Watching television makes it easier for toddlers to kick and scream, according to a US study.Children under two should not watch any TV.The longer they sit in front of TV,the worse their behavior becomes. Just having the TV on in the background, even if the child wasn't watching it,was also connected to troublemaking behavior although the relationship wasn't as strong, said the researchers. "Parents should be smart about TV use,"researcher Jennifer Manganello from the University at Albany, New York, said. "They should limit the time that children use TV, pay attention to the content of TV programs,and consider how TV is used throughout the home." The study looked at 3,128 women from 20 US cities who had a child between 2005 and 2008. While there was some diversity of education among the women,onethird hadn't graduated from high school. Twothirds of the mothers said their threeyearold children watched more than two hours of TV a day,and the average viewing time for children was around three hours.On average,the TV was on for about five additional hours on a common day. After accounting for factors such as living in a violent neighborhood,scientists also found watching TV was strongly connected to behavior such as hitting others,having angry moods,being disobedient ,and screaming a lot. The researchers thought that children may see violence on TV,and spend less time on positive development tasks such as reading or playing. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests no TV at all for children at two and younger,and two hours a day or less for older kids. What can be learned about the study between 2005 and 2008 from the passage? A) The women studied have different jobs. B) The TV was on for about three hours. C) Most women allowed their children to watch TV. D) Most women studied hadn't graduated from high school.
C
One day I was waiting in line to check out at Wal-Mart. Like a lot of people who want to get through a checkout line, my thoughts were on speed, nothing more. The line I was standing in wasn't moving as quickly as I wanted, and I glanced toward the cashier. There stood a man in his seventies. Of average build, he wore glasses and a nice smile. I thought, "Well, he's an old guy and it probably takes him a little longer to get the chores done." For the next few minutes I watched him. He greeted every customer before he began scanning the items they were purchasing. Sure, his words were the usual, "How's it going?" But he did something different--he actually listened to people. Then he would respond to what they had said and engage them in brief conversation. I thought it was strange, but I guess I had grown accustomed to people asking me how I was doing simply out of a robotic conversational habit. After a while, you don't give any thought to the question and just mumble something back. I could say, "I just found out I have six months to live,'' and someone would reply, "Have a great day!'' This old cashier had my attention. He seemed genuine about wanting to know how people were feeling. And after giving them the change, the old cashier looked the customers in the eyes. "I sure want to thank you for shopping here today, ''he told them. "You will have a great day. Bye-bye." The looks on the faces of the customers were priceless. There were smiles and some shy grins .All had been touched by his simple gesture in a place they never expected. What is special about the old cashier according to the author? He _ . A) worked hard at his old age B) had usual conversations with customers C) gave customers the right change D) listened to people attentively
D
Q: A study involving 8,500 teenagers from all social backgrounds found that most of them are ignorant when it comes to money. The findings, the first in a series of reports from NatWesl that has started a five-year research project into teenagers and money, are particularly worrying as this generation of young people is likely to be burdened with greater debts than any before. Universitytuition fees are currently capped at PS3,000 annually, but this will be reviewed next year and the Government is under enormous pressure to _ In the research, the teenagers were presented with die terms of four different loans but 76 per cent failed to identify the cheapest. The young people also predicted that they would be earning on average PS 31.000 by the age of 25, although the average salary for those aged 22 to 29 is just PS 17,815. The teenagers expected to be in debt when they finished university or training, although half said that they assumed the debts would be less than PS 10.000. Average debts for graduates are PS 12,363. Stephen Moir, head of community investment at the Royal Bank of Scotland Group which owns NatWest, said. "The more exposed young people are to financial issues, and the younger they become aware of them, the more likely they are to become responsible, forward-planning adults who manage their finances confidently and effectively." Ministers are deeply concerned about the financial pressures on teenagers and young people because of student loans and rising housing costs. They have just introduced new lessons in how to manage debts. Nikki Fairweather aged 15 from St Helens, said that she had benefited from lessons on personal finance, but admitted that she still had a lot to learn about money. What can we learn from the passage? A) Many British teenagers do not know money matters well B) Teenagers in Britain are heavily burdened with debts. C) Financial planning is a required course at college. D) Young people should become responsible adults.
A: A
Q: Tired of all the pushing in supermarkets? Fed up with waiting in endless lines to pay for what you have bought? Angry at wasting time in traffic jams only to find no parking spaces when you eventually arrive at the store? If this is you, then online shopping is the answer to your dreams of trouble-free shopping. Online shopping brings its own challenges. Here are a few things to bear in mind whenbrowsing various websites. Theclaim made by online sites is that shopping online is a safe and secure way to make purchases. The evidence challenges this. In any case, you only have to be thevictim offraud once to experience all the problems that come with this form of stealing. Use only sites that have a trusted history and an excellent reputation . Another problem is that the appearance of items in reality is often quite different from what you see on your computer screen. This might not be a problem if you are buying washing up powder but could be a major disappointment when that beautiful blue dress you ordered turns up in green. Also, product descriptions are sometimes simply untrue! Perhaps the wisest plan is to purchase items whose design and color are not essential to customer satisfaction. Some even argue that online shopping indirectly contributes to global warming. Yes, your car can stay parked but how are online goods delivered? Often by some large van pouring out carbon monoxide and adding to our already desperate traffic problems. You are also by now becoming increasinglyirritated by the fact that the delivery is late ! Without question, online shopping is here to stay and it has its benefits. However, perhaps it is not as wonderful as some of its supporters claim it to be. The author agrees with the fact that _ . A) online shopping is a safe way to make purchases B) customers are never satisfied with products C) online shopping has nothing to do with global warming D) delivery delay often makes online shoppers unhappy
A: D