Isn't it amazing how one person, sharing one idea, at the right time and place can change the course of your life's history? This is certainly what happened in my life. When I was 14, I was hitchhiking from Houston, Texas, through El Paso on my way to California. I was following my dream, journeying with the sun. I was a high school dropout with learning disabilities and was set on surfing the biggest waves in the world, first in California and then in Hawaii, where I would later live. Upon reaching downtown El Paso, I met an old man, a bum , on the street corner. He saw me walking, stopped me and questioned me as I passed by. He asked me if I was running away from home, I suppose because I looked so young. I told him, "Not exactly, sir," since my father had given me a ride to the freeway in Houston and given me his blessings while saying, "It is important to follow your dream and what is in your heart. Son. " The bum then asked me if he could buy me a cup of coffee. I told him, "No, sir, but a soda would be great." We walked to a corner shop and sat down on a couple of swiveling stools while we enjoyed our drinks. After talking for a few minutes, the friendly bum told me to follow him. He told me that he had something grand to show me and share with me. We walked a couple of blocks until we came upon the downtown El Paso Public Library. We walked up its front steps and stopped at a small information stand. Here the bum spoke to a smiling old lady, and asked her if she would be kind enough to watch my things for a moment while he and I entered the library. I left my belongings with this grandmotherly figure and entered this wonderful hall of learning. The bum first led me to a table and asked me to sit down and wait for a moment while he looked for something special amongst the shelves. A few moments later, he returned with a couple of old books under his arms and set them on the table. He then sat down beside me and spoke. He started with a few statements that were very special and that changed my life. He... What did the writer enjoy doing when he was boy? A) Surfing in warm weather. B) Studying in a famous school. C) Hitchhiking abroad. D) Living in Texas.
A
(Question)
An allowance is an important tool for teaching kids how to make plans for the use of money, save and make their own decisions. Children remember and learn from mistakes when their own dollars are lost or spent foolishly. How large an allowance is suitable? Experts say there is not right amount. Actual amounts differ from region to region, and from family to family. To set an suitable allowance for your child, work up a weekly plan. Allow for entertainment costs such as movies and snacks. Next, include everyday expenses such as lunch money, bus fare, school supplies. "If you make the child responsible for these bills'," says Josephine Swanson, a consumer specialist, " he or she will learn to plan for necessary costs." Finally, add some extra money to make saving possible. If you can keep your child's allowance in line with that of his friends. A child whose buying power falls away below his peers' can feel left out. It can be tough, but don't excuse your children when they make a mistake with their allowance. When Brooke Stephens was ten and growing up in Jacksonville, her mother gave her $5 a week, $1.75 of which was for bus fare and lunch." If you lose your money," Brooke's mother told her, "you walk home." One week the girl spent all her allowance in a candy store, then she called home for a ride. " Mom made me walk home," recalls Stephens, now a financial planner in Brooklyn. " At first I was angry. But I finally realized that she was trying to teach me an important lesson. " Experts advise that an allowance should not be tied directly to a child's daily housework at home. Kids should help around the house not because they get paid for it but because they share responsibilities as members of a family. You might, however, pay a child for doing extra jobs at home, which can develop his or her early habits. Which of the following is the possible title of the passage? A) How to develop a child's early habits. B) How to work up an amount of pocket money. C) How to teach a child about money. D) How to teach a child to save money.
(Answer)
C
Ques: What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher? A doctor? How about an ice-cream taster? Yes, there really is a job where you can get paid to taste ice-cream. Just ask John Harrison, an"Official Taste Tester"for the past 21 years. Testing helps manufacturers to be sure of a product's quality. During his career Harrison has been responsible for approving large quantities of the sweet ice cream--as well as for developing over 75 flavors . Some people think that it would be easy to do this job: after all, you just have to like ice cream, right? No--there's more to the job than that, says Harrison, who has a degree in chemistry. He points out that a dairy or food-science degree would be very useful to someone wanting a career in this"cool"field. In a typical morning on the job, Harrison tastes and assesses 60 ice-cream samples. He lets the ice cream warm up to about 12degF. Harrison explains,"You get more flavor from warmer ice cream, which is why some kids like to stir it, creating ice-cream soup." While the ice cream warms up, Harrison looks over the samples and grades each one on its appearance."Tasting begins with the eyes,"he explains. He checks to see if the ice cream is attractive and asks himself,"Does the product have the color expected from that flavor?"Next it's time to taste! Continuing to think up new ideas, try out new flavors, and test samples from so many kinds of ice cream each day keeps Harrison busy but happy--working at one cool job. What is John Harrison's job? A) An official. B) An ice-cream taster. C) A chemist. D) An ice-cream manufacturer.
Ans: B
Ques: What is it: Work & Travel USA Who are qualified: Fulltime college students, above 18 years old About the program: Application for the 2009 Work & Travel USA program has just started. It's an 8~16 weeks' summer program for college students to work and travel in the U.S.. Employers include Boeing, Hilton Hotel and 7Eleven. For next summer, about 3,500 positions are open to Chinese students. Applicants must pass a language test and sometimes an interview, and pay a registration fee to join the program. (Source: www. Cultureexchange. org) _ What is it: Shanghai Volkswagen jobs Who are qualified: College students graduating in 2009 About it: Shanghai VW offers over 300 positions from engineering to marketing to college students graduating in 2009. Applicants should have an excellent academic record, CET6 or the same level language certificate in German, and good computer skills. Campus talks will take place in Shanghai, Changchun, Harbin, Wuhan, Changsha, Nanjing, Beijing and Xi'an from October. (source: campus chinahr. com/2009/pages/csvw) _ What is it: Oak Pacific Interactive (OPI) internships Who are qualified: College juniors and firstyear postgraduate students About it: OPI is now offering internship positions for test engineer, development engineer and assistant to the director of corporate culture. For engineering positions, candidates should major in computer science or a related field, have communication ability and be familiar with various development languages. For assistant to the director positions, candidates should be adept in document writing, activities organizing and office software. (source: campus. xiaonei. com) The opportunity of _ is offered only to college students graduating in 2009. A) working in America B) traveling in America C) OPI internship D) positions in VW
Ans:
D