1 . Across the country, October is National Financial Planning Month, a time when you might want to look back on your retirement statement or rethink investments (投资) for the new year. The month also serves as a good reminder to teach the ones you love a thing or two about money basics. Whether it’s explaining the value of a dollar or delayed enjoyment for a beloved toy, you can explain to children where money comes from, how best to keep it, and the ways that you can use well-earned cash to shape the world we live in.
Financial literacy, simply put, is the know-how to prepare, track expenses, save, plan for retirement, and manage debt. Money-saving expert Andrea Woroch says it’s never too early to start talking about finances, and it can be as simple as taking them shopping or doing everyday tasks around the house. “Your children learn from your habits and the way you spend or save and even talk about money will shape how your children manage money in the future, even if you don’t realize it,” says Woroch.
Most people think that the easiest way to teach their kids about money is to let them watch what they do — from the convenience store to online shopping. But the right way is to practice being a role model of what you hope they (and you) would do when faced with money problems or opportunities.
Woroch says including kids in setting up a budget (预算) for an upcoming event can be a great learning experience. When you have to make a budget cut, think before you complain. Watch how you talk about sacrificing (牺牲) short-term pleasure for long-term gain.
If your family is doing well despite economic downturn, you can teach your kids to appreciate what they have and encourage them to help others in need. Ramirez, a senior advisor at Tend, suggests that parents “increase children’s awareness about how money can benefit others, not just themselves, by encouraging them to raise money for a cause.” This is also a great way to develop their social awareness.
1. Why should kids have financial literacy?A.To avoid debts. | B.To obtain happiness. |
C.To become experts. | D.To form a smart view towards money. |
A.Setting a good example. | B.Opening an online store. |
C.Asking them to shop alone. | D.Making them solve money issues. |
A.Parents praise children’s efforts. | B.Parents donate money for charity. |
C.Children save money for a cause. | D.Children make money by themselves. |
2 . The Miyun Reservoir (水库) near Beijing plays an important role in providing water to the capital. But not many people know this major project was actually designed by a group of university students as their graduation project. In 1959, under Jiang Nanxiang, the then headmaster of Tsinghua University, who encouraged his students to combine theory with practice, students from the Department of Hydraulic Engineering set about the project.
This is one of the stories told in the new season of Century Masters, which focuses on 11 noted educators, among them Peking University head Cai Yuanpei, promoter of mass education Tao Xingzhi and physical education advocate Jiang Nanxiang, which aired on China Education Television in March, 2024.
Produced by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Century Masters is dedicated to people renowned for their mastery in different areas. Earlier seasons focused on famous artists, architects and writers. According to Chen Hong, the general director for the series, the new season seeks to preserve and protect the educational practices, ideas and progress of the subjects, and nurture young people in the process. “We want to crystallize the wisdom and sweat of countless educators, a precious heritage for future generations, and open a window to showcase the country’s progress. Many of them also made great achievements in other areas. This series, however, focuses on their contributions to education”, says Chen.
Unlike artists who produce physical creations, the contributions of educators are often theoretical, and so are difficult to show visually. To deal with this, the series brought the educators to life by illustrating their ideas through snapshots (快照) of their work and life. The two episodes (一集) about Ma Yuehan, a pioneer in advocating for physical education at Tsinghua University, explore his habit of regular exercise maintained since childhood, his participation in national and international competitions at university, and the way in which he benefited from being in good health.
1. What do we know about the Miyun Reservoir from the passage?A.It was finished in the year 1959. |
B.Its historical importance has not been fully recognized. |
C.It was designed by the headmaster of Tsinghua University. |
D.It is a product of Tsinghua University’s advanced teaching philosophy. |
A.To introduce Chinese experts of all fields. |
B.To dig into the all-around achievements of great educators. |
C.To record the educational practices and ideas of noted educators. |
D.To call upon young people to contribute to Chinese education. |
A.To highlight his educational contribution. |
B.To serve as an example of the practice above. |
C.To prove the importance of physical education. |
D.To showcase his achievement in physical competitions. |
A.Heroes of Education in Century Masters |
B.Protectors of Heritage in Century Masters |
C.Physical and Academic Education in Tsinghua University |
D.Theoretical and Practical Education in Tsinghua University |
1. 劳动的益处:
2. 自己的劳动体验:
3. 发出倡议。
注意:
1.写作词数应为80左右;2.开头结尾已给出,可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
Good morning, everyone!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Thanks for Listening!
4 . When my three-year-old cousin didn’t get his way and hit his mother in anger, there were immediate consequences (后果): his father calmly and firmly made it clear that this behaviour was unacceptable, and he had to apologise. Then, he lost the honor of playing with his Christmas toys for the rest of the day.
The most important goal of discipline (管教) is teaching children and teenagers self-management and responsible decision-making. It is not about control but instead using positive discipline. When children know what will happen, they can make choices. Parents benefit, too, from having a plan of how they will respond to specific behaviour rather than reacting in anger.
