1 . During my freshman year at Brooklyn College, credit card companies were eager to earn the business of students. _______ by various rewards programs that only told part of the story, many students signed up for one or more cards without understanding the _______ of late payment.

_______ basic financial literacy (金融素养) meant many college students started off their adult lives with poor credit. _______, they faced challenges later in life when they needed to borrow money but couldn’t _______ a low-interest loan.

Poor credit _______ me past college and years into my teaching career. That has fueled my sense of _______ to teach the next generation of students about personal finance. It’s why I helped develop a personal finance course for teens and young adults.

To make the class as _______ as possible, we asked the students what _______ interested them. They were curious to know about buying homes and cars. Our course, intended for those aged between 14 and 21, has them ________ questions: How much do I need to save to make these purchases? Which purchases do I prioritize?

We, educators, can help young people ________ life after graduation, as there are many great ________ and developing our course was ________ than I had expected, which is why I hope more schools and youth organizations will offer financial education.

Financial literacy shouldn’t be optional because it puts those without it at a significant ________. And if my ________ as a student and an educator have taught me anything, it’s that no one should have to learn important financial lessons the hard way.

2 . Although we lack accurate statistics about child mortality in the pre-industrial period, we do have evidence that in the 1660s, the mortality rate for children who died within 14 days of birth was as much as 30 percent. Nearly all families _______ some premature death. Moreover, to protect themselves from the emotional consequences of children’s death, parents avoided making any emotional _______ to an infant.

The 18th century witnessed the _______ from an agrarian (土地的) economy to an industrial one, one of the vital social changes taking place in the Western world. An increasing number of people moved from their villages and small towns to big cities where life was quite different. Social supports which had _______ existed in smaller communities were replaced by problems such as poverty, crime, substandard housing and disease. Due to the need for additional income to support the family, young children from the poorest families were _______ into early employment and thus their childhood became painfully short. Children as young as 7 might be required to work full-time, _______ to unpleasant and unhealthy circumstances, from factories to prostitution.

The lives of children _______ a drastic change during the 1800s in the United States. Previously, children from both rural and urban families were expected to participate in everyday labour due to the bulk of manual hard working. _______ , thanks to the technological advances of the mid-1800s, _______ the rise of the middle class and redefinition of roles of family members, work and home became less synonymous over time. People began to purchase toys and books for their children. When the country depended more upon ________ , children in rural and urban areas, were less likely to be required to work at home. Beginning from the Industrial Revolution and rising slowly over the course of the 19th century, this ________ increased dramatically after the Civil War. John Locke was one of the most ________ writers of his period. He created the first clear and ________ statement of the “environmental position” that family education ________ a child’s life, and via this, he became the father of modern learning theory. During the colonial period, his teachings about childcare gained a lot of ________ in America.

3 . Schooling is not only about studying but also having fun. Education is best offered if learning is made fun. It is students being not overburdened with the school curriculum and being able to devote enough time to the overall personality development that matter. It is thus important for school officials to encourage the active participation of students in sports. These activities at school act as a major part of school schedule and also help create an environment that is beneficial to the general growth and development of young minds. There are various sports and leisure activities that can be planned for school students.

Sports are an essential part of a school curriculum. In spite of the grade a student is studying in, sports are a must. And it is needless to state the importance of sports in school. They help in building up the much-needed team spirit among students. They help in educating a sportsman spirit in children and serve as an effective method to bring children together from different cultural backgrounds.

Gymnastics, swimming competitions, tennis and badminton tournaments, cricket and soccer matches and inter-class sports events can be organized in schools. Sports enthusiasts can participate in these events, while those not participating can be a part of the cheering team. Kids are sure to enjoy activities like cycling, running races, skating and other fun games.

Wondering how schooling is associated with leisure activities? Well, you are mistaken if you believe that schooling is only about class assignments and homework. School education is much more than that. In fact, it is about helping the students learn the important lessons of life. It aims at their overall development which includes developing moral values and principles in them. Devoting their entire schedule to studies and examinations defeats the purpose of an effective school education. It is very important to include some leisure activities in the school’s weekly schedule.

Sports and leisure activities are about making fruitful use of time in a creative way. They are the best way to find hidden talent, cultivate bright minds and encourage innovation. School years are the funding years of one’s life. They need to be filled with fun and excitement so that children have an ideal beginning to the “long journey” ahead.

4 . We believe that there is more to education than preparation for a job. Children must be prepared for all aspects(方面) of their future work, personal relationships, creative activities, dealing with money matters, independence, and parenthood.

