Money Matters

    Parents should help their children understand money. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} So you may start talking about money when your child shows an interest in buying things, candy or toys, for example.

    1 The basic function of money

    Begin explaining the basic function of money by showing how people trade money for goods or services. It is important to show your child how money is traded for the things he wants to have. If he wants to have a toy, give him the money and let him hand the money to the cashier(收银员). {#blank#}2{#/blank#} When your child grows a bit older and understands the basic function of money, you can start explaining more complex ways of using money.

    2 Money lessons

    Approach money lessons with openness and honesty. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} If you must say no to a child's request to spend money, explain, — You have enough toy trucks for now. Or, if the request is for many different things, say, — You have to make a choice between this toy and that toy.

    3 {#blank#}4{#/blank#} 

    Begin at the grocery store. Pick out two similar brands of a product — a name-brand butter and a generic (无商标产品), for example. You can show your child how to make choices between different brands of a product so that you can save money. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} If he chooses the cheaper brand, allow him to make another purchase with the money saved. Later, you may explain how the more expensive choice leaves less money for other purchases.

A. Wise decisions.

B. The value of money.

C. Permit the child to choose between them.

D. Tell your child why he can — or cannot — have certain things.

E. Ask yourself what things that cost money are most important to you

F. Talk about how the money bought the thing after you leave the toy store.

G. The best time to teach a child anything about money is when he shows an interest.

    For some people, choosing which sports to play throughout high school is hard because they have never really played an organized sport before and aren't sure what they'll enjoy most.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} If you're great at basketball but would rather play football because you think it's more fun, then give it a go (just make sure it's coot with morn and dad).

    Sports are meant to be fun.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} What's the worst that can happen? If you get cut, you can always try another sport. And sports like track don't typically cut participants from the team. You can still participate even if you're not in the team for the competition.

    Some sports, like basketball or baseball, require every person on the field to be working well together.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    Sports like tennis, track and field, swimming, gymnastics, and wrestling are all sports where individual performances are tallied(计分)into team scores.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} However, for the most part it's possible to win a solo event in these sports and still have your team lose or vice-versa(反之亦然).

    No one knows you better than you do. Maybe you enjoy the spotlight. Maybe you get annoyed by the way teammates act. Luckily, there are many individualized sports to choose from.

A．Many people are attracted to team sports.

B．Besides swimming, try fishing, sailing, skiing, and surfing.

C．Of course there are exceptions, like relays in track and swimming.

D．For others it's tough because their friends don't like to play the same sports.

E．No matter what your problem is, you have to make the decision that is best for you.

F．If there is a sport you really enjoy but you aren't sure if you can make the team, try out anyway.

G．Sure, certain people perform much better than others, but superstars don't necessarily make a good team!

    In the world nothing is more important than health. If people took away our money, houses, cars, or even our clothes, we could still survive. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Then how can we keep healthy?

    First of all, we should eat healthily. I usually avoid eating food high in fat, like French fries or cookies, which are junk food. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} I only eat little meat. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} It helps us build a strong body. Regular exercise is an important part of keeping me healthy. In addition, I think friends are an important part of one's health. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}I always feel better when I am with friends than when I am alone. When I am with my friends, I always laugh. Laughing is also an important part of health. It is good to stay with my friends.

    By eating properly and exercising regularly, I can keep my body at a proper weight and keep healthy. By spending time with my friends, I can keep my mind as well as my body happy. These things sound easy to do, but not many people can manage them. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. But if our health were taken away, we could surely die.

