Laws that would have ensured pupils from five to 16 received a full financial education got lost in the ‘wash up’. An application is calling on the next government to bring it back.
At school the children are taught to add up and subtract(减法) but, extraordinarily, are not routinely shown how to open a bank account — let alone how to manage their finances in an increasingly complex and demanding world.
Today the parenting website Mumsnet and the consumer campaigner Martin Lewis have joined forces to launch an online application to make financial education a compulsory element of the school curriculum in England. Children from five to 16 should be taught about everything from pocket money to pensions, they say. And that was exactly the plan preserved in the Children, Schools and Families bill that was shelved by the government in the so-called “wash-up” earlier this month — the rush to legislation before parliament was dismissed. Consumer and parent groups believe financial education has always been one of the most frustrating omissions of the curriculum.
As the Personal Finance Education Group (Pfeg) points out, the good habits of young children do not last long. Over 75% of seven- to 11-year-olds are savers but by the time they get to 17, over half of them are in debt to family and friends. By this age, 26% see a credit card or overdraft(透支) as a way of extending their spending power. Pfeg predicts that these young people will “find it much harder to avoid the serious unexpected dangers that have befallen many of their parents' generation unless they receive good quality financial education while at school.”
The UK has been in the worst financial recession(衰退)for generations. It does seem odd that — unless parents step in — young people are left in the dark until they are cruelly introduced to the world of debt when they turn up at university. In a recent poll of over 8,000 people, 97% supported financial education in schools, while 3% said it was a job for parents.
1.The passage is mainly about _____________.
A. how to manage school lessons
B. how to deal with the financial crisis
C. teaching young people about money
D. teaching students how to study effectively
2.It can be inferred from the first two paragraphs that __________.
A. the author complains about the school education
B. pupils should not be taught to add up and subtract
C. students have been taught to manage their finances
D. laws on financial education have been effectively carried out
3. The website and the consumer campaigner joined to _________.
A. instruct the pupils to donate their pocket money
B. promote the connection of schools and families
C. ask the government to dismiss the parliament
D. appeal for the curriculum of financial education
4.According to Pfeg, ___________.
A. it is easy to keep good habits long
B. teenagers spend their money as planned
C. parents are willing to pay the debt for their kids
D. it will be in trouble if the teenagers are left alone
5.A poll is mentioned to ___________.
A. stress the necessity of the curriculum reform
B. show the seriousness of the financial recession
C. make the readers aware of burden of the parents
D. illustrate some people are strongly against the proposal
Is early childhood education really necessary? Early childhood education primarily focuses on learning through playing to develop the child’s physical, sensory, communicational and social development．Early childhood education has become a concern of the government, who pushes poor children to be formally trained before they are old enough for Kindergarten．
There are good reasons for the government to push early childhood education．Studies have shown that orphaned children who did not receive good care and education become developmentally delayed causing failure in school, and even in life．Further studies show that poor children who take part in Head Start programs are more prepared for school, less likely to end up in Special Education classes, and are less likely to receive public help or go to jail．
There are also negative parts to putting a child in formal education programs too early．Time Magazine online explains that “the younger the child the less his chances of catching up with first-grade work．” I have personally witnessed many children of my generation who went to Head Start programs become frustrated and bored with school before they finished high school．Yet parents have been sure that the earlier the child starts school, the better off he or she is, so they push to start children earlier．
Actually while early formal education of poor children does show great gains in the early elementary years, studies also show that this head start is really a “false start”, as the gains are lost in middle and high school years．It seems that environment is a bigger factor on life’s success than early education．Head Start programs have not achieved its original goal in closing the achievement gap in poor and middle school children．Perhaps it is time to find other ways to close that gap．
1.The purpose of the government valuing the early childhood education is ________．
A．to develop the children’s communication
B．to give orphaned children good care and education
C．to get the children prepared for the kindergarten
D．to train the children formally and regularly
2.According to the studies, which of the following is True?
