Many kids help out around the house with chores such as emptying the dishwasher, putting laundry away, and taking out the trash. In exchange, some kids get allowances or other rewards such as extra computer time.
But some people do not think that kids should get rewards for doing chores. Susie Walton, a parenting educator and family coach, believes that by rewarding kids, parents are sending a message that work isn’t worth doing unless you get something in return. ’’Running any kind of household is a team effort, Susie said. "A home is a living space for everyone in the family. It’s important for kids to see that we all have responsibilities in the house, and that families decide together how they want their home to look, and how they are going to keep it looking like everyone wants it to look.”
Other people believe that getting a cash allowance or other rewards motivates kids to do chores, and it also teaches them real world lessons about how we need to work to earn money. There are also new applications that give kids points and digital gifts that can be redeemed (兑取) either online or in the real world. With the ChoreMonster app, kids earn digital points by completing chores that they can turn in for real-life rewards such as extra Xbox time or a trip to the mall. “Our goal is to encourage kids to earn rewards,’’ says Chris Bergman, founder of ChoreMonster. “Kids need positive reinforcement to help motivate them."
What do you think? Should kids be rewarded for doing chores? Or should kids help out around their homes without getting anything in return?
Write a 200-word response. Send it to tfkasks4you@timeforkids.com. Your response may be published in a future issue of Time For Kids. Please include your grade and contact information of your parent or teacher if you want your response to be published. The deadline for responding is February 18.
1．How does the author start the passage?| A．By presenting some facts. |
| B．By listing some evidence. |
| C．By comparing different views. |
| D．By stating his own experiences. |
| A．kids should be rewarded for doing chores |
| B．parents decide what kids can do for the family |
| C．kids have the responsibility to share housework |
| D．kids can get extra computer time for doing chores |
| A．Chris Bergman’s opinion on raising kids |
| B．main reasons why kids need encouragement |
| C．how to motivate kids to try new applications |
| D．the advantage of rewarding kids for doing chores |
| A．invite readers to express their opinions |
| B．inform readers of two different opinions |
| C．call on readers to reflect on their behavior |
| D．present the author's viewpoint about parenting |
I was getting more excited as we got off the train at beautiful Grand Central Station. After tour at the Museum of Modern Art, we
On the way home I realized that my handbag was gone -- lost or
The days slipped by while I got rides to college and
There was my old handbag, with everything
| A．reached | B．entered | C．visited | D．noticed |
| A．shops | B．factories | C．schools | D．hospitals |
| A．sons | B．daughters | C．cousins | D．parents |
| A．taxi | B．car | C．carriage | D．bus |
| A．covered | B．hidden | C．forgotten | D．stolen |
| A．arrived | B．disappeared | C．worked | D．disturbed |
| A．dirty | B．useful | C．old | D．small |
| A．shown | B．encountered | C．packed | D．replaced |
| A．put off | B．brought about | C．relied on | D．came round |
| A．fax | B．document | C．reward | D．delivery |
| A．Disappointed | B．Shocked | C．Confused | D．Frightened |
| A．voice | B．word | C．speed | D．moment |
| A．gradually | B．completely | C．frequently | D．originally |
| A．though | B．yet | C．ever | D．before |
| A．comparison | B．accident | C．design | D．nature |
My generation--people born after 1990 --are accustomed to “all-in-platform” life, where we use mobile apps of different platforms to do almost everything in life.
For instance, I ordered a cup of coffee on Monday using an online delivery app. Then, I called a taxi by tapping on the app of a ride-booking service. Next, I bought some necessities on shopping platform Taobao. That done, I moved on to various other online destinations to get my daily fix of music, reading, social networking and so forth.
Platforms now play an increasingly important role in almost all aspects of day-to-day life, not just in economic and political processes. Consumption and social interaction are closely linked to platforms now.
But, I began to get confused recently. I thought I was being treated differently. My friend and I called a taxi at the same time on a ride-hailing platform (打车平台) and found that for the same destination, the prices were different. The price indicated on my phone was higher. One of the potential reasons could have been that I regularly use the ride-hailing platform and have a higher ranking while my friend doesn’t use it that often. So, the ride-hailing platform offers discounts to newbies like her, to attract and have such customers.
China’s latest efforts in regulating monopolistic (垄断的) or improper market behavior are of great significance in protecting consumers’ lawful rights.
“The essence of platform-based monopoly (垄断) is that a large number of users are gathered on only a select few platform companies, leading to uneven data gathering different platforms. But in China some platforms use their own data and traffic (流量) to expand capital in a disorderly way,” said Wang Yong, deputy director of the Institute of Economics at Tinghua University.
Data monopoly also brought another inconvenience for consumers--platforms block links to each other. For instance, link to We Chat Pay of Tencent is not available on Alibuba’s Taobao while there is no Alipay link on JD app’s payment options.
