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Years ago parents worried their children would learn the truth about Santa Claus(圣诞老人)from others, but now they have a new problem—the Internet.
A recent study from Hide My Ass! Shows 1 in 8 American parents said the Internet told their children the truth about Santa Claus. 44% of parents thought Google was a danger to this Christmas story, as children searched for Santa and found pages explaining he is not real. About 34 percent of children questioned Santa Claus after seeing ads online for gifts they had asked for in their letters to the North Pole (北极). Sadly，one in three children said their Christmas spirit was dead after reading a post saying Santa wasn’t real.
Before the Internet, the only way children found out their parents bought their gifts was if they were in a bad hiding place. Today, two-thirds of parents never clear their browser (浏览器) history, making it easy for kids to find out the gifts under the tree weren't put there by a happy man and his little helpers.
To keep Mr. Claus alive, “Keep Believing in Santa”, an organization created by Hide My Ass!, helps kids believe in Santa. Parents receive free software from the organization that monitors all online search results and web pages that could tell kids the truth about the man who lives in the North Pole, by hiding any information that may suggest he doesn't exist.
However, there is still a higher possibility of the Internet now being the main cause of a child's belief in Santa ending, and it can also result in kids finding out sooner than for those born before the digital age.
''With this organization, we wanted to give parents a new tool that would allow them to keep the magic of Christmas and the mystery of Santa for that little bit longer,” Cian Mckenna-Charley, marketing director at Hide My Ass!.
1.What does the underlined word “questioned” in paragraph 2 mean?
A. doubted B. described
C. dismissed D. discouraged
2.“Keep Believing in Santa" is created to .
A. make Santa Claus as real a man as possible
B. help parents keep the mystery of Santa Claus
C. tell stories about Santa Claus for younger kids
D. stop children from surfing the Internet too much
3.Which statement does Cian Mckenna-Charley probably agree with?
A. Parents must clear their browser history.
B. Santa Claus always lives in the North Pole.
C. Christmas spirit can be kept a little bit longer.
D. Gifts are put by Santa under the Christmas tree.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A. Christmas is boring without Santa Claus.
B. Parents make efforts to protect Santa Claus.
C. The Internet is a new danger to Santa Claus.
D. Many children find the secret of Santa Claus
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Nowadays, parents worry a lot because their children spend hours and hours in front of the TV screen. Because this doesn’t happen to only one specific family, many experts warn us that there can be some serious effects of children watching violence on television.
Children who become addicted(上瘾的) to TV sit down and turn on the TV as soon as they get home. Although they have lots of homework, they become absorbed in TV programs.
Since they spend tons of time watching TV, they have less time to enjoy real life activities such as playing with friends, playing outdoor sports, or enjoying other kinds of entertainment.
There are too many violent scenes on TV. Some experts say there are 25 acts of violence per hour on TV. In addition, there are many experiments by psychologists which show how TV violence influences children. Finally, people worry that children tend to imitate what they watch on TV and may start to behave more violently.
What should be done? First of all, the government should regulate TV violence. It should also encourage people to invent and develop new technology which can block violent scenes from the programs children watch. For example, with a rating system(分级制度) and the V-chip, unfit scenes of violence and sex can be blocked out. Second, parents should monitor what their children watch. At the same time, they should make their children interested in real life activities. Then when the children start to spend more time playing with friends or reading books, parents can stop their monitoring.
It is a fact that there is more violence on TV today than there was ten years ago. Moreover, violent incidents occur more frequently in real life. It’s time to realize how harmful watching TV violence is, and it’s time to keep our children from watching violence.
1.What experts really worry is that .\
A. children spend too much time watching TV
B. TV violence has a bad influence on children
C. children become addicted to TV programs
D. children have less time to do their homework
2.The author explain how the government should control TV violence by .
A. giving an example
B. giving a definition
C. making a comparison
D. presenting research findings
3.What does the underlined word “imitate” in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?
A. Explain. B. Copy.
C. Ignore. D. Avoid.
4.What is the author’s purpose for writing this text?