A．Children with good early education may have a rich life．
B．The orphaned children are usually unhappy in their life．
C．Children without early education can do well at school．
D．Head Start programs are helpful to the poor children．
3.“the younger the child the less his chances of catching up with first-grade work．” suggests that _________．
A．the early childhood education is helpless to the child’s grade
B．it is good for the young children to receive early education
C．the early education can help the children follow the grade
D．the younger the children are, the cleverer they will be
4.The author’s attitude toward the early childhood education is _________．
A．puzzling B．objective C．indifferent D．approving
5.The main idea of the last passage is that __________．
A．the early childhood education is very necessary
B．Head Start programs have helped the children a lot
C．environment is the most important to life’s success
D．better ways should be found to help the poor children
Breathe, wave and smile. Along with more than 300 other seniors, I marched into the stadium on the afternoon of May 10. The audience burst into deafening cheers. The huge stadium shook with all the whistling and clapping.
It was as if a Hollywood superstar had walked on stage. And indeed, every single senior that day was a star of the moment. Each deserved it. The seniors had been preparing for four years for this once-in-a-lifetime moment—the commencement (graduation ceremony).
Seated, I waited anxiously for the opening address. As a foreign exchange student, I was not able to receive a diploma. However, I still had the wonderful feeling of being part of things. Like the other graduates, I was dressed in marron cap and gown.
Our principal, Mr. Glover, delivered a short, warm greeting. The US national anthem followed and then, hands on chests, a solemn Pledge of Allegiance(美国的爱国誓言).
Students who had excelled academically gave farewell speeches. The tears in some eyes convinced me that many had deep feelings about the occasion. It was as the class motto says, “Life brings us tears, smiles and memories. The tears dry; the smiles fade; but the memories last forever.”
Then came the core (the most important part) of the commencement. Hundreds of names were announced. Each graduate walked across the stage to receive his or her diploma from the principal. From the different cheers each graduate got, we had the funny sense that it was a kind of competition of who could cheer the loudest.
To be honest, the presentation of diplomas got boring. A girl sitting next to me even started yawning. But it wasn’t boring for those receiving the diploma: they would treasure the moment the principal placed the sacred brown document in their hands for the rest of their lives.
A new page in the book of that person’s life had turned. They were glimpsing their futures: futures of challenge, hardship, perhaps loneliness too, which would take all of their courage.
1.What’s the article mainly about?
A. An American high school’s graduation ceremony.
B. The opening ceremony of a sports meeting.
C. A presentation of college diplomas.
D. A US college’s farewell party.
2.Which of the following statements about the author is FALSE?
A. She was one of the graduates.
B. She was a foreign exchange student.
C. She was excited to receive her diploma.
D. She felt it great to be at the ceremony.
3.The right order of the following events is______.
a. Diplomas were presented to graduates.
b. Students gave farewell speeches.
c. The US national anthem was played.
d. The principal gave a short, warm speech.
e. Seniors went into the stadium.
A. b,c,a,d,e B. c,d,b,e,a C. d,b,e,a,c D. e,d,c,b,a
4.From the text, we can conclude that_______.
A. a diploma ensures a good job
B. a diploma guarantees a bright future
C. the commencement symbolizes the beginning of a new stage in life
D. everyone felt excited at the presentation of the diploma
5.According to the passage, which of the following statement is true?
