Soccer is played by millions of people all over the world, but there have only been few players who were truly great. How did these players get that way---was it through training and practice, or are great players “born, not made”? First, these players came from places that have had famous stars in the past---players that a young boy can look up to and try to imitate(模仿). In the history of soccer, only seven countries have ever won the World Cup---three from South America and four from western Europe. There has never been a great national team---or a really great player---from North America or from Asia. Second, these players have all had years of practice in the game. Alfredo Di Stefano was the son of a soccer player, as was Pele. Most players begin playing the game at the age of three or four.

Finally, many great players come from the same kind of neighbourhood---a poor, crowded area where a boy’s dream is not to be a doctor, lawyer, or businessman, but to become a rich, famous athlete or entertainer(藝人). For example, Liverpool, which produced the Beatles, had one of the best English soccer teams in recent years. Pele practiced in the street with a “ball” made of rags(破布). And George Best learned the tricks that made him famous by bouncing the ball off a wall(對(duì)著墻壁踢球) in the slums(貧民窟) of Belfast.

All great players have a lot in common, but that doesn’t explain why they are great. Hundreds of boys played in those Brazilian streets, but only one became Pele. The greatest players are born with some unique quality that sets them apart from all the others.

46. According to the writer, which of the following statements is true?

A. Soccer is popular all over the world, but truly great players are few.

B. Millions of people all over the world are playing soccer, but only seven countries have ever had famous stars.

C. Soccer is played by millions of people all over the world, but only seven countries from South America and western Europe have ever had great national teams.

D. Soccer is one of the most popular games all over the world, but it seems the least popular in North America and Asia.

47. The world “tricks” at the end of Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ______.

A. experience      B. cheating         C. skills          D. training

48. The Brazilian streets are mentioned to illustrate that ______.

A. famous soccer players live in slum areas

B. people in poor areas are born with some unique quality

C. children in poor areas start playing football at the age of three or four

D. a great soccer player may be born in a slum area

49. In the last paragraph the statement “…but only one became Pele” indicates that ______.

A. Pele is the greatest soccer player

B. the greatest players are born with some unique quality

C. Pele’s birthplace sets him apart from all the others

D. the success of a soccer player has everything to do with the family background

50. The writer mentions all the factors that may affect a soccer player’s success except ______.

A. his family background               B. his neighbourhood

C. his practice                              D. his character

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 $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.
【小題1】Which of the following is the possible title of the passage?

I HEAR America beeping(嘟嘟響)．

 Beep，says my cellophane when it gets a text message．

  Beep，says my microwave oven when my sandwich  is warmed up． 

 Sometimes  I long for a natural sound：a bird singing，dog barking，children laughing， anything to drown out  the maddening beeps that have become the soundtrack(配樂)to modern life．

  My cellophane? It isn’t enough that its ring tone offerings seem to stretch from  “annoymg” toextremely “annoying”． It also has to beep whenever someone texts messages me． 

The microwave? A bell rings when it's finished heating my food．But is that enough? No．If I don’t rush to it right away, it starts beeping，like an impatient child tugging(用力拉) at my sleeve(袖子)．

 The smoke detector(探測(cè)器) is the worst offender．When its batteries are in need of replacement，it 1ets out a series of chirps．The things that don’t beep buzz(嗡嗡響)．And for some reason，beeping and buzzing is beneath them，they clear their throats and perform a symphony． Like my TV, each time I turn it on, it performs an aria(詠嘆調(diào))：La di da di dum．Salutions! Here I am! Same thing when I turn it off: La di da di dum．Good bye, kind sir! Until the next time

But at 1east I know where each of these sounds is coming from．That isn’t always the case．For weeks, my wife and I were awoken in the night by a beeping．There，in the stillness， we went through the possible suspects．Could we have a text message? Could it be any of the devices(裝置)able to make a sound? Curling iron, rice cooker, smoke detector, TV set，clock radio．．．

The only way to tell was to chase the sound down ，but no sooner  would we pull on our bathrobes than the beeping would stop. We didn’t hear it every night but often enough that we would climb into bed wondering whether our sleep  would be interrupted by that maddening sound，that beep．

  Finally,early one morning，my wife found it：in the study,under a desk，a big plastic cube that was plugged into the wall．It was an uninterruptible power supply that we’d inherited(繼承)from my wife’s mother．We’d never known it was capable of speech． 

I think it just wanted someone to talk to.

14．What does the writer truly mean by saying“I hear America beeping”?

A．American people like devices that beep．

B．Americans are crazy about sending text messages．

C．In modern society people are dependant on technology．

D．The soundtrack to modern life is no longer natural．

15．Why couldn’t the author and his wife find the source of the noise in their house in the beginning?

A．There were too many devices for them to check．

B．They were unwilling to get up at midnight．

C．They had never known that thing could beep too．

D．The noise didn’t come every day．

16．After reading this passage，we can probably tell the author    ．

   A．enjoys being surrounded by beeps  B．has a touch of humor in his writing

C．tries to avoid using anything that beeps

D．understands the beeping is designed to be user-friendly

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 $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.

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

An allowance is an important tool for teaching kids how to budget, save and make their own decisions. Children remem??ber and learn from mistakes when their own dollars are lost or spent foolishly.

How large an allowance is appropriate? Experts say there is not right amount. Actual amounts differ from region to re??gion, and from family to family.

To set an appropriate allowance for your child, work up a weekly budget. Allow for entertainment expenditures 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 ‘ ills’," says Josephine Swanson, a consumer specialist, " he or she will learn to budget for nec??essary expenditures."

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 purchasing power falls away below his peers’ can feel left out.

It can be tough, but avoid excusing your children when they make a mistake with their allowance. When Brooke Ste??phens 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 Brook??lyn. " 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 di??rectly to a child’s daily chores. 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 initiative.

Which of the following is the possible title of the passage?

A. How to develop a child’s initiative.

B. How to work up an amount of pocket money.

C. How to teach a child to save money.

D. How to teach a child about money.

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. be spoiled and finally ruined

C. feel responsible and careful about money

D. lost the money and can not return home

In Paragraph 4, the words “his peers” refer to ________.

A. his parents        B. his teachers              C. his financial experts   D. his friends

The author implies in the passage that ________.

A. paying children for their housework is no good

B. a child’s initiative can be developed if he or she is paid for all the housework

C. children may feel lost and lonely if they have no pocket money

D. children may learn to put aside some money if they are given a great amount of pocket money