According to a new American study, having dinner with children may help to reduce (减少) the number of problems that develop in parent—child communication. The1was done among about 5, 000 middle school students in Chicago public schools.

    The students were studied at the beginning and the end of the sixth grade and again at the end of the seventh and the eighth grade. They were asked2they ate dinner with their parents. They were 3 asked how often their parents had a conversation(谈话)with them that lasted more than 104, praised(表扬) them when they did well, asked them where they were going and asked how they were doing in school. The study5the more parent—child communication, the6problems between them.

    Family meals are a good opportunity to7in touch with children, said Jayne Fulkerson, a member of the study team. "You can get to know8going on in their life better."

    However, Fulkerson also suggested that parents9suitable(合适的) topics(话题). Topics10grades and homework are not good choice.

My name is Maisie Hall and I have five brothers and sisters! Life in our house is fun, but it's difficult, too.

On school days I get up very early at 6:30 a.m. I have my breakfast first. After breakfast I take a shower and get dressed.

At 8:00 a.m. we go to school by bus. School starts at 8:30 a.m. and we go home at 3:00 p.m. After school I don't watch TV. I clean the house for my mom and play with my brothers and sisters.

We have dinner together at 7:00 p.m. My baby brother goes to bed at 8:00 p.m. and my other brothers and sisters go to bed at 9:00 p.m. Then I can study!

From 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. I do my homework and read a book. After that I brush my teeth and go to bed.

    In 2009 a group of parents in Lymington started sharing worries about their children's money-management skills. Pocket money was now stored in a building society rather than a piggy bank (储蓄罐); household shopping was done online; the children rarely saw their parents handling cash. They were spending online, too. Money had become intangible. How, then, were children to learn its value?

The answer they came up with was GoHenry, an app now available in America as well as Britain. It is designed to help young people learn good spending habits through real-world money activities. Parents sign up with their own bank accounts and pay a monthly fee of £2.99 or $3.99 for each child aged six or over. Adults and children download separate versions. Parents can schedule pocket money and set chores. When those are marked as done, the child is paid the agreed amount. Parents can see what the child has bought and where. And they can choose where the card can be used: in shops, online or at ATMs.

Children get cards printed with their name. They can put money in savings pots, view their spending and balances, and set savings targets. "They could decide to save ten dollars for a friend's birthday in four weeks' time, or set a goal at 12 to have $2,000 to buy a car at age 18," says Dean Brauer, one of GoHenry's founders. "The app tells them how much to save each week to meet their goal."

A big benefit of such apps is that they inspire family conversations about money. According to the latest research, more than half of British parents find the subject hard to discuss with their children. And yet most agree that children's attitudes to money are formed in their early years.

Some GoHenry customers are wealthy parents who worry that their children will grow up with little knowledge of money. Others have slim incomes but regard the app as a preparation for their child's future. Some say that they have been in debt and want their children to avoid that mistake when they grow up; others that the app is cost-effective because their children learn to plan spending. Even though young people no longer touch and hold money, they can still be taught to handle it well.

    Julia and Lisa have a picnic on Sunday. At 7: 00 o'clock, they have {#blank#}1{#/blank#}(早餐)Then they take some picnic food {#blank#}2{#/blank#} them to a park(公园). In the park, they s{#blank#}3{#/blank#} many flowers(花). Lisa wants to pick (采摘) some.{#blank#}4{#/blank#}Julia tells her not to do that. At 12: 00, they{#blank#}5{#/blank#}[hæv] their lunch. Their picnic food is very {#blank#}6{#/blank#} [nais] .Eggs and hamburgers are {#blank#}7{#/blank#}  (they )favorite {#blank#}8{#/blank#} [fu:d]. After(在……之后) lunch, they fly {#blank#}9{#/blank#} (kite) in the park. At 4: 00 in the afternoon they go home . Their mother {#blank#}10{#/blank#} (ask) them, "Do you have a good time?" "Yes." they say. They are very happy.