Summary
The article discusses how providing children with an allowance is a powerful tool for teaching financial literacy. By managing a finite amount of money, children learn to budget, save up for long-term goals, and learn from small financial mistakes before reaching adulthood.
While linking money to chores can teach the value of hard work, it also risks turning household responsibilities into purely commercial acts. Furthermore, the text highlights the shift toward a cashless society, where digital apps and debit cards are replacing physical coins to help children navigate modern transactions. Ultimately, the goal is to foster a healthy, lifelong relationship with money.
👉點我聽音檔👈
Reading Questions
1. According to the text, what is the benefit of children making "money mistakes" while they are young?
2. What is the potential "downside" of linking pocket money to household chores?
3. How have money management services for children changed in the digital age?
4. What does Louise Hill suggest is a major psychological benefit of earning money through work?
5. How much pocket money did you get as a child？
6. How much should parents give?
7. Should they track what their children spend money on?
8. Ｗhere is the balance between teaching children valuable life lessons and simply spoiling them?
🍇雅思單字
1. allowance
Even though I’m an adult now, I still fondly remember negotiating with my dad for a $5 weekly allowance.
雖然我現在已經是成年人了，但我仍然清楚地記得以前為了每週 5 美元的零用錢和爸爸討價還價的情景。
2. one-off
The bonus I received was a one-off payment, so I decided to save it rather than change my lifestyle.
我收到的獎金是一次性的，因此我決定把它存起來，而不是改變自己的生活方式。
3. chore
For some reason, I find washing the dishes therapeutic rather than boring.
出於某種原因，我覺得洗碗是一件很療癒的事，而不是無聊的家務。
4. spoil
More and more parents love to spoil their children with expensive gadgets, which may hinder their sense of responsibility.
越來越多的父母喜歡用昂貴的電子產品溺愛孩子，這可能會妨礙他們培養責任感。
5. disposable income
After paying my rent and bills, I don’t have much disposable income left for fancy dinners.
在支付房租和各種帳單後，我幾乎沒有多少可支配收入可以用來吃高檔餐廳。
6. financial literacy
Understanding how compound interest works is a crucial part of financial literacy.
了解複利的運作方式是財務素養中非常重要的一部分。
7. finite
We must remember that the Earth’s natural resources are finite and require careful management.
我們必須記住，地球的自然資源是有限的，因此需要被謹慎管理。
8. budget
If you don’t create a strict budget for your vacation, you’ll likely overspend on souvenirs.
如果你不為假期制定嚴格的預算，很可能會在紀念品上花過頭。
9. save up
I’ve been trying to save up for a high-end camera so I can start my photography blog.
我一直在存錢買一台高階相機，這樣我就能開始經營自己的攝影部落格。
10. instant gratification
Social media is designed to provide instant gratification, which is why it can be so addictive.
社群媒體的設計就是為了提供即時滿足感，這也是它為何如此容易讓人上癮。
11. adolescence
During adolescence, many young people struggle to balance their desire for independence with their need for guidance.
在青春期，許多年輕人很難在追求獨立與需要指引之間取得平衡。
12. lucrative
My bestie turned her hobby of making jewelry into a very lucrative online business.
我的閨蜜把製作珠寶的興趣轉變成一門非常賺錢的網路生意。
13. debit card
I felt a moment of panic when the vending machine declined my debit card for a simple snack.
當自動販賣機拒絕使用我的簽帳金融卡購買一份簡單的零食時，我瞬間感到一陣恐慌。
14. transaction
You will receive a confirmation email as soon as your online transaction is complete.
一旦您的線上交易完成，您將立即收到一封確認電子郵件。
15. downside
The downside of not continuing to learn a language is that you quickly lose fluency and forget the nuances you worked so hard to grasp.
沒有持續學習語言的缺點在於，你會很快失去流利度，並忘記那些曾經努力掌握的細微差別。
👉點我聽音檔👈
Reading Questions
1. According to the text, what is the benefit of children making "money mistakes" while they are young?
2. What is the potential "downside" of linking pocket money to household chores?
3. How have money management services for children changed in the digital age?
4. What does Louise Hill suggest is a major psychological benefit of earning money through work?
5. How much pocket money did you get as a child？
6. How much should parents give?
7. Should they track what their children spend money on?
8. Ｗhere is the balance between teaching children valuable life lessons and simply spoiling them?
🍇雅思單字
1. allowance
Even though I’m an adult now, I still fondly remember negotiating with my dad for a $5 weekly allowance.
雖然我現在已經是成年人了，但我仍然清楚地記得以前為了每週 5 美元的零用錢和爸爸討價還價的情景。
2. one-off
The bonus I received was a one-off payment, so I decided to save it rather than change my lifestyle.
我收到的獎金是一次性的，因此我決定把它存起來，而不是改變自己的生活方式。
3. chore
For some reason, I find washing the dishes therapeutic rather than boring.
