Is it ever a good idea admitting a teenager to carry a credit card?
My kids watch closely as I swipe the card through the register. They’ve seen me do it hundreds, thousands of times. Cool. They are itching to swipe it through the machine themselves. When we walk out of the store with our groceries or pet food, or whatever, it’s almost as though money has not changed hands, painless, easy.
So it shouldn’t be shocking to discover that teenagers are becoming card carrying consumers in their own right. The question is, should they?
While some argue it’s best to teach kids how to use a credit card while still living under the family roof, not everyone agrees. Dave Ramsey, financial expert says getting credit card for your teenager is actually “an excellent way to teach him or her to be financially irresponsible.”
Now parents are required to co-sign on credit cards for children under 21. “If their name is on the credit card, then the parent may say, Hey, my name is on this. Don’t get me into trouble,” says Mary Beth Pinto, a marketing professor. “When parents were the co-obligors (共同借贷人), the children caused less debt. If the parents are the co-obligors, the tendency is that the parents were explaining how to use the cards.” Still, Pinto believes parents should start the process much earlier. “Yes, there has to be teaching going on and it has to start when they’re younger. You’re not going to get rid of credit cards. They are here to stay. You have to have them. You can’t fight progress,” Pinto said.
Ramsey, however, disagrees. “Throwing teens into a pool of (credit) sharks is a sure way to guarantee a life-time of heartache.” he said, “You can make online purchases and rent a car with a credit card. Of course, you must have money in your bank account before you can make a purchase with a credit card. But paying for things with money is what you are supposed to do.”The author mentioned her experience in Para 2 mainly to _____.
| A．prove the convenience of using credit cards |
| B．tell what impression credit cards leave on kids |
| C．give advice on using credit cards wisely |
| D．explain the pleasure credit cards bring to customers |
The underlined word “itching” in Para 2 can be replaced by _____.
| A．eager | B．afraid | C．embarrassed | D．thankful |
What’s Ramsey’s attitude towards teens’ using credit cards?
| A．He feels it is worth a try. |
| B．He is very supportive. |
| C．He is strongly against it. |
| D．He considers it as a pleasant experience. |
Pinto will most likely agree that _____.
| A．parents should let teens own their credit cards earlier |
| B．you shouldn’t be in control of credit cards |
| C．it is never good for anyone to get a credit card |
| D．learning to use credit cards is practical |
Visitor’s Guide
KL HOP-ON HOP-OFF gives you an easy city tour that has 22 stops, which cover more than 40 attractions. All buses are equipped with 9 different languages to choose from and a friendly customer service officer will help you on the bus. KL HOP-ON HOP-OFF City Tour offers you a convenient way to discover Kuala Lumpur where tourists can either stay on the bus for the full tour circuit (线路), or get on or get off at any of the attractions.
2. The interval (间隔) between buses is around 20 to 30 minutes.
3. We operate 365 days per year including school holidays and public holidays.
4. Tickets can be bought from the bus itself, authorized (授权的) agents, authorized hotels and KL Hop-On Hop-Off counters.
5. Our counters are located at Jalan Bukit Bintang (main counter at stop number 6), Malaysian Tourism Centre at Jalan Ampang, at KL Sentral (arrival hall) and at Central Market.
6. We have 24-hour and 48-hour tickets to choose from.
7. Children below 5 years old do not have to pay any fees.
8. A child below the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
9. The Do’s & Don’ts:
◆ No littering on the bus
◆ No food and drink allowed inside the bus
◆ Visitors are not allowed to exchange tickets
◆ Visitors are welcome to take pictures
◆ Please use electronic devices (设备) with care
◆ No smoking allowed
10. Advice:
◆ Please avoid changing from one bus to another on during peak (高峰) hours usually from 4 PM to 6 PM. During that time you could take a rest and walk around the attractions.
◆ The weather is unpredictable in Kuala Lumpur. Delays may occur because of bad weather.
◆ Please buy vouchers only from authorized agents.
