Money was a constant source of tension and stress when I was growing up. My parents were , well-educated and hard-working, but they lived from paycheck to paycheck. When I was 13, they split up. Then my mom to raise three kids, often relying on free lunch tickets and food stamps. As my mother retirement age, she was filled with over the fact that she hadn’t saved enough for her golden retirement years, she often sighed. My father had always been to work—we had always he’d work less and spend more time with us . But he is just a workaholic(工作狂).
My parents were trying so hard to make ends meet, so I couldn’t become a on them. As a result, I college and spent the next couple of years drifting from one minimum wage job to another. I my broken-down car, went to work on foot, reduced my by sharing a one-bedroom apartment with three other women, and got free food during Happy Hour at our local bar. I learned to do whatever it took to .
One night, while I was working at a donut shop and 34 coffee for a homeless customer, I that I was one paycheck away from being homeless myself. That was my wake-up . Motivated by fear of an uncertain , I opened the Yellow Pages(电话黄页), professional dog trainers and negotiated an unpaid apprenticeship(学徒工作). Less than a year later, I was by a dog trainer, and I loved the work. A couple of years later, I started my own dog-training school, which luckily turned out to be . My efforts paid off.
Though I didn’t have rich parents to rely on, I discovered the power of asking for what I want.
1.A. clever B. careful C. greedy D. powerless
2.A. hoped B. struggled C. attempted D. refused
3.A. counted B. imagined C. mentioned D. approached
4.A. curiosity B. disagreement C. anxiety D. happiness
5.A. if B. so C. but D. because
6.A. addicted B. similar C. related D. familiar
7.A. believed B. guessed C. said D. wished
8.A. though B. yet C. instead D. too
9.A. danger B. burden C. challenge D. threat
10.A. dropped out of B. was admitted into C. went in D. went through
11.A. paid for B. cleaned out C. gave away D. fixed up
12.A. clothes B. dinner C. weight D. rent
13.A. survive B. work C. play D. pay
14.A. buying B. making C. tasting D. smelling
15.A. recalled B. promised C. feared D. realized
16.A. sign B. hit C. call D. period
17.A. future B. job C . mood D. family
18.A. searched B. phoned C. invited D. persuaded
19.A. honored B. reminded C. hired D. moved
20.A. hard B. tiring C. efficient D. successful
Investing in yourself
Figuring out how to invest your money can be a difficult task. This is something that you will want to learn how to do.
___1.__ Things that will improve your knowledge, skills or health are all great investments. However, before you start, you need to be clear about what you will gain out of doing all of these things.
You may think investing in yourself means investing in your education. __2.___. There are some other things you can do as well as buying a gym membership or learning a new skill.
So what are some specific things you can do? ___3.___. Reading books can really expand your mind and allow you to learn different skills and gain knowledge. I’m talking about the books where you will actually learn a new skill, not fiction books. You can also take courses and attend seminars. These programs are taught by people with a high level of knowledge or skill. ____4.___. Only in this way can you avoid being fooled by some sales presentation. Moreover, investing in yourself is a safe way to keep your money. Although a savings account is seen as the most secure investment, that isn’t 100% safe. Even if you never experience your bank closing down, the return is little when inflation(通货膨胀) is taken into consideration. ____5.____. But over time, they will show up in terms of your happiness level as well as your level of success.
A.This is just one way.
B.The benefits will stay with you.
C.If you aren’t a reader, you should start with that.
D.The more you do this, the more valuable you will be.
E.Of course, you need to do some research before investing.
F.The best way to invest your money is to invest it in yourself.
G.When you invest in yourself, you may not see gains right away.
The parents of a troubled teen may feel unsure as to whom to turn to in order to find help for their child. They may feel as if they have exhausted all of their options, and sometimes they are on the verge of giving up. But there is hope. Schools for troubled teens offer discipline and in some cases, drug treatment programs that can provide important life skills, and more importantly, a fresh start.
The following is a list of the most effective types of schools for troubled teens. Not every facility is a match for every child, but by knowing the differences between them, parents can make a better educated decision about where to send their teenager.
Boarding Schools
When a child is unable to deal with the relative freedom of a standard school day, boarding schools might be a good choice. At boarding schools, the child lives in a dorm setting, where almost every minute of the day is scheduled by school administrators.
Treatment Centers
When a teenager has an addiction to drugs or alcohol, a residential center that specializes in young people is an outstanding way to help them break the cycle of addiction. Treatment centers feature individual and group counseling to help identify the root causes of the drug problem and help develop the life skills needed to stay clean when the program is over.
Wilderness Programs
Designed to help improve the discipline and self-reliance of the child, wilderness programs send kids back to nature. By placing them in a foreign and sometimes uncomfortable setting, wilderness programs hope to improve children’s behavior. Programs generally include hikes, exercise programs and team building exercises.
Boot Camps
Boot camps are the most extreme style of school for troubled teens. These facilities are modeled after actual military boot camps, where the individual must get into shape, work as part of a team, and follow a long, hard set of rules and regulations. However, boot camps might not be the best choice for a teen with a drug addiction.
1.Who would be the intended readers of the passage?
A. Teachers. B. Parents.
C. Students. D. Experts.
2.As the author suggests, schools for troubled teens______.
A. can be a good choice for some desperate parents
B. can completely help and change troubled teens
C. are becoming popular with teens in trouble
D. care more about discipline than life skills
3.According to the passage, boarding schools_____.