Taking responsibility and repairing harm by making changes is a powerful consequence that teaches young people about the impacts of their behaviour on others. If an older child has hurt a friend’s feelings, coaching them in talking it through and apologising.
A.Sometimes, a discussion is needed. |
B.This was a painful experience for the little boy! |
C.It can be useless to focus on fixing the problem. |
D.Therefore, it is very important that parents stay calm. |
E.Typically, consequences can be thought of in three categories. |
F.Those who were harmed feel heard, and relationships are repaired. |
G.Overall, positive discipline aims to help children become responsible, independent, and kind. |
I offer to pay you $200 in one year if you give me $190 today. Good deal or bad deal? It’s the kind of math problem you might encounter in real life,
A survey in 2022 funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation found that 61 percent of parents of students said math education should be “relevant to the real world”
Harvard has a personal finance course in the
In most high schools, personal finance classes are light on math, and math classes are
There is a
In conclusion, the integration of math and personal finance in education is not just an academic pursuit, but a
A.similar to | B.as opposed to | C.compared with | D.coupled with |
A.lifting | B.lowering | C.forgetting | D.struggling |
A.awful | B.forced | C.perfect | D.temporary |
A.apply to | B.pass down | C.identify with | D.kick off |
A.for | B.but | C.and | D.so |
A.breathing | B.rolling | C.quoting | D.introducing |
A.politics | B.economics | C.mathematics | D.physics |
A.Traditionally | B.Constantly | C.Frequently | D.Thankfully |
A.restore | B.recover | C.reconsider | D.retell |
A.lacking | B.sufficient | C.absent | D.present |
A.depressing | B.amazing | C.challenging | D.motivating |
A.combination | B.separation | C.application | D.publication |
A.regional | B.local | C.national | D.individual |
A.learn | B.increase | C.examine | D.manage |
A.practical | B.regrettable | C.miserable | D.relaxing |
6 . The University of Birmingham is the first excellent UK Russell Group university to announce that it will accept the “Gaokao” exam for high-flying Chinese students wishing to join its undergraduate courses in 2019. High school students who complete the “National Higher Education Entrance Examination”, or Gaokao, with top grades will be able to apply for direct entry onto Birmingham degree programmes without first completing a foundation year which is a routine for the freshman.
University of Birmingham Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir David Eastwood said: “The University of Birmingham has been challenging and developing great minds for more than a century. We welcome people from around the globe to study at Birmingham and Chinese students form an integral part of our education and research community. We are further opening access to Birmingham’s wealth of education opportunities for the brightest and most dedicated Chinese students by accepting this strict and important qualification. I look forward to welcoming these high-flying students to the University of Birmingham.”
Gaokao is increasingly accepted by universities in Australia, the USA, Canada and mainland Europe. Birmingham will only be considering high quality students who achieve a minimum 80% Gaokao score and meet additional academic and English language requirements.
Professor J on Frampton, Director of the University of Birmingham’s China Institute said: “The University of Birmingham has a long history of educating students from China and one of our most famous graduates is Li Siguang — the founding father of Chinese geology. I am delighted that the University is now accepting the Gaokao. This gives the brightest and best Chinese students an opportunity to move straight into the first year of our undergraduate programmes and experience the benefits of studying at a global Top 100 university, such as Birmingham.”
1. What do Chinese students have to do to enter the University of Birmingham before 2019?A.Go through a foundation year. |
B.Prepare Birmingham degree programmers. |
C.Get the right to permanent residency. |
D.Score over 800% of the university’s qualification examination. |
A.The foreign students in China. | B.All people living in the UK. |
C.The students of the UK. | D.Chinese students. |
A.Negative. | B.Supportive. | C.Indifferent. | D.Neutral. |
A.The introduction to the “Gaokao” of China. |
B.The history of the University of Birmingham. |
C.The high-quality students accepted by top universities. |
D.The University of Birmingham’s acceptance of Gaokao. |
7 . The ranking of universities and colleges at the national global level is a well-known doubtful practice. Imperfect approaches generate inaccurate results of these institutions. Nowadays, prestigious (有威望的) law and medical schools have started to walk away from this “evaluation”.
There are two obvious methodological problems with all of this. One is that the numerical rankings suffer from false precision. Is there really a difference between No.10 and No.11 in the undergraduate (本科生) school rankings? Johns Hopkins University famously had a plan called“10 by 20”with the goal of getting to No.10 by 2020. Hopkins is a great undergraduate institution — whether it’s No.10 or No.11 is meaningless, but it did indeed make it into the top 10 ahead of schedule, which no doubt delighted its trustees and students.
The other methodological problem is that rankings reward those schools that promote measurements by admitting students who have had the advantages of better pre-college education and test preparation coaching, and whose wealth will make them likely future donors. Equally worthy applicants without such resources will fail to enter the schools.
The good news is that in recent months, a reckoning (清算) has begun. Last September, Columbia University chose not to participate in the undergraduate rankings after an enterprising professor discovered that the school was fudging its own numbers. If Columbia’s data were corrected, it would drop from No. 2 to No. 18. Two months later, law schools began pushing back. Yale and Harvard Law Schools announced that they would refuse to provide data to U. S. News, and several outstanding law schools followed suit.