Ticket
Ticket Type: STANDARD ADULT TICKET
Price: RM45.00 Validity: 24 Hours
Price: RM79.00 Validity: 48 Hours
Ticket Type: CHILD, STUDENT & DISABLE TICKET
Price: RM24.00 Validity: 24 Hours
Price: RM43.00 Validity: 48 Hours
For 5 to 12 years oldWhich of the following is TRUE about the KL HOP-ON HOP-OFF bus service?
| A．The bus service is free of charge for foreign tourists. |
| B．The customer service officers can speak nine languages. |
| C．The bus service is not available during school holidays and public holidays. |
| D．Passengers don’t have to pay again when boarding other HOP-ON HOP-OFF buses |
during the time of their tickets’ validity.Suppose a couple is taking a two-day bus tour in the city, with two children at the age of 4 and 5. They have to spend at least ______ on bus tickets.
| A．RM114 | B．RM158 |
| C．RM201 | D．RM244. Which of the |
following is NOT allowed on the KL HOP-ON HOP-OFF buses?
| A．Taking the buses at rush hour or in bad weather. |
| B．Exchanging tickets with other passengers. |
| C．Using a personal electronic device on the bus. |
| D．Taking a pet with you. |
The text is mainly aimed at ______.
| A．students | B．tourists |
| C．local people | D．foreign families |
What does the word “voucher” probably mean?
| A．bus | B．ticket |
| C．food and drink | D．electronic device |
My grandmother was a master gardener. She could make anything bloom (开花). Even me. For most of her life, she lived on a farm in the mountains of North Carolina, where she raised four children, buried a husband, and watched the changing of the seasons.
After my parents divorced(离婚), my dad moved back to the farm. I visited on weekends or holidays. While my dad ate my grandmother’s vegetables, I breathed in her flowers. I was a skinny kid, but her flowers filled a thousand hungry places in my soul. When my regular farm tasks were done, I was free to climb the mountain, singing songs and gathering flowers. Sometimes the plants scratched (划伤) me. My grandmother would say: “Beauty has a price. I hope it was worth it.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I’d say. “It was.” Then I’d scratch some more. I loved gathering flowers on my own. But what I loved best was gathering them with her. I walked behind her like a sponge (海绵) with legs, trying to soak (吸收) it all up. At the end of the day, we’d sort the flowers and make bouquets (花束): One for the living room, one for the kitchen, and three for the bedrooms. Even then, as a child, I knew what I needed most from my grandmother was not her flowers, but her time.
She’s been gone for years, but sometimes, when I reach down to pick a flower or pull a weed, I see her hand, not mine. I thought I’d grow up to be a gardener too. I told myself, someday, when my children had children, I’d be a gardening grandma. Then the grandbabies started showing up, and I discovered I’d much rather chase after them than go digging. The truth is, I’m no gardener. I’m a picker, not a planter.
I differ from my grandmother in lots of ways, but this: I will always carry within me a heart she made from her own. They don’t need to plant a garden. My children are my flowers. Delight and complete me with a beauty that is worth any price.
All I need to do is care for them with time, water them with love, and hope that someday, when they hold their first grandchild, they might see my hand.The author liked gathering flowers with her grandmother mainly because ______.
| A．her grandmother taught her everything about flowers |
| B．her grandmother would never let the flowers scratch her |
| C．spending time with her grandmother was good for her emotional needs |
| D．her grandmother let her decide where to put the flowers in the house |
We can infer from the article that the author ______.
| A．has always dreamed of a flower garden of her own |
| B．had great fun planting flowers with her own grandchildren |
| C．often helped with the farm work when she visited her grandmother |
| D．started to live with her grandmother after her parents got divorced |
How did the author feel when she found out that she was a picker rather than a planter?
| A．Angry. | B．Disappointed. |
| C．Calm. | D．Worried. |
In the author’s eyes, her grandmother was mostly ______.
| A．wise and humorous | B．inspiring and caring |
| C．hardworking and brave | D．tough and stubborn |
What does the article mainly talk about?
| A．The qualities that make the author different from her grandmother. |
| B．The wonderful time the author spent with her grandmother in her childhood. |
| C．The efforts the author made to become as great a gardener as her grandmother. |
| D．The author’s memories of her grandmother and how she influenced the author. |
One day a student went to see his teacher. He had been given an important position and now was coming to say goodbye to his teacher. The old man asked him how he would live among high officials. The student answered, " I will be all right. I have prepared a hundred high hats, one for each official I will meet. I am sure I will succeed.” The teacher got angry on hearing this. “What?” he cried. “Is this what ten years of my teaching has made of you? Nothing but flatterer(拍马屁的人)?” “Excuse me, honored master,” the student rose to his feet and apologized hurriedly. “But you have always been buried in your studies and don’t know how vulgar(庸俗的) the world has come to be. There are few men in the world who are above flatterers like you.” "There is something true in what you said,” the teacher nodded, smiling with one of the student’s "high hats” on.The student came to say goodbye to his teacher because_____________.
| A．he had got hundred hats to sell |
| B．he moved away to another city |
| C．he had got a fairly high position in society |
| D．he wanted to see his parents in his home town |
The student would live among high officials by___________.
| A．selling hats to them |
| B．flattering them |
| C．making a hundred hats for them |
| D．serving them |
The teacher was angry with__________.
| A．himself | B．the society |
| C．his student | D．high officials |
The underlined phrase “rose to his feet” means________.
| A．stood up | B．kicked with his feet |
| C．became quite excited | D．raised his feet |
Verbier language school
Beginner? Fluent? Young? Young at heart? VLS can help you learn or improve your language skills in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere with fun, professional teachers.
