More than half of the parents in the United States are helping, or have helped, support their adult children who have been hit by high unemployment and poor wages(工资), according to a new survey. It showed that present economic conditions are discouraging young adults from leaving home and forcing those who have already gone, so-called boomerang kids, to return.
“Parents are continuing their financial involvement longer than we expected,” said Ted Beck, president of National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE).
About 60 percent of parents questioned in the survey said they’re helping their adult children who are no longer in school financially. Half are providing housing and nearly half are helping with living expenses.
For an increasing number of adult children, the situation is bad. Two-thirds of adult children, aged 18 to 39, who are not in school said they faced tougher financial pressures than previous generations, according to the survey. And nearly one-third of parents agreed that it was easier for them to find their financial feet than for their children.
Parents are helping their children out of genuine concern because they do not want to see them struggle. But Beck said that parents who make sacrifices(牺牲) to help their adult children should be careful about their own finances.
“If you are taking on extra debt or delaying(推迟) retirement to help your adult child, you could be making a mistake and putting your own financial future in danger,” Beck warned.
Boomerang children can also cause other problems for their parents. Thirty percent of parents said they had given up privacy since their adult children moved back home, while more than a quarter have taken on added debt, and seven percent have delayed retirement. But the survey also showed 42 percent of adult children living at home are helping with the cooking and cleaning.According to the text, boomerang kids refer to ____.
| A．married adult children |
| B．grown-ups living with parents |
| C．adult children independent and successful in life |
| D．young adults depending on parents for financial support |
According to the survey, we can infer that _____.
| A．about 30% of parents offer their adult children housing |
| B．one-third of adult children earn money more easily than their parents |
| C．two-thirds of adult children are faced with financial problems in school |
| D．about 50% of parents give money to their adult children to cover the daily cost |
What is Ted Beck’s suggestion to the parents?
| A．Asking their children to help with the housework. |
| B．Being careful when helping their children financially. |
| C．Leaving their children to struggle to live. |
| D．Putting off their time of retirement. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Adult children are less independent | B．Parents help support adult children |
| C．Bad conditions affect children a lot | D．Adult children like living with parents |
Many people influenced various aspects of my life, based on their personal characteristics, accomplishments and values. I have been fortunate to have had numerous teachers and professors who I respect for their patience and intelligence. There are artists that have inspired me by their natural talents and original creativity. I value many political leaders, who have inspired me by their contributions to society, and their ability to change our futures. But of all the people I have known in my life, the person I admire most is my father.
As the youngest girl in my family, I always considered myself to be “Daddy's little girl”. While I grew up, it always made me sad to see so many of my friends and neighbors without a father or father-like figure around. This helped me appreciate how my father always takes an interest in his children's lives. In every aspect of my life my father continuously pushes me to excel, so I could accomplish my work outstandingly among my people. Whenever I feel like giving up, or have a question or a concern, I know I can always call on him for advice. From him I have also learned that sometimes you have to put others' needs ahead of your own, but you should make sure you are not taken advantage of by others. His strength seems to be unbreakable during hard times, and he is extremely determined to accomplish anything he sets his mind on, no matter how tiny it is. I highly respect him for how he stands up for what he believes in, and will never back down. I have always admired his open mind, compassion(同情) for people, and sense of understanding. He is a very reserved(保守的) man, but to everybody's surprise, he has a great sense of humor, and always knows how to put a smile on the faces of his wife, his children and his friends.
Living in his affection and instruction, I am very proud of my father. He also professes how proud he is of his children, and is still there to support us in whatever we are involved in.Which of the following could not be used to describe the author's father?
| A．Considerate and humorous. | B．Affectionate and open-minded. |
| C．Energetic and helpful. | D．Learned and fashionable. |
Which of the following can best explain the underlined word“excel”?
| A．Show off. | B．Do better than others. |
| C．Be cleverer than others. | D．Keep healthy. |
According to the underlined part, the father was telling the author to _________
| A．try to be good to those who were worth making friends with. |
| B．try to take advantage of those who were friendly to her. |
| C．think about others and help them, but not to be made use of in a negative way. |
| D．think about others and help them, so that she could make them serve her. |
What can we infer about the author?
| A．She appreciated her father because he solved all the problems for her. |
| B．She considered her father humorous and was often made to laugh by him. |
| C．She was outstanding in work because her father pushed her hard. |
| D．She had compassion for the fatherless. |
For five days, Edmonton's Downtown Park is transformed into one huge stage where artists are able to share their talents, and where people are able to celebrate and enjoy themselves .Since its beginning in 1980, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival has been commemorating(纪念）the true feeling of what folk music is all about and that's the traditional togetherness(友爱）that is felt when people gather to share stories and feelings through song.
