You work hard for your money so why not keep it? Nothing is more disappointing than working hard all week just to have nothing to spend on the weekends or even worse, having to sit at home on vacation. Try these simple tips to help gain back your financial independence.

1．Educate yourself. Write down what you have spent. Look closely at where your money has been going the last few months. Are you spending a lot more money on morning coffee than you want to? Just by adding up what you're spending and where you're spending it each month will help you make better decisions about the purchases you make.

2．Keep your change. Instead of spending your change, make a habit of putting it all in a special jar or “piggy bank” at home. You will be surprised how quickly your change adds up. Want to go on a family vacation next summer but don't think you can afford it? Try having everyone in the family contribute their change to a “vacation jar”. Your family will enjoy pitching in and your children will learn valuable lessons in saving money and enjoying the reward.

3．Be a host! Like to go out with your friends for a good time? Sure, everyone does, but no one likes getting the bill at the end of the night. Going out to eat and have a few drinks can really put the strain on your wallet. Try going to the grocery store and purchasing food and drinks that can be made at home and inviting everyone over. Yes it can be expensive to play the host every time, but if you take turns going to friends, houses you can keep the cost down and still have a good time while enjoying the same food and drinks.

4．Plan your groceries. Grocery shopping can be dangerous in many ways. One way is to go shopping when you are hungry. Think about it, when you are hungry and want something to eat, you are more likely to put everything in your cart that you just don't need. Impulse(冲动)shopping brings us to the next point. Make a list(and check it twice)．Plan out your meals for the coming week and list all the ingredients you need at the store.

Saving money can be easy and even funny when you see how much you are able to save. Start by educating yourself and your family as to where the money goes every month and then set goals. Make games out of saving your change and look forward to the reward.

When times get tough，we all look for ways to cut back.When we're hungry，we eat at home instead of going out.We take buses instead of taxis.And we wear our old designer jeans just a few months longer.With college expenses at all?time highs，high school students are eager to do anything to cut the cost of a university education.

One cost?cutting proposal is to allow college students to get a bachelor's degree in three years instead of four.Educational institutions have been actively exploring ways to make the learning process more efficient.But there's a question：Would the quality of undergraduate(本科生)education suffer？ Few US universities have formally approved a “three?year degree”model.

I doubt that mainstream North American colleges will carry out a three?year curriculum(课程)any time soon.For one thing，most universities already allow highly qualified students to graduate early by testing out of certain classes and obtaining a number of college credits(学分)．In addition，at famous universities，the committee who determine which courses are required and which courses are electives are unlikely to suddenly “throw out”one quarter of the required credits.Professors will resist “diluting(稀释)”the quality of the education they offer.

In my opinion，a quality four?year education is always superior to a quality three?year education.A college education requires sufficient time for a student to become skilled in their major and do coursework in fields outside their major.It is not a good idea to water down education，any more than it's not a good idea to water down medicine.If we want to help students find their way through university，we should help them understand early on what knowledge and skills they need to have upon graduation.We should allow students to test out of as many courses as possible.We should give them a chance to earn money as interns(实习生)in meaningful part?time jobs that relate to their university studies，such as the five?year co?op program at Northeastern University.

1.The first paragraph serves as a(n) ________.

A．explanation? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B．definition

C．introduction? ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D．comment

2.In most US universities，________.

A．college students are offered the co?op program

B．electives' credits make up one quarter of the required credits

C．all students are required to finish four?year education before graduation

D．some excellent students can graduate ahead of time

3.We can infer that ________.

A．the author is a college professor

B．the author thinks the cost of a university education is too high for people to afford

C．the author considers the university education quality very important

D．the author pays special attention to the all?round development of college students

4.Which of the following can be the best title?

A．It's time to shorten the learning process

B．Best learning takes place over time

C．University education should be watered down

D．College education calls for reform

The evidence for harmony may not be obvious in some families. But it seems that four out of five young people now get on with their parents, which is the opposite of the popularly-held image （形象）of unhappy teenagers locked in their room after endless family quarrels.

