An allowance(零花錢) 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 5aweek,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.
1.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.
2. It can be inferred from the passage that if a child
is given an allowance, he or she may ________.
A.spend all the
money very soon
B.fall into the
bad habit of wasting money
C.feel
responsible and careful about money
D.lose the
money and can not return home
3. In Paragraph 4, the words “his peers” refer to
________.
A.his parents B.his friends
C.his financial
experts D.his teachers
4. Why does the writer mention Brooke Stephens?
A.To question
the opinion about pocket money.
B.To compare
Stephens with other financial experts.
C.To explain
that parents should be strict when children are developing good habits about
money.
D.To suggest
pocket money is useless in developing a child’s
sense of responsibility.
5. The writer implies in the passage that ________.
A.children may
feel lonely if they have no pocket money
B.a(chǎn) child’s early good habits can be developed if he or she is
paid for all the housework
C.paying
children for their housework is no good
D.children may
learn to put aside some money if they are given a great amount of pocket money