But it would be unrealistic(不现实的) to provide an education which took no consideration of the needs of employers.

What type of training does the business world regard as important?

Many young people applying for jobs were, in the employers’ opinions, very weak in the basic skills of handwriting, grammar and spelling. “Though additional education at university level improved the students’ general ability,” a report states, “in basic skills the standards remained stubbornly low.”

There are different opinions about whether standards have gone down in recent years. What is certain is that employers do not believe the standards are now high enough. Do technological changes make greater demands upon the students’ abilities?

We should also remember that the job expectations of young people have increased. Girls who would have once become shop assistants or hairdressers now want to be secretaries. Boys who sought an apprenticeship (学徒工作) 20 years ago now desire to have an engineering degree. But it is still the same girls and boys with the same degree of ability. No wonder there are problems in reaching the “necessary standards” of the business world.

Many employers believe that it is important for teachers to have experience outside the world of college and school. They should work for a while at some other kinds of job “to see how the world of business is different from their own”. The teaching occupation and society in general need a greater understanding of manpower needs and therefore of “the desired” direction of the education system.

9 . The world has changed greatly since Herman Fisher met Irving Price and Helen Schelle in 1930. The trio (三人组) founded Fisher-Price, maker of popular toy series such as Thomas & Friends, Power Wheels, and Little People. Companies like Fisher-Price are exploring how the world of toys and parenting will change with the development of technology. Fisher-Price recently cooperated with Continuum, a global innovation designer. Together, they created a short video called The Future of Parenting, along with a short essay explaining the thoughts behind the video.

One thought of the video explores how parenting will change when the teens of today raised with data-providing devices such as Fitbit and iPad begin raising kids of their own. Is this a generation that will desire data in all of their kids’ toys? The answer may be “yes” and perhaps the product appearing in the video will appeal to them.

If you interpret the video as a clear vision of the future of parenting, you won’t be blamed for fearing holograms (全息图) will take over your house as a mom or dad. The benefit of holograms in the video is their potential for giving traditional toys the ability to personalize responses, depending on the age and development of the child playing with the traditional toy.

Of course, you might ask yourself, “Do data-providing toys have an advantage over traditional toys in terms of their effects?” The answer may be negative. Lego, a traditional brick toy-maker, on all counts remains a successful company. And studies point out its toys’ benefits to children’s creativity. In addition, recent research demonstrates that toys containing data can potentially prevent language development, compared with traditional puzzles and bricks.

On the one hand, parents know that they should limit their kids’ screen time to keep them healthy, and the American Academy of Pediatrics offers guidance on daily screen time. On the other hand, technology can be wonderfully engaging and can provide excellent educational opportunities for children. Nothing is perfect and we should embrace every aspect of a new thing.

10 . Most of us assume those hyper-achievers who are always able to squeeze in their workout, eat healthy foods and pick their kids up on time must have superhuman self-control. But science points to a different answer:    1     The only catch is that building good habits takes effort and insight. Thankfully, here are a few research-backed steps that can set you on the path to where you want to be.

The way you define the goal you hope to turn into a habit does matter. Goals like “meditate regularly” are too abstract, research has shown.     2    Don’t say “I’ll meditate regularly. “ Say, “I’ll meditate for 15 minutes each day. “This is actually key to habit formation, making the task easy to carry out, but it’s often overlooked.

    3    Scientists have proven that you’ll make more progress toward your goal if you decide not just what you’ll do, but when and where you’ll be cued to do it. Making this kind of plan reduces the chances you’ll forget to follow through because the when and where in your plan will serve as cues to action.

A plan like “I’ll study Spanish for 30 minutes every weekday” is OK. But a detailed, cue-based plan like “Every workday after my last meeting, I’ll spend 30 minutes studying Spanish in my office” is more likely to stick as a habit.

We’re strongly influenced by the behaviors of the people around us, evidence shows. Want to start running regularly? You’re probably better off joining an established running club than asking a few friends who aren’t yet in the habit of jogging to get in shape with you.

However, it’s important not to get too crazy - if you try to train with marathoners when you’re just hoping to work up to a 5K, it can be discouraging.

Research has shown you’ll persist longer and ultimately achieve more if you focus on finding ways to make goal pursuit fun. One excellent way is to try “temptation bundling”. Research shows that temptation bundling improves follow-through; it transforms goal pursuit into a source of pleasure, not pain.     5