One potential prolem with allowances (零用钱) is that children’s reponsible behavior can become about earning the allowance rather than the intrinsic (固有的) value of their family responsibilities. For example, if you pay your children for taking out the trash, they see this chore (家务事) as a job that they should be rewarded for instead of a responsibility they must fulfil as part of the family. But giving children an allowance for weekly chores is not necessarily bad. You are rewarding them for fulfilling their family responsibilities, but it is not for a specific act. Rather, it is an appreciation of their commitment to your family values.You are also conveying another important message that their actions have consequences: if they do good things, good things happen. They also learn a lesson about the market economy, namely, that work is rewarded.

Allowances can also be used as punishment and to teach children lessons about family values. For example, if your children join a group of kids smashing (炸碎) pumpkins on Halloween, a part of a reasonable punishment might be to require them to pay the families out of their allowances to replace the pumpkins. Thus, your children learn that bad behavior has financial consequences. Also, by relating the punishment to the misdeed, you ensure that your children see the connection and learn the value lesson.

How much allowance should you pay your children? The precise amount depends on your family’s financial situation, the cost of living and your children’s needs. Children can start to earn a weekly allowance as early as 5 years of age. An increase of $1 per week for each year of your children’s lives is realistic until they reach their mid-teens. When they begin to drive and date, you can calculate their expenses and establish a reasonable allowance that covers their needs.

64. How many advantages of giving allowances are mentioned in the passage?

One.          B.Two.      C.Three.        D.Four.

65. According to the author,_____     .

    A.giving children an allowance for weekly chores will certainly cause problems

    B.it is better to reward children for fulfilling family responsibilities than for a specific act

    C.you can’t give your chidren allowances unless they do good deeds

 D.it is unnecessary for small children to learn about the market economy

66.The precise allowance amount you should pay your chidren depends on all the following factors EXCEPT  ___  .

the living standard in your area

how rich or poor your family is

how much other children receive

the actual needs of your chidren

67. It can be inferred that________.

A.The author doesn’t want to give any tips on allowance amounts

B. allowance given to chidren of different ages may vary

C.children under 5 can’t be given any allowance

D. allowance amounts grow at the same speed with your chidren

Health insurance can be very expensive. Some working people do not make enough money to pay for it. In the US there is a program called Healthy Families. This program offers people health insurance at a low cost.

Families are charged about $7.00 a month for every child, and $10.00 for every adult. It costs much less than any other kind of health insurance. Having health insurance is very important. With this insurance, people can see a doctor when they are sick or hurt.

The program is not expensive at all, but many people are still not enrolling in it. People say that it still costs too much money. They need all of their money to pay for things like food and rent.

    It would be great if everyone could have health insurance. People are working hard to come up with ways to make this happen. One idea is to make the Healthy Families Program free for some people.

    It is important for people to see a doctor when they need to. The Healthy Families Program makes it possible for more people to do this. Many ideas are being considered. Hopefully some of them will allow even more families to get health insurance.

    The Healthy Families Program is made to help those who don’t have welfare (社会保障金) and cannot earn enough to pay for private health insurance. It is an important program, but officials say that too many people are signing up for it and then dropping out because of the Healthy Families Program’s cost.

1. The aim of the Healthy Families Program is to __________.

A. help people earn more and pay for the program

B. help more families get health insurance

C. make it free for people to see a doctor

D. help families pay for private health insurance

2.If a couple has two children, how much would health insurance cost every month in the family?

A. $24.              B. $28.              C. $34.              D. $40.

3.Why is it very important for people to have health insurance?

A. They can afford to see a doctor when they need to.

B. They can get special medical care.

C. They can see a doctor free of charge.

D. They can go to see a doctor as soon as possible.

4.In the passage we can learn all of the following EXCEPT that __________.

A. health insurance is very important for ordinary people

B. the program is still too expensive for many people

C. people should make more money to pay for private health insurance

D. many people don’t make enough money to pay for health insurance

5.The passage is mainly about __________.

A. health insurance at a low cost        B. the benefits of health insurance

C. the cost of health insurance          D. the Healthy Families Program

Health insurance can be very expensive. Some working people do not make enough money to pay for it. In the US there is a program called Healthy Families. This program offers people health insurance at a low cost.
Families are charged about ￥7.00 a month for every child, and ￥10.00 for every adult. It costs much less than any other kind of health insurance. Having health insurance is very important. With this insurance, people can see a doctor when they are sick or hurt.
The program is not expensive at all, but many people are still not enrolling in it. People say that it still costs too much money. They need all of their money to pay for things like food and rent.
It would be great if everyone could have health insurance. People are working hard to come up with ways to make this happen. One idea is to make the Healthy Families Program free for some people.
It is important for people to see a doctor when they need to. The Healthy Families Program makes it possible for more people to do this. Many ideas are being considered. Hopefully some of them will allow even more families to get health insurance.
The Healthy Families Program is made to help those who don’t have welfare (社会保障金) and cannot earn enough to pay for private health insurance. It is an important program, but officials say that too many people are signing up for it and then dropping out because of the Healthy Families Program’s cost.
【小题1】 The aim of the Healthy Families Program is to __________.