Personal money-management website Mint.com suggests recently that responsible parents should give their kids credit cards—possibly starting as young as middle school. The website says a credit card will help children master responsible spending habits and give parents the chance to teach them some valuable lessons.
It’s absolutely true that kids should learn about how a credit card works and how to use it responsibly. But the idea that they need a card of their own to practise this is questionable.
Yes, credit cards are a teaching tool, but it’s the time you spend educating them about money management that does the teaching, not the piece of plastic. Sit down with your child—here we are referring to teens and walk them through your credit card statements. Point out important things like the due date, late fee warning, and APR (年贷款利率).
If you have good credit, adding a child as an authorized user onto one of your credit cards also provides teachable moments. Allow kids to use the card to make specific purchases and require their participation in payment.
Since the card is still in your name, you can take them off it at any point and cut off their access if they're not able to handle the responsibility.
Another option is to set them up with an account at a local bank that offers free use of a debit card (借记卡). Unlike credit card, the debit card has no overdraft (透支) function.
Children can only use the card to pay for things and the money is taken directly from their bank account. If the account is empty, the worst that will happen is the card being declined at a cash register.Why does Mint.com advise parents to give middle school kids credit cards?
| A．To leave their kids financially independent. |
| B．To help their kids form good spending habits. |
| C．To teach their kids' how to save pocket money. |
| D．To strengthen the relationship with their kids. |
The author considers a credit card as a teaching tool because ______.
| A．it motivates teens to ask their parents for less financial support |
| B．it helps teenagers to know some basic knowledge of credit cards |
| C．it contains detailed financial information on the card surface |
| D．it offers parents the chance to teach kids to manage money |
What is the purpose of adding kids as credit card authorized users?
| A．To avoid extremely high overdraft fees. |
| B．To encourage them to share household expenses. |
| C．To teach them to be responsible credit card users. |
| D．To help them pay close attention to their bank account. |
What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?
| A．Further information about the debit card. |
| B．The overdraft functions of a debit card. |
| C．More disadvantages of credit cards. |
| D．The kids' attitude towards a credit card. |
Like the post-90s generation in China, today’s teenagers in the UK have a problem with how they’re represented. Most of them feel unfairly represented by the media and their lives are negatively (负面地) influenced, says a recent survey.
The survey was carried out by the UK Demos, in which more than 1000 14-17-year-old teens from England and Northern Ireland took part.
The survey report shows that four-fifths of teens (81%) felt there was a false image of young people in the media and wider society. Most of them (85%) said that it is hurting both their self-esteem(自尊) and chance of getting a job.
By researching six UK newspapers over the past 10 years, Demos found that words most commonly connected with “teenagers” and “young people” were “binge-drinking”, “yobs” and “crime”.
“The young people out there are doing good things for the community, but there are always bad things on the news. But we’re not all like that, it’s only a few,” said Becky Brunskill, 18, member of Youth Parliament for Liverpool.
The survey also found that 80% of UK teenagers believed they cared more about social issues than the older generation. This was a view shared by their teachers, 66% of whom agreed in a separate Demos survey of 500 teachers.
The UK youth are also eager to make a difference. But rather than traditional politics, 87% of the teens believed social media was a good way to change society.
Jonathan Birdwell, author of the Demos report, said “They could be the most active citizens we have seen in a generation.”What problems are current UK teenagers troubled with according to Demos?
| A．Their bad school image. |
| B．The media’s negative image of them. |
| C．Their false social relationships. |
| D．The difficulty of getting jobs. |
How many people think that the false image is hurting their self-esteem?
| A．800 | B．810 | C．850 | D．1000 |
We can guess the underlined words “binge-drinking” and “yobs” are about .
| A．something bad | B．something good |
| C．students | D．adults |
What can we tell from the passage?
| A．Few young British people are doing good things for the community. |
| B．British teenagers care more about their parents than social issues. |
| C．Young Britons are inactive in trying to prove themselves. |
| D．Young Britons believe social media is a good way to change society. |
There are several reasons for hair loss in women. However, in most cases, treatment is quite effective. Female hair loss patterns in women are not as easily recognizable as they are in men. A woman may experience it temporarily due to pregnancy or illness, although they may experience it for other reasons.
