1 . I'd spent decades telling my girls that their bodies were a means to a long and satisfactory life, not objects to be admired because of how they look. I told them that good health and the energy to enjoy life should be their ultimate goals, not fitting into society's preconceived ideas of what is beautiful.
This year I'm sixty years old. I appear much older than before. This aging body of mine is not the one I expected to have. Looking at the old, fat, wrinkled woman in the mirror, I begin to complain about it. I've actually spent a lifetime focusing on my flaws, constantly complaining about my less-than-perfect self. As I was complaining yet again, my younger daughter told me, “Mom, stop. Stop putting yourself down. This is the body you live in now. It's beautiful because it's yours.” If I'm unwilling to accept my aging self with grace and dignity, how can I possibly expect my girls to do the same when they face these same physical changes?
And then, I learned that a friend of mine, the same age as me, died. At her funeral, her three heartbroken daughters spoke of their mother's devotion, wisdom, and compassion. They never said a single word about her appearance though her body had melted away during her last months. It didn't matter. I left that funeral desperate to hold my own girls in my arms, to kiss them and tell them how much they mean to me , and to promise that I will do better, be better—for them as well as for myself.
And so, to honour the memory of my dear friend and to set a good example to my beloved girls, I promise to love my aging body, and celebrate the gift of being alive.
1. What can we learn about the author from the first two paragraphs?| A．She forgot to listen to her own advice. | B．She was more of a talker than a doer. |
| C．She was unaware of her words’ effects. | D．She was unwilling to accept others’ advice. |
| A．Advantages. | B．Imperfections. | C．Appearances. | D．Treasures. |
| A．Action speaks louder than words. | B．Lies can never change facts. |
| C．Beauty comes from the depths of the soul. | D．Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. |
| A．Running through Life | B．Rebuilding Your Life |
| C．Remembering to Respect Others | D．Finding Beauty in Ourselves |
2 . Today, we are talking about money. I can share a bit about my history with money and my new view when it comes to using green paper.
I made a web page with links to posts about our financial (财政的) journey where you can look for more details of where we've been and how we got where we are now. It was a big part of my story in the past and was a huge part of our downsizing（精简） journey. We got out of debt and stayed out of debt.
So I feel eager（渴望的）to share the benefits of being on this side. It takes more planning and more careful thought whenever a dollar is spent now than it did when I had a wallet full of credit cards. I now like to think all of my dollars doing the job. So many of us work for money and don't consider that money should work for us, too. Make your dollars do the job of helping you live the life you want.
Each time money is spent or saved, it should be going toward something that you purposefully want for your life. Last week I was out and I spent $ 20 on food in 3 days. It made me angry because afterward I thought about eating is not at all what I want for my life.
On the other hand, there are times I spend $ 20 while out with my family and it doesn't bother（使烦恼）me one bit. An afternoon out with my kids during which we stop for ice cream, and do something fun together has a completely different feel.
In the end, I want the dollars I spend to have purpose like I can enjoy life while still planning and saving for the future.
1. The underlined words “green paper” in Paragraph 1 refer to“________”.| A．money | B．work | C．newspaper | D．book |
| A．by reading posts about their financial journey |
| B．by going on a financial journey |
| C．by making a web page |
| D．by writing to him |
| A．more credit cards should be used in our daily life |
| B．we should work hard to make more money |
| C．money should help us live better |
| D．saving money is very easy |
| A．Because the money is spent on food. |
| B．Because the money is spent in doing something fun. |
| C．Because eating is what he wants for his life. |
| D．Because the money goes toward something that he wants for his life. |
