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BEIJING (News Agency) — Children in China today spend five times more money than their parents did when they were young.
So what are all these children buying？The list is long：iPads, cell phones and jeans are typical items that children “have to” buy. And they will do anything to get them. They ask their parents over and over until they buy them.
But parents also need to take the blame for spending so much money. They want their children to have the best things. They end up competing with other parents over whether their children have the latest products.
So it's no wonder children find it hard to learn the importance of saving money rather than spending it all the time.
And it's hard to save when companies use advertising (广告) and clever slogans to encourage young people to buy their products. They even encourage children to keep asking their parents for something until they get it.
Today, you don't even need to have money in order to buy some things. Banks give out credit cards and loans (贷款) all the time, so people are saving less and less. We are used to carrying lots of money around. And if you don't have much, you can always borrow some.
But this hasn't always been the case. When our grandparents were young, there was very little money and everyone had to save hard for things they bought. They only bought things they needed, not things they just wanted.
The older generation made the wise expression, “Money doesn't grow on trees.” This is as true now as it was 50 years ago. They give money a great deal of value. And we all have a lot to learn from them.
语篇解读：本文是一篇议论文。文章主要讲述了现在的孩子们高消费的现状，并分析了形成此现象的原因。
1．Why are parents to blame for children's spending a lot of money?
A．They don't give children positive guidance in consumption.
B．They offer to buy the latest fashions for their children.
C．They always give children too much pocket money.
D．Their consumption habits set a bad example to children.
解析：选B 细节理解题。根据第三段中的But parents also need to take the blame for spending so much money. They want their children to have the best things.可知，父母总是想给孩子买最好最时髦的东西，造成了孩子的高消费，所以父母也该受到责备。故选B。
2．What does the saying “Money doesn't grow on tress.” in the last paragraph seem to tell us?
A．The older generation understood how to teach children to save.
B．In the past, people attached more importance to saving money.
C．Money has a great deal of value both in the past and at present.
D．Money is not easily earned and people should be careful when they spend it.
解析：选D 推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中的When our grandparents were young, there was very little money and everyone had to save hard for things they bought. They only bought things they needed, not things they just wanted.可知，祖辈们都是为买东西攒钱，他们只买需要的东西，而不是想要的东西。所以“Money doesn't grow on trees.”是想告诉我们挣钱不容易，花钱要节省。故选D。
3．The text mainly tells us ________.
A．differences between teenagers and their parents
B．what is popular among children at the moment
C．how to spend money wisely
D．children's high consumption (消费) of products
解析：选D 主旨大意题。第一段点明了本文主题——现在的孩子们花钱是父辈花钱的5倍，下文说明了他们购买的东西和形成此现象的原因。所以本文主要讲述孩子们对产品的高消费问题，故选D。