This year will be the sixth year when volunteer Riedel will be offering up her time to the festival. "People coming off a busy spring and summer have a moment of relaxation ," Riedel said. "It's really easy to relax, and it's great seeing family and friends have fun together." These families and friends come from all different kinds of musical tastes. People who take pleasure in Blues are there, so are people who love Bluegrass. This festival does its best to develop everyone's musical interests.
With so many years of experience, the festival has become a well-oiled machine, and does whatever it can to make attendees feel as comfortable as possible. There are free water stations throughout the venue(举办地）for people to fill up their travel cups. When people buy food, reusable dishes are given a $2 plate fee, but that is returned when the plate is brought back.
The festival has completely sold out of tickets, and in record time. But with big names such as Van Morrison and Jakob Dylan, it’s easy to see how that was going to happen. There is no parking area during the festival, so using the Park & Ride system or Edmonton Transit is highly recommended. A bike lock-up area is provided and will be available Thursday until Sunday one hour before the gates open until 45 minutes after the gates close.
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival begins on Wednesday, Aug.4 with Van Morrison playing the special donation fund （基金）concert, and will finish up on Sunday, Aug.8.The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is held mainly to ___________.
| A．remind people of the real sense of folk music |
| B．gather people with different musical tastes |
| C．exhibitive good voices of great talents in folk music |
| D．collect old stories of folk music |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．It's hard for people to appreciate Blues. |
| B．Riedel has volunteered for the festival for at least 5years. |
| C．It costs people a little to fill up their cups from water stations. |
| D．People have to pay $2 for a plate of food. |
We can learn from the passenger that____.
| A．people can get tickets easily for the festival |
| B．driving one's own car to the festival is highly recommended |
| C．the Edmonton Folk Music Festival is highly recommended. |
| D．bikes are available at the festival from Wednesday to Sunday |
What would the best title for the passenger?
| A．Folk Music of Blues | B．One Festival Family Gathering |
| C．Festival for family Gathering | D．Edmonton’s Downtown Park |
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was one of the most private women in the world, yet when she went to work as an editor in the last two decades of her life, she revealed (展现) herself as she did nowhere else.
After the death of her second husband, Greek shipping magnate (巨头) Aristotle Onassis, Jacqueline's close friend and former White House social secretary Letitia Baldrige made a suggestion that she consider a career in publishing . After consideration, Jacqueline accepted it. Perhaps she hoped to find there some ideas about how to live her own life .She became not less but more interested in reading. For the last 20 years of her life, Jacqueline worked as a publisher's editor, first at Viking，then at Doubleday, pursuing a late-life career longer than her two marriages combined. During her time in publishing, she was responsible for managing and editing more than 100 successfully marketed books. Among the first books were In the Russian Style and Inventive Paris Clothes. She also succeeded in persuading TV hosts Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell to transform their popular television conversation into a book, The Power of Myth. The book went on to become an international best-seller. She dealt too, with Michael Jackson as he prepared his autobiography(自传), Moonwalk.
Jacqueline may have been hired for her name and for her social relations, but she soon proved her worth. Her choices, suggestions and widespread social relations were of benefit both to the publishing firms and to Jacqueline herself. In the books she selected for publication, she built on a lifetime of spending time by herself as a reader and left a record of the growth of her mind. Her books are the autobiography she never wrote. Her role as First Lady, in the end, was overshadowed by her performance as an editor. However, few knew that she had achieved so much. We can learn from the passage that Jacqueline________.
| A．became fond of reading after working as an editor |
| B．gained a lot from her career as an editor |
| C．promoted（促进） her books through social relations |
| D．was in charge of publishing 100 books |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably means that________.
| A．Jacqueline's ended up as an editor rather than as First Lady |
| B．Jacqueline's life as First Lady was more colorful than as an editor |
| C．Jacqueline's role as First Lady was more brilliant than as an editor |
| D．Jacqueline was more successful as an editor than as First Lady |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Jacqueline's two marriages lasted more than 20 years |
| B．Jacqueline's own publishing firm was set up eventually |
| C．Jacqueline's achievements were widely known |
| D．Jacqueline's views and beliefs were reflected（反映） in the books she edited |
The passage is mainly________.
| A．a brief account（叙述） of Jacqueline's career as an editor in her last 20 years |
| B．a brief description of Jacqueline's lifelong experiences |
| C．an introduction of Jacqueline's life both as First Lady and as editor |
| D．an analysis of Jacqueline's social relations in publishing |
For many years there's been a debate about rewarding our children. Does it work? Is it effective?
