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 (复杂的) 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 cars 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(杂货店). Pick out two similar brands（商标） 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 buy another one with the money saved. Later, you may explain how the more expensive choice leaves less money for buying others.

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

B. The value of money

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

D. Permit the child to choose between them

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

F. Tell your child why he can or can't have certain things

G. Wise decisions

    Recently some American scientists have given a useful piece of advice to people in industrialized nations．They say people should eat more of the same kind of food eaten by humans living more than 10,000 years ago．{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    The scientists say that the human life has changed greatly．Our bodies have not been able to deal with these changes in lifestyle and this had led to new kinds of sicknesses．{#blank#}2{#/blank#} So they are called "diseases of civilization"．Many cancers and diseases of the blood system are examples of such diseases.

    Scientists noted that people in both the Old Stone Age and the New Stone Age enjoyed very little alcohol or tobacco, probably none．{#blank#}3{#/blank#} However, a change in food is one of the main differences between life in ancient times and that of today.

    Stone Age people hunted wild animals for their meat, which had much less fat than domestic ones．They ate a lot of fresh wild vegetables and fruits．They did not have milk or any other dairy products, and they made very little use of grains．{#blank#}4{#/blank#} We eat six times more salt than our ancestors．We eat more sugar．We eat twice as much fat but only one third as much protein and much less vitamin C.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} But scientists say that we would be much healthier if we eat much the same way the ancient people did, cutting the amount of fatty, salty and sweet food.

 A．Modern people used to suffer from "diseases of civilization".

 B．People today probably don't want to live like our ancestors.

 C．These new sicknesses were not known in ancient times.

 D．Ancient people also got lots of physical exercise.

 E．In that case, they would live much healthier.

 F．But today, we enjoy eating a lot of these.

 G．Stone Age people lived a simple life.

    Australia has promised to introduce the most comprehensive （全面的） carbon trading program outside Europe in 2010. The government in Canberra plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions (排放) by at least five percent by 2020, but it could make bigger reductions if other countries agree to tougher targets.

    The Australian government warns that without tough environmental measures the country could lose key industries and jobs. Climate Change Minister Penny Wong says the economy is under threat and decisive action is needed.

    Central to the government's climate change plan is a carbon emissions trading program that will be introduced within two years. It would involve one thousand of the nation's biggest companies and would cover about three-quarters of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions.

    Many scientists believe that greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, contribute to global warming. Many of them are released by burning fuels such as coal and oil.

    Companies will be required to buy permits for each ton of carbon they emit, although big polluting exporters will receive up to 90 percent of their carbon licenses free.

    Many business leaders want the government to delay the plan because of the current global financial crisis, which is slowing the Australian economy. Peter Anderson from the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry says it is irresponsible to bring in a carbon trading plan now.

    Environmentalists, on the other hand, say Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has not properly addressed the threat of climate change. Activists had sought a minimum emissions cut of 25 percent.

    Instead, the Rudd government aims to cuts carbon emissions by at least five percent of 2000 levels by 2020. That amount could rise to 15 percent, if future global agreements set such a target.

    Ray Nias of the environmental group WWF says Australia will pay the price for low targets. “This is a deeply, deeply disappointing target,” Nias said. “It commits Australia to long-term climate change. It will make Australia's ability to negotiate (协商) global agreements very, very difficult. It is much lower than even we had imagined.”

    Australia has one of the highest per-person greenhouse emissions rates in the world because of its reliance on coal for electricity.

    Some scientists warn that the vast, dry Australian continent, which has been suffering a series of droughts in recent years, could be one of the region's hardest hit by global warming.

    Sitting on the sofa in her family's Michigan home in 2009, looking through the Guinness World Records, 10 year-old Winter Vinecki was surprised to find that the record for the youngest person to complete a marathon on every continent was held by a 27-year-old man. “I can beat that,” she declared. “For Dad. ” And she had every reason to believe she could.

