D

Starting a bank a child’s play? Absolutely, if you ask some enterprising youngsters in India, who have not only managed to establish one, but also, unlike many of the large International banks, run it successfully since 2001. What’s even more impressive is that the young bankers and their 90,004---clients(委托人) are all homeless!

The Children’s Development Khazana (treasure) opened its first branch in 2001 at a homeless shelter in New Deli as a way to help the street children protect their hard-earned money from thieves. Since then, the idea has caught on like wildfire.

Today, Khazana has 12 branches all across New Deli, with a total of Rupees 12lakh (about 22,000USD) in deposits. Not only that, there are now 77 branches in other parts of Asia, ranging from Nepal, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to the island of Sri Lanka, and even Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia. While no deposit or balance is too small for the bank, they do have strict regulations about where the money is earned from. Funds obtained by begging or selling drugs are not welcomed at this bank !

Also, unlike the real banks, all employees are volunteers , which means that they go to school or a paying job during the day and work at the bank in the evening. To ensure that everybody gets a chance to participate in running the branch, two volunteer managers are elected from the clients base every six months.

Karan, the current manager is just 14-year-old. During the day he earns a living by helping out the cleaning workmates at wedding banquets and other big parties. In the evening, he handles the deposits(存款)and withdrawals(取款)in the bank. After the bank closes, he along with an adult volunteer from the shelter head over to a regular bank and deposit the funds collected into Khazana’s interest-bearing bank account and though it started with one single purpose. The Children’s Development Khazana is today a well-developed bank, one kids can not only deposit money which earns them 5% interest, but also, request loans for family emergencies, to start a business or even to pay for school.

1.The initial aim of starting the Children’s Development Khazana is to______.

A. provide for jobs for homeless children

B. help homeless families with emergencies

C. sponsor homeless children to go to school

D. safeguard homeless children’s hard-earned money

2.The children’s Development Khazana is different from regular banks in that_______.

A. all its workers are street children

B. it pays its customers no interest

C. customers can be made its managers

D. it opens in the evening six month a year

3.According to the passage, the Children’s Development Khazana________.

A. welcomes all money, however small it is

B. offers more and better service than before

C. is run by a 14-year-old boy, Karan alone

D. has more than 70 branches across India

Everybody knows the saying “Two steps forward and three steps back”. That described my life pretty well as a single mom. I was raising two teenagers on a teacher’s aide’s salary. It wasn’t nearly enough to cover the bills, so I moonlighted as a waitress. Every time I thought that I had found a solution to my money worries, something would fall through and I would end up feeling worse off than before.

The next evening at the restaurant I tried on my apron, wishing I could be home with my kids. I walked up to my first table. Around it was a cheerful older couple. The woman gave me a smile that warmed me. I couldn’t help but notice her unusual glass ring. “What a beautiful ring,” I said. We chatted for a minute then I took their order and left. When I came back with their drinks, the woman held out her ring. “I would like to give this to you,” she said.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t,” I said, embarrassed.

She gently placed the ring in my hand and closed my fingers around it. “It’s yours,” she said. “Please accept it and your things are going to be okay.” Right there at their table in the middle of the restaurant I broke down in tears. “Thank you for giving me hope,” I said.

Long after that night, that sense of peace stayed with me. I knew the right job would come in time. Nine months later it did. I got a better position at another school and I started waitressing at a restaurant where I was allowed to spend more time with my kids.

Now in these tough times, I have money worries again, but they don’t get me down. I know things will turn out okay. And when I wear that unusual glass ring, I’m reminded I’m not alone.

1.From the saying “Two steps forward and three steps back”, it means the writer_______.

A.liked stepping forward and backward

B.had difficulty raising her family

C.couldn’t walk regular like other people

D.wanted to look for a better job

2.The writer worked as a waitress in the restaurant in order to_______.

A.live with her children

B.serve the older couple

C.search for a glass ring

D.make more money

3.Hearing the woman’s words, the writer felt .

A.moved

B.embarrassed

C.puzzled

D.successful

4.From the fifth paragraph we can know the writer believed that_______.

A.her children loved her very much

B.she could find a better restaurant

C.the glass ring would bring her good luck

D.it was easy to get a right job

5.Now the writer’s attitude toward her life is_______.

A.positive B.disappointed

C.proud D.worried

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