Some people think we should establish a standard with our kids and give them something for meeting this standard as a reward. Punishment is given out in much the same way, but it’s used when certain standards of performance, behavior, etc. have not been met. Kids will often become more dutiful when threatened with punishment, and work harder when promised a valuable reward. The problem is what happens when you aren’t around.
To develop responsible, self-disciplined kids, parents need to promote certain ideas. One of these ideas is that everyone pitches in and helps in your family. Another idea is that there can be enjoyment in doing any task if we choose to make it so. When a task is for a worthy cause (our family can enjoy the house more because I helped clean it), this message can have a big impact.
This is how we help our kids develop a sense of responsibility. When our children develop this responsibility, they’ll be more disciplined, and they’ll control their emotions better. When we give rewards to our kids, we reduce the sense of responsibility. We also create children who may temporarily perform to a certain standard, but who aren’t likely to continue the performance without the carrot hanging in front of them.
“Rewards and punishment can change behavior for a while, but they cannot change the person who engages in the behavior,” said Alfie Kohn, author of Punished by Rewards. “Good values have to be grown from the inside out.” Parents can help give their children a sense of shared responsibility and discipline which can last a life time. The real rewards that your children receive will be their readiness for the complex and demanding world that waits for them—a world that rewards those who have learned the secrets of discipline responsibility. So keep those shiny rewarding to yourself, and let your kids find their own rewards. According to the passage, when children are threatened with punishment, ______.
| A．they may lose interest in their work |
| B．the results will be worse than usual |
| C．they may change to another person |
| D．they may appear to be well-behaved |
The underlined part “the carrot” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to _____.
| A．apologies | B．aims | C．rewards | D．doubts |
According to the passage, Alfie Kohn would agree that parents should ______.
| A．never pay attention to the way their children do things |
| B．show their children how to behave by example |
| C．help their children establish good values |
| D．never punish their children |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Should parents reward their children? |
| B．Do you often reward your children? |
| C．When should parents reward their children? |
| D．What can parents reward their children with? |
Apollo
For lovers of the arts, Apollo is a truly good magazine. Covering the ages and the great civilizations(文明） of the world, Apollo brings you well-pictured yet fine articles by internationally famous writers, as well as information on exhibitions(展览） and sales. Experience five monthly issues（报刊的期） for as little as £ 5 each.
The Guardian Weekly（每周卫报）
The Guardian Weekly gives you a world view with articles（文章） from four of the world’s most respected newspapers. Read the news from different views and draw your own conclusions(得出结论） on the stories shaping our world. Try it for 3 months for just £ 15.55. Plus(外加） get a free copy of The Guardian Year 2003.
New Internationalist（国际主义者）
Full of excellent writing and photos, the magazine covers one key topic each month, from Terrorism(恐怖主义） to Poverty（贫困） to Climate Change. Reporters from around the world provide you with a whole world view.
Plus: Many fresh reports and stories to keep you up-to-date on world affairs(事务. 3 months free and free World Map.
The Week
The Week is the only weekly summary（摘要）giving you the best of the British and foreign newspapers in just 35 pages. Designed to be read in just 1 hour, it provides you with everything you need and want to know. Try The Week now with 13 issues for just £ 13. 75. If you decide it’s not for you, just tell us within the first 6 weeks and you can get your money back.
Which of the following magazines will probably give you with articles about music and paintings?
| A．Apollo. | B．The Week. |
| C．New Internationalist. | D．The Guardian Weekly. |
It is possible that most of the readers of the four magazines are ______.
| A．men | B．women |
| C．children | D．grown-ups |
The underlined word up-to-date in the third text means .
| A．know the latest information or changes |
| B．newest |
| C．at present |
| D．out of fashion. |
Which of the following would you most probably read if you want to get information from the world’s most popular newspapers?
| A．Apollo & The Week. |
| B．Apollo & New Internationalist. |
| C．The Guardian Weekly & The Week. |
| D．The Guardian Weekly & New Internationalist. |
The purpose（目的）of the four texts is to ______.
| A．tell the readers the latest news |
| B．get more readers to subscribe (订阅) |
| C．show the importance of the four magazines |
| D．introduce(介绍） the four magazines to new readers |
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