A. To express his own worries about TV violence.
B. To ask parents to take good care of their children.
C. To inform readers of the latest situation about TV violence.
D. To call on the whole society to save children from violence.
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Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance. Parents often give their children an amount of money that they may spend as they wish. The purpose is to let the children learn from experience at an early age when financial mistakes are not very costly.
A child may receive an allowance each week or each month. The amount is not so important. But parents should make clear what 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 should not offer more money until the next allowance is to be given.
Older children may be responsible enough to budget larger costs like those for clothing. The object is to show young people that a budget demands choices between spending and saving.
Many people who have written on the subject 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 home, however, can be useful. It can even provide an understanding of how a business works.
Allowances give children a chance to experience three things they can do with money. They can share it in the form of gifts or giving it to organizations. 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 allowance can also open the door to future saving and investing. Many banks offer free savings accounts for young people with small amounts of money.
1.The functions of allowances given to children are the following EXCEPT ______.
A. they can save more money for their future business
B. they can give them to charities
C. they may spend them on what they like
D. they can learn to deal with money
2.The underlined word "sacrifice" in the last paragraph means "_____".
A. 牺牲 B. 计划 C. 选择 D. 放弃
3.What's the main idea of the passage?
A. Children should save part of their allowance.
B. Don’t pay your child for work around the home.
C. Allowance helps teach children early about money.
D. Parents should allow children to spend money as they wish.
4.How many advantages of saving has the passage mentioned?
A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5
5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Children are advised to buy anything they wish to with the allowance.
B. Parents should offer children more money if they spend all of their allowance soon after they get it.
C. It can be useful to pay children to do extra work around the home.
D. It is unnecessary for the children to save part of the allowance.
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Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance. Parents often give their children an amount of money that they may spend as they wish. The purpose is to let the children learn from experience at an early age when financial mistakes are not very costly.
A child may receive an allowance each week or each month. The amount is not so important. But parents should make clear what 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 should not offer more money until the next allowance is to be given.
Older children may be responsible enough to budget larger costs like those for clothing. The object is to show young people that a budget demands choices between spending and saving.
Many people who have written on the subject 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 home, however, can be useful. It can even provide an understanding of how a business works.
Allowances give children a chance to experience three things they can do with money. They can share it in the form of gifts or giving it to organizations. 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 allowance can also open the door to future saving and investing. Many banks offer free savings accounts for young people with small amounts of money.
1.The functions of allowances given to children are the following EXCEPT ______.
A. they can save more money for their future business
B. they can give them to charities
C. they may spend them on what they like
D. they can learn to deal with money
2.The underlined word "sacrifice" in the last paragraph means "_____".
A. 牺牲 B. 计划 C. 选择 D. 放弃
3.What's the main idea of the passage?
A. Children should save part of their allowance.
B. Don’t pay your child for work around the home.
C. Allowance helps teach children early about money.
D. Parents should allow children to spend money as they wish.
4.How many advantages of saving has the passage mentioned?
A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5
5.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Children are advised to buy anything they wish to with the allowance.
B. Parents should offer children more money if they spend all of their allowance soon after they get it.
C. It can be useful to pay children to do extra work around the home.
D. It is unnecessary for the children to save part of the allowance.
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To learn how their children are doing at school, parents need to _______ the teachers every now and then.
A．admire B．combine C．gather D．consult
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The family had had a cat for years. Then one day, the children finally____ to persuade their parents to get them a dog as well. So a little Labrador(拉布拉多犬)___ .
The dog was so____that everyone wanted to hold him and he charmed everyone by just loving them. The cat made it very clear that she did not welcome another____ in the house, but the dog just_____the cat anyway. The little dog_____her everywhere, trying to make friends with the angry cat. No amount of____ behavior from the cat could persuade the dog not to love the cat.
The family thought the cat would____ like the dog.
Then one day the family heard horrible____ from their back yard. They ran to the____ to see what was happening. They lived in the suburbs and so they saw a real lynx( 猞猁) was just planning on____ their cat for lunch. The poor cat had nowhere to run or hide. It would only be a matter of seconds and their cat would be____ .