    A natural athlete since the age of 5, Winter had been running together with her mom and uncle, both athletes, and competing in races across the country. Soon, her name was appearing in national competitions. Trophies (奖牌) lined her walls.

    But in 2008, at the age of 9, Winter stopped racing for medals. In May of that year, her father found out he had caught a rare cancer. To raise awareness and funds to fight the disease. Winter started an organization called I earn Winter. Just 10 months after his diagnosis, her father passed away.

    Over the next three years, Winter came first in 20 of the 37 races in which she competed, including four Junior Olympics Cross Country Championships. Along the way, she raised over $ 400,000 to help find a cure for cancer.

    Now 14, Winter is working on her world record to win her cause a place in the Guinness World Records. She recently completed her first marathon in Eugene, Oregon, a race normally limited to runners over 16, finishing in an amazing 3:45:04. “I'm used to racing with adults, and I think it's kind of fun to race past them,” said Winter before the race.

    With six continents to go, Winter has just begun a journey that will take her two years. “Every time I step to a starting line,” Winter says, “I have one thought in mind: keeping my dad's spirit alive.”

    Sagrada Familia (2, 056, 448 visits/year)

    Opening hours: 09: 00-18: 00 (October-March)    09: 00-20: 00 (April-September).

    Admission: $11, or $10 with the Barcelona Card.

    Disabled access: Yes

    The temple has been under construction since 1882 and they've still got another 30 to 80 years to go before it will be finished. The project's vast scale (规模) and its special design have made it one of Barcelona's top tourist attractions for many years.

    La Pedrera (1, 133, 220 visits/year)

    Opening hours: 09: 00-18: 30 (November-February)    09: 00-20: 00 (March-October)

    Admission: $9. 50. Save 20% with the Barcelona Card.

    Disabled access: No.

    This building used to be called Casa Mila, but nowadays it's more commonly known as La Pedrera. It was made of bricks and had colorful tiles (瓷砖).

    Barcelona FC Museum (1, 032, 763 visits/year)

    Opening hours: 6th April-4th October: (Monday to Saturday) 10:00-20:00; the rest of the year: 10: 00 to 18: 30.

    Admission: $8. 50 for entry to museum and an extra $17 for a guided tour.

    Disabled access: Yes.

    It is now generally considered as the best football museum in the world. You can see so many trophies (奖杯), pictures and statues of great football players. I'm not a football fan but I still enjoyed walking round this museum.

    Miró Museum (518, 869 visits/year)

    Opening hours: Check website for details as they vary depending on the time of the year.

    Admission: $8. Save 20% with the Barcelona Card.

    Disabled access: Yes.

    This museum has a wide range of Miró's works dating back as far as 1914. This artwork collection includes not only his paintings but also a good selection of sculptures.

    Mr. Guo is a teacher from Xi'an. He asked his students to hand in their homework through a QR code (二维码)."We spent an hour or two in class learning how to generate (使产生) the codes, and in the end everything gets easier." Said Guo, "When students finish the homework, they keep it on WeChat. Then, each student makes his own QR code and gives it to me. So I can check their work anywhere using my computer or telephone."

    The QR codes can be sent to Mr. Guo by email, QQ and WeChat. When Guo scans his students' QR codes, their homework appears on his phone. He finds that their homework becomes more creative, with many pictures, music and even videos.

    Guo's students like the new way and think it is interesting. "We are living in the information age. Many students like to work with computers, which makes learning more fun." said Tingting, a student of Guo's.

    "The paper is not easy to keep, but the code is easy to keep and share." Guo said, "It is worth trying to use new technology in education. Education itself is a kind of creation. I don't want my students to fall behind the times."

    However, some parents are worried. They are afraid that their children will spend too much time surfing the Internet and less time communicating with teachers. But in fact, it's unnecessary. Students still need to look up information in books and write it down when they do their homework. They only use the codes when they hand in their work, which doesn't take them too much time. Also for teachers, it allows them to check the students' work at any time. And it's also an easy way to share homework with other students.