David Jones and His Salary
Computer programmer David Jones earns £35,000 a year designing new computer games, yet he cannot find a bank prepared to let him have a cheque card. Instead, he has been told to wait another two years, until he is 18.
The 16-year-old works for a small firm In Liverpool, where the problem of most young people of his age is finding a job. Davids firm releases two new games for the home computer market each month.
But Davids biggest headache is what to do with his money. Despite his salary, earned buy inventing new programs, with bonus payments and profit-sharing, he cannot drive a car, buy a house, or obtain credit cards.
He lives with his parents in Liverpool. His company has to pay £150 a month in taxi fares to get him the five miles to work and back every day because David cannot drive.
David got his job with the Liverpool-based company four months ago, a year after leaving school and working for a time in a computer shop. I got the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs, he said.
I suppose £35,000 sounds a lot but I hope it will come to more than that his year. He spends some of his money on records and clothes, and gives his mother £20 a week. But most of his spare time is spent working.
unfortunately, computing was not part of our studies at school, he said. But I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time. I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school. Most people in this business are fairly young, anyway.
David added: I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement is a possibility. You never know when the market might disappear.
Exercise
1. Why is David different from other young people of his age?
A) Because he earns an extremely high salary.
B) Because he is not unemployed.
C) Because he does not go out much.
D) Because he lives at home with his parents.
2. Davids greatest problem is
A) finding a bank that will treat him as an adult. B) inventing computer games.
C) spending his salary. D) learning to drive.
3. He was employed by the company because
A) he had worked in a computer shop.
B) he had written some computer programs.
C) he had worked very hard. D) he had learned to use computers at school.
4. He left school because
A) he did not enjoy school
B) he wanted to work with computers and staying at school did not help him.
C) he was afraid of getting too old to start computing.
D) he wanted to earn a lot of money.
5. Why does David think he might retire early?
A) Because you have to be young to write computer programs.
B) Because he wants to stop working when he is a millionaire.
C) Because he thinks computer games might not always sell so well.
D) Because he thinks his firm might go bankrupt.
Keys: ACBBC
体坛英语资讯:Petra Vlhova wins Slovakias 2019 Sportsperson of the Year award
国内英语资讯:Chinese premier urges vaccine, medicine development against epidemic
体坛英语资讯:Indonesian athletes vow to break records in athletics at ASEAN Para Games
国内英语资讯:China allocates 4.4 bln yuan for coronavirus control
国内英语资讯:CPC allocates 108 mln yuan for coronavirus control
鼠年到!盘点最受喜爱的中外老鼠明星
国内英语资讯:Chinese vice premier orders better medical supply to address shortage
国内英语资讯:Chinas agricultural policy bank supports protective equipment production
国内英语资讯:China Focus: Efforts underway to develop novel coronavirus vaccine
体坛英语资讯:Diego Forlan to coach Uruguays Penarol
国内英语资讯:MIIT, Red Cross Society to ensure supplies for pneumonia prevention
国际英语资讯:U.S. Fed expected to leave rates unchanged in first meeting of 2020
国际英语资讯:Massive protests erupt in Indian capital following firing on student
体坛英语资讯:Diamond League has to change, says World Athletics president Coe
国内英语资讯:Chinese FM says China to enhance intl cooperation over battle against epidemic
国内英语资讯:More Chinese provinces see patients recover from coronavirus pneumonia
国际英语资讯:State of emergency declared amid bushfire threat to Australian capital
新型冠状病毒感染的肺炎与流感有何区别?
国内英语资讯:CPC issues circular pledging political support for battling novel coronavirus
国内英语资讯:Novel coronavirus outbreak may reach its peak in one week or about 10 days: expert
研究显示:和婴儿玩耍时,你们的脑电波会同步
体坛英语资讯:Flamengos Bruno Henrique plays down reports of China move
国内英语资讯:China fully confident in winning battle against novel coronavirus: Xi
国际英语资讯:U.S. military confirms Air Force aircraft crash in Afghanistan
国际英语资讯:UN appreciates Chinas effort against novel coronavirus: Guterres
国内英语资讯:Xi orders military to contribute to winning battle against epidemic
国内英语资讯:100 more traditional Chinese medicine workers dispatched to Wuhan
国内英语资讯:China extends holidays, strengthens control of coronavirus epidemic
国际英语资讯:Spotlight: China rejects U.S., UK accusation on Syria in Security Council
国际英语资讯:Palestinians join mass protests in West Bank, Gaza against Trumps Mideast peace plan