It used to be a matter of fact when Peter Pan—a character from James Matthew Barrie's 1911 book—said:“All children,except one,grow up.”{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    According to the NPD Group,a US market research company,sales of toys to adults in the UK increased by more than 20 percent in 2016,three times the pace of the children's toy market itself.These toys ranged from puzzles and Lego building sets（乐高积木）to vehicle models and action figures.And more than half of the sales came from millennials—people born between the 1980s and 2000s.“Adults of the 21st century are channeling their inner child, one toy at a time,”commented website Koreaboo{#blank#}2{#/blank#}According to Frederique Tutt,all analyst at NPD,the motivation of these grown-ups is to escape the stress of today's fast-paced world.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} “It reminds me of the playful side of life,”Rob Willner,a 25-year-old PhD student in the UK,told The Telegraph when talking about his love for Lego,which he said brings him both comfort and entertainment.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#}To Frank Furendi,a professor at the University of Kent in The UK,the fact that so many adults are pursuing "the thrills of youth" is the evidence that "adulthood has got nothing attractive about it anymore",he told The New York Times."That's actually quite sad."

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#}According to Canadian comic book artist Todd McFarlane,collecting toys could simply be a way for people to express their individuality."It's just pop culture stuff.It's stuff that says,I like a little of this and I like a little of that,"he told ABC,News."It's no big deal."So now that over 100 years have passed since Peter Pan,perhaps it's time to introduce a new "fact",as stated in the tagline of the UK fashion brand KIDULT:"Growing old is mandatory（强制性的）,but growing up is optional."

A.But scientists are probably just worrying too much.

B.Why do these kidults turn to toys for pleasure and comfort?

C.This is also why these adults are sometimes referred to as "kidults".

D.They are driven toward the more immediate pleasures brought by toys than those brought by,say, getting a promotion,which is far less easy to achieve.

E.The scientists are concerned that those kidults show roo much individuality.

F.But this "fact" doesn't seem to apply to today's world anymore.

G.Despite this,some social scientists see the trend as disturbing.

    Many people think only professionals—engineers, accountants, teachers, etc.—have careers.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} Even if you've never had a paid job, you still have a career. Your career is the sum of your life and work. It includes all your activities and experiences. Your schooling, your volunteer work, and even your relationships with your family are all big parts of your career.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}

    During your career, you will have a variety of jobs, occupations and roles. People used to think of a job as full-time, permanent, paid work done for an employer at a work site. But in our changing world, a job is a set of duties or tasks. It can be paid or unpaid{#blank#}3{#/blank#} Even someone who is self-employed has a job.

    An occupation is a group of jobs with similar responsibilities that require a common set of skills.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} Programmers may have permanent or temporary jobs working for specific employers, be self-employed, work full-time or part-time, be paid for their work or volunteer their services. They may change jobs or hold several jobs at one time but, until they change the type of duties or tasks they perform, they are still computer programmers.

    {#blank#}5{#/blank#} We all play a number of roles in our lives and our roles often change over time. For example, Kris works four days a week as a receptionist in a clinic and takes evening courses in social work. She also sews gymnastic wear for her neighbor who sells it at summer markets. Now Kris has at least three roles.

A. A role is a part you play.

B. Actually everyone has a career.

C. In other words, your career is your life story.

D. For example, computer programmer is an occupation.

E. As a matter of fact, a job is different from a role in some way.

F. It can be completed at a work site, at home, or somewhere else.

G. The following is about your work, your family, and your life story.

    I was ten when I first sat with my grandmother behind the cashier (收银台) in her general store. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} I quickly learned the importance of treating customers politely and saying "thank you. "

    At first I was paid in candy. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} I worked every day after school, and during the summer and on weekends and holidays from 8 a. m. to 7 p. m. My father helped me set up a bank account. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    By the time I was 12, my grandmother thought I had done such a good job that she promoted me to selling cosmetics (化妆品). I developed the ability to look customers directly in the eye. Even though I was just a kid, women would ask me such things as "What color do you think I should wear?" I took a real interest in their questions and was able to translate what they wanted into makeup (化妆) ideas. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}

    The job taught me a valuable lesson: to be a successful salesperson, you didn't need to be a Rocket scientist—you needed to be a great listener. {#blank#}5{#/blank#} Expect they are no longer women purchasing cosmetics from me; instead, they are kids who tell me which toys they would like to see designed and developed.

A. Later I received 50 cents an hour.

B. Before long, she let me sit there by myself.

C. I ended my selling a record amount of cosmetics.

D. Today I still carry that lesson with me: I listen to customers.

E. My grandma's trust taught me how to handle responsibility.

F. Soon I found myself looking more beautiful than ever before.

G. Watching my money grow was more rewarding than anything I could have bought.

    Many of us have someone in our lives that has absolutely everything. Buying a gift for that special person can prove quite stressful. Here are a few points aimed at making this challenge a little bit easier.

