You are from a middle-class family, and live in a normal-size home without any showy possessions, but you are surrounded by surprising consumption (消费). This contrast is beginning to bother your 6-year-old son. You are worried that he will want to live as they do, and wonder if you should move.

Sometimes big pocket money, joyful birthday parties, special playrooms and super-big houses tell you that your neighbors probably have more money than you do, and that they’re not as careful as you are with money, but you may find that they cook and dig in the garden with their children just as often as you do, talk with them as freely and read to them every night.

Or you may find that some of these parents stay in one wing of their big house while their child plays by himself, way off in a wing of his own. In that unfortunate case, he is basically growing up alone without being looked after properly, but this can happen to a child who lives in a normal-size horse, too, if he has a TV, a computer and a few video games in his room. Even the most caring parent doesn’t walk in and out of it to see what show her child is watching, what Internet site he has found and if he’s still playing that video game.

Too much uncontrolled screen time may lead to a certain loss of innocence (天真), but mostly this child will lose the sense of unity and satisfaction that comes from being in a family.

A neighborhood should also provide you with a sense of unity and satisfaction, and if it doesn’t, you might decide to move. Don’t judge your neighborhood too harshly (严厉地), though. There are some things that are right with almost any neighborhood and some things that are wrong with the best of them — like those super-big houses. The wealth of their owners — and the way they throw money around — may make your son feel sorry for himself, unless you help him understand that you and his dad save some of the money, give some to people who don’t have enough and use the rest to pay for whatever the family needs.

Children want — should be provided with — explanations when their patents don’t give them what they want .

1.What is the problem with the worried parent in the text?

A． Her house isn’t as big as her rich neighbors’.

B． Her son is left alone without anyone in charge.

C． She cannot provide her son with a special playroom.

D． She worries about the effect of her neighbors on her son.

2.In paragraphs 2 and 3, the author seems to agree that parents should      .

A． spend more time with their children.

B． give their children more freedom.

C． work hard to lead a richer life.

D． set an example for their children to follow

3.By saying “throw money around” (paragraph 5), the author means that rich people      .

A．spend money carelessly              B．save money for their children

C．help the poor people willingly         D．leave money all round the house

4.What is the main idea the author aims to express in the text?

A． Children are unfortunate to have poor parents.

B． Children should enjoy their comfortable life.

C．Children need proper guidance from their parents.

D．Children feel ashamed of themselves in a rich neighborhood.

Mrs. Black doesn’t believe that her son is able to design a digital camera, ______?

 Mrs. Black doesn’t believe her son is able to design a digital camera, _____?

      A．is he  B．does she    C．doesn’t she       D．does he

Normally when I pop in to see my parents, my mum bursts out of the house with a big smile. Not today. "Your brother," she says, "he's showered twice this afternoon. Does he know how much it costs to run this house?" Are we limiting water now? I didn't think the recession(萧条) had got that bad. My poor brother is a boomerang kid. Like 60 percent of guys immediately after university, he's back at home. Graduating ￡15,000 in debt and faced with unpaid internships(实习期) or low wages thanks to the flooding of the market with graduates, a lot of twenty some things simply don't have the necessary income or parental support to live independently.

Three years after getting their degree, most graduates are still not earning above the average salary. They have a near 50 percent tax burden, thanks to student loan repayments and council tax on top of income tax and national insurance. Unless you have parents who can afford to finance what is effectively a second home for them, returning to the parental nest is often the only affordable option.

The boomerang effect is becoming even more pronounced thanks to the recession. One in four of those losing their job during the downturn is under 25. Only 13 percent of final-year students have jobs. Home is the only place many are going: 111,000 16-29 year olds moved back home in 2008, five times the average of previous years.

Boomeranging is bad news. It poses serious problems for parents' finances. They've already supported their children through university, topping up loans with handouts, averaging ￡12,300 in total, to keep twenty somethings afloat. Now their retirement savings are being eaten away by continuously dependent children.

It’s bad for the returning kids too. Ambitious young people will be left frustrated, seeing their university peers from more wealthy backgrounds excel only because parents' money was there to support them through the initial period of poverty wages. Those living in rural areas are further disadvantaged by lack of access to cities where most new jobs are located. Half of all young people now feel they will not achieve their goals. Research by the Prince's Trust reveals that one-quarter of all 16-25 year olds are regularly down or depressed. And depression does not help self-motivation, the very trait needed to seek out job opportunities.

1.In paragraph 1, the mother’s criticizing her son for showering too often shows _________.

A. the price of water has increased

B. she thinks her son is selfish

C. her son is an economic burden

D. she wants to have a shower herself

2.What is the boomerang mentioned in the passage?

A. A person earning low income.

B. A person who has heavy tax burden.

C. A youth who cannot get parental support.

D. A youth returning to parents after graduation.

3.According to the passage, which of the following does NOT contribute to the tax bill of most young graduates?

A. National insurance.      B. Income tax.

C. Council income.      D. Student loans.

4.Who is comparatively most affected by the recession according to the passage?

A. Those who haven’t completed their university studies.

B. Those who are supported through by their parents.

C. Those who can have access to the urban facilities.

D. Those who were born into the well-off families.

5.Which is the best title of the passage?

A. Global Recession

B. Boomerang Kids

C. Unemployment Rate

D. Falling Incomes

The drug store was closing for the night and Alfred Higgins was about to go home when his new boss approached him.
“Empty your pockets please, Alfred,” Sam Carr demanded in a firm voice.
Alfred pretended to be shocked but he knew he’d been caught. From his coat he withdrew a make-up kit, a lipstick and two tubes of toothpaste.
“I’m disappointed in you, Alfred!” said the little gray-haired man.
“Sorry, sir. Please forgive me. It’s the first time I’ve ever done such a thing,” Alfred lied, hoping to gain the old man’s sympathy.
Mr Carr’s brow furrowed as he reached for the phone, “Do you take me for a fool? Let’s see what the police have to say. But first I’ll call your mother and let her know her son is heading to jail.”
“Do whatever you want,” Alfred shot back, trying to sound big. But deep down he felt like a child. He imagined his mother rushing in, eyes burning with anger, maybe in tears. Yet he wanted her to come quickly before Mr. Carr called the police.
Mr. Carr was surprised when Mrs Higgins finally arrived. She was very calm, quiet and friendly. “Is Alfred in trouble?” she asked.
“He’s been stealing from the store,” the old man coolly replied.
Mrs. Higgins put out her hand and touched Mr. Carr’s arm with great gentleness as if she knew just how he felt. She spoke as if she did not want to cause him any more trouble. “What do you want to do, Mr. Carr?”
The woman’s calm and gentle manner disarmed the once-angry store-owner. “I was going to get a cop. But I don’t want to be cruel. Tell your son not to come back here again, and I’ll let it go.” Then he warmly shook Mrs. Higgins’s hand.
Mrs. Higgins thanked the old man for his kindness, then mother and son left. They walked along the street in silence. When they arrived home his mother simply said, “Go to bed, you fool.”
In his bedroom, Alfred heard his mother in the kitchen. He felt no shame, only pride in his mother’s actions. “She was smooth!” he thought. He went to the kitchen to tell her how great she was, but was shocked by what he saw.
His mother’s face looked frightened, broken. Not the cool, bright face he saw earlier. Her lips moved nervously. She looked very old. There were tears in her eyes.
This picture of his mother made him want to cry. He felt his youth ending. He saw all the troubles he brought her and the deep lines of worry in her grey face. It seemed to him that this was the first time he had ever really seen his mother.
【小题1】Which of the following is true according to the passage?