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 . Human beings are inborn for social connection — so much so that we think of even the most basic objects as having feelings or experiences. Social robots add a layer (层) to this. They are designed to make us feel like they’re our friends.
Science writer Eve Herold is the author of the new book Robots and the People Who Love Them: Holding on to Our Humanity in an Age of Social Robots. It is about socially interactive robots or androids, often human-like in appearance and behavior; through Al, they are increasingly able to listen, chat, and learn. Herold points out many ways that present-day social robots can improve human lives, such as performing tasks for people who are ill, disabled, or in danger, such as soldiers on a battlefield.
But Herold also stares down the darker side of robots. She expresses concern that as robots progress, humans might forget that they’re programmed and start seeing them as capable of real relationships. She fears that this could inspire people to prefer undemanding relationships with robots and not want to relate to other people.
She notes that while social robots may offer positive, social skill-building opportunities for children with autism (自闭症) or companionship for elderly patients with dementia (痴呆) , they may make others feel more lonely. “The thing that I can compare it to is people who are too addicted to social media and end up becoming separated from others because they’re not interacting with real people in a real relationship,” she says.
“People who don’t have enough social encouragement, they can actually lose what social skills they have because they’re so used to this kind of result-free, easy, attractive relationship with a robot.”
1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?| A．Robots will replace humans. | B．The book wins a big success. |
| C．The author has a social robot. | D．Social robots can benefit humans. |
| A．Robots may have human sense. | B．Robots are easy to break down. |
| C．People will hate making friends. | D．People may escape real connection. |
| A．A short story. | B．An introduction to a book. |
| C．A science fiction. | D．A news report. |
3 . The Grammy Awards’ Music Educator Award recognizes those who have made a significant contribution and demonstrated a commitment to music education. This year it went to Annie Ray. who was honored for her efforts to make music accessible to all students, particularly those with disabilities.
Ray, who comes from a family of musicians, knows firsthand the impact that a great teacher can make on their students. She was inspired in large part by the diversity of the Annandale community, which represents over 60 countries, including many refugees (难民) and immigrants. “There are a lot of cultures that might typically conflict, and they come together in this very beautiful harmony,” Ray explained.
Ray created the Crescendo Orchestra for students with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Crescendo Orchestra, which was born out of the pandemic (流行病), doesn’t necessarily share the social goals of a program like Best Buddies or the Special Olympics. The focus is on teaching students how to play an instrument, through one-on-one instruction tailored to their needs.
The orchestra is about much more than just making music, however. The program gives students a chance to develop their cooperation skills, make mistakes and learn the art of improving something. “They completely changed my educational philosophy and approach of what it truly means to meet a student where they’re at and apply that elsewhere,” Ray added. “I believe they have a truly powerful message to share with everyone.”
As for the Grammy Award, Ray said that it belongs to her students. She also plans to put some of the money towards an ongoing scholarship for students who want to pursue music when they graduate, in any possible way. “It is a hard profession, but that was really touching,” Ray said. “And there’s nothing else like it.”
1. Why did Annie Ray create the Crescendo Orchestra?| A．To settle social conflicts. |
| B．To help disabled children. |
| C．To promote social awareness. |
| D．To support people during the pandemic. |
| A．She created music for each performance. |
| B．She was rewarded for her great music talents. |
| C．She provided more than music to her students. |
| D．She donated all her money to her talented students. |
| A．Annie Ray: Bringing Home the Grammy for Musical Commitment |
| B．Crescendo Orchestra: A Symbolic Image of Great Musical Events |
| C．From Pandemic to Grammy: The Journey to Success of Annie Ray |
| D．Grammy Awards: A Recognition for the Best Musicians in the World |
4 . Situated along a river that winds through the mountains, surrounded by cedar (雪松) and bamboo forests, Nanmoku is about 70 miles northwest of the capital city. Once known for its silk, wood, and konjac root (魔芋根), Nanmoku is now Japan’s most aged village, with two-thirds of its residents over 65. Many buildings are abandoned and the population has dropped from 11,000 in 1955to about 1,500 today, according to town hall figures. At that rate, the village could be empty just over a decade.
Nanmoku is on the front lines of Japan’s rural depopulation, a trend seen in other Asian and European countries. However, some residents are working to change the trend by attracting young people. One such person is 24-year-old Satomi Oigawa, who moved to Nanmoku after graduating from college in Tokyo. She works for the village government, matching abandoned homes with potential new residents. Oigawa is learning about the village’s history as she integrates into the community. “Everything about this house is part of the village’s history,” she says.
Despite efforts to attract new residents, the village faces challenges. There are few jobs for young people, and the nearest hospital is an hour’s drive away. Some residents argue that instead of spending money to attract newcomers, the money should be spent on those already living in the village.