A. Hollywood superstars went to attend the commencement.
B. Every single senior became a superstar on the commencement day.
C. All graduates would treasure the diploma for the rest of their lives.
D. When each graduate got his or her diploma, there were loud cheers.
An old problem is getting new attention in the United States—bullying．Recent cases included the tragic case of a fifteen-year-old girl whose family moved from Ireland．She hanged herself in Massachusetts in January following months of bullying．Her parents criticized her school for failing to protect her．Officials have brought criminal charges against several teenagers．
Judy Kaczynski is president of an anti-bullying group called Bully Police USA．Her daughter Tina was the victim of severe bullying starting in middle school in the state of Minnesota．She said, "Our daughter was a very outgoing child．She was a bubbly personality, very involved in all kinds of things, had lots of friends．And over a period of time her grades fell completely．She started having health issues．She couldn't sleep．She wasn't eating．She had terrible stomach pains．She started clenching her jaw and grinding her teeth at night．She didn't want to go to school．"
Bullying is defined as negative behavior repeated over time against the same person． It can involve physical violence．Or it can be verbal — for example, insults or threats．Spreading lies about someone or excluding a person from a group is known as social or relational bullying．
And now there is cyberbullying, which uses the Internet, e-mail or text messages．It has easy appeal for the bully because it does not involve face-to-face contact and it can be done at any time．
The first serious research studies into bullying were done in Norway in the late 1970s．The latest government study in the United States was released last year．It found that about one-third of students age twelve to eighteen were bullied at school．
Susan Sweater is a psychologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and co-director of the Bullying Research Network．She says schools should treat bullying as a mental health problem to get bullies and victims the help they need．She says bullying is connected to depression, anxiety and anti-social behavior, and bullies are often victims themselves．
1.From the case of Tina, we can know that ．
A．bullying is rare B．victims suffered a lot
C．schools are to blame D．personalities are related
2.Which of the following is NOT bullying?
A．To beat someone repeatedly．
B．To call someone names．
C．To isolate someone from friends．
D．To refuse to help someone in need．
3.Why is cyberbullying appealing to the bully?
A．Because it can involve more people．
B．Because it can create worse effects．
C．Because it is more convenient．
D．Because it can avoid cheating．
4.According to Susan Sweater, ．
A．bullies are anti-social
B．bullies should give victims help
C．students are not equally treated
D．bullies themselves also need help
5.Which of the following can be the best title of the text?
A．Bullying—Old Irish Girl Committed Suicide
B．15-Year-Old Irish Girl Committed Suicide
C．Cyberbullying-Taking Off in Schools
D．How to Find Bullying among Teens
Even though it was only October, my students were already whispering about Christmas plans．With each passing day everyone became more ____ waiting for the final school bell．Upon its ____ everyone would run for their coats and go home, everyone except David.
David was a small boy in ragged clothes．I had often ____ what kind of home life David had, and what kind of mother could send her son to school dressed so ____ for the cold winter months, without a coat, boots, or gloves．But something made David ____．I can still remember he was always ____ a smile and willing to help．He always ____ after school to straighten chairs and mop the floor．We never talked much．He ____ just simply smile and ask what else he could do, then thank me for letting him stay and slowly ____ home.
Weeks passed and the ____ over the coming Christmas grew into restlessness until the last day of ____ before the holiday break．I smiled in ___ as the last of them hurried out the door．Turning around I saw David ____ standing by my desk.
“I have something for you，” he said and ____ from behind his back a small box．____ it to me, he said anxiously, “Open it.” I took the box from him, thanked him and slowly unwrapped it．I lifted the lid and to my ____ saw nothing．I looked at David’s smiling face and back into the box and said, “The box is nice, David, but it’s ____.”
“Oh no it isn’t，” said David．“It’s full of love．My mum told me before she died that love was something you couldn’t see or touch unless you know it’s there.”
Tears filled my eyes ____ I looked at the proud dirty face that I had rarely given ____ to．After that Christmas, David and I became good friends and I never forgot the meaning ___ the little empty box set on my desk.
1.A．anxious B．courageous C．serious D．cautious
2.A．warning B．ringing C．calling D．yelling
3.A．scolded B．wondered C．realized D．learned
4.A．modestly B．naturally C．inaccurately D．inappropriately
5.A．popular B．upset C．special D．funny
6.A．expressing B．delivering C．wearing D．sharing
7.A．practiced B．wandered C．studied D．stayed
8.A．would B．should C．might D．could
9.A．aim at B．turn to C．put off D．head for
10.A．argument B．excitement C．movement D．judgment
11.A．school B．year C．education D．program
12.A．relief B．return C．vain D．control
13.A．weakly B．sadly C．quietly D．helplessly
14.A．searched B．found C．raised D．pulled
15.A．Holding B．Handing C．Sending D．Leaving
16.A．delight B．expectation C．appreciation D．surprise
17.A．cheap B．empty C．useless D．improper
18.A．as B．until C．because D．though
19.A．advice B．support C．attention D．command
20.A．from B．behind C．over D．towards
-----How good the news is for you!
------ ______________．
A. You are friendly to tell me B. I'm glad to see that
C. It's kind of you to say so D. It's nice to hear from you