And then suddenly a black lightning ran to the cat. The little dog__ the big lynx with all its strength. It did not be_____or stop to think. It saw its_____in trouble and did what had to be done. The family opened the window and started yelling and the father ran to the yard. The lynx soon disappeared into the___ .
And ever since that day the cat's behavior toward the dog____ totally. Now it was the cat that followed the hero dog everywhere. They_____in the same basket. The cat even let the dog eat from her bowl.
So we can _____: if ever anyone is____ towards you, don't turn your back on them. They may not rescue your life—but their kindness can certainly rescue your day!
1.A. tried B. managed C. failed D. refused
2.A. agreed B. visited C. survived D. arrived
3.A. cute B. shy C. brave D. proud
4.A. relative B. visitor C. baby D. pet
5.A. ran B. loved C. amused D. respected
6.A. watched B. caught C. followed D. searched
7.A. bad B. amazing C. foolish D. strange
8.A. still B. never C. really D. always
9.A. quarreling B. singing C. laughing D. screaming
10.A. bedroom B. road C. window D. door
11.A. catching B. inviting C. attracting D. pulling
12.A. painful B. frightened C. lived D. dead
13.A. attacked B. shook C. pushed D. knocked
14.A. violent B. hopeless C. frightened D. lonely
15.A. friend B. owner C. brother D. competitor
16.A. shops B. houses C. crowds D. woods
17.A. worsened B. remained C. stopped D. changed
18.A. ate B. slept C. played D. washed
19.A. draw a conclusion B. make a difference C. come to an agreement D. catch it up
20.A. polite B. kind C. equal D. grateful
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Thirty years ago not many people would have dreamed of doing the repairs and decorations in their own homes. In those days labor was fairly cheap and most people would have thought it worthwhile to employ a professional painter and decorator, unless of course they were either very hand up or were in the trade themselves. Today, however, it is quite a different story. Men and women in all walks of life turn their hands to all sorts of jobs round the house including painting, papering, putting up shelves and wall units, and tiling walls and floors. Some people with no professional training of any kind have even successfully built their own houses. These jobs have been made easier today by the introduction of prepared materials, which require the minimum amount of skill to use. In every high street throughout Britain nowadays there is at least one “Do-it-Yourself” shop containing a vast range of timber, tiles, paints, wallpapers and floor coverings besides tools of every description including power drills and many accessories. “Do-it-Yourself” is a booming business; all these shops do a roaring trade and look like continuing to do so. Probably the main reason for the craze is the high cost of present-day labor and the shortage of building firms willing to do small jobs.
1. Why did people employ professional workers to decorate homes thirty years ago?
A．Because they could not do it themselves.
B．Because professional workers were very cheap.
C．Because they had no time.
D．Because professional workers could do much better.
2. Thirty years later what changes took place?
A．People could do everything themselves.
B．Few people chose to be a professional worker
C．People with no professional training successfully built their own houses.
D．New expensive materials required no skills at all.
3. What caused the DIY craze?
A．Young people liked to follow the fashion.
B．“Do-it-Yourself” is a booming business.
C．There were fewer building companies.
D．High cost of professional workers.
4.What is the speaker telling us?
A．How DIY comes into being.
B．Changes in building.
C．Changes in housing.
D．Great changes in these thirty years.
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In 2009 a group of parents in Lymington started sharing worries about their children’s money-management skills. Pocket money was now stored in a building society rather than a piggy bank (储蓄罐); household shopping was done online; the children rarely saw their parents handling cash. They were spending online, too. Money had become intangible. How, then, were children to learn its value?
The answer they came up with was GoHenry, an app now available in America as well as Britain. It is designed to help young people learn good spending habits through real-world money activities. Parents sign up with their own bank accounts and pay a monthly fee of £2.99 or $3.99 for each child aged six or over. Adults and children download separate versions. Parents can schedule pocket money and set chores. When those are marked as done, the child is paid the agreed amount. Parents can see what the child has bought and where. And they can choose where the card can be used: in shops, online or at ATMs.
Children get cards printed with their name. They can put money in savings pots, view their spending and balances, and set savings targets. “They could decide to save ten dollars for a friend’s birthday in four weeks’ time, or set a goal at 12 to have $2,000 to buy a car at age 18,” says Dean Brauer, one of GoHenry’s founders. “The app tells them how much to save each week to meet their goal.”