Mayor Saijo Hasegawa aims to keep the village’s population level in 15to 20 years’ time, hoping to maintain it at around 800 people. However, experts like Peter Matan le of the University of Sheffield say that while some villages may boom, they will still experience pushback against the overpowering trend. “Japan is currently losing 600,000 to 700,000 people annually, and that’s going to increase to more than a million by the 2030s,” Matan le says. “Under that situation, how do settlements maintain their populations, let alone increase them?”
1. Which of the following can best describe current Nanmoku?| A．Old and timeless. | B．Undamaged and charming. |
| C．Remote and developing. | D．Historic and declining. |
| A．To get job opportunities. | B．To learn about the history. |
| C．To refresh the village. | D．To experience the rural life. |
| A．They are facing significant challenges. |
| B．They are likely to succeed at the moment. |
| C．They are widely supported by all residents. |
| D．They need more support from the government. |
5 . Economic growth is often considered as a sure way of increasing the well-being of people in low-income countries, and global surveys in recent decades have supported this strategy by showing people in high-income countries tend to report higher levels of life satisfaction than those in low-income countries. This strong connection might suggest that only in rich societies can people be happy. However, a recent study conducted by ICTA-UAB and McGill University in Canada suggests that there may be good reasons to question whether this link is universal.
While most global surveys gather thousands of responses from the citizens of industrial and urban societies, they tend to ignore people in simple-and-tiny societies on the fringe, where social group has a limited number of members and where the exchange of money plays a minimal role in everyday life with natives and local communities depending directly on nature.
The research, published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), consisted of a survey of 2,966 people from local communities in 19 globally distributed sites. Only 64% of surveyed households had any cash income. The results show that “surprisingly, many populations with very low incomes report very high average levels of life satisfaction, with scores similar to those in wealthy countries,” says Eric Galbraith, researcher at ICTA-UAB and McGill University and lead author of the study.
The average life satisfaction score across the studied simple-and-tiny societies was 6.8 on a range of 0-10. Although not all societies reported high satisfaction levels, four of the sites reported average scores higher than 8, despite many of these societies having suffered histories of neglect and control. The results are consistent with the opinion that human societies can support very satisfactory lives for their members without necessarily requiring high degrees of material wealth.
“While the reasons behind these findings remain unclear, the study provides valuable insights into how diverse communities achieve satisfying lives. It offers hope that understanding these factors can help others improve their well-being while addressing sustainability concerns.” Galbraith concludes.
1. What does the research focus on according to the passage?| A．The impact of cash income on locals’ well-being. |
| B．Income-satisfaction connection in industrial societies. |
| C．Economic growth’s concerns in low-income countries. |
| D．Relation between wealth and happiness across societies. |
| A．Edge. | B．Surface. | C．Horizon. | D．Scene. |
| A．To indicate the research’s limitations. |
| B．To prove the reliability of the findings. |
| C．To emphasize high satisfaction scores. |
| D．To show the number of people surveyed. |
| A．Unconcerned. | B．Unclear. | C．Promising. | D．Critical. |
6 . How to Make Exercise a Habit
The new year is a time when it seems like everyone makes goals to work out and get fit. But by the third week of January, that all seems to go out the window. I’ve seen this happen almost every year: my workout classes are packed with fresh faces.
Focus on the routine and not the results
These days it feels like everyone is looking for a quick fix or fast results, particularly when it comes to health and fitness.
Everyone seems to want to set big goals of working out 4 times a week with 60-minute sessions. But realistically, if you’re not used to this, it will just be overwhelming and lead you to quit. Given this, doing workouts even as small as5-10 minutes is a good place to start.
Forget the “all or nothing” view
When it comes to exercise, the all or nothing approach does not serve you. Say you plan a workout for today, but say things get crazy at work and you miss your scheduled time. Well that doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
Find joy in your workouts
| A．Life happens sometimes. |
| B．Start with mini workouts |
| C．Build yourself workout time-zone |
| D．But in reality, it takes time for results to show. |
| E．Explore until you find a workout that feels like fun. |
| F．There is something magical that makes your plan work. |
| G．But after just a few weeks, they return to the regular number of people. |
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| A．passion | B．treasure | C．courage | D．shortage |
| A．spent | B．struggled | C．searched | D．sailed |
| A．increase | B．appreciate | C．pursue | D．abandon |
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| A．despair | B．entertainment | C．company | D．choice |
| A．make it | B．get it | C．have it | D．lose it |
| A．beautiful | B．green | C．interesting | D．real |
| A．delay | B．improve | C．fail | D．ignore |
| A．recalled | B．replaced | C．regained | D．released |
| A．connection | B．barrier | C．duty | D．witness |
| A．word | B．look | C．life | D．gesture |
| A．demanding | B．inviting | C．comforting | D．amusing |
| A．pain | B．core | C．hardship | D．fun |
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