Most likely, you aren’t the family breadwinner. But doing a small job or getting a weekly allowance (零花钱) would put some money in your pocket. For kids and grown-ups alike, money is easy to spend. If you aren’t careful, it can be going in no time.
Being responsible with your money is an important skill to learn — and the sooner you start the better. Whether you are tracking your spending or saving for something special, creating a budget can help you deal with your expenses and plan for the future. All you need are paper and a pencil — and some self-control.
First, take a look at our sample monthly budget. Then, use a separate sheet of paper to plan your own. In the first two columns (栏), list your sources (来源) of income and how much you expect to earn from them. In the third and fourth columns, list what you expect to spend your money on and the amount.
The left-hand total should be more than or equal to the right-hand total. If it is, you have an effective budget. Budgets are not complex, but sticking to them can be tough. When planning your budget, be realistic about your expenses. If you know that you drop $18 at a movie, don’t write $12 in that space simply because you wish you were spending less.
If you are eyeing a big purchase, such as a $150 skateboard, spend less and save more until you have the total amount. No matter how attractive it may be, avoid spending your savings. One day, you will thank yourself!
Monthly Income | Amount | Monthly Expense | Amount |
Allowance | $20.00 | Snacks | $20.00 |
Money earned selling drinks | $25.00 | Music downloads | $12.00 |
Money earned babysitting | $12.50 | Movies | $18.00 |
Money earned delivering newspapers | $30.00 | Video rental | $10.00 |
Total | $87.50 | Total | $66.00 |
1.Who is the passage written for?
A. Children. B. Parents.
C. Breadwinners. D. Bank managers.
2.The purpose of making a budget is to help people _________.
A. learn to be realistic B. increase their saving
C. manage their money well D. test their power-control
3.What should people do when planning a budget?
A. Fill in the expenses as they really are.
B. Avoid spending money on expensive things.
C. Set aside a fixed amount of money as savings.
D. List income and expenses on two pieces of paper.
4. Which of the following budgets is effective?
5.The passage mainly tells us _______.
A. the importance of making a budget
B. how to make a budget
C. how to form good habits
D. how to spend money
We all love our parents and turn to them when we’re in need, but would you like them to hear the conversations you have with your friends in the school playground or lunch queue? Social networking sites, such as micro-blog, blog and the Facebook, have actually become extensions of the school hallways（走廊）, so would you add your parents as “friends” and allow them to view your online activities and conversations with friends?
In the past the generation gap included a technology gap, where children were up to date with latest technology and parents were left behind, content to continue their day to day lives as they always had because they had no need to be good at new technology. However, more and more parents are beginning to realize just how important social networks are in their lives. This realization has given many parents the motivation (动机) to educate themselves about social networking sites.
These days many people are attracted to social networking sites because they can choose who they have around them; there’s also a certain amount of control over privacy that we don’t get in real life. Sometimes we feel that privacy is invaded when we must accept a “friend” request from a parent or family member.
It’s a difficult choice whether or not to allow a parent to become a part of our online lives. On the one hand we don’t want to “refuse” their request because that might hurt their feelings or make them feel you have something to hide. On the other hand if you do accept, then you could have a sense of being watched and no longer feel free to comment or communicate the way you did before.
A recent survey suggested that parents shouldn’t take it personally if their child ignores their request: “When a teen ignores a parent’s friend request, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are hiding something, but it could mean that this is one part of their life where they want to be truly independent.”
Perhaps talking with parents and giving explanations would help soften the blow if you do choose not to add them to your friends list.
1.The underlined sentence in paragraph 1 means that _______________.
A. students begin to communicate on some websites
B. students may log in micro-blog on school hallways
C. students can find pictures of hallways on micro-blog
D. schools begin to build their hallways on the Internet
2.According to paragraph 2, parents nowadays __________________.
A. are not content with their life any more
B. are all very good at new technology
C. go to school to learn new technology
D. begin to know their children through network
3.What can we infer from paragraph 3, 4 and 5？
A. People like network because they can choose friends as they like.
B. People cannot keep all their privacy on social networking sites.
C. Children refuse their parents’ “friend” request to hide something
D. Refusing parents “friend” request on the internet will hurt their feelings.
4.According to the passage, if Jack, a 17-year-old high school student refuses a “friend” request from his mother on micro-blog, ____________.
A. it means he will feel being watched and unsafe then
B. it is because Jack wants to own his independence
C. his mother will know that Jack wants to keep privacy
D. a quarrel will break out between Jack and his mother
5.What is the passage mainly taking about?
A. Children are more likely to turn to parents when they need help.
B. Children should be “friends” with their parents in order not to hurt parents.
C. It is a question to children whether to be “friends” with their parents.
D. There are some ways preventing children from hurting parents’ feelings.