出於某種原因，我覺得洗碗是一件很療癒的事，而不是無聊的家務。
4. spoil
More and more parents love to spoil their children with expensive gadgets, which may hinder their sense of responsibility.
越來越多的父母喜歡用昂貴的電子產品溺愛孩子，這可能會妨礙他們培養責任感。
5. disposable income
After paying my rent and bills, I don’t have much disposable income left for fancy dinners.
在支付房租和各種帳單後，我幾乎沒有多少可支配收入可以用來吃高檔餐廳。
6. financial literacy
Understanding how compound interest works is a crucial part of financial literacy.
了解複利的運作方式是財務素養中非常重要的一部分。
7. finite
We must remember that the Earth’s natural resources are finite and require careful management.
我們必須記住，地球的自然資源是有限的，因此需要被謹慎管理。
8. budget
If you don’t create a strict budget for your vacation, you’ll likely overspend on souvenirs.
如果你不為假期制定嚴格的預算，很可能會在紀念品上花過頭。
9. save up
I’ve been trying to save up for a high-end camera so I can start my photography blog.
我一直在存錢買一台高階相機，這樣我就能開始經營自己的攝影部落格。
10. instant gratification
Social media is designed to provide instant gratification, which is why it can be so addictive.
社群媒體的設計就是為了提供即時滿足感，這也是它為何如此容易讓人上癮。
11. adolescence
During adolescence, many young people struggle to balance their desire for independence with their need for guidance.
在青春期，許多年輕人很難在追求獨立與需要指引之間取得平衡。
12. lucrative
My bestie turned her hobby of making jewelry into a very lucrative online business.
我的閨蜜把製作珠寶的興趣轉變成一門非常賺錢的網路生意。
13. debit card
I felt a moment of panic when the vending machine declined my debit card for a simple snack.
當自動販賣機拒絕使用我的簽帳金融卡購買一份簡單的零食時，我瞬間感到一陣恐慌。
14. transaction
You will receive a confirmation email as soon as your online transaction is complete.
一旦您的線上交易完成，您將立即收到一封確認電子郵件。
15. downside
The downside of not continuing to learn a language is that you quickly lose fluency and forget the nuances you worked so hard to grasp.
沒有持續學習語言的缺點在於，你會很快失去流利度，並忘記那些曾經努力掌握的細微差別。
16. cashless
Taking a trip to Tokyo is easy because the city is almost entirely cashless.
前往東京旅行非常方便，因為這座城市幾乎已經全面無現金化。
🍎
Giving children pocket money offers more than just disposable income. It can provide lessons in financial literacy. One of the first things children can learn is that money is finite. Once it is spent, there's no more until the next allowance. This awareness can help children learn how to budget and make good financial decisions. For example, they might spend weeks saving up for something big and exciting, rather than spending small amounts immediately.
Earning through chores encourages financial independence and "ultimately gives much more satisfaction rather than instant gratification".
In today's digital world, families are increasingly going cashless.
Giving children pocket money can improve their financial literacy. If they want to save up for an exciting new toy, they must learn how to budget and only buy the things they need, rather than being tempted by instant gratification. If they want to save up faster, they must do more chores to earn more pocket money from their parents.
🍉請務必查以下單字用法
allowance 父母定期給孩子的錢，定期補貼
one-off 一次性的
chore 家務活
dos and don'ts 應該與不應該做的事，規則
spoil 寵壞，溺愛
disposable income 可支配收入
financial literacy 財務知識，金融素養
finite 有限的
budget 制訂預算
save up 存錢
instant gratification 即時滿足
adolescence 青少年時期
lucrative 賺錢的
cashless 無現金的
debit card 借記卡
transaction 交易
Taking a trip to Tokyo is easy because the city is almost entirely cashless.
前往東京旅行非常方便，因為這座城市幾乎已經全面無現金化。
🍎
Giving children pocket money offers more than just disposable income. It can provide lessons in financial literacy. One of the first things children can learn is that money is finite. Once it is spent, there's no more until the next allowance. This awareness can help children learn how to budget and make good financial decisions. For example, they might spend weeks saving up for something big and exciting, rather than spending small amounts immediately.
Earning through chores encourages financial independence and "ultimately gives much more satisfaction rather than instant gratification".
In today's digital world, families are increasingly going cashless.
Giving children pocket money can improve their financial literacy. If they want to save up for an exciting new toy, they must learn how to budget and only buy the things they need, rather than being tempted by instant gratification. If they want to save up faster, they must do more chores to earn more pocket money from their parents.
🍉請務必查以下單字用法
allowance 父母定期給孩子的錢，定期補貼
one-off 一次性的
chore 家務活
dos and don'ts 應該與不應該做的事，規則
spoil 寵壞，溺愛
disposable income 可支配收入
financial literacy 財務知識，金融素養
finite 有限的
budget 制訂預算
save up 存錢
instant gratification 即時滿足
adolescence 青少年時期
lucrative 賺錢的
cashless 無現金的
debit card 借記卡
transaction 交易