your self-discipline. A poor attitude can also be a bad habit.
5. Michael Jordan has always maintained that his greatness as a basketball player came as much from his willingness to work hard at his craft, as it did his talent. It was his desire through discipline and focus that made him one of the best basketball players ever. If it worked for him, it could certainly work for the rest of us.
A. What is self-discipline?
B. Engage in sports or activities．
C. Get inspiration from those you admire．
D. You can begin by learning about yourself!
E. If you try to do too much at once, you could injure yourself and have a setback．
F. Meanwhile, get rid of some of your bad, self-defeating habits, whatever they may be．
G. It does mean learning how to focus your mind and energies on your goals until they are accomplished．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
完形填空
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
During the war, my husband was stationed at an army camp in a desert in California. I went to live there in order to be _________ him. I hated the place. I had never _________ been so unhappy. My husband was ordered out on a long-term duty, and I was left in a tiny shack(棚屋) alone. The heat was _________ —almost 125 °F even in the shade of a cactus(仙人掌). _________ a soul to talk to. The wind blew non-stop, and all the food I ate, and the very air I breathed, were _________ with sand, sand, sand!
I was so sorry for myself that I wrote to my parents. I told them I was _________ and coming back home. I said I couldn’t stand it one minute longer. I _________ be in prison! My father answered my_________ with just two lines—two lines that will always sing in my _________ — two lines that completely changed my life:
Two men looked out from prison bars,
One saw the mud, the other saw the stars.
I read those two lines _________ . I was ashamed of myself. I made up my mind I would find out what was good in my present _________ I would look for the stars.
I made friends with the natives, and their _________ amazed me. They gave me presents of their favorite artworks which they had _________ to sell to tourists. I studied the delightful forms of the cactus. I watched for the desert sunsets, and _________ for seashells that had been left there millions of years ago when the desert had been an ocean _________ .
What brought about this _________ change in me? The desert hadn’t changed, _________ I had. I had changed my _________ . And by doing so, I changed an unhappy experience into the most amazing _________ of my life. I was excited by this new world that I had discovered. I had looked out of my self-created prison and _________ the stars.
1.A. off B. behind C. near D. beyond
2.A. before B. already C. then D. still
3.A. inflexible B. incomprehensible
C. uncontrollable D. unbearable
4.A. Only B. Not C. Many D. Such
5.A. covered B. filled C. buried D. charged
6.A. catching up B. keeping up
C. giving up D. getting up
7.A. ought to B. might well C. would rather D. had better
8.A. request B. call C. question D. letter
9.A. comparison B. imagination C. consideration D. memory
10.A. over and over B. by and by
C. up and down D. now and then
11.A. company B. occupation C. situation D. relationship
12.A. movement B. reaction C. guidance D. purpose
13.A. refused B. failed C. managed D. happened
14.A. asked B. hunted C. waited D. headed
15.A. floor B. surface C. rock D. level
16.A. shocking B. challenging C. puzzling D. astonishing
17.A. as B. but C. for D. or
18.A. attitude B. principle C. identity D. standard
19.A. vacation B. operation C. affair D. adventure
20.A. sought B. counted C. found D. reached
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
Robot teachers are now very popular with pupils in some primary schools in South Korea. Compared with human teachers, the robot teachers are 1. (patient). They never get angry and are always kind to the students. That's 2. the children can always get on well with their robot teachers.
English-teaching robots 3. (send) to three primary schools for eight weeks last December. 4. (equip) with a microphone and video camera, the robots teach students as teachers. Researchers found that the English-teaching robots helped raise students’ interests in the language and build up their 5. (confident). More and more students came to like studying and they got better grades in exams. Meanwhile, other robot teachers, 6. can teach math, science and art, have also been developed.
Many people think these robot teachers should be used 7. faraway village schools so that the children there can also receive a good education. 8. (give) rural school children more learning chances, the South Korean government has expressed great interest in 9. (develop) these robots. No doubt there will be more and more robot teachers working with students. Perhaps they will 10. (complete) replace human teachers one day in the future. Who knows?
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
单词拼写
1.He didn’t follow the ____________(说明书) printed on the box and broken the machine.
2.The students are curious about_______________(科学的) discoveries.
3.The ______________(幸存者) of the accident were rushed to the nearest hospital in no time.
4.When you visit a museum you must ask for________________(允许) before taking photographs inside it.
5.The scenery was so beautiful that it was almost beyond_______________(描述).
6.I’m sorry that I spell your name ______________(correct).
7.To avoid _____________(see) by the teacher, Tom got into the classroom from the back door quietly.
8.He didn’t feel nervous when _________________(interview).
9.The number of the ___________(unemploy) continued to rise because small companies went out of business one by one.
10.It was only a(n)______________ (part) solution to the problem.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
As is often the case, when people are attending to meetings, having meals or waiting for buses, you can always find them addicting to their phones, completely ignoring others.
This is really a commonly phenomenon in our life. The reason is why smart phones nowadays can be used for people to play mobile games and kept in touch with friends through QQ and WeChat. Therefore, too much exposure to phones are bad for people in terms of health. Moreover, people involved in phones fail to communicate well with these around them.
As far as I am concerned, people should wisely make use of their phones to help their work and study. Meanwhile, care much about their family and friends rather than mobile phones.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
书面表达
众所周知，课堂是每个学生实现梦想的地方，然而，有一部分同学并没有很好地利用它。请以How should we make good use of classes?为题，写一篇文章，应包含以下要点：
1. 简要说明课堂的意义；
2. 目前课堂中存在的主要问题；
3. 分析原因并提出建议。
注意：
1. 可根据内容需要适当拓展，以使行文连贯；
2. 词数100左右。
How should we make good use of classes?
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析