B. Some people appear fat because they often eat too much.

C. I think a strong will is necessary if we want to keep fit.

D. Many studies show that people with few friends often get sick.

E. There are some people who like staying alone, but they keep healthy.

F. What's more, taking exercise is very important.

G. I eat a lot of vegetables and fresh fruits which are full of vitamins.

Being a volunteer

    What can you do to help people? The answer is-to be a volunteer! {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    Help yourself by helping others

    When you volunteer to help others, you can helping yourself. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Lots of people really enjoy volunteering. Doing volunteer work means one important thing: You make a difference in the world. So where do you start? {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    Things to do with family members

    Volunteering is a great way to have fun with your family. Talk to your parents, brothers, or sisters and see what they might be interested in. Find something you all agree on. You can do the things as a family like cleaning up a park and planting trees or flowers in your local community（社区）

    Invent your own opportunity

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} You can make and sell products, and donate（捐赠）the money. Volunteering gives kids a taste of responsibility. Volunteering can also help kids learn important things about themselves-like what kind of things they're best at. A volunteer job can even help some kids decide what they want to do when they grow up. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Make a plan to start volunteering today!

A. Why not come?

B. School is a good place to start if you are looking for volunteer ideas.

C. Volunteering means to spend time helping others.

D. If you're upset, doing something can be a great way to calm yourself down.

E. Kids can come up with their own ways to raise money or provide needed services.

F. So what are you waiting for?

G. Clean up a school or other public buildings.

    With 17 million residents and 23 million bicycles, the Netherlands already has more bikes than people.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}.

    The Dutch government recently announced that it will invest $ 390 million in cycling infrastructure to get 200, 000 more people commuting(通勤)by bike in three years time. Fifteen routes will be developed into “cyclist freeways”, 25, 000 bike parking spaces will be created and more than 60 bike storage facilities will be upgraded.

    “{#blank#}2{#/blank#},”says Stientje van Veldhoven, state secretary for that department, who is spearheading the project.

    It's not that people aren't already cycling in the Netherlands. In 2016, over a quarter of all trips made by Dutch residents were by bike. But only 25％of those trips were work—related, compared to 37％which were made for leisure. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}.

    According to van Veldhoven, more than 50％of people in the Netherlands live less than 15 kilometers from work, and more than half of commuters car trips are under 7.5 kilometers long—a distance that “can easily be covered by bike, ”she says.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. The Netherlands currently rewards commuting cyclists with tax credits of $0.22 per kilometer. Companies and employees would agree on the distance of a person's cycling route.

    However, this is currently a little—known benefit not supported by many employers, according to the infrastructure ministry. That's something the government is hoping to change by better promoting the scheme and getting more companies on board. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}. The government is urging employers to provide better facilities for commuting cyclists, such as showers at the office, according to the ministry.

A. The rest were for school, shopping, or other activities

B. To get people to ditch their cars, money is being laid on the table

C. Now, it wants to get even more cyclists on the roads—and will pay people to do it

D. Today the Netherlands is known for its cycling culture, but that hasn't always been the case

E. My ambition is to ensure that people can easily get to work or school, or visit family and friends

F. The Netherlands is now one of the few countries that takes cycling seriously as a mode of transportation

G. There are already 11 major employers in the Netherlands committing to measures such as financing employees' bikes

    Asking for a raise can be a discouraging prospect for any employee. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} If you're a female employee seeking a raise, it matters to approach that conversation strategically. Here are a few tips for pulling it off successfully.

    Do your research.

    {#blank#}2{#/blank#} So if you're making a case for a pay increase, you'll need to gather some data on what others in similar positions are earning. To that end, do some research on sites like Salary. com. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Remember to collect the average earnings for all workers in your position and make your case for why you deserve to be paid similarly.

    Don't get emotional.

    Women are often accused of getting emotional on the job. In fact, it's that so-called sensitive nature that causes some people to claim they're uncomfortable working with and promoting female employees. That's why it's extremely important to keep you cool during a salary negotiation. Be specific and present hard evidence of your value to the company. Try to focus on your positive contributions, rather than the negative feelings. And although the discussion might get heated, be sure not to yell or, worse yet, cry while it's going down. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Given many news stories about how men out-earn women, you may tend to draw on some of that data as a reason for getting a raise. But be very careful about using that argument, because unless you have definitive proof that your male colleagues - with the same exact titles, experience, and responsibilities—are making more money than you, you're better off avoiding that angle.