I had my first job at the age of thirteen, when a friend of my mother who owned a bookshop hired me for six hours a week to help her in the shop. I was very         to earn my own pocket money and my parents never interfered (干涉) with            I spent it, even when I was spending it foolishly. They           that by earning money, spending it, and learning from the          , I would become more mature (成熟的) and responsible about how to handle work, relationships             others, and money.
Like many            parents, my parents also let me and my brothers do things over which they
        a great deal. When I was sixteen, for example, after I finished high school and before I             university, I wanted to spend the summer months traveling around Europe. My mother was against the idea of my traveling alone at such a young age, but my father felt that it would be a great
        for me. In the end, my father won the          on the condition (只要) that I limited my traveling to France, my mother’s home,           I had many uncles, aunts and cousins spread out through the country who could            shelter (住处) and help if I needed them.
Three years later, my younger brother decided to             a year off after his first year in university and travel through the United States and the Caribbean. Again my mother was very worried and not eager to see my brother leave school, but my father             him and my brother had a(n)            year working his way on trains and ships to earn passage (获得自由通过权) to different ports and cities, and            many fascinating places and people.
These kinds of experiences are probably rare (少有的) for children in many countries           in the US they are fairly common. Most parents start           their children at a young age to do small things by themselves. By the time they have finished high school, many American kids have already had            jobs, traveled around the US or other countries            , have selected the university they plan to attend and maybe even decided on their future career, and so on.

A．anxious B．sad C．proud D．meaningful

A．how B．what C．that D．why

A．wondered B．believed C．guessed D．suggested

A．work B．mistakes C．others D．books

A．for B．to C．by D．with

A．American B．Japanese C．Chinese D．British

A．helped B．supported C．shared D．worried

A．joined B．worked C．entered D．arrived

A．visit B．experience C．experiment D．possibility

A．argument B．game C．discussion D．plan

A．when B．which C．who D．where

A．promise B．afford C．provide D．serve

A．leave B．make C．take D．prepare

A．discouraged B．encouraged C．prevented D．agreed

A．unusual B．hard C．strange D．hopeful

A．earning B．discovering C．traveling D．reaching

A．so B．when C．if D．but

A．making B．keeping C．pushing D．protecting

A．part-time B．full-time C．good D．well-paid

A．on time B．on their own C．on the contrary D．on purpose