Hair loss can be due to a variety of factors, including a genetic tendency (which is not genetically linked to just one parent—both parents contribute to the tendency to lose hair).
Women who are experiencing hair problems seem to have more limited choices than men. There are some female hair loss treatments that are available such as the Tricomin System which is a topical treatment that is nutrition based. Shen Min for Women is another natural treatment that contains herbs (药草) that are said to stimulate(刺激) hair growth and even restore hair that is graying to its natural color.
The majority of the popular, prove hair loss treatments are only intended for men and are not suitable for women. True, a woman’s hair issue is different from a man’s. The biological makeup is different and the needs are different. Women have different needs and their bodies react in different ways to environmental changes, physical illness and even the treatments that are available. There are many natural treatments such as vitamin and mineral supplements that are said to stimulate hair growth, but, for the most part, these claims are currently unproven.
One of the first and most important factors to effectively treating is to get a diagnosis from a doctor. Talk to your doctor about any symptoms(症状) that you may be experiencing in addition to the thinning hair. Stress, weight loss or gain, illness and depression, all of these can be contributing factors.It can be learned from the lst paragraph that ___________.
| A．usually hair loss is hard to heal. |
| B．female hair loss is more common than the men’s. |
| C．women tend to suffer from hair loss during the pregnant period. |
| D．only illness contributes to hair loss. |
Which of the following statements matches the text about the two treatments?
| A．Both are to solve the problem of male hair loss. |
| B．Tricomin System is effective in speeding the growth of the new hair. |
| C．Shen Min is an updated way of treating hair loss. |
| D．The former is nutrition-based, while the latter is medicine-based. |
The reasons for the differences between the female and male hair loss problems do not include .
| A．The biological structure and composition of the hair |
| B．The wants and needs |
| C．The reactions and responses to the outside changes |
| D．The approach to taking exercise |
The natural treatments __________.
| A．include vitamin and mineral supplements. |
| B．are applied to keep the hair healthy. |
| C．have been proved useful. |
| D．are the most commonly-used ways. |
July is a month of fun-filled activities for kids and teens as long as you know where to find them. When you want some fun activities for July, consider these ideas happening in this month.
| Secret of the Dragon Time Monday, July1, 2014, 10:30 a.m. Cost Adult:$7.40 Children(under15): half Booking Phone the booking office:34032578 Address Brisbane Botanic Gardens Note Secret of the Dragon is a magical story about 2 children who are taken on a dragon ride to explore the universe. |
The Search for life: Are We Alone? Time Thursday, July4, 2014, 2:00 p.m. Cost Adult:$14.50 Children(under15):$8.70 Booking Phone the booking office:34037689 Address Brisbane Botanic Gardens Note Are we truly alone in space? Is there any life out there? These are the questions asked in this show. |
| Magic Class Time Friday, July12, 2014, 10:00 a.m. Cost Free Booking Please call 34038470 to book your Place. Address Centenary Community hub, 171 Dandenong Rd Note Would you like to be a magician? Then join David, the magician, to learn about real magic with playing cards, coins, ring ropes and DIY projects and be able to become the life of the party. |
Science with Me: Making your own guitar Time Saturday, July20, 2014, 3:00 p.m. Cost Free Booking Please call 34031226 to book your Place. Address 10, Egginton Close Note Do you want to make a guitar with Katy and her mum? Science with Me is going to be with you. Please remember to bring a piece of wood, a hammer, some rubber bands and some nails with you. |
Alec is strongly interested in space life. He may go to ________.
| A．Magic Class | B．Science with Me |
| C．Secret of the Dragon | D．The Search for Life |
John and his 10-year-old son want to watch Secret of the Dragon. How much should they pay?
| A．$7.40. | B．$11.10. |
| C．$14.80. | D．$23.20. |
What do the four activities have in common?
| A．They are all free. |
| B．They happen in the same place. |
| C．They are all weekend activities. |
| D．They can all be booked on phone. |
Eve was waiting in the corridor outside her class. She was feeling sick. She had two exams that day and physics was first. She really hated physics. It was her worst subject. Lisa looked back at her, and then looked away quickly. Eve thought she looked guilty. She didn't have a problem with physics. She didn't have a problem with anything... Miss Perfect!