What we offer:
Individual (个人) and group French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Swedish lessons for children and adults.
Exam preparation for TEFL, TOEFL, IELTS, Common Entrance, GCSE.
Summer course.
Translation services.
Summer immersion (浸泡式) camps—language and activities including cooking, performances, art and crafts, walking, biking, various sports etc. 9am—4pm (lunch included)
Winter immersion camps—language and skiing. 9am—4pm (lunch included)
Course + prices (Prices shown are for 1 hour lessons, per student):
| Private lessons . |
90 dollars |
| Semi-private (2 people) |
50 dollars |
| Group lessons (3-6 people) |
30 dollars |
Private—one-to-one tuition focusing on the individual needs of the student.
Group—learn in a relaxed and fun environment.
Maximum of 6 students per group so there are still plenty of chances to ask questions.
Children—learning with fun and games in private or group lessons.
Corporate—arrange private or group classes for your company aimed at your specific needs.
Conditions
If registering by phone and email, classes are not confirmed(确认) until a deposit(定金) has been received via the bank or Paypal. Please contact us for bank details.
Payment for the classes must be paid in full in advance or at each lessons.
Students must complete a test at their first lesson to make sure of their level.
Contact us
By post: Verbier Language School, Centre de l’Etoile, Case Postal 475, Rue de M dran 6, 1936 Verbier, Switzerland
By phone: + 41 (0) 796532227
By email:info@verbierlanguageschool.comIn the first paragraph, “Young at heart” refers to ___________.
| A．optimistic people |
| B．the elderly people |
| C．old professional teachers |
| D．people with a strong heart |
It can be inferred that IELTS is _________.
| A．a language course | B．a summer camp |
| C．a sports competition | D．a language test |
John and his father both attend the Group lessons to learn German. They learn two hours each day. How much do they need to pay per day?
| A．200 dollars | B．180 dollars |
| C．120 dollars | D．60 dollars |
In their first lesson, students are required to _______.
| A．report their interest | B．take an exam |
| C．complete a form | D．pay by credit card |
America is a mobile society. Friendships between Americans can be close and real, yet disappear soon if situations change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greetings for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while — then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship. This can be quite difficult for us Chinese to understand, because friendships between us flow more slowly but then may become lifelong feelings, extending(延伸) sometimes deeply into both families.
Americans are ready to receive us foreigners at their homes, share their holidays, and their home life. They will enjoy welcoming us and be pleased if we accept their hospitality (好客) easily.
Another difficult point for us Chinese to understand Americans is that although they include us warmly in their personal everyday lives, they don’t show their politeness to us if it requires a great deal of time. This is usually the opposite of the practice in our country where we may be generous with our time.
Sometimes, we, as hosts, will appear at airports even in the middle of the night to meet a friend. We may take days off to act as guides to our foreign friends. The Americans, however, express their welcome usually at homes, but truly can not manage the time to do a great deal with a visitor outside their daily routine. They will probably expect us to get ourselves from the airport to our own hotel by bus. And they expect that we will phone them from there. Once we arrive at their homes, the welcome will be full, warm and real. We will find ourselves treated hospitably.
For the Americans, it is often considered more friendly to invite a friend to their homes than to go to restaurants, except for purely business matters. So accept their hospitality at home!Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Friendships between Americans usually last for all their lives. |
| B．Americans always show their warmth even if they are very busy. |
| C．Americans will continue their friendships again even after a long break. |
| D．Friendships between Americans usually extend deeply into their families. |
From the last two paragraphs we can learn that when we arrive in America to visit an American friend, we will probably be ______.
| A．offered a ride to his home |
| B．treated hospitably at his home |
| C．treated to dinner in a restaurant |
| D．warmly welcomed at the airport |
A suitable title for this passage would probably be “______”.
| A．Americans’ and Chinese’s views of friendships. |
| B．Friendships between Americans. |
| C．Friendships between Chinese. |
| D．Americans’ hospitality . |
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