C

Parents do need to teach their kids financial responsibility and that money is earned. Still, many child-development experts agree that tying a child’s allowance to chores can be a slippery slope. Here’s why.

Susie Walton, master instructor at Peace in Your Home advises to keep chores and allowances totally separate. “Allowance is one thing. When it comes to chores, life skills, responsibilities¬-that’s a whole different thing.” says Walton.

Walton says, “When kids aren’t doing a chore, you don't say, ‘well, there goes your allowance.’ You’re going to sit them down and ask what’s going on. ‘We are a team. We are a family. We’ve got to have them done.’”

Besides, by paying children for chores with an allowance, you’ll also be sending the message that work isn't worth doing unless they’re getting paid for it.

There are times when it would make sense to pay kids for chores. Most financial and child-development experts agree that it’s a fine idea to pay children money for extra jobs that are outside their normal set of chores, such as washing windows, washing the car or helping to clean out the garage-especially if the child is saving for a big item. This may even develop an entrepreneurial (企业家的) spirit to think outside of the box to earn money.

For parents who are concerned that their children won’t learn the value of a dollar if the allowance isn’t tied to household chores, note that there are still plenty of money management skills to be learned from a straight allowance. Depending on the age, kids can be made responsible for paying for their own toys or snacks. Some parents even require that kids set aside a percentage of their allowance toward savings.

“I really like having my own money,” says Kevin, 9. “It’s up to me if I want to buy the cheap toy now, or save and get the better toy.” And that’s a good lesson to learn at 9 years old.

No matter which allowance route you take in parenthood, kids will feel empowered by being able to handle their own money.

61. Which of the following would Susie Walton most probably agree with?

A. A child’s allowance shouldn’t be tied to chores.

B. Kids shouldn’t be forced to do chores.

C. Doing chores teaches kids the value of work.

D. Kids should be paid for doing chores.

62. According to Susie Walton, if kids don’t do chores, parents should ________.

A. teach them the entrepreneurial spirit

B. talk to them about family responsibilities.

C. give them a smaller allowance than usual

D. punish them by not giving them their allowances

63. In Paragraph 6, “a straight allowance” probably means “________”.

A. money given by charity organizations

B. money earned by doing part-time jobs.

C. money earned by doing everyday household chores

D. money given by parents and not dependent on chores

64. What is the author’s attitude towards Kevin’s action?

A. Worried.     B. Doubtful.    C. Approving.    D. Unfavorable.

65. The text is mainly about _____________.

A. the importance of kids doing chores

B. whether parents should pay kids for chores

C. the advantages of kids handling their own money

D. whether parents should give kids regular allowances

D

There’s no doubt that our character has a profound effect on our future. What we must remember, however, is not merely how powerful character is in influencing our fate (命运), but how powerful we are in shaping our own character and, therefore, our own fate. Character may determine our fate, but character is not determined by fate.

It’s a common mistake to think of character as something that is fully formed and fixed very early in life. It calls to mind old proverbs like “A leopard can’t change its spots” and “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

This perspective that our character is “etched in stone” is supported by a great deal of modern psychology emphasizing self-acceptance. As Popeye says, “I am what I am.” The hidden message is: Don’t expect me to be more, better, or different.

Ultimately, these views of humanity totally undervalue the lifelong potential for growth that comes with the power of reflection and choice.

How depressing it would be to believe that we can’t choose to be better, more honest, more respectful, more responsible, and more caring. None of us should give up the personal seeking to improve our character. Not because we’re bad, we don’t have to be sick to get better , but because we’re not as good as we could be.

There are so many things in life we can’t control, whether we’re beautiful or smart, whether we had good parents or bad, whether we grew up with affirmation or negation. It’s inspiring to remember that nothing but moral will power is needed to make us better.

No, it isn’t easy. But if we make a great effort to become more aware of the habits of heart and mind that drive our behavior, we can begin to place new emphasis on our higher values so that we become what we want our children to think we are.

66. What is the best title of the passage?

A. We shape our own character.

B. Character determines our fate.

C. Character is fully formed and fixed.

D. We must meet what our children need.

67. The author agrees that  _____________.

A. a leopard can't change its spots

B. in life we must attach importance to self-acceptance

C. we shouldn’t expect us to be more different

D . character is not fully formed and fixed very early

68. In the author’s opinion, which of the following is TRUE?

A. We can’t choose to be better.

B. We should seek to improve our character for we’re bad enough.

C. We should value our lifelong potential for growth.

D. We should make choices constantly.

69. What do we need to improve ourselves according to the author?

A. Our smartness.                B. Our will power.

C. Our fate.                        D. Our character.

70. What can we infer from the passage?

A. It is not difficult to improve ourselves.

B. We must try our best to be as good as possible.

C. Our children should copy our behavior.

D. We should control as many things as possible in life.