“Hi, Eve! So what's wrong with you and Lisa?” asked Tina, “I thought you were friends.” “Yes, so did I,” said Eve. “But she hasn't spoken to me for two weeks now. She promised to help me review for the physics exam too, but then she’s ignored all my calls and texts.”
While in the exam, Eve found Lisa was holding her phone on her knee under the table and reading from it. Eve couldn’t believe it! Is that how Lisa always got such good grades? She thought about telling the teacher, but she hesitated. The next exam was history. That was Eve’s favorite subject but she couldn't concentrate. She didn't know what to do about Lisa. Just then, Mr. Reed, their teacher, walked past. “Mr. Reed…”
Lisa was called to the teachers’ office and there waited Mr. Reed…
The history test was over. Eve was walking towards the school gate when she heard footsteps behind her. It was Lisa. Eve could see that she had been crying. “Listen,” said Lisa. “I'm really sorry I haven’t answered your calls, but my dad had a heart attack two weeks ago and he’s in hospital. He had a big heart operation today and I was very worried about him. So I was reading texts from my mum, but Mr. Reed caught me. He thought I was cheating. He believes me now, but I have to take the exam again. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you what was happening. Will you forgive me?”The reason for Eve’s feeling sick is most probably that _______.
| A．she found Lisa was looking back at her |
| B．she had to take two exams within one day |
| C．she was worried about the physics exam |
| D．she had been waiting for too long a time |
Lisa didn't help Eve review for the physics exam because _______.
| A．she had to look after her sick father |
| B．she herself was quite bad at physics |
| C．she didn't consider Eve as a true friend |
| D．she was selfish and hated to waste time |
At the end of the story Eve probably felt _______.
| A．confident and optimistic | B．regretful and sorry |
| C．sad and angry | D．glad and inspired |
What lesson can we learn from this passage?
| A．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| B．A life without a friend is a life without sun. |
| C．Old friends and old wines are the best. |
| D．Friendship should be based on trust. |
A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely dipping below 16℃．Rainforests have a great effect on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate．Without the forest cover, these areas would reflect more heat into the atmosphere, warming the rest of the world．Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns, potentially causing certain natural disasters all over the world．
In the past hundred years, humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources（资源）: land for crops, wood for paper and other products, land for raising farm animals．This action affects the environment as a whole．For example, a lot of carbon dioxide（二氧化碳） in the air comes from burning the rainforests．People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit．
There are two main reasons for this．Firstly, when people cut down trees, generally they can only use the land for a year or two．Secondly, cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now, but in the long run it actually reduces the world’s wood supply．
Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store．More than 25% of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests．However, fewer than 1% of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value．It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s reducing rainforests．Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they ______．
| A．reflect more heat into the atmosphere |
| B．bring about high rainfall throughout the world |
| C．rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than 16℃ |
| D．reduce the effect of heat from the sun on the earth |
What does the word “this” underlined in the third paragraph refer to?
| A．We will lose much more than we can gain． |
| B．Humans have begun destroying rainforests． |
| C．People have a strong desire for resources． |
| D．Much carbon dioxide comes from burning rainforests． |
It can be inferred from the text that ______．
| A．we can get enough resources without rainforests |
| B．there is great medicine potential(潜力) in rainforests |
| C．we will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land |
| D．the level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns |
What might be the best title for the text?
| A．How to Save Rainforests |
| B．How to Protect Nature |
| C．Rainforests and the Environment |
| D．Rainforests and Medical Development |
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