This resistance to rankings has now begun in the world of science. This is a great sign. In announcing its decision, the dean of Washington University’s medical school said, “…it is time to stop participating in a system that does not serve our students or their future patients.”
1. Why does the author mention Johns Hopkins University?A.To share an experience. | B.To give specific example. |
C.To make a detailed comparison. | D.To illustrate a complicated concept. |
A.Its data was not based on facts. |
B.It was left behind by other universities. |
C.It didn’t think the system served their students. |
D.Other universities chose to refuse to participate in the rankings. |
A.Objective. | B.Indifferent. | C.Supportive. | D.Opposed. |
A.Resistance to Educational Rankings |
B.The Ranking of Universities and Colleges |
C.Educational Rankings: Scientific or Imperfect |
D.Reasons for Universities’ Refusal of Rankings |
8 . My daughter will turn 17 in three months! As a parent, I feel the urgency (紧迫) to teach her important skills before she goes off to college.
Start the savings habit. Start to set aside money for the future now, while you are young.
Be careful with credit cards. When you go to college, you may find credit card companies often attract you to sign up for their credit cards. They will try to convince you that a credit card is like having free money for you to spend while you only pay the smallest amount each month.
Be a smart shopper. Plan ahead weekly by making a shopping list and stick to the list. Consider using recipes (食谱) that use low-cost, healthy materials.
A.Write down your needs and wants |
B.This idea of money can be very dangerous |
C.Get a part-time job when you're old enough |
D.Now put aside some money when you have any income |
E.Eat before you shop to avoid a sudden wish to buy something |
F.Few people ever become wealthy based entirely on their earnings |
G.Money management skills are extremely important for her success and happiness |
9 . Have you ever considered buying or moving to a farm? Did you know that children farming and raising animals builds character?
You needn’t worry about your child spending all day inside playing video games.
When a child grows up on a farm, they learn the responsibility of caring for crops or animals. They discover how to understand and feel compassionate toward something that can’t communicate its feelings.
By growing up on a farm, your child learns about responsibility. They learn that they have duty and that they can enjoy their free time when those jobs are done.
Kids who grow up on a farm have a good knowledge of their environment in a way most others never will. They learn how to grow plants and raise animals. They can diagnose problems and come up with solutions. They understand how to use farming equipment and how to work with the weather instead of against it. Those skills open the door to allowing your child to live and thrive anywhere they want.
A.Survival skills |
B.The value of teamwork |
C.Here are some benefits of raising children on a farm |
D.This is a quality that will help them in any social situation |
E.And they get the opportunity to see the fruits of their labor |
F.It’s never too early to start thinking about your child’s future |
G.Instead, your child will be out on the farm working with plants or animals |
10 . Parenting styles have shifted over the years with the rapid changes in the world. Nowadays parents generally spend more time in finding out how best to raise their child whether it’s through technology or tried-and-tested parenting practices.
With easy access to countless websites and social media groups interested in parenting, modern parents are capable of finding answers to their questions, from managing a baby’s cries to communicating with a moody teenager. This increased availability (可利用性) of resources has made parents more involved in their children’s academic, emotional, and social development. They are also more eager to find out effective parenting methods to help them raise well-behaved and confident children.
A modern parenting style that has appeared is helicopter parenting, where parents are too much focused on their children. They help children with tasks that children can do on their own, like selecting activities and friends for them, or calling their teachers about homework matters. Such a parenting style can stifle the development of the children’s ability to handle responsibilities independently. Children might be ill-equipped with life skills such as making the bed, clearing their plates or doing their schoolwork. Always protecting children from failures may also stop them from developing adaptability and gaining skills like problem-solving.
On the other hand, parents in the past tended to monitor less. Children were given more freedom to manage their schoolwork and choose the friends they want to play with. In some families, children of the past were often expected to shoulder the responsibilities of caring for younger brothers and sisters and managing housework. Living in the pre-Internet era, parents were less informed about different parenting methods, and their parenting styles were guided more by their personalities, common sense and friendly advice from their parents and neighbours, rather than by social media influences or parenting websites. There is no one right way to raise a child. Each child is unique and should be raised differently by parents who are present, but not wandering; who are supportive but not controlling; and who protect but not care too much.
1. How does the increased availability of resources influence parenting style?A.It saves parents’ much time spent on children. |
B.It makes parents more relaxed in raising children. |
C.It encourages parents to be less strict with their children. |
D.It enables parents to be more active in their children’s development. |
A.Bring about. | B.Hold back. | C.Take down. | D.Set up. |
A.They educated kids in a strict way. |
B.They over-judged their kids’ independence. |
C.They afforded kids more space for self-growth. |
D.They tended to stay away from social activities. |
A.How parents raise all-round children. |
B.How people improve parent-child relationship. |
C.How parenting modes have changed over the years. |
D.How information technology affects people’s lifestyles. |