A big benefit of such apps is that they inspire family conversations about money. According to the latest research, more than half of British parents find the subject hard to discuss with their children. And yet most agree that children’s attitudes to money are formed in their early years.
Some GoHenry customers are wealthy parents who worry that their children will grow up with little knowledge of money. Others have slim incomes but regard the app as a preparation for their child’s future. Some say that they have been in debt and want their children to avoid that mistake when they grow up; others that the app is cost-effective because their children learn to plan spending. Even though young people no longer touch and hold money, they can still be taught to handle it well.
1.What does the underlined sentence suggest?
A.Money no longer existed physically. B.Money was spent by children.
C.Money took on a fashionable look. D.Money became less valuable.
2.What is the purpose of GoHenry app?
A.To update people’s idea of money.
B.To educate kids on money management.
C.To promote parent-kid relationship.
D.To build up wealth in American families.
3.How do parents or children benefit from GoHenry?
A.Parents monitor children’s using of money.
B.Children have freedom to earn extra money.
C.Parents lend much money to children in relief.
D.Children turn to saving instead of spending.
4.What is the best reason for the popularity of GoHenry among parents?
A.It brings to the table the topic of money.
B.It trains kids to deal with money wisely.
C.It ensures a successful future for children.
D.It makes it possible for kids to get wealthy.
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How to Help Children Learn From Their Mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes. 1. As parents, it’s our duty to help our children learn from their mistakes. Turning a mistake into a learning experience will help your child grow. Here are some tips for helping children learn from their mistakes.
Explain exactly what the mistake is. It’s important to make your child accept the fact that he made a mistake. Talk with your child and help him exactly understand what he did is not right.2. Never imagine he knows; always talk over the problem early.
Ask your child to make an apology if his mistakes hurt others. This step takes a mistake that is connected with another person even further.3. By making your child go to see and talk with the person who was hurt, he will more fully understand the results of the mistake and learn from what bad experience.
Offer suggestion in different ways to lead your child to avoid making the same mistakes again. You can choose to share your personal examples if you had the same problem before.4. He may not want to do exactly the same thing, but it will get him to start in the right direction.
5. Having your child try to work through the problem and know how to deal with it only by himself will help develop his reasoning skills, which is good for his self - development. In this way, he will know what he should do if a similar situation appears in the future.
A. Tell your child how you deal with the problem.
B. Children need to learn the results of their mistakes.
C. Praise him if he fully understands the mistake he made.
D. Now it’s time to help him properly correct mistakes
E. Encourage your child to find a way to deal with the problem alone.
F. Learning from mistakes is what makes us become better people.
G. Sometimes a child fails to know why the things he did are wrong.
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How to Help Children Learn From Their Mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes. 1. As parents, it’s our duty to help our children learn from their mistakes. Turning a mistake into a learning experience will help your child grow. Here are some tips for helping children leam from their mistakes.
Explain exactly what the mistake is. It’s important to make your child accept the fact that he made a mistake. Talk with your child and help him exactly understand what he did is not right. 2. Never imagine he knows; always talk over the problem early.
Ask your child to make an apology if his mistakes hurt others. This step takes a mistake that is connected with another person even further. 3. By making your child go to see and talk with the person who was hurt, he will more fully understand the results of the mistake and learn from that bad experience.
Offer suggestion in different ways to lead your child to avoid making the same mistakes again. You can choose to share your personal examples if you had the same problem before. 4. He may not want to do exactly the same thing, but it will get him to start in the right direction.
5. Having your child try to work through the problem and know how to deal with it on by himself will help develop his reasoning skills, which is good for his self-development. In this way, he will know what he should do if a similar situation appears in the future.
A. Tell your child how you dealt with the problem.
B. Now it’s time to help him properly correct mistakes.
C. Praise him if he fully understands the- mistake he made.
D. Children need to learn the results of their mistakes.
E. Learning from mistakes is what makes us become better people.
F. Encourage your child to find a way to deal with the problem alone.
G. Sometimes a child fails to know why the things he did are wrong.