“More efforts should also be made to strike a good balance between personal information protection and interconnection between platforms. Companies are being encouraged to further develop data safety technology so that the data are available but not visible.”
1．What is the author’s purpose in writing Para. 2?| A．To offer some tips on using apps on mobile phone. |
| B．To share his experience with mobile apps. |
| C．To further explain what is “all-in-platform” life. |
| D．To help readers familiarize themselves with mobile apps. |
| A．The author encountered so called “big data price discrimination”. |
| B．The author and his friend were treated differently by taxi drivers. |
| C．Due to the author’s higher ranking, the platform offered him a cheaper price. |
| D．The ride-hailing platform offers discounts to regular customers. |
| A．Sympathetic. | B．Approving. | C．Critical. | D．Grateful. |
| A．Data monopolies and the inconvenience they bring to mobile app life. |
| B．Mobile apps have greatly changed our lives. |
| C．How to protect personal information on mobile apps. |
| D．Platforms have impacted every aspect of our daily lives. |
| A．Ideas about an average student. |
| B．Large foreign student population. |
| C．Different university lives in America. |
| A．To buy clothes. | B．To pay off student loan. | C．To save money for the future. |
| A．Chinese. | B．Indian. | C．German. |
| A．Professors. | B．Freshmen. | C．Parents. |
| A．In the office. | B．In a car. | C．At school. |
| A．He didn’t sleep well last night. |
| B．He didn’t sleep at all last night. |
| C．He slept late last night. |
| A．He has some trouble with his heart. |
| B．He has a bad cough. |
| C．He has a chest pain. |
| A．Take more medicine. | B．Do some exercise. | C．Ask for a leave. |
| A．The 22nd. | B．The 23rd. | C．The 28th. |
| A．Flight BA 2007. | B．Flight BA 7001. | C．Flight BA 2710. |
| A．Half an hour. | B．One and a half hours. | C．Two hours. |
| A．Green tea. | B．Black tea. | C．Dark tea. |
| A．200 yuan. | B．300 yuan. | C．400 yuan. |
That’s all. Thank you!
From the moon to Mars, scientists have been hunting for alien life in the solar system for decades.
However, Venus was not regarded as an ideal place because of its hot temperature and dry atmosphere. But a recent discovery of traces of a gas in the clouds of Venus has excited astronomers, as it may serve as a potential sign of life.
On Sept 14, the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada announced that scientists have detected phosphine (磷化氢) in the clouds of Venus. Phosphine is a colorless, toxic gas that has an odor of garlic. Though toxic, it is viewed as a possible sign of life because on Earth the gas is made by microorganisms that live in oxygen-free environments.
“I was very surprised, stunned, in fact.” astronomer Jane Greaves of Cardiff University in Wales and lead author of the research, told MSN. “There is a chance that we have detected some kind of living organism in the clouds of Venus.”
This layer of clouds is about 48 kilometers above the Venus surface, with its temperature ranging from 30 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (about -1 to 93℃). Scientists have inferred that if life exists on Venus, this cloud deck is likely the only place where it would survive.
Scientists went through every possibility that could have led to the formation of phosphine gas in Venus’ clouds, including volcanoes, lightning strikes, small meteorites (陨石) falling into the atmosphere. But they ruled all of them out. It was concluded that there is no explanation for the existence of this gas in Venus’ clouds, other than the presence of life, USA Today reported.
Although the detection of phosphine is not strong evidence for life, this finding is great enough to change scientists’ view on Venus, which is thought to be a completely inhospitable planet.
What signs of life we looking for?
(1). Liquid water: It can dissolve a huge range of molecules needed for life and facilitate their chemical reactions.
(2). Mild temperatures: Temperatures higher than 122 ℃ will destroy most complex organic molecules, and make it almost impossible for carbon-based life to form.
1．What can we learn about phosphine from the text?| A．It has no smell at all. | B．It only exists on Venus. |
| C．It can be produced by microorganisms. | D．It is a sign of the existence of oxygen. |
| A．Various living organisms have been detected on Venus. |
| B．The higher the cloud is above Venus, the warmer it is. |
| C．The cloud deck is rich in phosphine. |
| D．If life exists on Venus, it is likely in the cloud deck. |
| A．It could be formed as a result of the falling of meteorites. |
| B．It could be a sign that there is life in Venus’ clouds. |
| C．It could be caused by volcanoes and lighting strikes. |
| D．It proves that Venus is another hospitable planet. |
| A．A newly detected gas may indicate possible existence of life on Venus. |
| B．Scientists found the most hospitable place on Venus. |
| C．The environment on Venus changed in favor of life. |
| D．Phosphine formed on Venus means alien life is present. |
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