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.

On Saturday morning, every boy in town was happy, except Tom Sawyer. Tom's aunt said he had to paint the fence(围栏). It was thirty yards(码) long and three yards high! When he was working, some boys came along and made fun of him. 

Ben was the first one who came happily with an apple in his hand. 

"I'm going swimming," said Ben. "Do you want to come? Oh, you have to work, don't you?"

Tom got a little angry, but soon he had a wonderful idea. 

"Work?" he said. "I don't think this is work. It's fun. Does a boy get a chance like this every day?"

Ben thought about this. He was watching Tom's every move and was getting more and more interested. 

After a while, he said, "Tom, will you let me do some painting?"

"No way. You see. Aunt Polly wants it to be done properly. I'm the only one that can do it right."

"Oh, please, Tom," begged(恳求) Ben." I'll be really careful. Let me try! I'll give you my apple in return."

"Well, all right, Ben," said Tom. "But you must be careful."

He gave Ben his brush with worry on his face but joy in his heart. He started to eat Ben's apple. 

All day, boys passed by and wanted to paint. When Ben got tired, Billy began to paint. He gave Tom his favorite kite. Then Johnny gave him twelve marbles(玻璃球), and so on. 

That afternoon, Tom got many toys, and the fence got three coats of paint. Aunt Polly was so pleased when she saw the painted fence that she gave Tom a large cake!

Doing projects is a fun way to learn as I can practise what I have been taught. I enjoy hands-on learning as it keeps me 1 in what I am doing. By putting what I have learnt into practice, I can test my own knowledge to see 2 I have fully understood what was taught. Even if I make 3 , I can learn from them. 

Once, I was given a gardening project for 4 class. For the project, my classmates and I had to grow plants from seeds and note down their progress over a month. Our teacher 5 each of us basil（罗勒叶）seeds to plant in the school garden. Following her instructions, each of us wet some cotton wool, put it in a small container, placed our seeds into the soil and left it in our classroom. We then waited a few 6 for the seeds to come out. I checked my seeds every day and made sure 7 the cotton wool remained wet. My seeds finally 8 in 7 days, like our teacher said it would. 

9 , some of my classmates forgot about their seeds and did not wet the cotton wool every day, so their seeds took 10 to germinate（发芽）. After germination, we placed the seedlings 11 the soil in the school garden and watered them every day. As basil seeds grow easily in tropical climates, the seedlings grew 12 . At the end of the month, most of us had fully-grown basil plants that were ready to be harvested. Our teacher allowed us to harvest the leaves and bring them home. I ended up eating it with some pasta my father made. I really 13 the gardening project as it helped me to familiarize 14 with the different growth stages of plants and how different elements like moisture and sunlight affect its growth. It was very satisfying to enjoy the fruits of my labor. 

Obviously, completing a project successfully 15 build up a teenager's confidence and can give them a sense of achievement, which can not only have a positive impact on their self-esteem but bring in great fun.

 Alice is a star lover. Whenever she looks at the sky, she always 1 what stars there are.

 One evening, when she was sitting 2 on the school observatory deck(天文台) with her telescope(望远镜), she noticed another student, Ben. looking at the sky.

 The boy turned around, his voice breaking the 3 , "Hey, Alice, right? I'm Ben." He said, "I' ve seen 4 in the astronomy(天文) club. Did you use the telescope to watch the stars?"

"Yeah," Alice 5 with a smile. "I was trying to find the Big Dipper(北斗七星)." Ben' s eyes lit up. "That's6 ! I' ve been trying to find it for ages. Maybe you can help me sometime?"

 Alice thought for a moment but then agreed. "Sure, I'd be happy to."

 For the next few weeks, Alice and Ben spent many evenings together, discussing the 7 to share their knowledge about astronomy. Alice was 8 to find someone who shared her love for the stars.

 One night, when they were 9 a meteor(流星) shower, they were attracted by the beauty of the meteor shower. Ben said, "You know, I' ve always wanted to become an astrophysıcist(天体物理学家). What about you?"

 Alice answered, "I' ve 10 thought about it, but maybe I will later."

 Ben smiled. "I'm sure you can be an excellent astrophysicist 11 you make up your mind to do it. Perhaps we' ll both end up working at the same observatory one day."

 Alice laughed. "That would be12 — working together to discover more about the universe."

 As the school year came to an end, Alice and Ben decided to13 the telescope to school as a gift. They hoped more students could14 the stars in the sky. They knew that the telescope was a(n)15 of their friendship in the school, and they wanted to leave something that would encourage others to find their own stars to chase too.

Once there was a large stone in a family's vegetable garden. People would often trip(绊倒) over it and get hurt. The son asked, "Dad, why don't we dig out that annoying 1 ?" The father weplied, "That stone you mentioned? It has been there since your grandfather-s time. It's so2 I don't know how long it will take to dig it out. Instead of filgging it out for no reason, it's better to be careful while a walking and it can also train you to 3 better."

A few years 4 , the son got married and became a father. One day, his 5 said angrily, "Dad,I really don't  like that big stone int he vesergale garden. Let's ask someone to move it away someday." The father replied, "Forget it! That big stone is very heavy. 6 it could be moved, it would have been moved when I was a child."

 The daughtes felt very 7 . That big stone had caused her to fall many times. She 8 the matter and wanted to make a change. One morning, shě took a hoe(锄头) and a bucket(桶) of water. She poured water around the stone and waited for about 10 minutes. To her surprise, she used the hoe to loosen (松动) the soil. She thought it might take all day to dig it out.

 Unexpectedly, it took only a few minutes to dig up the stone. Looking at its 9 , this stone was not as big as they thought. They man all been tricked by how big it looked.

 What 10 us from discovering and creating new things are the psychological obstacles(心理障碍) and stubborn  stones(顽石) ineur minds.