A. provide children with more freedom
B. have their students’ time managed carefully
C. pay much attention to team building exercises
D. can make children feel safer
Taking exams in a large group setting can be stressful for students and for the staff members who are watching over them.
When classrooms are crowded and desks are close together, cheating might be tempting.
One university in Thailand came up with an anti-cheating hat that makes it almost impossible for students to see other students’ papers. A photo of the students wearing the anti-cheating hats made its way to the Internet, and the university was criticized for making students wear those ridiculous looking homemade hats. The hats were made by stapling pieces of paper onto a headband, one to each side of the head.
After being criticized, senior academic staff at Kasetsart University in Bangkok, Thailand, released a statement saying that the hats idea came from students. They said that in a bid to prevent cheating they asked the students for ideas on how to prevent cheating in the upcoming exam, which was being taken by almost one hundred students. Students came up with different ideas, then the paper hat idea was selected by them as the most suitable.
The university claimed that no one was forced to use the hat, but they all chose to do so. “When wearing the hat during the exam, students felt more relaxed, ”Nattadon Rungruangkitkrai, a lecturer at the university said. “It was not meant to indicate that Kasetsart students often cheat on exams. I apologize if the photo makes other people look at my students in a negative way, ”Rungruangkitkrai added.
1.According to the text, in which case cheating will become easy?
A. When desks are crowded into a classroom.
B. When students are too stressful.
C. When too many students are sitting in a classroom.
D. When the staff members who are watching over them are not responsible.
2.Why was the university criticized?
A. The university was too strict.
B. The university made students wear strange looking hats.
C. The university prevented students cheating.
D. The students chose to use the hats.
3.What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
A. The students are not forced to wear the hats when taking the exam.
B. The senior academic staff at the university made the paper hat idea.
C. The students felt more stressful when wearing the hat during the exam.
D. The students don’t like wearing the hats when taking the exam.
4.What’s the best title of the text?
A. How to make the anti-cheating hat
B. Anti-cheating hat was criticized
C. Anti-cheating hat was considered the most suitable choice
D. Anti-cheating hat
A new research of 8,000 young people in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that although love can make adults live healthily and happily, it is a bad thing for young people. Puppy love (早恋) may bring stress for young people and can lead to depression . The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys, and younger girls are the worst of all.
The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is “loss of self”. According to the study, even though boys would say “lose themselves in a romantic relationship”, this “loss of self” is much more likely to lead to depression when it happens to girls. Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions. They won’t tell that to their parents.
Dr Marian Kaufman, an expert on young people problems, says 15% to 20% young people will have depression during their growing. Trying romance often causes the depression. She advises kids not to jump into romance too early. During growing up, it is important for young people to build strong friendships and a strong sense of self. She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends, attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family.
Parents should watch for signs of depression—eating or mood changes —and if they see signs from their daughters or sons, they need to give help. The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age. Love will always make us feel young, but only maturity gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects.
1. Which of the following is more likely to have depression?
A. Young people who have a strong sense of selfishness.
B. Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior.
C. Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions.
D. Careless parents whose children are deep in love.
2. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Lacking love can lead young people to grow up more quickly.
B. The older a woman is，the less likely she seems to lose herself in romance.
C. Early love makes young people keep close to their friends and parents.
D. Parents should help their children to be aware of the signs of depression.
3.What’s the author’s attitude towards puppy love?
A. Confused. B. Disinterested.
C. Scared. D. Disapproving.
4.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. Parents should forbid their children’s love.
B. Puppy love may bring young people depression.
C. Romance is a two edged sword for adults.
D. Romance is good for young people.
When Nancy Lublin got $5,000 from her grandpa in 1996, she never once considered taking a vacation or paying off student loans .Instead, the 24-year-old New York University law student began thinking about helping low-income women get better jobs. "If a woman goes for a job interview poorly dressed, she won't get the job." Lublin says. “ But without a job, she can't afford suitable clothes."
So with the money Lublin founded "Dress for Success” and began collecting women's clothes which were still in good condition but which their owners no longer needed. "So many women have clothes lying around that they will never wear again," one of Lublin's assistants says "Nancy's idea is so simple and yet so important to women."
Many women come to Lublin's office before going to a job interview. Here, they receive a suit, shoes and any other things they need, Since it was set up, more than 1,000 women have turned to "Dress for Success" for help. Many of them have won jobs. Some have round jobs after being out of work for many years. Jenny, a 32-year-old woman who was recently hired as a law-firm office manager says, "I made a good impression because of “Dress for Success”
1.What can we learn from the text?
A. Nancy's grandfather lent her the money to set up the office.
B. Nancy set up "Dress for Success" to make money
C. Low-income women can get jobs at "Dress for Success"
D. Nancy's office gathers used clothes from women
2."Dress for Success" attracts many women because they_______
A. need to look smart when looking for a job
B. like the design of the dresses
C. prefer buying clothes at a low price
D. like to wear different clothes.
3.From what Jenny says, we know that ______.
A .clothes from Nancy's office helped to get her a job.
B. she is working happily at her present job
C. she got a lot of good ideas from Nancy
D. "Dress for Success" has a good business relation with her firm.
4.What would be a good title for the text?
A. Keep Your Old Clothes
B. A Successful Clothing Business
C. Nancy: A Successful Law Student.
D. A Helping Hand for Women