An important new study into teenage attitudes surprisingly shows that their family life is more harmonious than it has ever been in the past. “We were surprised by just how positive today’s young people seem to be about their families,” said one member of the research team. “They’re expected to be rebellious（叛逆的）and selfish .but actually they have other things on their minds: they want a car and material goods, and they worry about whether school is serving them well. There’s more negotiation（商议）and discussion between parents and children, and children expect to take part in the family decision-making process. They don’t want to rock the boat.”

So it seems that this generation of parents is much more likely than parents of 30 years ago to treat their children as friends. “My parents are happy to discuss things with me and willing to listen to me," says 17-year-old Daniel Lazall. “I always tell them when I’m going out clubbing. As long as they know what I’m doing, they’re fine with it.” Susan Crome, who is now 21, agrees. “Looking back on the last 10 years, there was a lot of what you could call negotiation. For example, as long as I’d done all my homework, I could go out on a Saturday night. But I think my grandparents were a lot stricter with my parents than that.”

Maybe this positive view of family life should not be unexpected. It is possible that the idea of teenage rebellion is not rooted in real facts. A researcher comments, “Our surprise that teenagers say they get along well with their parents comes because of a brief period in our social history when teenagers were regarded as different beings. But that idea of rebelling and breaking away from their parents really only happened during that one time in the 1960s when everyone rebelled. The normal situation throughout history has been a smooth change from helping out with the family business to taking it over.”

41. What is the popular image of teenagers today?

A. They worry about school.                        B. They dislike living with their parents.

C, They have to be locked in to avoid troubles.  D. They quarrel a lot with other family members.

42. The study shows that teenagers don’t want to__________ .

A. share family responsibility                                B. cause trouble in their families

C. go boating with their family                          D. make family decisions

43. Compared with parents of 30 years ago, today’s parents__________ .

A. go to clubs more often with their children          B. are much stricter with their children

C. care less about their children’s life                 D. give their children more freedom

44. According to the author, teenage rebellion__________ .

A. may be a false belief                                    B. is common nowadays

C. existed only in the 1960s                               D. resulted from changes in families

45. What is the passage mainly about?

A. Negotiation in family.                                         B. Education in family.

C. Harmony in family.                          D.Teenage trouble in family.

--- I’m still working on my project.

   --- Oh, you’ll miss the deadline. Time is ____________.

   A. running out  B. going out   C. giving out  D. losing out

The tasty cream-filled golden sponge(海绵) cakes have been an American favorite for decades. These are just a few of the sugary treats made by the beloved Hostess brand. But after more than 80 years, Americans have to say goodbye to these iconic (标志性的) desserts. Early last week, Hostess announced it is going out of business.

   "Many people have worked unbelievably long and hard to keep this from happening," said Hostess CEO Gregory F. Rayburn. "Hostess Brand has no other alternative than to begin the process of getting down and preparing for the sale of our iconic brands." Along with Twinkles (奶油蛋糕) and Wonder Bread, cupcakes and other sugary treats may disappear from the shelves.

   In the past decade, Hostess has experienced difficulties with its management and high labor costs. The company had money troubles in the past, but this time there was no way to recover. Along with the loss of sugary treats comes the loss of nearly 20,000 jobs. Hostess fans hope that another company will buy out the Hostess.

  The downfall of Hostess is due not just to the company's financial problems, but also to a changing America. Our country's tastes and lifestyles are not the same as they were eighty years ago. Americans have become more health-conscious, and they are demanding more healthful food products. As a manufacturer of high-calorie products, Hostess does not fit into this new way of life.

   To make matters worse for Hostess, Americans do not eat as much bread as they once did. "More and more people are choosing one-dish meals," said Harry Balzar. "The tradition of bread as a side dish is going out." Americans are finding alternatives to their morning toast too. Instead they’re choosing quick snacks like yogurt and energy bars.

  Will Twinkles become an image of a bygone(过去的) America? Hostess fans hope that it will secure its spot on supermarket shelves for years to come. We can only wait. And maybe eat fruit for dessert instead.

1. What caused Hostess to be in trouble in the last 10 years? (no more than 7 words)

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2. Can you list three disappearing sugary desserts by Hostess? (no more than 5 words)

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3.What makes Hostess's situation more severe? (no more than 9 words)

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4. What's the hope of Hostess fans about this spongy snack's future? (no more than 20 words)

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