    Buying that hard-to-find gift can have you wandering the malls for hours on end with little or no luck. Before starting such a shopping journey, think carefully about what that person might really enjoy instead of hoping the perfect gift will miraculously(奇迹般地 ) appear. Think about what is happening in their lives at the moment. Have they recently experienced a major life event, taken up a new hobby, or planned a trip? Think about how your gin can contribute to a these events.

    Have you ever found that perfect Christmas gift for someone in July, but decided to waif and buy it later? If you think it's a good gift, buy it then. Don't wait until the last minute to buy that perfect present. Chances are that you'll either forget what that gift was or it won't be available when you go to get it later. Last-minute shopping is rather stressful and usually doesn't have the desired results.

    Anything you can buy at a retail store these days can also be bought on the Internet. Better still, you can find special gifts that you normally can't find at the mall. Search for special gift ideas and you'll be amazed at the things that you may never have thought of before. For example, find out what their favorite toy or book was when they were a child and see if you can find it for sale on an auction site（拍卖现场）.

    Spend some time with the person and get a better idea of their interests. They may mention that they've needed something for the moment but just haven't got around to getting it. Or maybe they've lost or broken something that they really miss. Maybe they're still using something from the past that needs updating.

    If all else fails, there are always gift cards. Rather than just give the gift card, however, be a little creative. Make a game out of it such as wrapping the card in a series of larger boxes so it takes a while to get to it rather than just having them open an envelope. Another choice is to include a gift card with some theatre tickets.

    Do you know the look of wonder and joy that children get on their face when they listen to someone reading them a story？Schools across the nation are bringing in volunteers to guide children in this very way. If you simply enjoy spending time with children, being a reading volunteer can be a great way to help support the upcoming generation of readers.

    Reading volunteers work with elementary school age children to promote reading. They may read books to children, listen to children read aloud, or distribute books to school children. Reading volunteers promote the activity of reading, rather than focusing on teaching reading skills. They may read to a whole class of children, to a small group, or be assigned a child to read to one-on-one. During the time they spend with new readers, reading volunteers encourage them to learn to read.

    Almost anyone who knows how to read can be a reading volunteer. High school students, college students, parents, grandparents, and police officers are just an example of the kinds of people who become reading volunteers. Being able to read and wanting to spend time inspiring children to read are the only skills needed to be a successful reading volunteer.

    Several educational research studies show that children who are involved in programs with adult reading volunteers improve their school performance levels. For example, in 1998, researcher Sara Rimm-Kaufmann found that first graders involved in a program with an adult reading volunteer three times a week had better letter recognition and reading skills than similar first graders who hadn't been involved in such groups. In 2000, the Eugene Research Institute found that fifth graders who had been in "SMART", an adult volunteer literacy program, were 60% more likely to have grade-level scores in standardized reading tests. Moreover, a 2006 study by Brian Volkmann showed that children who were read to by adult volunteers had improved school attendance, which is a major predictor of high school graduation rates.

    In addition, reading volunteers themselves can gain a lot of benefits that range from expanding their personal networks to adding valuable skills to their resumes. They also enjoy the special time they get to spend with young children. Many volunteers have heart-warming stories to share with the children they read to. The volunteers know that they are inspiring young children with a proved educational strategy. So, if you have time, energy, and skill to support children's literacy, it is a good idea to sign up to be a reading volunteer.

    Choosing the right job is probably one of the most important decisions we have to make in life, and it is frequently one of the hardest decisions we have to make. One important question that you might ask yourself is: "How do I get a good job?"{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    There are people who can answer an insignificant advertisement in the local paper and land the best job in the world; others write to all sorts of places all over the country, and never seem to get a reply at all. Still others believe that the in person, door-to-door approach is by far the best way to get a job; and then there are those who, through no active decision of their own, just seem to be in the right place at the right time. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} He used to spend a lot of his free time down by the sea watching the tall ships, but never thinking that he might one day sail one of them. His father was a farmer, and being a sailor could never be anything for the boy but an idle dream. One day, on his usual wandering, he heard the captain of the ship complaining that he could not sail because one member of his crew was sick. Without stopping to think, the lad(少年) offered to take his place. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} If the lad had gone home to ponder(考虑)his decision for a week, he may have missed his chance. It is one thing to be offered an opportunity; it is another thing to take it and use it well.

    Sometimes we hear stories about people who break all the rules and still seem to land plum jobs(美差). When you go for a job interview or fill out an application, you are expected to say nice things about the company to which you are applying. But there was one person who landed an excellent job by telling the interviewer all the company's faults. And within a year this person had become general manger of the company.

A. This story also illustrates the importance of seizing an opportunity when it presents itself.

B. People find jobs in an infinite number of ways.

C. it's almost impossible to find a good job by answering advertisement in newspapers

D. Take for example the young man who wanted to be a sailor.

E. It is very important to seize an opportunity when it presents itself.

F. He spent the rest of his life happily sailing the ships he had always loved.